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Rod started his talk with ‘the gloomy bit’, in the form of
Climate Change, which, whilst becoming apparent here in the South West, is even
more so in the African countries to which Rod travels. However, his thoughts were positive – how
can wildlife be helped to cope with the changes? One way is to create’ wildlife corridors’ to enable northerly
movement over a period of time. An
example would be the linking of coastal areas, such as the Jurassic Coast, via
river valleys to Exmoor and Dartmoor. A
charitable trust has been set up with a view to having an Exmouth Visitor
Centre which would be a co-ordinating point for all organisations involved in
this and other projects. It would also
show pictures from web cameras positioned along the coast.
Biodiversity is the key and the
Exe Estuary and the Jurassic Coast have much to offer. And of course they have seen a lot of
climate change in 250 million years!
Rod believes that we should not try to stop coastal erosion – it’s just
tough if you live by the sea! The
Jurassic Coast is about erosion! We
were advised to look ’through’ the present landscape into the past and there
are clues aplenty as you make the journey along the coast from Exmouth to
Studland Bay. There is also plenty to
look at in the present and Rod showed us some quality slides of flowers, birds,
the wonderful scenery and some underwater shots too. It is easy to overlook the wealth of very special creatures just
out of sight below the water.
There was so much of interest in
this talk that it is difficult to pick out the highlights. Many types of orchid, including the bee
orchid which is pollinated uniquely, by bees attracted by its scent of the
female of the particular species.
Swifts nesting in sea caves, as they did before houses became
available. Shelduck nesting in
collapsed badger setts, requiring the newly hatched ducklings to launch themselves 200ft
to the sea below – those which hesitate are likely to become herring gull
fodder. The Lulworth Skipper butterfly
– only found in that area. The warmer
weather enabling holm oaks to self-seed, to the detriment of the English oak
and the insects and birds which depend upon them. I could fill the newsletter, but Stella might not like it!
This talk was delivered with the
enthusiasm, humour and professionalism that we have come to expect from Rod
Lawrence. It was followed by questions
answered by Rod and also David Conway, Chairman of the Exmouth Visitor Centre
Trust.
I hope that the pleasingly large
audience left the hall having found the evening as stimulating and enjoyable as
I did. Thank you, Rod.
Pat Thomson