Common v Rare.
Common or rare, all cut and dried as far as planners and developers are concerned, only protected or endangered species will be considered. Not as simple as that is it?
If we allow common species to decline what do the rare feed on? The answer is of course,the rare, they still must eat so if a bird cannot feed on the catterpillars of the very common Meadow Brown Butterfly it has no choice but to put more strain on ever dwindling species such as the White Letter Hairstreak Butterfly, eventually these common birds will decline through food shortage then the Raptors,the Owls, Kestrels in turn will decline as a result of the lack of common prey species, if the Wood Mouse and Bank Voles become scarce then the very rare Dormice will come under fire and so it goes on. To go one step further common species that keep invasive plants in check would no longer do so with the result that these species would take over and choke out other vegetation, an example of this is the Cinnaber Moth which is in decline and Ragwort.
The balance of nature is a very delicate thing and we mess with it at our peril. Live for the moment and let tomorrow take care of itself? Tomorrow could well take care of us, our chidren and grand children due to food shortage or even famine brought about by lack of pollinating insects.
