FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE IS SELDOM EASY SAYS NATURAL ENGLAND CHAIRMAN TONY JUNIPER

Tony Juniper -  'robust decisions made on best evidence'

SINCE taking over as chairman of Natural England, Tony Juniper has become more aware than ever of the tricky judgements that often have to be made in reaching controversial decisions.

In a statement this week, he says: "When it comes to evidence, law and policy, there are many technical questions that must be combined into what are often finely balanced judgements.

"It is in relation to these that we often find a range of strongly held concerns coming back to us.

"In many cases, and often in relation to the same decision, the range of views expressed by different groups are diametrically opposed.

"For example, in relation to the issuing of licences for the control of certain birds that cause economic damage, wildlife campaigners say the regime we adopt is too weak, while those who manage the land in different ways say it is too stringent."

In a scarcely disguised reference to the activities of TV presenter Chris Packham and wildlife blogger Mark Avery, he continues: "We are all too aware of  also clashes between the values, ethics, passions and customs of different groups, some with access to the media or the resources to bring legal actions.

"Disagreement is of course in the very nature of debate, and we will do our best to respond to the concerns that people bring to us and to explain why we have taken particular decisions.

"As we put in place plans for nature recovery, I am sure that no serious conservationist would argue that we could or should at all times, and without exception, protect all species.

"That is simply unrealistic, no matter how regrettable it is that any animal must be controlled or killed.

"The task that we must rise to is to make sometimes finely balanced judgements in line with our overall purpose, including the sustainable development context."

He concludes: "I realise that will not have everyone’s support all of the time, but our hard-working licensing team will do their best to make robust decisions based on the best evidence available."

NOTE:  Natural England's purpose as set out in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act, 2006, is to ensure “that the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations, thereby contributing to sustainable development”.