Representation by Jeremy Smith
- Date submitted
- 14 March 2021
- Submitted by
- Members of the public/businesses
Dear Inspectorate, I would like to voice my personal and professional concern over the removal of a site which has been recommended to become a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England (Feb 2021). This site is home to an endemic species of spider (Distinguished jumping spider (Attulus distinguendus), which only occurs in one other site in the UK. As these two site constitute the whole global range of this species it is listed by the international organisation which assigns threat categories as Critically Endangered, more so than the Giant Panda, Orangutan or many of the other species that you have heard of in the media. This is our chance to maintain our biodiversity. Particularly as we have a legal responsibility to do so. From a personal level, I was born and grew up in Kent and going to see places like this was a real treat and allowed me to develop my interest in nature. I wish for more children to have this ability particularly at a time when more than ever feel disconnected (RSPB 2018 report). These children will have a longer lasting impression of their time at the wetland than they would at a theme park. Few people go into theme park management but many go on to be ecologists/naturalists. Yours sincerely Dr. Jeremy Smith