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Conservation in Australia
CONSERVATION AROUND THE WORLD
LA PROTECTION
DU SEEWlNKEL AU NEUSIEDLERSEE EN AUTRICHE
Aux confins de l'Autriche et de la Hongrie s'6tend un v6ritable lac de steppe, le Neusiedlersee. Tr6s peu profond, long de 36 km et large de 7/t 15 km, il est entour6 d'une vaste ceinture de roseaux off nichent des colonies de Grandes Aigrettes, de H6rons pourprds, de Spatules blanches. En hiver, des milliers d'oies sauvages venues de Sib~rie et des multitudes de canards le fr6quentent. A l'est du lac, la plaine du Seewinkel est parsem6e d'&angs saumfitres qui sont 6galement des paradis d'oiseaux. Toute cette r6gion est, au coeur de l'Europe, un habitat de premi6re importance pour l'avifaune et s'est acquis une renommde mondiale parmi les naturalistes, auxquels sa conservation tient/~ coeur. Comme partout, h61as, le d6veloppement rapide du pays menace gravement ses richesses en vie sauvage. L'expansion agricole an6antit la steppe et sa v6g&ation originale, l'afflux touristique envahit les rivages, et divers projets mettent en danger les habitats de la faune. Une protection durable de cet ensemble devient d'une urgence extrame. Le Fonds mondial pour la Nature 'World Wildlife Fund' a pris l'initiative, en 1963, de sauver la derni~re grande parcelle intacte de 'puszta', qui devait ~tre labourde et cultivde. Son projet No. 106 envisageait l'achat de ces 440 ha, mais il fallait 8 millions de schillings (1.336.000 F.s.), somme alors introuvable. Apr6s de longues tractations, il dut se contenter d'un bail de location de 20 ans, exigeant une annuit6 de 500 000 Sch. (83.000 F.s.). C'est une lourde charge, mais elle permet du moins d'6viter l'irr6parable et de maintenir un milieu naturel typique associ6 fi la r6serve de la Lange Lacke d'Apetlon, un des meilleurs 6tangs du Seewinkel, qui est d~j~t sous la sauvegarde de la Ligue autrichienne pour la Protection de la Nature. Le tout a une superficie d'environ 10 km 2. Non loin de l~t, sur la rive du lac au 'Sandeck', le WWF a pu louer les droits de chasse sur 15 km 2, pour 60.000 Sch. (10.000 F.s.) par an. I1 assure ainsi un
refuge ~t de tr~s nombreux oiseaux migrateurs et hivernants. Ces deux interventions, en grande partie soutenues par des fonds recueillis en Suisse, sont encore provisoires et c o f i t e u s e s - mais c'est caract6ristique des difficult6s que rencontre la conservation de la nature en Europe. Seule la g~n6rosit6 du public et des m6c~nes permettra de consolider ces d6buts et de compl6ter par une solidarit6 internationale les efforts des associations autrichiennes en faveur de ce paradis de la nature: le Seewinkel au Neusiedlersee. PAUL GI~ROUDET,
Collaborateur scientifique du WWF, 1110 Morges, Suisse
CONSERVATION IN AUSTRALIA
Conservation has become a major force in Australia during recent years. There has been increasing activity by conservation societies and also the establishment of new ones - - including the Australian Conservation Foundation, the only Australia-wide body concerned with conservation in all its aspects. The mineral discoveries and rapid industrial and urban development of Australia during recent years are placing very great strains on Australia's natural resources, especially wildlife. Unhappily it must be stated that the economic situation is such that all these developments are welcomed by g o v e r n m e n t s without much thought being given to their implications for conservation or the long-term future. Fortunately there are, however, many persons who are sufficiently concerned about this state of affairs to be active in drawing the attention of the public, of government, and o f industry, to the increasingly grave situation. An example is the recent granting of oil exploration leases over the Great Barrier Reef. This is undoubtedly one of the great natural wonders of the world, of ira83
Biological Conservation--Elsevier Publishing Company Ltd., England--Printed in Great Britain
Biological Conservation
84
mense interest to biologists, geologists, and other scientists throughout the world. It is also of great importance to the State of Queensland, as it provides the main tourist attraction for visitors to that State. It is not unlikely that oil will be discovered on some section of the Great Barrier Reef, and conservationists are concerned that proper steps are taken now to safeguard the Reef against the dangers of pollution and unsightly industrial development. Applications for mining various mineral deposits associated with the Reef have recently been made, and there has been much opposition to these proposals and their implementation at least until after an adequate survey of the resources of the Reef has been made, so that any development can be permitted only on a properly planned basis. The Australian Conservation Foundation has combined with the Great Barrier Reef Committee and the Australian Academy of Science in urging that such a survey be carried out as a matter of urgency. D. F. McMICHAEL, Director, Australian Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 91, Eastwood, N.S.W. 2122, Australia
PROGRES DE LA CONSERVATION DE LA NATURE EN ITALIE
La conservation de la nature a fait de remarquables progr~s en Italie ~ la suite de la criation, en 1966, d'une sociitl nationale du Fonds Mondial pour la Nature: World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Ricemment on a pu annoncer la criation d'une rlserve prbs du lac de Burano, dans la Maremma au sud de Livurne. Et dlj~t deux nouvelles riserves vont &re itablies: celle de Punta Albarete, pros de Ravenne, et celle de Daunia Risi Spa, dans la rigion de Manfredonia. Toutes deux font partie de la chaine de riserves naturelles qu'il est privu de crier le long de la c6te adriatique. Dans le premier cas il s'agit de s'assurer, pour l'instant en les louant, de 450 ha de marlcages; dans le second cas on protege une zone de chasse connue pour sa richesse en gibier d'eau. Les deux projets seront financis par le World Wildlife Fund de Morges, en collaboration avec sa sociiti italienne. WORLD WILDLIFE FUND,
1110 Morges, Switzerland
PRESERVATION
OF BYRON BOG IN LONDON, ONTARIO
The preservation of bits of territory including unique assemblages of plants and animals is a matter of great concern to conservationists. An account of the preservation of Byron Bog is given herewith as an example of a successful venture of this sort. It will be noted in this account that four b o d i e s - the original owners of the property, the Planning Board of the local municipality, a service club in the community, and the conservation authorities of the p r o v i n c e - - a l l contributed to the success of this enterprise. Byron Bog is a relict bog, of some 70 acres (28 ha), lying within the territorial limits of the City of London, Ontario. Some of its features are illustrated in the Canadian Field-Naturalist, 81(2), p. III, 1967. During the past several decades, attempts have been made to exploit the Bog commercially. Shortly before 1910 an attempt was made to drain it through a line of tiles emptying into the Thames River, so that celery could be grown in it. The Bog proved to be too deep for draining, and so this project was abandoned. Later, an enterprise was undertaken to skin off the upper layers of peat and to dry it for sale as fuel and packing. This, too, was a b a n d o n e d - owing to the unsuitable quality of the peat. During the depression years, the farmer who owned the Bog supplemented his income by selling off many of the Black Spruce as Christmas trees, but this enterprise petered out when Scots Pine became popular as Christmas trees. During the war of 1939-45, the Department of National Defence removed the abundant growth of Alderbuckthorn, to use its wood as a component of fuse powder; but during the past twenty-five years this hardy shrub has regained its former luxuriance in the bog. So the Bog has survived in spite of attempts at exploitation, and in spite of the dangers inherent in its being a bit of wilderness within the limits of a city with a population approaching 200,000. In recent years, and up until it was acquired as a conservation area, the Bog had been the property partly of three householders who built houses on Oxford Street north of the Bog, and partly of a construction company which developed a subdivision on land adjacent to the westerly limits of the Bog. The process of having the Byron Bog preserved went through five stages, beginning in 1957 and culminating successfully in 1967: 1. Before 1961 the Bog lay in the Township of London. In 1957 the Planning Board of the Township prepared an official plan for the Township, including Byron Bog as 'open space area' - - thus indicating that it should be left in its natural state.
LA PROTECTION
DU SEEWlNKEL AU NEUSIEDLERSEE EN AUTRICHE
Aux confins de l'Autriche et de la Hongrie s'6tend un v6ritable lac de steppe, le Neusiedlersee. Tr6s peu profond, long de 36 km et large de 7/t 15 km, il est entour6 d'une vaste ceinture de roseaux off nichent des colonies de Grandes Aigrettes, de H6rons pourprds, de Spatules blanches. En hiver, des milliers d'oies sauvages venues de Sib~rie et des multitudes de canards le fr6quentent. A l'est du lac, la plaine du Seewinkel est parsem6e d'&angs saumfitres qui sont 6galement des paradis d'oiseaux. Toute cette r6gion est, au coeur de l'Europe, un habitat de premi6re importance pour l'avifaune et s'est acquis une renommde mondiale parmi les naturalistes, auxquels sa conservation tient/~ coeur. Comme partout, h61as, le d6veloppement rapide du pays menace gravement ses richesses en vie sauvage. L'expansion agricole an6antit la steppe et sa v6g&ation originale, l'afflux touristique envahit les rivages, et divers projets mettent en danger les habitats de la faune. Une protection durable de cet ensemble devient d'une urgence extrame. Le Fonds mondial pour la Nature 'World Wildlife Fund' a pris l'initiative, en 1963, de sauver la derni~re grande parcelle intacte de 'puszta', qui devait ~tre labourde et cultivde. Son projet No. 106 envisageait l'achat de ces 440 ha, mais il fallait 8 millions de schillings (1.336.000 F.s.), somme alors introuvable. Apr6s de longues tractations, il dut se contenter d'un bail de location de 20 ans, exigeant une annuit6 de 500 000 Sch. (83.000 F.s.). C'est une lourde charge, mais elle permet du moins d'6viter l'irr6parable et de maintenir un milieu naturel typique associ6 fi la r6serve de la Lange Lacke d'Apetlon, un des meilleurs 6tangs du Seewinkel, qui est d~j~t sous la sauvegarde de la Ligue autrichienne pour la Protection de la Nature. Le tout a une superficie d'environ 10 km 2. Non loin de l~t, sur la rive du lac au 'Sandeck', le WWF a pu louer les droits de chasse sur 15 km 2, pour 60.000 Sch. (10.000 F.s.) par an. I1 assure ainsi un
refuge ~t de tr~s nombreux oiseaux migrateurs et hivernants. Ces deux interventions, en grande partie soutenues par des fonds recueillis en Suisse, sont encore provisoires et c o f i t e u s e s - mais c'est caract6ristique des difficult6s que rencontre la conservation de la nature en Europe. Seule la g~n6rosit6 du public et des m6c~nes permettra de consolider ces d6buts et de compl6ter par une solidarit6 internationale les efforts des associations autrichiennes en faveur de ce paradis de la nature: le Seewinkel au Neusiedlersee. PAUL GI~ROUDET,
Collaborateur scientifique du WWF, 1110 Morges, Suisse
CONSERVATION IN AUSTRALIA
Conservation has become a major force in Australia during recent years. There has been increasing activity by conservation societies and also the establishment of new ones - - including the Australian Conservation Foundation, the only Australia-wide body concerned with conservation in all its aspects. The mineral discoveries and rapid industrial and urban development of Australia during recent years are placing very great strains on Australia's natural resources, especially wildlife. Unhappily it must be stated that the economic situation is such that all these developments are welcomed by g o v e r n m e n t s without much thought being given to their implications for conservation or the long-term future. Fortunately there are, however, many persons who are sufficiently concerned about this state of affairs to be active in drawing the attention of the public, of government, and o f industry, to the increasingly grave situation. An example is the recent granting of oil exploration leases over the Great Barrier Reef. This is undoubtedly one of the great natural wonders of the world, of ira83
Biological Conservation--Elsevier Publishing Company Ltd., England--Printed in Great Britain
Biological Conservation
84
mense interest to biologists, geologists, and other scientists throughout the world. It is also of great importance to the State of Queensland, as it provides the main tourist attraction for visitors to that State. It is not unlikely that oil will be discovered on some section of the Great Barrier Reef, and conservationists are concerned that proper steps are taken now to safeguard the Reef against the dangers of pollution and unsightly industrial development. Applications for mining various mineral deposits associated with the Reef have recently been made, and there has been much opposition to these proposals and their implementation at least until after an adequate survey of the resources of the Reef has been made, so that any development can be permitted only on a properly planned basis. The Australian Conservation Foundation has combined with the Great Barrier Reef Committee and the Australian Academy of Science in urging that such a survey be carried out as a matter of urgency. D. F. McMICHAEL, Director, Australian Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 91, Eastwood, N.S.W. 2122, Australia
PROGRES DE LA CONSERVATION DE LA NATURE EN ITALIE
La conservation de la nature a fait de remarquables progr~s en Italie ~ la suite de la criation, en 1966, d'une sociitl nationale du Fonds Mondial pour la Nature: World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Ricemment on a pu annoncer la criation d'une rlserve prbs du lac de Burano, dans la Maremma au sud de Livurne. Et dlj~t deux nouvelles riserves vont &re itablies: celle de Punta Albarete, pros de Ravenne, et celle de Daunia Risi Spa, dans la rigion de Manfredonia. Toutes deux font partie de la chaine de riserves naturelles qu'il est privu de crier le long de la c6te adriatique. Dans le premier cas il s'agit de s'assurer, pour l'instant en les louant, de 450 ha de marlcages; dans le second cas on protege une zone de chasse connue pour sa richesse en gibier d'eau. Les deux projets seront financis par le World Wildlife Fund de Morges, en collaboration avec sa sociiti italienne. WORLD WILDLIFE FUND,
1110 Morges, Switzerland
PRESERVATION
OF BYRON BOG IN LONDON, ONTARIO
The preservation of bits of territory including unique assemblages of plants and animals is a matter of great concern to conservationists. An account of the preservation of Byron Bog is given herewith as an example of a successful venture of this sort. It will be noted in this account that four b o d i e s - the original owners of the property, the Planning Board of the local municipality, a service club in the community, and the conservation authorities of the p r o v i n c e - - a l l contributed to the success of this enterprise. Byron Bog is a relict bog, of some 70 acres (28 ha), lying within the territorial limits of the City of London, Ontario. Some of its features are illustrated in the Canadian Field-Naturalist, 81(2), p. III, 1967. During the past several decades, attempts have been made to exploit the Bog commercially. Shortly before 1910 an attempt was made to drain it through a line of tiles emptying into the Thames River, so that celery could be grown in it. The Bog proved to be too deep for draining, and so this project was abandoned. Later, an enterprise was undertaken to skin off the upper layers of peat and to dry it for sale as fuel and packing. This, too, was a b a n d o n e d - owing to the unsuitable quality of the peat. During the depression years, the farmer who owned the Bog supplemented his income by selling off many of the Black Spruce as Christmas trees, but this enterprise petered out when Scots Pine became popular as Christmas trees. During the war of 1939-45, the Department of National Defence removed the abundant growth of Alderbuckthorn, to use its wood as a component of fuse powder; but during the past twenty-five years this hardy shrub has regained its former luxuriance in the bog. So the Bog has survived in spite of attempts at exploitation, and in spite of the dangers inherent in its being a bit of wilderness within the limits of a city with a population approaching 200,000. In recent years, and up until it was acquired as a conservation area, the Bog had been the property partly of three householders who built houses on Oxford Street north of the Bog, and partly of a construction company which developed a subdivision on land adjacent to the westerly limits of the Bog. The process of having the Byron Bog preserved went through five stages, beginning in 1957 and culminating successfully in 1967: 1. Before 1961 the Bog lay in the Township of London. In 1957 the Planning Board of the Township prepared an official plan for the Township, including Byron Bog as 'open space area' - - thus indicating that it should be left in its natural state.