"NEW government guidelines to help save threatened wild plants such as the burnt orchid the county flower of Wiltshire...
The 17,000-member Wiltshire Wildlife Trust said that it had been encouraged by the official recognition the guidance would give wildlife sites... last month, the burnt orchid was identified in a joint statement by conservation organisations, including the Salisbury-based charity Plantlife and the government's Joint Nature Conservation Group, as one of Britain's fastest-disappearing plants. This... orchid, which flowers on traditional chalk downland, is one of many species in Wiltshire whose survival depends on the county's 1,500 wildlife sites. ... The Wiltshire trust's wildlife sites officer, Rob Large, said: "Coombe Bissett Down, where the burnt orchid can be seen flowering on the panoramic chalk downland slopes, is a wildlife site that receives careful management because of its value as a haven for species such as the burnt orchid. "We really need to protect these special places for wildlife if tomorrow's generation are to see burnt orchids in the wild, not just in a textbook. ... Mr Large added: "Wildlife is coming under relentless pressure, from housing development, pollution and climate change." source : http://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/salisbury/salisburynews/display.var.749929.0.government_gives_wildlife_sites_official_recognition.php ********** regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
