"BAC" wrote in message
...

"Des Higgins" wrote in message
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"BAC" wrote in message
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"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
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In article ,
"BAC" writes:
|
| The only thing which is unnatural about the grey squirrel in the
UK
is
that
| the species does not comply with the definition of 'native'
currently
| considered correct by the majority of conservationists.

I wasn't aware that there WAS one! What is it? Which deer count,
and why? Do rabbits count? What about the Orkney vole? And both
rats?


Conventionally, species are regarded as 'native' to the UK if they
arrived
here since the last ice age without human intervention or assistance.
Red
deer and roe deer are generally regarded as native, because evidence
suggests they (and reindeer) were living on parts of the land destined
to
become the UK before the channel was formed. Other species like sika
and
muntjack were introduced. Rabbits are generally understood to have
been
introduced by humans, for the pot, so, strictly speaking, are regarded
as
non-native. As are both brown and black rats, which hitched a lift
around
the world from humans. The orkney vole is thought to have been taken
to
the
orkneys by neolithic human settlers, so it's probably 'non-native',
too.
Many naturalised species such as chestnuts and holm oak are
'non-native',
as
well.

There's nothing wrong with people classifying species as native or
non-native if they feel the need, of course, as long as that is not
allowed
to grow into a dogma to the effect non-native is synonymous with
'bad'.



Non-native is not bad.
Bad is bad.
Bad means making a mess of other species which are native or poisoning
the
kids.



I agree that being non-native should not, in itself, be presumed to be
bad.
What bad means in a particular context, of course, is a matter of opinion.
Plants or animals which are potentially harmful can require careful
management, certainly.



The extremes are easy.
Take plants. In Ireland many species are not native but live happily in
parks and gardens or the wild.
One or two are a real pest though. These include Rhodendron ponticum (wipes
out native oakforest),
Reynoutria x (cannot remember species or even correct spelling); Heracleum
mantegazzianum (looks cool
but blisters skin and is invasive; can elbow out native species). These are
pests and I am quite happy to
get support getting rid of them. This is reasonabley clear cut. At the
other extreme are things like cornfield
weeds, some of which are very pretty and many of which are now very scarce.
These used to be pests and are probably not native (some may be) but it
is sad to seem them go. You also get everything inbtween.

With mammals, the cute and cuddly bit causes an extra complication. That is
an emotive issue rather than a
conservation one. If rats are competing with native species then I do not
have a problem with killing them.
Others do.