Fungi
The NFA hope the Verderers will join us in thanking the Forestry Commission for their continuing attempts to protect fungi vital to the habitat of the Crown Lands. As they did last year, the FC are still working to disrupt the illegal commercial picking and appealing to the public not to pick as well. In this, the Forestry Commission are fulfilling their legal duty as stewards of the Forest habitat.
The national code of conduct[*] says It is inappropriate to pick fungi from SSSI or National Nature Reserves – the Crown Lands have the Status of both. It is explicitly illegal on National Trust land under their byelaws, and would be illegal under the FC byelaws[†], but for the loophole created by reclassification of fungi as separate to the plant kingdom. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981[‡] on SSSI’s “intentionally or recklessly destroying or damaging flora or fauna by reason of which land is of special interest” is an offence. The New Forest is one of the few SSSI’s so notified for the special interest of its fungi.
Picking any of the Red Band Rare Species of Fungi[§] is absolutely illegal by anyone, anywhere, and carries £5k fine per item with jailtime and vehicle forfeiture. The NFA believes that prosecution of these offenders would discourage commercial foragers more than lesser penalties under the Theft Act 1968.[**]
England Coast Path
I listed some of the England Coast Path’s shortcomings at the July Court, now a short update.
Currently the Natural England Coastal Team have offered a Sensitive Features Appraisal to determine exclusions for habitat, a very narrow consideration of features at risk. Unless this were to exclude the route, spreading and coastal margin from the highly protected areas out of hand, we should insist upon the more comprehensive, higher standards of a Habitats Regulation Assessment.
The new timeframe for the Consultation on the Highcliffe to Calshot stretch (set to begin between September 27th and October 19th ) unfortunately the majority of the consultation would fall before the next meetings of both the New Forest Consultative Panel, and the Local Access Forum, after next Monday’s meeting of the National Park’s Recreation Management Strategy Steering Group and with no planned meetings for the Advisory Group. This threatens to exclude any measured joint response from local stakeholders. As a member of the Steering Group, we hope the Verderers will join us in calling for an extraordinary joint meeting of both RMS groups to consider the consultation. Natural England are blaming their “parent” DEFRA for the time frame, and a looming March 2018 implementation date. We may need to remind both government departments that they should not be forcing a rush to judgement where disturbance to our most remote, isolated and protected coastal habitat is concerned.
[*] The Wild Mushroom Picker’s Code of Conduct 1998
[†] FC byelaws 1982, Section 5 Prohibited Acts: “No person shall in or on the lands of the Commissioners: … (vii) dig up, remove, cut or injure any tree, shrub or plant, whether living or not, or remove the seeds therefrom, …”
[‡] Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Section 28 (P)
[§] Schedule 8 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
[**] Given the indiscriminate harvesting by commercial pickers, it is likely that, if caught, their haul may include samples of rare species which may be used in evidence.
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