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Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Exotic birds in the south of England pose a threat to the survival of our native species. The RSPB supports shooting, but will DEFRA find in favour of a cull?
With 30,000 of the birds in London, Surrey and Kent, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has decided to take action over the growing number of rose-ringed parakeets.
By 2010, it is estimated that the birds, which have been living wild in the UK for four decades, could number as many as 50,000. Conservationists are concerned about the impact the foreign species will have on native birds, such as woodpeckers, robins and owls, as they compete for food and nesting space. DEFRA is shortly due to report on the findings of a study into “invasive non-native species” — if it is decided that the parakeets should be culled then shooting would be one of the preferred options.
DEFRA last week suggested it would most likely license gamekeepers to carry out such a cull, but Charles Nodder, of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, told ST: “If the Government wanted to do away with these birds it would first have to find an interested party to carry out the work. They are no threat to gamebirds and so not of great interest to keepers.”
A DEFRA spokesman told ST: “We have commissioned Central Science Laboratory to do a desk study of available parakeet data to get a fuller picture of the issues. This is not yet complete. In light of that report we will consider what the next steps should be. We will approach the subject in the context of the emerging policy framework for tackling invasive non-native species. This is set out in the draft Great Britain Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy, which is currently out to consultation.”
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has confirmed it would back shooting, but only as “an absolute last resort”. A spokesman told ST: “A cull may or may not be an option. We welcome the launch of the Government’s framework strategy, which clearly provides a mechanism for looking at non-native species. It’s not before time. Parakeets are just one example of a large number of animals included in the research. Clearly it’s prudent DEFRA gets on with a clear response to this particular issue.”
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