Cannock Chase is Too Valuable to be Allowed to Die.

 

'Let it be under no doubt Cannock Chase is dying, the biodiversity is decreasing, habitat is fragmenting, vegetation is in a poor state. The Chase is in a downward spiral and the habitat and wildlife you see today will not be here in thirty or forty years-time'.

 

This is the bleak assessment of the current state of the iconic Staffordshire beauty spot given by team managing the site as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in 2019.

 

North Staffs Green Party have given their support to For the Love of Cannock Chase, a campaign group working to protect the Chase.

 

The Chase was designated as a SAC in 2005, the highest possible designation for a wildlife habitat in England. This brings together the local authority, landowners, wildlife conservation groups and other organisations to develop the infrastructure of the site and provide free environmental education.

 

Housing development in the Cannock area, predicted to increase by 15% to 20% by 2026 is putting increasing pressure on infrastructure such as footpaths and the wildlife to which the Chase is home.

 

A spokesperson for North Staffs Green Party said 'The Chase is a unique and valuable landscape and one we must do all we can to protect. That is why we are giving our full support to this campaign '.

 

In an article published earlier this year For the Love of Cannock Chase set out some of the problems faced by the site. These include erosion of footpaths by increasing numbers of visitors, along with littering and damage caused by illegal BBQs.

 

The Chase has, they write, been 'undervalued and underfunded for years', although it has had some grants in the past, including to reinstate heavy footed grazers, 'it is still not enough ' to meet the challenges of the years to come.

 

Among the changes the group are calling for are the introduction of a paid parking g scheme they say is 'absolutely necessary ' to manage visitor numbers, along with the closure of part of Chase Road.

 

The article concludes with the authors saying there is ' a long road ahead' to protect the Chase and ' all the small pockets of wild space we have left in the UK, but with public support and understanding we can make thing better '.

 

The Green Party spokesperson said 'we will be working with For The Love of Cannock Chase in the new year to  protect the site as valuable wildlife corridor, whilst allowing the public to enjoy it responsibly as they have for decades'.