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"BAC" wrote in message ... "Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... 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. |
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