Do Your Bit For The Sussex Countryside
Published 23rd Nov 2005 by Brightonlife Conservation Dept.

Britain?s most famous birdwatcher and native wildlife conservationist Bill Oddie is encouraging people in Sussex to drink Ribena to help preserve native species such as the pipistrelle bat, the brown hare, turtle doves and the bullfinch.

As Vice President of The Wildlife Trusts he is championing a scheme to encourage blackcurrant growers throughout the UK to help reverse the decline of native British wildlife by following a six-point conservation plan.

The Wildlife Trusts initiative with Ribena ? the first of its kind in the UK on this scale - provides unique tailored plans for all 45 British blackcurrant farmers who grow for Ribena. Ninety-five percent of Britain?s blackcurrants are used to make Ribena.

The conservation plan includes advice on erecting bird and bat boxes, creating rough margins around fields and ponds to create suitable habitat for small mammals such as voles and establishing and maintaining new hedgerows.

Bill Oddie said, ?There was a time, and it wasn?t that long ago, when Britain reverberated to the sound of native birdsong whether you were in your garden, a park or on a country walk.

?Today, over 75 percent of our countryside is farmed. Many modern farming practices, driven by production subsidies, have had a catastrophic impact on butterflies, bumblebees, wild plants, birds and small mammals. Seventy percent of ponds found on farms have disappeared over the past 50 years.

?Next time you enjoy a glass of Ribena it could be more than Britain?s blackcurrant growers who?ll be thanking you.?

Dr Tony Whitbread, Conservation Director at Sussex Wildlife Trust said, ?This project with Ribena, as well as providing local wildlife havens, helps provide the all important natural corridors that link one wildlife area to another creating a more resilient countryside. If we don?t find ways to work with farmers and support them to help wildlife we will not be able to make the necessary changes to ensure many of our native species survive.?

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