Closed petition Please save Worlaby Carrs for its Short-eared Owls and wildlife

Closed on 10 January 2014

For about the last 10 years - and probably longer - the area of land known as Worlaby Carrs, Worlaby, North Lincolnshire, has had a winter population of Short-eared Owls which in some years has reached 20+ in number. One year I counted 24 birds in the air.

As far as I am aware there are not many areas of the UK where SEO’s are found in such numbers in such a small area. My friends and I feel that this area is of NATIONAL INTEREST. Rough-legged Buzzards, Hen Harrier and most species of raptors visit this land.

This land is rough pasture and has been, since around the year 2000, part of a Higher Level Countryside Stewardship Agreement with DEFRA which runs out in 2013. When it ends the company that own this land are returning it to Agriculture (ploughing it up). Letters have just been sent to the RSPB and local Wildlife Trust.
We call on the government to find a way of resolving this issue to protect this habitat and have a complete re-think of its NEGATIVE wildlife policies.