Dr Bob Kirby, a marine consultant who has studied the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel for 34 years, is reported in the Western Mail as arguing that the estuary is becoming increasingly barren with the bird population decreasing as climate change prompts them to migrate to east coast locations. He believes that the proposed multi- billion pound Severn barrage is the only way to rescue the Severn Estuary from biological death:
Dr Kirby said: “Doing nothing is not an option. In my view, if the barrage does not go ahead an environmental catastrophe will take place in the estuary. A Cardiff/ Weston barrage would shelter the up-estuary resulting in a more bio-diverse environment. Photosynthesis would be jump-started and the flow and mixing of water four times a day through the barrage would reverse the effects of the warming water
“Building the Severn Barrage will not only provide us with clean energy, but it is probably the only way left now to revive the estuary’s eco-system and protect the indigenous wildlife. Certainly this has been the experience elsewhere with power barrages. The facts are that the barrage will improve water quality and oxygen levels, not destroy them as the environmental groups claim.”
He is supported by Chanel Stevens, chairman of SeBas, the group backing the Severn Barrage, who accused groups like the RSPB of “bloody-minded hypocrisy”:
He said: “Changes in our environment are killing the eco-system of the Severn Estuary, not just for birds but for all kinds of wildlife including the fish that inhabit the water. Parts of the estuary are already barren and a great many others close to death. The RSPB knows this but chooses to ignore real science in favour of some mythical belief that birds are thriving in the estuary.
“They claim the estuary is the fifth most important bird habitat in the UK, but according to the much more respected British Trust for Ornithology in 2004 the Severn Estuary was listed in 19th place and there is very little doubt it has fallen further in the last five years as warmer seas and recent flooding in the Severn Valley has taken its toll.”
He added that a barrage would offer the benefits of “greener” electricity that could help tackle climate change.”
The contrary view is taken by RSPB spokesman Peter Exley who argues that the current official figure for the number of birds inhabiting the Severn Estuary is 68,000. he believes that this does not accord with the argument that the estuary is barren:
“In evaluating potential projects, it is important to take into account a number of factors, including the contribution to carbon reduction, value for money and potential damage to the environment. Building a Severn Barrage would certainly be very expensive – at least twice as much as the next expensive alternative.
“We believe the creation of a tidal reef would be a suitable alternative. It would be cheaper by about £2bn, and because its height at 6ft would be much smaller than the 45ft of the barrage, its impact on the mudflats where the birds live would be much less. Destroying the mudflats as a habitat for birds would probably be the biggest single environmental loss in 100 years.”
The dilemma of cheap power versus environmental diversity remains the central argument around the barrage proposal, although value for money must also figure strongly. Either way battle lines have been drawn and incursions into each opponent’s territory have started.
Link is here.
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