lynx, inappropriate development and golf

petermeachem · Post by **petermeachem** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 1:04 pm

This article touches on several topics recently aired. An interesting read.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story ... 89,00.html

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 2:54 pm

very interesting but sadly man will destroy the earth for his own selfish ends....as long as there is money then nothing else matters..and when those in charge are as money grabbing as the business within their own borders then there is no hope.

petermeachem · Post by **petermeachem** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 6:43 pm

Good positive attitude.

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 11:14 pm

Ive only just read this topic--I dont know how it escaped my notice Peter! Think I must have seen it as "links" and Golf --and thought--here we go again!
I now confess that until I read this Guardian article--I had no idea there was an Iberian Lynx and certainly wasnt aware that it was threatened with total extinction.From what I gather here,there doesnt seem much hope for its survival at all in Portugal does there?
Even with all the work being carried out in Spain,there doesnt seem to be much success regarding the "breeding" programme.
This makes me terribly sad--as we see--once again the habitat of wild species being deliberately destroyed.
And what have we been discussing over the past few weeks? Massive building developments--ever more motorways---more and more countryside being gouged out to make way for this---as it "progresses" we will become ever more out of touch with natural surroundings and our fellow creatures---and we will indeed --reap what we sow.
I do hope Peter--that the lynx will survive and will still be around when your children are full grown-- is there a society we can get in touch with to help at all?
Thanks for posting this very important and interesting topic, Ellie

Digby · Post by **Digby** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 10:20 am

Where's the direct mention of golf courses in this article?

I see Eucalyptus and strawberry farms, motorways, urbanization, but where's the "golf course" directly cited in this article for which gets headlines in the topic thread?

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 12:35 pm

Digby,
Think golf course(s) ref.is about the Alqueva dam in South East Portugal--wher they flodded 100 squ.miles of what was one home to lynx and million trees--conservationists say its only being used to water Algarves golf courses.
So-not only destroying the Lynx habitat--but forests too---one tree can sustain hundreds of life forms---and dont forget --trees are the "lungs" of the world--without them--we'd all be poisoned

Are there any plans to re-plant woodlands/forests in Algarve to make up for the terrible loss--not only from building that huge dam--but the devastating fires of Monchique

digger · Post by **digger** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 4:24 pm

Anonymous wrote:very interesting but sadly man will destroy the earth for his own selfish ends....as long as there is money then nothing else matters..and when those in charge are as money grabbing as the business within their own borders then there is no hope.

'vagueness doctrine that locks up'

Digby · Post by **Digby** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 8:58 pm

Ellie,

I still "read" no direct or even glancing mention of golf courses in the dam portion of the article. Where does the conservationists say that in the article???

And anyway if you read that other development-golf thread aren't they principally getting water for these golf courses from underground reservoirs?

Also you might be interested to know that grass is also a good lung for the world. Its a plant too that uses Co2 to exchange and give off O2, and in fact gives exchanges more CO2 per sq.mm of leaf area than trees do, and is also a great cooling machine.

petermeachem · Post by **petermeachem** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 10:58 pm

Digby,

It's very interesting how sensitive golfers seem to be to the slightest perceived criticism of the pastime. The article was mostly about the lynx and why it is in crisis. You have completely ignored this and taken it as an attack on some silly game. Perhaps you should review your priorities.

Internet Explorer has a quite adequate search facility ( Ctrl F ) which will find this.

The excavations have already cut a gash through hills that have also been devastated by the forest fires of the last hot summer. Another, far larger project, the Alqueva dam, in south-east Portugal, has recently been completed despite protests from environmentalists and locals, flooding an area of 100 sq miles that was once a home for lynx and more than a million trees. Such enormous dams are of questionable economic benefit - they may end up, the conservationists say, merely watering the golf courses of the Algarve. "The Alqueva dam is a huge white elephant," says Pedro Beja. "It was sold as the solution of all the economic problems of the area. And yet no one knows what to do with the water now."

petermeachem · Post by **petermeachem** » Sun Nov 16, 2003 11:43 pm

A few links

http://www.anc.org/wildlife/wildlife_ar ... _0703_lynx

http://www.wwf.org.uk/core/wildlife/fs_0000000022.asp

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/f ... s/29.shtml

http://www.beyondthestudio.com/Lynx%20b ... 0years.htm

http://the-news.net/cork2.htm

And some support type articles

http://www.large-carnivores-lcie.org/links.htm
http://www.rspb.org.uk/countryside/what ... _stake.asp

Can't find anything particularly useful

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 9:58 am

yes digby you are right much water is being taken from underground for these green golf patches..but as the previous thread showed how long will such reserves last.....thus the need to build dams ...thus the destruction of more habitat....thus the end of lynx.....

and where we live in silves...there are plans to build another two courses
will it never end!!!!!

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 2:35 pm

Thanks Peter--for posting those websites and for emphasising the Guardian report.
Guest near Silves--Im horrified to read of yet "more " courses being built---in ref to a previous debated topic--it seems the world of mother nature is
truly disappearing

Digby · Post by **Digby** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:27 pm

Peter,

I read in your thread title, "lynx, inappropriate development and golf", and then you go on to post the link to the article.

What is one to think, esp. the sensitive golfer type, when a delivery line like this is used as a preface title?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 9:44 pm

what you should think if you are sensitive is to question your own wish and ask others whether they should subscribe to playing a game which is using up precious resources here in the algarve...there is nothing wrong with golf in places where there is plenty of rainfall to sustain them..but this not the case here as was shown in another thread.
in reality nothing will happen until the water is gone and then people will simply take the law into their own hands and plough them up...its a pity that it will one day perhaps... maybe... reach that stage....it is also the duty... although i dont suppose anyone cares here...for local goverment to stop such developments...but they wont.

Ellie · Post by **Ellie** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 10:08 pm

You cant say that Guest-many of us here care very much about the over development in Algarve--the destruction of wildlife areas and what we would consider the waste of water.
But I fear youre right about local government---and that they will not act to stop-what I would call--the vandalism of the countryside.

lynx, inappropriate development and golf

lynx, inappropriate development and golf

Iberian Lynx

Golf?

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caring