Hands off Bedgebury

Selling off Bedgebury Forest would be environmental vandalism and the government has no mandate to do so claims the Chair of Kent Green Party in the week that the government is due to announce a huge sell off of forests.

Stuart Jeffery, Chair of Kent Green Party: "Selling off national forests is simply environmental vandalism. In Kent, Bedgebury is a much loved forest and an asset to the County. We cannot let it be sold to the highest bidder and lost to the country forever.

"The coalition seems intent on selling off and privatising our national assets and it seems that even our forests could go on eBay. Our forests are too valuable to lose. They need to be accessible to the public and used to enhance biodiversity, not seen as a quick route to cash by asset-stripping. Since our forest cover is less than many other countries in northern Europe, we should be looking at means to extend their area. New areas of fast growing species, for example on set-aside agricultural land, could be used for biomass energy. "With no support from the public to the forest sale, as 84% of people are in favour of forests remaining in public ownership and only 2% not, the government has no mandate to do this."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12262797
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/22/poll-england-forest-sell-off