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From: Mr G G Barlow
Administrative Secretary
Sovereign Base Areas Administration
Episkopi
British Forces Post Office 53
Tel : 00357 5 963319
Fax : 00357 5 963521
SBA/196
31 January 2002
david@proactnow.org
Dear Mr Conlin
Thank you for your letter of 27 January. As far as I am aware you have received appropriate official replies (from me) to all of your correspondence so far (but I do not think I have yet seen the further letters you referred to). It is standard practice for Ministers and senior officials to deal with letters from members of the public in this way. If you let me know of any specific issues that have not been picked up, however, I would be happy to deal with these.
Turning to your other points, I welcome the statement that you are not concerned about out past track record, if this is intended to imply that you now accept that we have been making genuine efforts to combat mist netting. Plans are now under preparation for the spring migration and we will be working with the Game Service on some new ideas. Essentially, however, I would expect to see a continuation of daily patrols and occasional large scale sweeps.
As you say in your letter we have had a recent success in prosecuting the operator of an illegal borehole at Cape Pyla. Such prosecutions are not quick or straightforward. Nevertheless, we do believe that they are a useful element in our campaign against the mist-netters. We have identified a number of further potential targets which we will prosecute in cooperation with the Water Development Department.
Your suggestion that we should take leaseholders to task about improper use of Forest Land is not new. While it would be a viable option in a UK environment, I am afraid it is simply not workable here, at least for the moment. The basic problem is that most of the Forest Land in this area of the island (both in the Republic and the SBA) has been leased to or occupied by individuals under long-standing, poorly documented arrangements. Leases, where they exist at all, are generally unsupported by adequate maps or plans. The Department of Forests are surveying all their land with the aim of bringing it under much tighter management. But the survey work will take years to complete. And the process of dealing with individuals undertaking undesirable (but not illegal) activities on Forest Land will not be at all easy even when adequate supporting documentation exists. We will keep working with the
Department of Forests on this, but for the foreseeable future we are likely to have much more success in tackling the mist netters through prosecution of offences.
Finally, I must emphasise that the Administration is not lacking in resources or support from Whitehall in dealing with the mist netting problem. We are giving it an appropriate priority, given the other tasks and responsibilities we have, and we believe we are succeeding in bringing it under control.
I hope this is helpful.
Yours sincerely
G Barlow
Proact comments: This is positive but we mustn't drop our guard. See following comments from 'trusted sources' in Cyprus:
"Although the SBAs record in the past is not as glorious as they would one to believe (they apparently consistently declined to cooperate with the Game Service, until the BBC cameras arrived! That was generally held to be pretty cynical!), we should let bygones be bygones and try to keep them to their word concerning 'daily patrols' this Spring. The affected area is actually quite small, and could easily be patrolled daily. Of course, much will depend on the quality of the patrolling: it must be more than just local mates of the trappers indulging in a cosy relationship. The present high-profile pressure - thanks to Proact and others - must be helping in this respect.
Unless foreign pressure is kept up on the government and the SBAs, they will continue to try to ignore local campaigners.
Conservationists on Cyprus are grateful for what Proact are doing." Proact will be pressing for direct replies from the responsible ministers and the Commander if these are not forthcoming soon. The regulations on 'Open Government' requires the ministries at least to reply direct to complaints.
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