Head
Office Press Office - 10-Nov-2006 - The Environment
Agency is celebrating its 10th anniversary by
asking the public to vote for what they believe
is the most iconic symbol from our environment.
Twelve Icons of the Environment
have been shortlisted by the Agency’s 13,000 staff
- including species, habitats, places and manmade
icons.
The public are encouraged to
vote for their favourite choice from the shortlist
or nominate an environmental icon of their own,
at the official ICONS - A Portrait of England
website: http://www.icons.org.uk/, which is a
not-for-profit organisation set up by the Department
of Culture, Media and Sport.
Environment Agency Director
of Corporate Affairs Helen McCallum said: "we
are delighted to be working with Icons Online
on this fascinating project that presents a unique
portrait of our heritage.
"The short-listed ICONS
of the Environment embrace a range of natural
heritage species and habitats that we revere;
human ingenuity that showcases integration with
the environment and symbols of our increasing
efforts to protect the planet from over-exploitation.
"In particular, iconic
species like the salmon and otter hold a special
place in the hearts of Environment Agency staff,
given the conservation work that we have done
over the past ten years to ensure their survival.
"Ten years ago only 2%
of salmon rivers in England and Wales had sustainable
fish stocks - but with the clean-up work that’s
been carried across the nation’s waterways, that
figure may now be as high as 35%.
"With rivers the cleanest
they’ve been since the Industrial Revolution,
otters have also returned to every major city
in England and increased their numbers in Welsh
strongholds.
"Meanwhile, the Thames
Barrier is not only a magnificent engineering
feat providing London’s main defence against tidal
surges but symbolises how humankind and the Environment
Agency will have to adapt in the coming years
as climate change brings rising sea-levels, and
storms become more frequent and fierce.
"ICONS of the Environment
is a brilliant way of highlighting why we work
so hard to create a better place for wildlife
and humans alike."
Jerry Doyle, ICONS’ Managing
Director said: "ICONS of the Environment
is the first partnership project of this kind,
that we have undertaken. It will really help to
raise awareness of all the environmental treasures
we have in England and Wales and will inspire
people of all ages to love and protect the wonders
of our natural world for generations to come.
We are delighted to be working in partnership
with the Environment Agency on this initiative."
"The ICONS of the Environment
launch coincides with the unveiling of 21 new
additions to the main ICONS’ - A Portrait of England
collection. Growing ever bigger and richer in
content, the total number of official Icons now
stands at 74. Appropriately, England’s natural
beauty, habitat and landscape are strongly featured
in this latest wave."
Icons of the Environment nominations:
(1) Dartmoor
Nominated by Jackie Tucker (Scientist - Inorganics),Lianne
Brown-Martin (Intranet team).
The last wilderness of Southwest
England it is an area steeped in history, legends
and myths, Dartmoor provides habitats for a plethora
of fauna and flora. It is a place of breath-taking
beauty. It gets into your blood, you can't ignore
Dartmoor or its ability to pull you back again
and again- resistance is futile.
(2) Eden Project
Nominated by Sophie Barraclough (Hydrogeologist).
The Eden Project is a living
theatre of plants and people, created in an old
disused quarry in Cornwall near St Austell. It
has captured the imagination of the public and
has attracted 7.5 million visitors since it opened
in 2001, with the huge ‘greenhouse’ biomes being
instantly recognisable. The Eden Project is all
about education and communication of the major
environmental issues of the day - it is also fun
and informative for all.
(3) Hedgerows
Nominated by Nina Reader (Emergency Incident Response
Advisor).
Green patchwork fields bordered
by hedgerows are a quintessential part of the
British countryside. Hedgerows are the most significant
wildlife habitat over large stretches of lowland
UK. Over 600 plant species, 1500 insects, 65 birds
and 20 mammals have been recorded at some time
living or feeding in hedgerows. Important hedgerows
are legally protected and there are many schemes
to maintain and restore them. The Habitat Action
Plan aims to halt the loss and maintain ancient
and species-rich hedgerows.
(4) Bluebell Woods
Nominated by Hilary James (Facilities Officer).
Recognisable to everyone as
a remembrance of childhood, it can't fail to move
people with its own beauty. Now sadly under threat
from invasive species, this very British view
of the countryside may not be with us for much
longer unless the land it grows on is preserved
along with the flowers themselves.
(5) Barn Owl
Nominated by Ed Wilson (Archaeologist), Chris
Brown (IT Business Analyst).
The Barn Owl illustrates the
relationship between humans and the environment.
This beautiful ghostlike predator can be seen
at dusk gracefully drifting above grassland, in
search of prey. Despite its reputation of serenity
and calm the Barn Owl occupies a perilous position
in the ecosystem. It relies on humans for the
maintenance of both a suitable habitat for its
prey, meadow grassland and the upkeep of historic
buildings for its roost sites. Population levels
were thought to have stabilised from the 1980s
and, since 1998, it was believed that numbers
were rising. However, reports this year show that
poor weather for breeding conditions may have
set back conservation efforts by at least a decade.
(6) Bicycle
Nominated by Kevin Baker (External Relations),
Bogus Zaba (New Technology Project Manager).
The bike is the definitive symbol
of sustainable development - incorporating clever
technological solutions with minimal impacts on
the environment and positive health benefits to
the user. It is highly accessible to a very wide
range of users from very young to very old, poor
to rich. Provision of facilities for cyclists
has, in the last few years, generated unique green
transport links in what were often depressed urban
landscapes.
(7) Hedgehog - Nominated by
Sarah Whiteside (Local Authority Planning).
Every gardener's friend, this
cute (but not very cuddly!) little species is
an insect-eater whose idea of a gourmet dinner
is munching on slugs and snails. As an inhabitant
of the city and countryside the British hedgehog
(Erinaceus Europaeus) is synonymous with gardens
in the moonlight. The adult hedgehog’s back and
sides are covered in a mat of up to 7,000 spines
that are specially adapted hairs each about an
inch long. This inquisitive little species tends
to hibernate in the winter months and there’s
even a charity dedicated to helping them - the
British Hedgehog Preservation Society.
(8) Thames Barrier
Nominated by Martin Hughes (Digital Mapping and
Data Officer), Michael Kehinde (Contaminated Land
Officer).
This unique engineering structure
testifying to man's ingenuity in creating systems
that will protect human civilisation from the
sometimes unpredictable forces of nature. It blends
into the environment yet stands out as a magnificent
feature. The Barrier bestrides the River Thames
like a colossus and guarantees safe passage into
the heart of the nation. Unlike other structures
such as Big Ben or Tower Bridge that are passive
the Thames Barrier is alive and active, protecting
the city from the deluge.
(9) Salmon
Nominated by Peter Johnson (Process Industry Regulation
team), Rob Kinnersley (Scientist - Air Quality),
Philip McCarthy (Environment Officer).
Seeing a salmon leaping a river
hurdle is a special sight indeed. You wait and
watch hoping to see one ... suddenly the silver
streak rises from the watery ferment, as if straining
with all its might to reach a better place. Your
spirit rises with its gravity-defying vault. Here
is a sure sign that the river is improving and
able to support all sorts of life and biodiversity.
Salmon are coming into rivers that have not supported
them for a hundred years. A harbinger of an enhanced
environment for wildlife and a better quality
of life for everyone.
(10) Windmill & Windfarm
Nominated by Julie Jupe (Communications), Pete
Hart (Area Manager).
The windmill is at the crossroads
of looking back and looking forward. Many fear
that traditional methods of energy generation,
whether it be fossil fuel or nuclear, are unsustainable
in measurable, scientific terms. The alternative
is renewable energy with its clean chemical and
biological footprint. Can we afford the land-take
and accept the noise and visual intrusion of new
industries such as windfarms? Or, must we give
up the comfort of our electricity-driven lifestyles
to protect our rural landscape? The debate about
modern wind farms and the power they might generate
is sure to run and run.
(11) Otter
Nominated by Rosie Menzies-Sacher (Environment
Officer), Chris Farmer (Biodiversity Officer).
Otters are one of our most charming
native animals symbolising a carefree life on
the river. The species is a true survivor and
is coming back from the brink of extinction within
the UK. The otter helps to emphasise the need
for careful management of the UK waterways and
helps the public to understand the flora and fauna
that can be found around our streams, rivers and
canals. By nominating the otter we are also promoting
all the insects, fish, birds and other mammals
that live alongside it, as well as the habitats
that otters thrive in.
(12) Recycling Logo
Nominated by Lisa Sharples (Knowledge Manager).
Otherwise known as the mobius
loop, this is an internationally recognised symbol
of a material or object being recyclable. The
three chasing arrows each represent a different
aspect of successful recycling - collection, remanufacturing
into a new product, and purchase by the consumer.
The logo is found on a broad range of products
made from a wide variety of materials, and if
a percentage is included within the loop this
means it contains recycled material.
Notes:
ICONS Online is a not-for-profit educational/recreational
project, initially funded by the Department for
Culture, Media and Sport. It aims to increase
our awareness, knowledge and enjoyment of our
cultural icons and is currently building a snapshot
of England in the 21st century in its online collection,
ICONS - A Portrait of England.
