Conservation

Background:
During the 1950s and 60s, the otter population in England declined due mainly to pesticide pollution and habitat destruction as a result of more intensive farming methods. The otter and otter holt sites became protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Water quality has gradually improved in recent years and despite the many problems still facing the otter, numbers are gradually increasing and it is starting to return to its former range across England.

Several objectives were set in relation to conservation as part of the Project's Action Programme. These were:

to benefit the otter population through a range of conservation projects including education (raising awareness and channelling support to practical action); pollution abatement (in co-operation with South West Water); and habitat improvement (in co-operation with landowners and conservation bodies).
to encourage the protection and improvement of other wildlife habitats and the creation of new ones (eg. tree planting, woodland management, pond construction).
to ensure that advice, practical help and financial suppport is readily available for those wishing to undertake conservation works (e.g. in conjunction with conservation bodies, local authorities and funding agencies).

These issues have been addressed over the lifetime of the Project through a variety of mechanisms.

Otter Conservation Officer 1990 - 1993
In 1990, sponsorship was obtained from South West Water Authority and Intervet UK Ltd. to appoint an Otter Conservation Officer to work on the Tarka Project staff for a three year period. The post was administered through the Royal Society for Nature Conservation (RSNC) through the 'Otters and Rivers Project'. The objectives of the RSNC project were to protect existing otter populations and their habitat and to raise awareness.

The responsibility of the Otter Conservation Officer was to encourage practical conservation work on the rivers of Tarka Country, monitor water quality with the National Rivers Authority, and promote an awareness and interest in otters in the community.

Through establishing contacts with landowners and relevant organisations, and collating information from previous research on otters, much practical work to improve otter habitat was achieved. This included bankside tree planting and fencing and the building of artificial otter holts. Most of this work took place in the Taw and Torridge river catchments. Funding for the post was withdrawn due to the worsening economic climate in 1993.

Friends of Tarka
In 1993 a 'Friends of Tarka' membership subscription scheme was set up by the Tarka Project in conjunction with the Tarka Country Tourism Association. The aim is to raise funds for conservation work and "provide an opportunity for individuals and groups to play a part in creating an environment which can be enjoyed both by Tarka's descendants and those visiting the area".
The original intention was to fund works such as riverbank management, research on otter populations, pond creation and woodland management. This scheme was boosted under the European Visitor Payback Project in 1996.
It was discontinued as a discreet scheme in 1998 in favour of other incentives.

Rivers & Wetlands Officer 1994-95
The former Otter Conservation Officer with the Project returned in 1994 as the Rivers and Wetlands Officer with the aim of producing a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for Devon's rivers and wetlands. This post was initially jointly funded between the Tarka Project and Devon Wildlife Trust. Due to budget restrictions the Project's financial contribution to the post was taken over by the National Rivers Authority (NRA) in 1995-96. The Project still supports the post through the provision of office accommodation. The BAP has resulted in a programme of conservation work for implementation.

European Visitor Payback Project 1996
In 1996 the Tarka Project became one of five partners across Europe in a Visitor Payback Project. The project, conceived and assisted by the EU DGXXIII Tourism Unit, aimed to demonstrate the potential of voluntary methods of raising resources from visitors for conservation and to raise awareness of the need to put resources back into the local environment in order to build a sustainable economy. sticker.gif (8298 bytes)

Four main schemes were piloted:

Voluntary supplements (or levies) applied to various services and products sold by TCTA members. This includes levies on overnight stays at hotels and B&B providers, and small supplements on some products.
Businesses taking part in the 1996 season were a small inn, craft shop, cycle hire, guided tour company.
Levy on merchandise sales through the TCTA of 5%. Donation boxes with postcards as an incentive for making a donation.
A re-launched 'Friends of Tarka' membership subscription scheme.

The schemes are complementary and more than one could be in operation from an establishment at one time. Promotional materials such as posters, window stickers and other display items explain to visitors the way the scheme operates. Money collected is held in a Tarka Conservation Fund and used for a mix of both large scale area wide schemes and smaller, local, largely community based, practical, educational and interpretive schemes to benefit the natural enviroment.
The main conclusions of the European project were that while visitors show a considerable willingness to contribute towards the conservation of the places they visit, the tourism industry lags behind the consumer in its enthusiasm to contribute.
An independent charitable trust (the Tarka Country Trust) has been set up by the Tarka Project to administer the fund and develop the visitor payback concept further in the area.

Table tent cards at hotel tables tell visitors about the conservation levy scheme in operation

Issues:

Visitors show a considerable willingness to contribute towards the conservation of the places they visit.
The tourism industry is at present (1998) fairly resistant to the concept of visitor payback.
Methods of collecting money for conservation must be fully cost effective.