This story begins with a once idyllic slow-moving river patrolled by dragonflies in high summer. Sections of its steep earth sides ideal for voles whose homes nestled hidden amidst lush greenery. Where kingfishers had lived, excavating into mud, creating tunnels leading to their nests. Somewhere fish swam, insects buzzed, flowers bloomed.
One year, when autumn came, trees were cut down producing nothing more than firewood, all vegetation, bushes, hedgerows ripped out, removing natural barriers which formerly soaked up heavy rainwater.
That winter the rain never stopped, fast-flowing water gradually cleared away impacted soil, undermining banks, destroying sensitive ecosystems.
Perpetrators declared these actions necessary. Environmentalists protested saying illegal destruction was responsible. Protests aside, apportioning blame proved irrelevant, nature’s valuable habitats and vulnerable wildlife irrevocably destroyed. Why?
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