A project to protect a bronze age burial site on MOD land from a clan of Badgers, while resettling the badgers at the same time, has won the MOD's annual Sanctuary Awards.
The Awards are held to recognise both groups and individual efforts towards conservation of MOD land in the UK or overseas. They are run by MOD's Defence Estates.
At the Awards ceremony held today 17 October 2007, at London's Imperial War Museum, the Sanctuary Award and Silver Otter trophy was presented to the South Pembrokeshire Ranges Recording Advisory Group (SPRRAG) for their work in preserving the Brownslade Barrow archaeological monument at Castlemartin Range and resettling a large badger population in the area.
The Barrow is a Bronze Age burial mound designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In 2001 range staff noticed human bones on the ground close to the designated area and that Badgers living in the area were disturbing the bones. Action was required to prevent further disturbance and stop the badgers reaching the protected area. The project involved arranging for licences to resettle the badgers, constructing a new sett, working with specialist ecologists to ensure that all the badgers had moved and then arranging for archaeologists to carry out excavation.
Over 1,000 bone fragments were discovered and are being analysed by specialists at the University of Lampeter. The Sanctuary Award Board felt that this project was an excellent example of MOD's stewardship of the rural estate. It also demonstrates highly effective partnership working between SPRRAG, Defence Training Estate, the National Park Authority, Cambria Archaeology, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Badger Consultancy, amongst others.
Marcus Yeo, Director of Resources and External Affairs, Joint Nature Conservation Committee and a judge for the award, said:
"The standard and variety of entries this year was once again extremely high and it was a very hard decision to choose the overall winner. I was very pleased to be involved in the decision making which shows just how a government department can provide significant outcomes for conservation."
This year's runner up was the Defence Geographic Centre in Feltham whose innovative recycling project has seen an increase in recycling figures at the site to 77 per cent.
Special Contribution Awards were also given to Peter Gay who has been an active member of the Cinque Ports Training Area Conservation Group in Kent, for over 25 years and Mr Bob Crump for heritage and conservation work at MOD facilities on the Essex coast.
Peter Gay's exceptional knowledge of the Cinque Ports' training area's flora and fauna and monitoring of the orchids on the chalk hills has been of great help when planning management and explosive ordnance clearance. His enthusiasm and knowledge are an inspiration to people of all ages.
Bob Crump was very much the driving force behind the establishment of the Foulness Heritage Centre, which has been an outstanding success and displays artefacts showing up to 2000 years of life on the MOD owned Island.
The members of the Sanctuary Award Board for 2007 were Martin Coulson, Head of Land and Property Policy, Defence Estates, Bob Morris, Head of the Environmental Support Team, Defence Estates and Pippa Morrison, Biodiversity Adviser, Defence Estates. Marcus Yeo, Director of Resources and External Affairs, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, acted as external judge.
The awards were presented by Under-Secretary of State for Defence Derek Twigg who said:
"I am delighted to be presenting the Sanctuary Awards today. They highlight the outstanding work done by both volunteers and MOD staff across the Defence estate. We are fortunate indeed to have so many dedicated people involved."
RAF Honington/RAF Barnham Conservation Group were Highly Commended by the Judges for their work to restore a Site of Special Scientific Interest to favourable recovering status while allowing military training to continue, as was the Utility Management Bureau Service for RAF Kinloss for a Carbon Emission Savings project.
Source: MOD
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