 | | | | | PROGRAMME INFO | | | |
| | | Richard Daniel chairs the interactive environmental programme in which he and his guests deal with listener's questions and concerns.
Call 03700 100 400
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Home Planet, PO Box 3096, Brighton BN1 1PL | | | | | LISTEN AGAIN 30 min | | | |
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| | PRESENTER | | | |
|  | | | | "Home Planet is the environmental programme for which you set the agenda. We tackle your questions and concerns and try and make some sense out of the conflicting opinions which make up the environmental debate."
Richard Daniel | | | | |
| | | | | | PROGRAMME DETAILS | | | |
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Panel
Professor Jacquie Burgess
University College London
Emeritus Professor Philip Stott
University of London
Derek Moore OBE
Chief Executive, Wildlife Trusts of South & West Wales
Discussion topics
Why is birds' mess so damaging and what can be done to stop it?
Birds' mess is a mixture of faeces, urates and liquid urine and is essentially very acid. It will react with alkalines, in particular the paints used on cars. Waxing of cars will help to prevent damage. The droppings of our domestic birds are not very useful to man. In fact, in large quantities, they can cause a health hazard. However, guano, the droppings of fish-eating birds has historically been used as fertiliser.
19th century guano ships
Pigeon nuisance
Yeasts found in bird droppings
British Trust for Ornithology
RSPB
Health & Safety Executive
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland
What are the environmental effects of modern warfare?
Richard Daniel spoke to Professor Andrew Goudie, Oxford University, who is one of the leading physical geographers in the UK. He specialises in the geomorphology of deserts and spoke of what we know about the impact of modern conflict in the Gulf.
Birdlife International sent a team of biologists to Iraq to assess the impact of the recent conflict on key bird habitats.
Jay E Austin, Carl E. Bruch (eds)
The Environmental Consequences of War Legal, Economic, and Scientific Perspectives
Cambridge University Press, October 2000
What is the scientific value of public wildlife surveys?
A listener from North Devon is concerned that by involving members of the public in national wildlife surveys may well reduce the scientific value of the results that we get. Richard Daniel spoke to Mark Avery, Director of Conservation, RSPB, and the person who leads the annual Garden Birdwatch in which 300,000 people took part in 2003.
The Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University has a research programme called BioWatch UK which asks why members of the public should be involved in the assessment of monitoring and assessment of biodiversity. It is lead by Home Planet panellist Dr Anna Lawrence.
Are swallows, house martins and swifts late this year - and if so why?
The team discussed the cyclical nature of bird migration and the problems these particular birds face on route. These range from loss of feeding habitat (likened to closing service stations on busy motorways) to climatic conditions and the activities of man (shooting in particular).
The British Trust for Ornithology migration watch site
RSPB migration info
BBC migration info
Swallows
House martins
Swifts
Contact Home Planet
Send your comments and questions for future programmes to:
Home Planet
BBC Radio 4
PO Box 3096
Brighton BN1 1PL
Or email the programme: [email protected]
Or telephone the Audience Line 03700 100 400
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