|
Who we are
· The Mersey Estuary Conservation Group (MECG), a registered charity, was formed in 1987 to bring together the non-commercial, environmentally-minded organisations interested in the estuary and its wildlife. The member organisations are mostly voluntary bodies but there are also a number of individual members. Some representatives attend meetings as observers.
· The group’s aims are to help protect the Mersey estuary and to raise awareness of this natural asset with its rich fauna and flora, and unique landscape.
· The MECG meets regularly to discuss issues that arise in connection with natural and human changes in and around the estuary.
The MECG always welcomes new members who share and are willing to participate in the group’s objectives.
What we do· MECG is involved in the planning process and scrutinises proposals for development or change in land / estuary use as far as they impinge on habitats and wildlife. Our comments and recommendations have informed local decision making on many occasions.
· Recently, the expansion of Liverpool Airport and the developments taking place on the old airfield have been of particular concern, and MECG tried to find solutions to the threatened loss of roosting sites for wading birds.
· MECG is currently studying the proposal for a new road crossing over the Mersey to ensure that - if it is built - its impact on wildfowl feeding and roosting sites is minimised during construction and safeguarded in the future.
· Any investigation needs to be based on accurate data. Many members take part in the monthly WeBS counts but much information about the estuary’s habitats and wildlife was gathered in the late 1980s and early 1990s in connection with the proposal to build a tidal power-generating barrage across the Mersey. More recently, at New Ferry foreshore, wading bird and duck numbers, their behavior and their use of habitat were recorded on numerous occasions. These surveys were instrumental for the inclusion of New Ferry foreshore in the Ramsar site and Special Protection Area for Birds designation that covers much of the Mersey estuary.
· In November 1988, the MECG held a one-day conference which covered a wide range of topics relating to the estuary. The proceedings were first published in 1995. Events such as shorter conferences and visits to sites of interest are held from time to time to continue to raise general awareness of the ‘wild side’ of the Mersey estuary. The 1995 book, still under the title ‘The Mersey Estuary - Naturally Ours’, has been up-dated and republished in 2003.
· Shortly, the MECG’s popular little glossy book ‘The Mersey estuary’ will be re-published, lavishly illustrated with new photographs and packed with up-to-date information.
· MECG is supporting efforts aiming at preventing disturbance to birds and damage to habitats, foremost illegal shooting on salt marshes and mudflats, and vehicle access on foreshores.
|
|
THE MERSEY ESTUARY CONSERVATION GROUP
|
