Are We Fit to Frack?

Fracking - Alamy

Issued on behalf of the Angling Trust, the National Trust, RSPB, the Salmon & Trout Association, The Wildlife Trusts and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust North West wildlife and water quality put at risk by fracking.

Poorly regulated fracking risks harming threatened species and polluting our waterways, according to a report produced by the UK' s leading wildlife and countryside groups. 

In the North West, fracking companies are planning to work on sites in the Fylde, Salford and East Lancashire. This has raised high profile concerns and protests in the Fylde and at Barton Moss near Eccles.

The report, Are We Fit to Frack?, was launched today by the Angling Trust, the National Trust, RSPB, the Salmon & Trout Association, The Wildlife Trusts and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. It is supported by across party group of MPs including Zac Goldsmith, Alan Whitehead and Tessa Munt.

The report contains ten recommendations for making fracking safer as the Government continues its push to get companies to apply for licences to explore and drill for shale gas. 

The recommendations are based on a full technical evidence report which has been peer reviewed by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, one of the UK s leading ecological research institutes.

The countryside groups are calling for all protected wildlife areas, nature reserves and national parks to be frack-free zones, for full environmental assessments to be carried out for each drilling proposal, and for the shale gas industry to pay the costs of its regulation and any pollution clean-ups.

The report highlights a lack of regulation around shale gas exploitation which could cause serious impacts for a range of threatened species including pink footed geese, salmon and barbastelle bats.  It also raises serious concerns about the impact of drilling and water contamination on some of our most precious natural habitats such as chalk streams.  These crystal clear waterways are known to anglers and wildlife-lovers as England s coral reefs   85% of the world's chalk streams are found here.

Tim Melling, RSPB Senior Conservation Officer for Northern England, said:  The Prime Minister has been a great advocate for the shale gas industry. He has said we have the strongest environmental controls in this country and nothing will go ahead if there are environmental dangers. 

Our report puts a spotlight on these risks and reinforces the growing concern about the impact fracking could have on our countryside and wildlife.

In Lancashire we are extremely concerned about the impact that fracking could have on the 60,000 pink footed geese, which spend the winter around the Ribble and Alt Estuaries. As these geese have traditionally been shot in large numbers, they are rather skittish and very prone to disturbance. 

If the farmland in West Lancashire where they feed were to be punctuated with numerous fracking wells, each with its own access road, there is a risk they may abandon this landscape. Consequently, the extraction of shale gas could have a serious impact on this internationally important bird population. 

Anne Selby, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, which covers the area where many of the proposed explorations are planned, said  As a Wildlife Trust, we are here to protect nature, but our purpose also includes sustainability and adapting to climate change.

We have concerns at a local level with regards to the impact of fracking, but we are also joining forces with the other 46 Wildlife Trusts to ensure the Government does not stray from renewable energy plans. We must not lose sight of aims to progress our energy sources into a more sustainable future

Shale gas is a non-renewable energy source. It may be billed as cleaner than coal, but it is carbon and will contribute to CO2 emission.  We have put a number of key questions to each of the fracking companies and await clear responses with regards to our concerns.

Simon Pryor, National Trust Natural Environment Director, said:  The debate on fracking needs to be evidence based. The evidence from this detailed research clearly reveals that the regulation of shale gas needs to be improved if it s to offer adequate protection for sensitive environments.

Whilst the Government is keen to see rapid roll out of fracking, there s a real danger that the regulatory system simply isn' t keeping pace. The Government should rule out fracking in the most sensitive areas and ensure that the regulations offer sufficient protection to our treasured natural and historic environment.

Martin Spray, Chief Executive of WWT, said:  A single frack can use more water than 1,000 people use in a year and if it goes wrong it could contaminate drinking water and ruin wetland habitats. That' a big burden on communities and it s a risk we want managed. Today's report clearly sets out the safeguards that need to be in place before this relatively new industry can operate in our countryside with a degree of safety.

Martin Salter, National Campaigns Coordinator for the Angling Trust said:  A poor fracking operation has the potential to pollute groundwater supplies and to cause damage to fragile ecosystems in our chalk streams and other rivers. That is why we need the strongest possible regulatory framework, funded from the profits of the industry rather than from taxpayers  pockets.

Janina Gray, Salmon & Trout Association Head of Science, said:   The water use of the UK shale gas industry could exacerbate pressure on rivers and wetlands, particularly on sensitive water bodies & those already suffering from over-abstraction, such as chalk streams, and this adds yet further pressure on declining fish populations - the Atlantic salmon being a prime example. This, coupled with the risk of water pollution   including groundwater contamination  could, if not correctly managed, be significant - possibly irreversible.  Action must be taken now to ensure all necessary environmental protection and regulatory frameworks are in place before extraction goes ahead.     

The report,  Are We Fit to Frack?  features ten recommendations for making the shale gas industry safe for wildlife. It is based upon the document  Hydraulic Fracturing for Shale Gas in the UK: Examining the Evidence for Potential Environmental Impacts , which has been written by the project partners and peer- reviewed by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH). Both are available to download

at www.rspb.org.uk/fracking