Date: Sat, 08 May 1999 09:50:20 +0000 From: Paul Temple <Paultemple@ecologycal.demon.co.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1584$foo@default> Subject: Re: cp sites
Chris
> >anybody know any cp sites in britain? let me know. i'm putting
> >together a map of cp sites for britain, and hopefully will be able to
> >put it on the web later on,
We have had a discussion here re this subject before so I will not bore
people with the whole content. However, I have stated that publishing
maps or specific location sites in a public place is an invitation for
plant thieves to steal the plants we care about.
Of course, I assume your map gives reasonably specific locations. If
all you intend publishing is the sort of map that shows the whole UK and
a large smudge covering several hundred acres where a plant might be
found if carefully searched for, then this is not new nor a real risk to
plants. However, if site locations are to be secific enough that
individuals could find the plants within minutes by using your map, then
I believe there is a problem.
Some people will always prefer to take a plant rather than pay for it.
Some people feel that a even a Drosera rotundifolia collected from a
named location is worth more in their collection than any old D.
rotundifolia. So, although your proposal is well intentioned, I propose
that I would expect such a public map to result in theft of wild plants
from the locations you intend to provide.
I and many others do share site information of plants. But we do so
with named individuals knowing whom we are supplying such information
to. If I don't recognise the named requestor, I would seek proof of who
they were before I sent location data. No-one has ever been offended by
this and all involved have understood why I do it. If anyone reported a
site damaged just after I knew it had been visited by someone I gave
site information to (or even just after I gave them the information even
if I did not know if they had visited the site), I would not hesitate in
taking action to see if that person might have been involved. But by
publishing your map publicly, you will not know who reads it so you will
not know who might have damaged a site, we will have lost all means of
control.
It is up to you whether you publish such information or not but I must
say that I hope you do not and I hope others do not supply you such
information while you intend to publish.
Many people wrote to me supporting my view the first time we discussed
this. No one wrote to me giving any arguments or justification against
my views.
I hope you'll rethink the idea and maybe keep an unpublished map and
advertise the fact you have it (even on your web site). Then you can
choose who to share the information with - which will also give you the
benefit of specifically getting to know those people who ask for your
information.
Regards
Paul
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