SIR, — I too wish to add my voice to those protesting against the imposition of artificial management plans on our few remaining areas of natural beauty. It may seem laudable to attempt to recreate landscapes of the past, such as common or heathland,

SIR, - I too wish to add my voice to those protesting against the imposition of artificial "management plans" on our few remaining areas of natural beauty.

It may seem laudable to attempt to recreate landscapes of the past, such as common or heathland, once generated naturally as a result of grazing by sheep and cattle. In the modern era, unfortunately, this represents an artificial form of land use that can only be maintained by the continuing application of energy-intensive machinery.

It could be argued that a more natural contemporary use of these areas is to bring a small taste of wild natural beauty into our increasingly over-crowded and over-developed area. Hence the furore generated by the recent destruction of mature trees that were particularly valued by residents for their seasonal beauty.

Can it also be pointed out that nature has no concept of the "features" that seem to be a central part of management plans and that wildlife, in order to flourish, needs overgrown areas that are not for ever being accessed by people and their attendant pets.

It is well known that environments dismissed as brushland or wasteland are actually important wildlife havens providing a range of micro-environments. The managers should recollect that the original biodiversity of nature arose without the intervention of man, which has been hugely destructive to the natural world.

Finally, we are always being encouraged to congratulate ourselves on living in a democracy but it is clear that these decisions, like so many which affect people's spirit and well-being, were taken without any meaningful attempt to canvas the opinions of those affected.

ED HULME,

St Helier Road, Sandridge.