DURING my daily surveys of the SSSI heaths looking for the more exotic species, I come across people whose view on rare species on public heaths open to dogs, walkers and children is to immediately remove them to a place of safety.

The fact that this is committing an offence is of no concern to them since their view of preservation is that it is an offence to leave rarer species where all and sundry can openly get at them.

This is a very strange view on conservation since the very removal makes them ever more scarce on public heaths and even more open to other people who hold the same view to remove them. This removal will continue until our local SSSI heaths are void of the more exotic species, which voids the protection of the heath under the term Site of Special Scientific Interest since the scientific interest is being removed.

Perhaps the steering committees who oversee the various conservation groups can mention to their members that this method when seen needs stopping since it will in the end remove the very status of the heath on which the very continuance of the heath depends.

DOUGLAS MILLS

Fraser Road, Poole