IT’S a sad picture that Douglas Mills paints on the loss of wildlife all around us (‘Vanishing lizards’, September 11).

If things continue in the same vein, then today’s children will have to rely on what they can access through pictures to discover what once lived on our local heathland. With the government demanding more housebuilding to accommodate our burgeoning population (up 18million since 1950), then it appears that we have thrown in the towel regarding the protection of many endangered species.

Ironically, in the same publication, an article highlighted the release of sand lizards onto Wareham Forest. Let’s hope that they go forth and multiply. Their biggest threat is carried by the general public and the compulsory barbecue.

BOB WOODLAND

Cavan Crescent, Waterloo Estate, Poole