HL Deb 22 February 1971 vol 315 cc807-9
LORD MERRIVALE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have consulted the Royal Society with a view to allowing a small party of American ecologists and U.S.A. members of Nature Conservancy and W.W.F., aboard M.T.S. "Apollo", chartered by Raymond and Whitcomb Company, New York, to land for five hours at Aldabra on February 24, 1971.]

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, we have been in continuous touch with the Royal Society about this matter and their view is that such a visit to Aldabra should not be permitted on the basis of the information which is at present available to us. We therefore feel that landing permission should not be granted. The President of the Raymond and Whitcomb Travel Company was informed on February 5 of the reasons for the present refusal, which were in the interests of nature conservancy, and that the Royal Society were quite willing to meet representatives of the firm to discuss the matter more fully if the firm had any further plans to land groups on the island.

LORD MERRIVALE

My Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, may I ask him whether he does not feel it is being a little unreasonable when, in effect, it is naturalists, ecologists and conservationists who are concerned in this question? Does not my noble friend think that they are well aware of the risks involved, such as avoiding contamination, not disturbing the reef fauna and also taking care of the breeding colonies of birds? I should have thought that these were situations of which these gentlemen were well aware, and I should have thought that possibly Her Majesty's Government would reconsider their previous refusal.

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I think my noble friend is in error at one point, because the facts which he stated were not made available to the Royal Society. In fact, they have requested information from this travel company as to who the members are, because they are concerned that such landings as are made should be restricted to people who have an interest in nature conservancy, and are not just tourists. But the information which the Royal Society asked for has not been forthcoming.

LORD MERRIVALE

But, my Lords, is it not a fact that Her Majesty's Government have received a telegram stressing that those members who wish to land are in effect bona fide ecologists, naturalists and so forth? My Question specifically referred to those gentlemen; and I was only asking for a limited party to be allowed to disembark and not for the total complement of tourists aboard the ship.

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I understand that the application was for about 100 people and that two names were mentioned: a Mr. Johnson Stoddard and a Miss Leila Lenz, and that Her Majesty's Government were unable to find confirmation of the fact that the interests of these two people were basically scientific.

LORD MERRIVALE

My Lords, I am sorry to weary the House, but how is it that Houlder's World Holidays are able to advertise a three-weeks cruise which will call at Aldabra? This seems a little unrealistic.

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, permission is granted to the "Lindbland Explorer" to call at Aldabra; and reliance on the future protection of the island's ecology is placed on the presence of a ship's scientist and qualified tour leaders.

LORD BURTON

My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Earl can say what creatures inhabit this lonely island which he is so desirous of protecting?

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, the creatures are as fascinating to the layman as they must be to the naturalist. They include giant tortoises, of which there are some 80,000, and apparently it is the last breeding place of the flightless rail. It also houses frigate birds, boobies and upside-down jelly fishes.