A DRAMATIC decline in wildlife in Oxfordshire is to be examined by Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet.

County council members passed a motion yesterday calling on the cabinet to consider what it could do to stop the drop in numbers.

The motion, proposed by Green Party councillor Sam Coates, said the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust believed wildlife in the county had declined by almost 60 per cent since 1970.

David Williams, who seconded the motion, said: “These figures are very dramatic. This is not something happening in Africa or Asia. It is here and is affecting our lives. We may be able to do something to stop the decline in our local wildlife which we have created.”

Liberal Democrat councillor John Howson also supported the motion but said he had some concerns. He said: “It is a typical Green Party motion in this council which says everything is awful and there is nothing good at all. Reintroduction of the Red Kite in some parts of this county is a success story.”

And county council chairman Anne Purse made a rare intervention in the debate to support the plans.

She said: “Protecting wildlife does not just mean protecting a few pest species.

Voting for this motion would mean us discharging our duties to wildlife.”

The motion was passed by 36 votes to 15 with one abstention.