Abney Park Trust’s response to Hackney Council’s “dogs on leads” consultation
As many of you will be aware, there is a proposal by Hackney Council to require dogs to be kept on leads in Abney Park as part of a borough wide consultation. Hackney Council are consulting on the renewal and extension of Hackney’s Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO). The consultation opened on 28th August 2023 and closes on 19th November 2023.
This is a summary note from Abney Park Trust on the issues, challenges and potential solutions – and sets out our view on what should happen. The Abney Park Trust is responding to the consultation in its own right, and is also encouraging everyone who has a view – in either direction – to respond to the consultation.
Abney Park
Abney Park was created in 1840 on the land once occupied by Abney House. One of the original “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries, it was also an arboretum planted by the world famous Loddiges Nursery with rare, specimen trees, of international importance (of which a number remain).
Abney Park is first and foremost a cemetery with 200,000 burials in 60,000 marked plots. Occasional burials take place. And other family events such as memorial services, ashes interments and grave tending happen on a regular basis. We receive regular representations from friends and families about the need to maintain the respect for the cemetery and its purpose and these events.
As well as being the burial place for nearly 200,000 bodies, it is also the first Local Nature Reserve (LNR) to be designated in Hackney (in 1993). It is a Metropolitan Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and the most important woodland area in Hackney (almost a third of the woodland habitat in the borough). It is also a Grade II listed registered park and garden.
Like all the Magnificent Seven it provides a tranquil place in the heart of the city. Of its 13 hectares approximately 11 hectares are woodland supporting a diverse range of trees which in turn support a wide range of birds, invertebrates and fungi.
It is owned and managed by Hackney Council. The Abney Park Trust plays a key role in maximising the benefits it delivers to the community which includes its historic, cultural, educational, recreational and biodiversity value.
The Trust’s view
We support the proposal for dogs to be on leads at all times.
We’ve reached this view after careful consideration: we’ve spoken to park users about it over many years, looked at ecological knowledge and evidence, and explored how other nature reserves handle this question.
Abney Park Trust is a volunteer-led charity which puts in hundreds of volunteer hours a year caring for the park and speaking to those who use and cherish it. The volunteers who run the Trust are a mixture of dog owners and non-dog owners, and our board of trustees contains professionals working in ecology, community infrastructure, local government and more.
We know that dogs are a big part of some people’s lives: they bring some people companionship, joy, meaning and beauty. Dogs are very welcome in Abney. We at the Trust have run fun social media competitions seeking to crown the best of all the #DogsOfAbney, and there’s always a free dog biscuit and bowl of water available at our volunteer-led community stalls.
However, the rapid increase in dog ownership presents challenges to some people, communities and ecosystems. Abney Park has always had to try to strike a balance between human users' needs and its ecological importance. We know that there are many reasons why park users come: walking within 11 hectares of an inner city woodland offers many pleasures. Some enjoy tranquillity, others are interested in the spiritual aspects of the park, while many come for the listed monuments and the historical interest of the Park's famous and not yet famous residents. Families come searching for their ancestors.
The value of the park for nature has been recognised by its LNR and SINC status and provides an important resource for scientists, natural history education, health and recreation and artists. To ensure that the park continues to be able to provide this wide array of ecosystem services to the community, continuous maintenance is required.
The challenge
Dogs are very welcome in Abney Park but the rapid increase in dog ownership presents a challenge for such a delicate ecosystem. The Kennel Club reported a 25 per cent rise in pet registrations during lockdown. Figures now stand at 12 million dogs in the UK. This has also led to an increase in dog-on-dog attacks, a 700% increase, with 2,264 in London alone. This increase in dog numbers has been particularly marked in Abney Park, as it is within a densely populated area, in the heart of the city.
We are currently facing a biodiversity emergency. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in Europe. The Red List of British Mammals found that one quarter of UK mammals are threatened with extinction. 66% of ground-nesting birds are in decline in the UK, compared to 31% of other species. Since the 1970s, it has been shown that 41% of all UK species studied have declined. The government has committed to halting the decline in biodiversity by 2030.
The impacts
The impacts dogs have on wildlife include forcing wildlife to move away from the park, reducing their space to feed and breed. It also increases levels of disturbance and stress response, degradation of habitat through urine and faeces, and transmission of disease.
Physical and temporal displacement – The presence of dogs causes wildlife to move away, temporarily or permanently reducing the amount of available habitat in which to feed, breed and rest. Animals become less active during the day to avoid dog interactions. Furthermore, the scent of dogs repels wildlife and the effects remain after the dogs are gone. Experts say loose dogs are one of the biggest causes of wildlife disturbance equivalent to the same disruption as low flying aircraft. An important study by the Nature Institute noted that the evidence that dogs negatively impact wildlife is overwhelming.
Disturbance and stress response – Animals are alarmed and cease their routine activities. This increases the amount of energy they use, while simultaneously reducing their opportunities to feed. Repeated stress causes long-term impacts on wildlife including reduced reproduction and growth, suppressed immune systems and increased vulnerability to disease and parasites. There is a study which showed that dog walking caused a 41% reduction in the numbers of individual birds detected and a 35% reduction in species richness – while disturbance from humans walking alone was typically less than half that of dogs. Nature is particularly vulnerable in the spring and summer months when most breeding behaviour occurs.
Degradation of habitat – Dogs can degrade habitats by nutrients from urine as well as faeces, which reduces the overall floral biodiversity by over fertilisation which can reach levels that would be illegal on farmland. In Abney Park there has been an increase in dog fouling both on and off the paths. Physical disturbance from trampling and digging also damages delicate plants and fungal mycelium and can lead to soil erosion and root damage.
Indirect and direct mortality – Dogs can transmit diseases (such as canine distemper and rabies) to and from wildlife. Loose dogs kill wildlife: the UK cost of dog attacks is up by 50% since pre-pandemic.
Human disease - Dog waste can pollute water and transmit harmful parasites and diseases to people.
In conclusion
It’s our view that the joy dogs bring to people and our community can be balanced with the needs of the ecosystem through a sensible and enforced on-leads rule. This is done in other comparable cemetery environments: two other Magnificent Seven cemeteries (West Norwood and Highgate) go further than this, and only allow guide dogs. In Brompton Cemetery, dogs must be on leads. London Wildlife Trust also prohibit dogs in local sites like Woodberry Wetlands.
In Abney, there are many positive steps that can be undertaken. Having dogs on the lead is the most effective means of reducing the negative impact on wildlife. There are options of seasonal lead enforcements, when wildlife is most vulnerable, during the breeding season, and/or temporal enforcements, restricting access to certain areas via fencing. Of course, this may be confusing and more difficult to enforce than a clear all areas lead enforcement. For that reason, we support this as the best course of action.
We hope that this summary is helpful, and we encourage users to contribute to the consultation. Please respond by 19th November 2023 at Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) - Hackney Council - Citizen Space.
Our sources:
Dog Control Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) - Hackney Council - Citizen Space
(PDF) The Trees and Woodland of Abney Park Cemetery (researchgate.net)
1 in 4 admit impulse buying a pandemic puppy | Kennel Club (thekennelclub.org.uk)
UK Pet Food releases its annual pet population data - Veterinary Practice (veterinary-practice.com)
Animal Welfare (Responsibility for Dog Attacks) - Hansard - UK Parliament
Pet owners urged to help keep wildlife and livestock safe this spring | The Wildlife Trusts
Managing dogs and nature conservation - Inside Ecology
The-impact-of-dogs-on-wildlife.pdf (thenatureinstitute.org)
Managing dogs and nature conservation - Inside Ecology
Managing dogs and nature conservation - Inside Ecology
UK cost of dog attacks rises by 50%, causing needless suffering of sheep (nfumutual.co.uk)