A View to Kill For!

“A View to Kill For”by Spencer Shaw, of Brush Turkey EnterprisesA few millions years ago on the African plains our early hominid ancestors knew the importance of keeping a look out for the big toothy predators that saw them as a potential breakfast, lunch or tea. Later still, our more recent ancestors knew the importance of a clear view of the surrounding country side when it came to shoring up the fortifications of their village against the marauding bunch of blokes from down the valley. Wether we realise it or not, our appreciation of a good “view” is a deeply ingrained part of our psyche and very much a part of who we are. However there is a dark side to this love of the “view” and it is becoming more and more evident as a cause of environmental degradation particularly on the coast and closer to home here in the hills. The last 50 years or so has seen a boom in real-estate with a “view” and a clear view of the ocean or a clear view from a hill is worth serious dollars. A culture has evolved that is so busy trying to get away from itself that for some people the need to own a view of somewhere else becomes pathological and it’s our local native vegetation that becomes the victim.If your wondering if I’m being a touch dramatic and wondering about my point of view (sorry, couldn’t resist slipping that one in!) consider this tale. A friend of mine and fellow tree-planter was engaged to plant some trees on a client’s property. As soon as these trees became established they where poisoned, by what one can only assume to be one of those pathological view seekers mentioned before. Trees were replanted and re-poisoned and eventually security cameras fitted to try and catch the perpetrator. This may seem to be an extreme example but I could unfortunately list many a story like this. The view psychosis reaches its pinnacle on the coast and all too often the frontal dune vegetation such as Coastal She-Oak (Casuarina equisetifolia) and Coastal Banksia – (Banksia integrifolia) are either: removed, poisoned or butchered – to improve “the view”. The other insidious impact of the view psychosis is its effect on revegetation efforts. All too often with coastal plantings the “views” of local residents prove far more influential in the implementation of revegetation projects than the needs of local ecosystems and wildlife. What some view obsessed coastal residents don’t often realize is that, the very thin and fragile strip of vegetation that is in the way of their inspirational viewing and serious real-estate dollars is also literally the only thing holding back that beautiful ocean from washing their valuable real-estate away. The same applies to our hill top views. If trees aren’t recognised for their importance in the geological stability of the landscape, then your ridge top view could quickly, and I’d imagine rather terrifyingly, become riverside real-estate in a landscape that is infamous for its landslip potential.Do we personally need to own a view? That’s the big question here. “The view” has become a commodity, an asset, even a status symbol. Reality dictates however that we can’t possibly make use of this view all day long and that the majority of the day is either spent at work or asleep and actual time spent enjoying “the view” is quite small. So investing in a view is often quite poor use of your resources because it’s something that you’re going to get little actual use of. The other strange aspect of “the view” being a commodity is that there is so much view out there for free; all you have to do is go for a walk. The wonderful thing about the free view is that it’s all over the place and is wonderfully different with every step you take. The free view of the ocean is even better than the commodity view, because you can actually feel the sand between your toes (although with the way some coastal residents have obliterated vegetation from the dunes in the way of their views, they too may soon have the pleasure of feeling the sand between their toes in their very own living room!)Do I consider myself above the need for a view – of course not. I appreciate a good view as much as the next person and as mentioned at the beginning of this article consider the need for a view to be very much a part of who we are. However, I have reconciled myself to the fact that the view from my kitchen window will not be of the distant hills in the years to come but of the trees we’ve planted and the wildlife that will make use of them. A view full of life, a view that is – priceless.