For this to have any sort of validity you need to decide what sort of participation rate would constitute a meaningful and representative quorum. You then need to determine what to do if there are no clear preferences. I suspect that the most controversial areas will be suppression of information and the use of tapes. Tapes are clearly unacceptable in the case of birds holding territory and/or at risk of deserting a nest but arguably they do little harm luring birds out of deep vegetation during the non-breeding season. I have seen many a respected bird tour leader use tape lures regularly and effectively with no apparent distress to the birds. A one-size fits all resolution against some or all of these points probably seems fine at the time but the reality is there are always grey areas. What you need is a commonsense approach that is not overly prescriptive. Self-regulation is the best policy and in public places if the photographers are not members of WWF or HKBWS what sanctions would you bring against people. Hopefully members of respected organisations understand the issues and act appropriately. I feel this is a sensible debate to have but I fear decisions will be taken in the heat of an emotive situation that will subsequently prove a) unenforceable and b) unduly onerous. My strong preference would be self-policing.
