ALTHOUGH oil refineries are not the places for the general public, the people of Pembrokeshire should be grateful to Valero for the Pwllcrochan Environmental Centre.

There is a chance to show children that the natural world is everywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

It seems counterintuitive to think that oil refineries can be good for wildlife, nevertheless, for certain species that is true.

The increased light and warmth, in our dark and cold country, has been shown to benefit certain birds and especially invertebrates, which as an amateur entomologist is of interest to me.

The refinery near where I live in Southampton is good for reptiles.

Incidentally, the Pointe-a- Pierre Wildlife Trust, Trinidad, has a Site of International Importance in land within a major petrochemical and oil refining complex.

DENNIS TRUNECKA

Southampton