BROADCASTER and naturalist Sir David Attenborough has criticised an injunction against fossil hunters on the Westcountry's Jurassic Coast, saying it prevents children from learning the "foundation stones" of science.

Sir David believes restrictions on collecting wild flowers, insects and fossils mean children are being held back from collecting other non-protected species.

The veteran natural history broadcaster made the comments in a speech at the launch of the Society of Biology – an organisation started to promote the biological sciences.

Sir David spoke out after the National Trust obtained an injunction against fossil hunters to prevent them from digging into rock faces along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset.

He said: "Children become interested in natural history because they are natural collectors.

"It is a pity that it is not possible to allow them to go out and collect any more. Not to be able to collect a wild flower or fossils is sad."

Allowing children to collect and classify insects, animals and other objects helped them learn taxonomy skills, the science of classifying species, said Sir David.

"Taxonomy is the foundation stone of the biological sciences. I collected fossils as a child. I was able to compare ammonites to see what was different and I learned to identify their characteristics.

"Collecting and identifying is a basic instinct in children. The desire to collect and classify is deep inside all of us.

"It is very sad but, unfortunately necessary, that legislation should have been passed so it is now illegal to collect birds' eggs. It is illegal to collect butterflies. There are restrictions on collecting fossils.

"I hope we might be able to shift legislation in a more intelligent and generalised way that will not be so specific," he added.

Collecting was enormously popular in Victorian times, when aspiring botanists would collect butterflies, wild flowers and other species to display and classify. It also became a profitable business as enthusiasts paid large amounts of money to get rare species from far corners of the world.

Now, laws have been passed restricting the trade of rare species, while other legislation protects rare wild flowers, fossils, insects and other animals.

Codes of conduct drawn up by entomologists also state that insects should not be killed unless they are being collected as scientific specimens. Instead they should be examined and released alive.

Dafydd Lewis, honorary secretary of the Amateur Entomologists' Society, agreed that the "pendulum had swung too far" against collecting.

He said it should be possible to differentiate between taking individual specimens for private study and "unnecessary killing".

He said: "It is true that, while the availability of digital cameras means that collecting in general need not be as prevalent as in the past, a reference collection is often a springboard to further study and understanding, especially among children.

"The pendulum has swung too far against collecting. It is a very effective means of engaging with the natural world – and that engagement is needed now more than ever."