One of the men behind a controversial plan to run commercial quad bike tours in protected areas of the West End has been appointed to a conservation advisory body.

Shane Hollis was made a member of the National Parks Commission by Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, on March 16.

The same day, Colonel Burch told the House of Assembly that permission had been given for Mr Hollis’s all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, tours to go ahead on a one-year trial basis, despite hundreds of objections from the public.

The decision to allow the tours generated an outcry from the island’s environmental groups and Mr Hollis’s appointment to the commission has sparked further concern.

Kim Smith, executive director of Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce, said: “There really isn’t much to say about Mr Shane Hollis’s appointment on the Parks Commission, beyond that it’s a clear case of conflict of interest and, so, worthy of criticism.”

Read more here: http://www.royalgazette.com/news/article/20180402/atv-tour-organiser-handed-conservation-role