Monthly Archives: December 2013

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Thanks to everyone who has read my blog over the past 6 months or so. Thanks especially to those of you who have left comments, either here, on twitter or Linkedin. Top wordpress commentator prize goes to Dave … Continue reading

Posted in blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Biodiversity Challenge 4: Broken Dreams

meetings meetings meetings ((c) By Agriculture And Stock Department, Publicity Branch via Wikimedia Commons) Todays blog completes my series this week of blogs looking at what Biodiversity Challenge achieved, looking back with the benefit of hindsight 20 years on.  Biodiversity … Continue reading

Posted in biodiversity, biodiversity challenge, bureaucracy, LBAPs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Revealed: who pays for the corporate lobbyist Think Tanks?

A little while ago (back in August) I asked readers of this blog to write to Chloe Smith MP, who at the time was guiding the Lobbying Bill through the House of Commons. This Bill was going to curtail all … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Sells, Astroturfing, Charities campaigning, Charities Commission, corporate lobbying, George Monbiot, Policy Exchange, Think Tanks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Biodiversity Challenge 3: Habitats

Continuing my series to celebrate 20 years since the launch of Biodiversity Challenge: an Agenda for Conservation in the UK (yes I had a hand in the hubristic title), today I look at Habitats. Derek Ratcliffe had developed the criteria … Continue reading

Posted in Action Plans, biodiversity, grasslands, regulatory reform | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Biodiversity Challenge 2: Species

veteran tree with priority lichen species (c) Miles King Continuing on my theme for this week, which is about Biodiversity Challenge 20 years on, today I’m looking at what BC did for species conservation in Britain. As I said yesterday, … Continue reading

Posted in Action Plans, biodiversity, biodiversity challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Biodiversity Challenge: 20 years on

It seems unbelievable to me but it is 20 years this week since the launch of “Biodiversity Challenge.”I am going to celebrate this anniversary with a series of blogs this week, and possibly next. Challenge, as it became known, was … Continue reading

Posted in Action Plans, biodiversity, biodiversity challenge, environmental policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seeing the wood for the Trees

  Natural England chair designate Andrew Sell’s wood I’ve written a fair bit over the past 3 years about Think Tanks. Are they a force for good? Most Think Tanks are on the right of the political spectrum – in … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Sells, Charities campaigning, George Monbiot, neoliberalism, Policy Exchange, Think Tanks | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

EFRA fails to grill Sells, more of a light poaching

As  I recall there was a lot of effort involved in turning Parliamentary Select Committees from a cross-between talking shops and clubs, into an influential element of Parliamentary procedure and ultimately an addition to the British Democratic process. Watching the … Continue reading

Posted in Andrew Sells, Natural England | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A State of Mind

Today is an important anniversary for me. It’s a year to the day since I went to my GP and he diagnosed me with anxiety and depression. I had known there was something wrong for a long time but had … Continue reading

Posted in conservation, ethics, George Monbiot, spiritual value | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Conservation and Re-wilding: the film

The Linnean Society filmed the debate I had with George Monbiot in November, discussing the pros and cons of Re-wilding and Conservation. The film, which was professionally made and edited, is now available to watch here . I haven’t seen … Continue reading

Posted in conservation, ethics, George Monbiot, landscape dynamics, Linnean Society, rewilding, self-willed land | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments