Author Archives: Miles King

Unknown's avatar

About Miles King

UK conservation professional, writing about nature, politics, life. All views are my own and not my employers. I don't write on behalf of anybody else.

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

Lodge Hill Grasslands and the NVC

I’ve received this comment from Doug Hulyer, Board member of Natural England, regarding my post about the notification of Lodge Hill as an SSSI. It was good to see you at the Board meeting, Miles. I take issue with your … Continue reading

Posted in grasslands, Lodge Hill, Natural England, NVC, Professor John Rodwell, SSSis | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Co-operating in a stitch up?

Interesting news today that the Co-op bank is paying “hundreds of thousands of pounds” to Reputation management company Quiller Consultants, while slashing support for charities, including the Co-operate Women’s Guild and Mutuo, the co-op’s thinktank. This is apparently as a … Continue reading

Posted in banking crisis, co-op, Labour, Lord Hill of Oakeford, Quiller Consultants, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Nelson Mandela Rest In Peace

By Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons I grew up in East London during the era of the National Front, the Anti Nazi League and the Free Nelson Mandela campaign. When I went to Bristol University … Continue reading

Posted in Nelson Mandela | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment