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Category Archives: biodiversity
Natural Capital thinking leads us astray
It seemed appropriate that I should take part in a debate about natural capital and wetlands yesterday, on International Biodiversity Day. I was invited (I think) to be the Natural Capital dissident. It was a good debate and I enjoyed … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, Lush Times, Natural Capital
Tagged international biodiversity day, Lush Times, Natural Capital
13 Comments
clean ponds and encouraging bees: Bayer influences public debate on future of farm subsidies
A public survey, paid for by mega Agrichemical industry business Bayer, has found that three quarters of the public supports farmers continuing to receive subsidies. So far the survey has received little publicity, just a couple of articles in the … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, agrochemicals, bees, biodiversity, Brexit, Common Agricultural Policy
Tagged Bayer, Bees, Brexit, farming, nature, neonicotinoids
5 Comments
Biodiversity Day
Apparently it’s biodiversity day. Or, to be more technically correct, it’s International Day for Biological Diversity. The United Nations proclaimed this day as biodiversity day in 1993, shortly after the Rio Summit of 1992. The aim was to “increase … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, framing, language, Nature
Tagged biodiversity day, framing, language, nature
12 Comments
Labour commits to building 200,000 new homes a year: Great: where?
At the Labour Conference both Hilary Benn, Shadow CLG Secretary, and Ed Miliband, both promised massive new house-building, up to 200,000 new homes a year by the end of the parliament. Benn said ” … we will give communities, as … Continue reading
Posted in biodiversity, biodiversity offsetting, bungalows, housing, Labour, Lodge Hill
Tagged biodiversity offsetting, housing, Labour, Lodge Hill
4 Comments
Mark Reckless MP: destroying Lodge Hill will undermine national SSSI protection across the country
Part of Lodge Hill’s military past: a fictitious Newry Road with Iraqi posters (c) Miles King Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless is nobody’s fool. You may remember that earlier this year I wrote about his tirade against coastal … Continue reading
Held to Ransom: Solar Farms – green or greed?
Rampisham Down Transmitter Station from Hot Air Balloon Despite the sun shining upon us for much of the late Spring and Summer, the Solar industry has not had such a happy time of it. Eric Pickles has decided he doesn’t … Continue reading
High Speed Wild: The case for a new Wild Landscape through England
HS2 is about to be given a big push forwards tomorrow when it will receive its second reading – and former Environment shadow Mary Creagh, now Shadow Transport SoS is supporting it. She will be eyeing a cabinet position after … Continue reading
Posted in Ancient Woodland, biodiversity, HS2, rewilding
Tagged climate change, HS2, re-wilding
11 Comments
Mark Reckless MP for Lodge Hill rails against Natural England, Quangos, spiders, bugs and – vegetated shingle
Following yesterday’s blog on the latest machinations at Lodge Hill, I was informed that the local MP for the Lodge Hill area Mark Reckless, had not made any statement either for or against the development at Lodge Hill or the … Continue reading
Offsetting at Lodge Hill rears its ugly head again.
CIEEM held a conference on biodiversity offsetting last week, and I was lucky enough to be the first speaker. I had put in an abstract for a talk which was highly sceptical of offsetting and whether it would provide any … Continue reading
a new nature blog 
Can we stop the 6th Great Extinction?
Here’s a longer version of the piece that has gone on Comment is Free today. Scientists suspect we are entering the sixth global mass extinction. How can we tell, and if we are, what can be done? The august journal … Continue reading →