This is an excellent opinion piece from the RSPB’s Conservation Director, Martin Harper.
And, this is the time when all conservation organisations will be tested – we need a very strong and concerted approach from the wildlife NGOs otherwise their individual efforts may not be strong enough to achieve what is necessary.
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Couldn’t agree more Mark. I think the time has come for a meeting of minds!
I agree as well. Co-operation has to be the way. Dare I use the term solidarity, or is it too left wing?
David -welcome and thank you! Not too left wing for me!
Just what we need from the RSPB. There has been a serious loss of capacity and impact in Natural England and local authorities, alongside a worrying trend towards competing with each other for (little) funding in government beauty competitions – Nature Improvement Areas or Local Nature Partnerships. Time to focus on the issues and to work together.
Philip – welcome and thank you!
No change there then!! No support for the E petition, a no fly zone for Birds of Prey on Conservative backed land owners, no support for the excellent report on ‘OUR’ forests – http://www.jonathonporritt.com/sites/default/files/users/Our_Forests_vision_2012_low%20RM%2011%201%2012.pdf
Just one example from there – Chopwell Wood, Gateshead
Woods for health and well-being
Chopwell Wood is a 360 ha mixed woodland near Gateshead in North East England
managed by the Forestry Commission. Under the Government’s disposal proposals,
Chopwell was…up for the chop. Yet the woodland is the site of a visionary project
designed to improve the health of local communities surrounding the wood.
Doctors advising their patients to increase their physical activity levels can refer
them either to a local leisure centre or to Chopwell Wood. In the wood they can
choose activities from walking, tai chi, cycling and conservation work. Referred
patients agree to undertake a 13-week programme of activities. Completion rates
for patients referred to leisure centres or gyms are often low. In contrast, over 90
percent of people referred to ChopwellWood finished the 13-week programme of
activities. Patients emphasised the greater benefits and attraction of being out in the
woodland surroundings, relaxing and being physically active. One simply saying that
being in the wood, “strengthens heart and mind”.
In England the cost of mental health problems has been estimated at £32 billion
with more than a third of this attributed to loss of employment and productivity.
The cost of physical inactivity in England is thought to be £8.2 billion annually.
So where is the ‘togetherness’!!!
It was nice to see this piece in the Guardian and am glad Martin Harper was more direct and outspoken than I feel he can be at times.
I realise there’s a fine balance between getting peoples’ backs up and lobbying versus stating the plain reality and concerns over some of the idiotic approaches within the current ‘government’ but sometimes the boot needs to go in and people need to wake up to the facts.
NGOs really do need to work more together with a bigger picture vision because, frankly, no one else is going to.
It is a good piece by Martin Harper and I agree with what Brian says. But it is in the Guardian online and as such is probably preaching to the (mainly) converted! This is the message that needs to be got to a much wider audience and into the broader press. Would it be published in the Telegraph or the Mail I wonder?
Martin is someone I think uses the right attitude of having a iron fist in a kid glove.