The Defra 25-year Nature Strategy is delayed – that’s not a great surprise, Defra has more or less ground to a halt on nature.
The delay will be due to several factors:
- there is no discernable interest in wildlife conservation from any Defra minister – nor any sign of aptitude, experience or knowledge of the subject
- the civil service has been slashed in Defra – and many of those who haven’t been made redundant have left, and those who remain don’t feel very inspired
- Natural England is in even worse shape than Defra – not much point going there for any help
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George Eustice – has ability, but has got his hands full with agriculture the NGOs who are focussed on saving nature rather than killing it are mightily pissed off with Defra and will be giving help but also thinking that Defra got itself into this hole and needs to get itself out of it
- Defra is producing a separate agriculture strategy rather than a coherent whole – but even Defra will be trying to paper over the chasms between the two strategies – suitable paper is probably in short supply
- Brexit means Brexit – but nobody has a post-Brexit plan and Defra is far too scared to be the first Department to set out in any detail how government will deliver a great deal for the UK population outside of the EU, and anyway, it doesn’t have a clue
Put simply; Defra is friendless, clueless and hopeless.
This may be what happens when we take our future back into our own hands – we don’t know what to do.
Welcome to the bleak future for nature conservation in England.
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My MP is pushing Defra to respond to our way of not having to license the Buzzard kill. If it works in the USA why should it not work over here. I have passed it onto RSPB and the Hawk and Owl Trust and if they don’t respond they will be in the same boat as DEFRA.
Defra are not alone as the Scottish government have also not responded to the poisoning of eagles using lead shot. Eagles are top of the list of a £156 million wildlife tourism industry in Scotland actually worth more than shooting. The government also produced a map showing where shooting occurred wildlife tourism declined. May be that is due to shooting killing the key species that tourists want to see!
Just look at the Isle of Mull (Eagle Island). Ecotourism brings in millions, the island has both types of Eagles and plenty of Hen Harriers.
Also no game bird shooting to speak of.
Defra haven’t been fit for purpose for some time and NE is now run by a property developer who couldn’t give a sh*t about protecting wildlife. They’ll license any old cull on a whim.
They are now in the hands of the CA and NFU and our wildlife will suffer accordingly.
I completely agree that Defra are no longer fit for purpose. They show no interest in protecting our wildlife nor do they have the ability to do so. Further, I understand their Chief Scientific Oficer has just resigned.
I recently attended a presentation by a leading Australian NGO on the major efforts that they are making to save the critally endangered Australian flora and fauna. It was hearting to hear the support they are receiving from Government and State organisations. What a total contrast from this country!!!
While the Scottish Government is very far from perfect at least I get the impression they are willing to listen and it as there that I think our campaigning for better protection of ou wildlife should be directed.
I think one would receive a better response from a brick wall than from the broken and incapable Department that she is now Defra.
…..and devolution, how can you maintain a single UK market if decision making on key market relevant regulation rests with 4 countries?
Therese Coffey wins prize for most forced smile ever in portrait photo.
More Coffey incompetence (or is it deceit?):
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-39152942
It is not a smile. She is trying to say Brexit through clenched teeth.
My contacts (their sourcemainly the RPA) tell me that both Defra and NE will not exist post Brexit. Ordinarily this would be a concern, but both are so useless now it seems more like a mercy killing.
Better to have no pretence that the Govt has any interest in environment matters, apart perhaps from a selective interest in climate change, than to keep the fig leaf hiding their shame.
No surprises here, that’s what happens when we vote in an incompetent bunch of MPs. We have a government that is out of control, wandering aimlessly from crisis to crisis without a clue on how to get out of what they and previous governments have created. The we have an opposition party that is so weak because it has lost its way and is going in ever decreasing circles it is soon going to dissappear up its own rear end.
Until such time as we get someone in government who has a spine and actually cares about the fine ballance between farming and wildlife conservation, wildlife will suffer needlessly.
Matt, as we’ve (NGOs et. al.) failed to achieve a ‘revolution’ then bite size chunks might be an easier target?
Defra agencies (particularly NE & faceless RPA) have provided a wall behind which Ministers and their industry advocates hide? A mercy cull would at least be demonstrable contempt rather than the current inactivity shown by neutered and demoralised etc. staff?
Will Govt come clean and openly back agri-industry welfare payments through the public purse or will they support small scale real farmers who deliver quality product from sustainable land use?
Bottom line is the majority of the public expect cheap food, that its quality is not an open book (animal welfare, antibiotics, chemicals etc.) is of no interest to them? Informed choice is needed with accurate and honest (traceable) labeling of food is needed? oops I drift, sorry ….
I think people should be careful what they wish for with regard to NE. Yes NE is much weakened and bossed about by government but do you really want it abolished? If it went, then all remaining protection for SSSIs and National Nature reserves would be gone (and there is actually still quite a lot of that that goes on). What people should be campaigning for is a restoration of NE’s independence – not the abolition that right wing politicians would love to see.
agreed.
I do not particularly wish to see a nature conservation / environmental protection agency culled but is that a current description of NE? Ideally I like them to get a backbone …. what have they done for nature in the last say decade (or even five years)? What is the alternative, let’s have a clear line of sight to the target without pretense? What is your suggested model for an alternative which this Conservative Government would consent to?
I can understand the case for an index linked final salary pension etc. Understand the training and expense budgets but #StateofNature (equally NGOs could present a more challenging case)?
Forget the spin or the favoured southern gardens. SSSIs are being eroded by developments which impact on them, death by a thousand cuts here in the neglected industrialised ‘north’ on the doorstep of two wealthy neighbouring areas.
And, why would SSSIs go if NE were put out of it’s misery? They might but they might be so degraded that NE will denotify if they remain to enact the process?
When NGOs stepped up to the mark in the last century & got EN as they were a bigger budget what did they do? Court commerce etc. so will we be expected to speak in their defense again? Badger cull, buzzard licences, otter licences etc. etc. Ever an agnostic ….
Let’s have a repeat of the ETRA Committee (Ninth Report) English Nature Session 1997-98? Twenty years on – any improvement?
We should be standing up for a strong NE which is well resourced and has a clear evidence based independent voice. There are many committed and knowledgeable people still working for for NE who do a good job managing NNRS, protecting SSSI and fighting development for example Rampisham Down in Dorset. The Tories have always hated NE and we should not fall for their current policy of running it down. NE stands for more than a few political appointees at the top. One day they will be gone and there needs to be something strong remaining to build upon.
Memories of days when they had principles and worked behind the scenes to ensure positive outcome – that was the last century.
Kieron you’ve put more positive spin on what I said, yes NNRs belong to the public and that should remain so? Issue is what are they there for and what takes priority? Transformation to country theme parks? No balance here sadly with rare breeding birds willfully disturbed to ensure management tick boxes delivered, very ‘rare’ wintering birds likewise treated. Citation species placed at risk and killed because of failure to field walk ahead of mowing paths for public in July / August (despite concerns raised prior to). This is acceptable? Fighting development, here the left hand goes through the motions whilst the right negotiates funding for their slush fund (there was talk that the first tranche of one substantive ‘coup’ went into NE Directors bonuses, later correspondence suggested that would no longer be the case).
Sorry if I sound negative, we deal in facts and aspirations desirable as they are never materialise despite the talk. Yes there were and are possibly still a few staff remaining who I’m sure would like to do more but in excess of thirty years of observations of NE here in their various guises does not persuade me of better to come from the remaining demoralised bunch. It sounds like you have a better crew in the ‘south’?
But let’s be positive, how do we collectively sort out the issues Mark details around Defra & NE? You (Greenfly, Paul & Kieron) say all ok, sadly I offer otherwise. An ‘Inquiry’ as I cited might be a start? You would get chance to submit your supportive evidence as others would also feed into the process? Then again look at how Parliament treated the 123,079? How will they treat ‘us’ on 27 March?
The problem is that NE is an unelected quango. One possible way of improving it would be to have representatives of Key NGOs on the Board. But unless EN stands up to government interference and political pressure I don’t see much hope. Once upon a time I applied to be on the Board, but I apparently did not have the right sort of experience.
NE cannot stand up to government interference because, by law, the government have the power to tell it what to do. Government also has the power to cut its funding or abolish it if it does not obey. Government also appoints the chairman and board. NGOs need to insist on it being allowed to have more autonomy.
Greenfly – so, why aren’t they? Could it be that there is not a spark of hope from NE Board members and NE senior staff and so it is regarded as a completely lost cause?
It is easy to bash NE, but lets not think that its staff (certainly at the local level) are any less committed or passionate about conserving wildlife than those in corresponding NGO’s etc. I can’t speak for the upper echelons, but I agree with you, Kieron that NE is more than than those few individuals at the top that we hear about. We should be critical when its due, but also give a pat on he back when its deserved (West Pennine moors SSSI, anyone?) Perhaps we should be lending a helping hand to our mates, not kicking them in the dirt.
Board members are put there by government and I’m guessing they also have quite a lot of influence on who most of the senior staff are. Of course the government don’t want an effective nature conservation body – what I don’t understand is why anyone in the conservation movement would join in and call for it’s abolition rather than its restoration.
You ask why the NGOs aren’t insisting on its restoration – but when did the NGOs last insist upon anything? I think this is another instance of them being too timid and too polite.