UK failure on international environmental targets revealed by the RSPB on eve of major UN report RSPB analysis of the UK’s self-assessment reveals the picture may be worse than reported, raising doubts some targets have not been met and highlighting areas where the UK has regressed The UK must recognise the opportunity to make urgent changes at home…
Author: Mark
Born Bristol, UK
Educated: Cleeve House School Bristol, Bristol Grammar School and Downing College Cambridge
Ph.D. University of Aberdeen, Winter activity of pipistrelle bats.
NERC post-doctoral Research Fellow, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford University
Former Conservation Director of the RSPB, 1989-2011
Brood meddling of Hen Harriers – where next?
The daft government brood-meddling scheme, one of the most controversial so-called conservation actions of my time in nature conservation has always been controversial but following the recent news on Hen Harriers it is in even greater trouble. Brood -meddling (called brood management by its supporters) consists of removing young Hen Harriers from their nests, rearing…
Sunday book review – The Consolation of Nature by Michael McCarthy, Jeremy Mynott and Peter Marren
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It was the best of times (the most glorious spring ever), it was the worst of times (a tiny virus had cut us off from normal life) but these tales of three naturalists capture the contradiction that many of us experienced. Were we allowed to enjoy ourselves when hundreds were dying? Was it OK to…
Natural England Hen Harrier debacle
The story so far: The NE/DEFRA/Moorland Association/GWCT press release and this blog’s generous first take on it – 3 September RPUK’s take on it – 3 September A short RSPB statement – 3 September I try to make sense of things – 3 September How NE let the shooters talk nonsense because they don’t have…
Tim Melling – Grasshopper Warbler
Tim writes: the name warbler was coined by Thomas Pennant in 1773 so what do you think Grasshopper Warbler (Locustella naevia) was called prior to that? Well nearly a hundred years earlier in 1678, John Ray (in the first bird book in the English language) called it “The Titlark that sings like a Grasshopper, Locustella”….
Natural England misleads minister who misleads parliament?
The war of words over Hen Harriers reached a new low this week with Natural England feeding a minister, Rebecca Pow, inaccurate information which she passed on to Parliament, if the RSPB is to be believed – and I am sure they are to be believed. In yesterday’s statement from RSPB which laid out the…
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
RSPB spills the beans on Natural England Hen Harrier cover up
Last week Natural England released the ‘results’ of ‘their’ monitoring of Hen Harriers in England in 2020. Their press release was a bit confused and a bit in error and was packed out with quotes from Natural England’s mates in the shooting industry about what a great thing brood meddling of Hen Harrier nests is,…
People’s assembly on climate change – no idiots there.
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This is an inspiring read produced by a selection of 108 ‘ordinary’ people who spent 60 hours learning, thinking and voting on measures to deliver what is government policy, but not enough government action The measures are a middle ground if we are to be serious on getting to net zero. I would have liked…
Badger eradication
The Westminster government seems to have forgotten that it says that its aim is to eradicate bTB in cattle (which it is miles away from doing, and hardly seems a plausible aim by following the current loosely termed ‘strategy’) and is now fixated on eradicating badgers from large areas of England. Whereas the government announcement…