On Wednesday morning, the BBC Radio 4 Today programme aired a short chat (click here – in the last five minutes of the programme) about White Storks between Tony Juniper, the Chair of Natural England and Isabella Tree, author, rewilder and leading light in the Knepp project. I guess this was scheduled because even Today…
Category: THE STATUTORY AGENCIES: NE, EA, FE etc
Wild Justice’s latest report – Unprotected Nature
The two most important recent reports on the operation of the SSSI mechanism in the UK have been published by Wild Justice, which is a bit odd when you think about what that means about the rest of the wildlife conservation movement. The first, A Site for Sore SSSIs – click here, demonstrated that English…
A response from NE on SSSIs
You may remember that I wrote to Natural England about SSSIs in my local area (click here). I’ve had a reply. It’s a pretty clear reply and I’ve highlighted in a purply-pink colour two passages that are of particular interest. The first says ‘the data on the designated sites system are up to date’ –…
Dear Natural England
Sent to ProtectedSites@naturalengland.org.uk Dear Natural England I live in Northamptonshire and am interested in the status of several local SSSIs, all of which I have visited. I have looked them up on your rather excellent website https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteSearch.aspx and note that you invite users of the website to contact you for more information. So, that’s what…
Bird flu strategy for England and Wales
In response to this document published yesterday I said this (in a series of tweets, reproduced here below with typos corrected) and the RSPB said this (lower still): UK context: this is by and for England and Wales. It rather ignores the fact that birds fly around between England and Wales and Scotland. For example,…
Disease risk and Beaver reintroductions
It has been brought to my attention that there is a report, commissioned by Natural England, entitled Revised Disease Risk Analysis for the Conservation Translocation of the Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber) to England, 2021. This report discusses, I gather, the potential for introduced Beavers to spread diseases to other Beavers, other widlife, domestic stock…
Guest blog – Natural England and Hen Harriers by ‘One who knows’
A lot is written about Hen Harriers and upland issues. It is nice to talk about the positives, but the article that Patrick Barkham wrote for the Guardian on the 4 December 2021 was a strange piece indeed. I would have been less surprised had the article been written by the cheerleaders for grouse shooting,…
Guest blog – HS2, Natural England and Jones Hill Wood, by Dominic Woodfield
Dominic Woodfield is the Managing Director of Bioscan, a long established and well-respected consultancy specialising in applied ecology. He is a life-long birder, a specialist in botany, habitat restoration and creation and in protected fauna including bats, herpetofauna and other species. He is also a highly experienced practitioner in Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations…
Fantastic Mr Fox’s wood and Natural England
Following Dominic Woodfield’s guest blog here last week, a High Court challenge has been issued over HS2’s felling of parts of Jones Hill Wood under licence from our very own statutory, ahem, nature conservation agency. This reminds me of nothing so much as : It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government…
Guest blog – HS2 Limited and Natural England – Partners in Crime? by Dominic Woodfield
Dominic Woodfield is the Managing Director of Bioscan, a long established and well-respected consultancy specialising in applied ecology. He is a life-long birder, a specialist in botany, habitat restoration and creation and in protected fauna including bats, herpetofauna and other species. He is also a highly experienced practitioner in Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats Regulations…