Support Greenpeace’s Arctic 30

It’s no fun, I guess, to be stuck in a Russian jail.  The fact that you are there because you were carrying out a peaceful protest because of your beliefs about the environment won’t make it any more fun. Ralph Underhill and I bring you these Christmas cards on environmental themes and any profits from…

Atlas – is launched!

The official launch of the Bird Atlas 2007-2011 was yesterday evening at the Royal Society.  The room was packed with past and current BTO staff, partners from Birdwatch Ireland and the SOC, former Atlas organisers including Tim Sharrock, Peter Lack and David Gibbons, sponsors, BTO Regional Representatives (including the excellent Northants BTO RR), the editor…

New Networks for Nature

I attended the fifth New Networks for Nature meeting in Stamford on Friday and Saturday.  It’s a different type of meeting – refreshingly different.  Where else would you get organic food for lunch, haikus, a panel debate with leading thinkers on environmental matters, the President of the SWLA, three talks about non-native/introduced/alien species, some young…

Nature Check

Today, 41 organisations, under the banner of Wildlife and Countryside Link, publish their assessment of Government’s progress over the last 12 months, on its own stated commitments (a report called Nature Check).  In four areas Government gets the green light indicating good progress, in nine areas a red light for failure, and in 12 areas…

The Minox challenge results

In the end it was close, but the winner was: the rspb. The total 1352 votes cast were as follows: rspb   311 The Wildlife Trusts   274 Buglife   264 Butterfly Conservation   231 BTO   128 Plantlife   75 MARINElife  69   Well done to the rspb – but well done to all.  I hope that being able to…

The Minox Challenge – you decide

Seven organisations took up the Minox challenge on this blog; they each wrote a Guest Blog on why they should get your support.  All made their cases strongly and clearly. Here are the links to the individual blogs:   Joanna Bromley/Plantlife Mike Clarke/rspb Andy Clements/BTO Stephanie Hilborne/The Wildlife Trusts Andrew McLeish/MARINElife Matt Shardlow/Buglife Martin Warren/Butterfly…

Minox Challenge – Buglife by Matt Shardlow

Make Buglife part of Yourlife Assumption – you think wildlife is worth conserving.  If not, don’t carry on reading this blog.  If you think that bumblebees, grasshoppers, beetles, snails or other little animals are amazing and fantastic, or if you understand that they are essential to ecosystems and us (e.g. pollination = £510 million worth…

Minox Challenge – the RSPB by Mike Clarke

Bins are central to the way a birder views the world – literally and metaphorically. I remember the thrill when I first acquired my pair of ‘Dialyts’ (on joining RSPB staff).  But the symbolism of binoculars risks becoming a deterrent to those who think enjoying birds and other wildlife is the exclusive pursuit of a…