Forest Panel’s report published

The final report of the Independent Panel on Forestry has been published. The initial Defra response to the report was fairly warm, and fairly non-committal. Everyone else seems to like it: RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, National Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Save Our Woods, CLA, Royal Forestry Society. Media coverage includes: BBC, Guardian, Independent, Telegraph. Read…

Chris Packham’s secrets

Have you seen Chris Packham’s Secrets of Our Living Planet series?  I have to confess to having seen only most of one episode of the three that have been broadcast.  My eye didn’t travel further than the football that was on TV and that’s why I have missed them. I caught most of last Sunday’s…

Wildlife Trusts rehabilitated

The Wildlife Trusts, in my opinion, did not distinguish themselves over the issue of public forests and SSSIs in 2010/11.  They gave the impression to many of us of having one eye on the main chance and having lost focus on the needs of nature.  Let’s put it down to a momentary aberration which we…

Banking on wildlife NGOs

Much has been written, and said, about the dire moral state of banking in the UK.  I find it interesting that moving around bits of paper with numbers written on them should be expected to be a profession of high ethical status but in the old days (about 30 years ago) we are told that…

Let’s hear it for the buzzard – and the osprey

I fled Scotland a day early and am now back home – the weather drove me away.  I did consider turning up at the Scottish Game Fair on Friday, but standing around in the rain, in a soggy field full of people moaning about buzzards didn’t really appeal to me.  I see they will get…