Giving evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee this morning, the outgoing Chair of Natural England, Andrew Sells, said that he, personally (ie not as NE Chair), favoured the introduction of vicarious liability for wildlife crimes. He added that he was surprised that Defra had ruled it out. Mr Sells did not have…
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An encounter – briefly
I was at Cheltenham racecourse on Saturday – a delightful afternoon with friends but not a profitable visit. A large part of my enjoyment of racing is the journey to and from the racecourse. The trip to Cheltenham through the Cotswolds was lit up with autumn colours, and the beechwoods before Adlestrop, still copper-gold in…
Access and Influence at New Networks
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I was at the New Networks for Nature meeting on Friday last week – from what I experienced it was a highly successful event. This was the 10th such event which brings together a new network – that of artists and scientists, conservationists and politicians, old codgers and young students. I have to admit that…
NE compliance with information requests
Dear NE Thank you for your response on 12 November to my email of 2 November which you have chosen to treat as a complaint. Your response is detailed and clear, but still unsatisfactory and so I wish this matter to be escalated to the next stage, Stage 2, with this email now forming part…
Same old templates
I think I might have been too kind to Conservative MPs over their standard responses to our letters about the People’s Walk for Wildlife (I know, it is a bad failing, but I admit it). I see from this example sent to me by a reader of this blog… …that almost the same letter was…
Peter Melchett memorial – 7 December
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A memorial celebration for the life of Peter Melchett will be held at the Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore at 10am on Friday 7 December. Register here. Have a look at the Celebrating Peter website which is full of information and lovely stories.
Ornithologists kill critically endangered hummingbirds.
Ornithologists kill critically endangered hummingbirds – an open letter In a paper recently published in The Auk, October 2018, (Sornoza-Molina et al 2018) a group of ornithologists collected seven specimens of a hummingbird new to science, and then declared that because of its extremely small range, it must be critically endangered (CR under IUCN Criteria). They…
This is a good idea apparently getting nowhere
I keep an eye on the UK Parliament petition site and this one caught my eye. I think it is a very good idea. No, really, a very good idea. But very good ideas can wither through lack of promotion. There is practically no chance that any of our wildlife NGOs will take up this…
Save the date – 7-9 December BTO Conference
Details of the BTO conference can be found here. I can’t make it this year – but it does look like a conference with plenty of high points.
Minister – do your job!
Dear Dr Coffey, Each week seems to bring news of another Hen Harrier disappearing on or near a driven grouse moor. You must have been briefed on the findings of the study presented in Vancouver back in August on the analysis of NE’s Hen Harrier data. You do know that the science suggests that there…