Published on: 26 May 2016
Land is a limited natural resource that has immeasurable influence on us – our environment, economy and well-being. The pressures on land use in England are enormous and growing. The 25 Year Plan for the Natural Environment must address these pressures and set a framework for balancing competing demands, as well as establishing a mechanism for its delivery. This is a huge challenge which will require co-ordinated and committed work across Government.
Read More...Published on: 19 May 2016
Farmers would be the first to say they need good quality soil, clean water and lots of beneficial wildlife from beetles to bumblebees to grow crops. So why now, with strong evidence to show the continuing decline in nature and impact on people and the economy, are we not jumping at the chance to bring the two 25 year plans on farming and the environment together?
Read More...Published on: 11 May 2016
How does what we do at home impact on nature in other countries? In a global economy we increasingly rely on goods and services from overseas, which in turn depend on nature there. Any plan to protect and improve the environment will be flawed if it ignores this global dimension.
Read More...Published on: 5 May 2016
The world’s largest ever ivory destruction took place on 30 April. Kenya burnt 105 tonnes of ivory, along with 1.5 tonnes of rhino horn, in Nairobi National Park. This was a strong symbolic gesture that Kenya will not tolerate the illegal wildlife trade that is killing so many of its iconic animals.
Read More...Published on: 4 May 2016
Agricultural productivity relies on good quality soil and on water. Farm management practices affect the quality of soil, the water cycle and consequently impact on the beautiful land we live in and the wildlife that depends on it. These important connections must be made by Defra’s 25 year plan for food and farming, which needs to focus on England’s agricultural productivity while ensuring sustainable soils or water.
Read More...Published on: 27 April 2016
There have been many environmental plans over the years and targets galore. They come, they go and nobody knows. If the Government is to make good its manifesto commitment to a 25 year plan to restore nature, this plan needs to be different: it needs change the nature of politics by elevating the politics of nature.
Read More...Published on: 25 April 2016
Read More...Published on: 20 April 2016
The government’s forthcoming 25 year plan for food and farming represents a great opportunity to look ahead and ask what we want from the future food system. The 25 year time-frame means looking beyond this government, or the next round of CAP reform, and considering how agriculture will adapt to dramatic changes – from new technology to climatic change.
Read More...Published on: 18 April 2016
As human beings we all need contact and connection with the outdoors, with fresh air and nature in all its various forms. A raft of evidence tells us what we intuitively know to be true: that activity and simply getting outdoors is good for us; and people with dementia are no different.
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