Published on: 20 June 2016
Recently, Martin Harper, Director of Conservation at the RSPB, spoke at a Westminster Forum seminar on the future of policy on biodiversity and natural capital in the UK. Here is the vision he set out for the Government’s 25 Year Plan on the Environment.
Read More...Published on: 14 June 2016
The Government has recently consulted on proposals to change cost rules for environmental Judicial Review (JR). If introduced, these changes would create profound difficulties for the nature of charity funding, and their cumulative effect will be to deter all but the very rich from pursuing environmental cases.
Read More...Published on: 9 June 2016
We are dependent on healthy soils. Our soils are not only valuable for growing the food we eat; soil quality impacts on our ability to reduce climate change and can also be an important factor in flood management and the quality of our water. We need to take the health of our soils as importantly as we take our air and water quality.
Read More...Published on: 8 June 2016
The framing of a long-term plan matters. It would be a mistake if the 25 year environment plan were to become only a 25 year natural capital plan, because this would be too narrow. The content of the plan needs to make clear that there’s more to restoring and enhancing the environment than economic benefits.
Read More...Published on: 2 June 2016
Ever the optimist, I hold onto my hope that the Government’s 25 Year Plan for the Environment presents a genuine opportunity to really change the way we view and treat our natural world. Over the years, the conservation sector has become quite adept at writing lists of our aspirations for nature, whilst simultaneously and carefully monitoring its steady decline. We, and government, both have to transform the way we think and act.
Read More...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.
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