NORTH DOWNS & BEYOND

This afternoon I was able to attend a meeting between The Woodland Trust and a few of us local naturalists who have voiced concerns over the Langley Vale Wood project. I don't believe this post to be an appropriate place to name those present or to quote directly from any specific conversation. Three senior WT staff were present, with 'concerned' representation coming from several birders, botanists, entomologists and general all round naturalists / conservationists. The discussion was robust and direct from both sides. In brief, the provision for the care of the existing arable flora is, on the whole, better than I could have hoped for. Plantlife are preparing a working document for the WT, and there is provision to have an eminent botanist as part of a specialist steering group. There is a commitment to continually monitor the plants and adjust management on a rolling plan. The designated 'arable plant areas' are in the correct places. That's the good... T...

In George Monbiot's latest post (click here) , he writes: To understand what is happening to the living planet, the great conservationist Aldo Leopold remarked, is to live “in a world of wounds … An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” In my ignorance, I have only vaguely heard of Aldo Leopold. I was intrigued to see from where this quote was taken. It comes from his book 'A Sand County Almanac' and was published in 1949.  I had to read that date of publication again. 1949. The quote seems so fresh, so now . It only goes to prove that the realisation that our planet is not well because of the hand of man is not a modern phenomena. It's just that, in the intervening years since Mr. Leopold's observation, very few of those in a position to do so have d...