environmental commentator
It’s not a tribal blog, it’s a dialogue
Every so often, I aim to produce a pithy (under 800 words) piece always with links to references.
Do apply to do a guest blog – note same word count and references if possible. Be prepared for ‘light touch edit’ to ensure positive, rather than divisive, engagement with the widest range of views.
In a short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a recording from our meeting in Oxford in January 2023 and … Continue reading Godfray interview – part 2 – land use issues
In a short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray, Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a recording from our meeting in Oxford … Continue reading Godfray interview – part 1 – role of science
A short two-part conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray. Part 1 is about the role of scientists as honest brokers/advocates and scientific research around environmental issues. Part 2 is about land use, farming, food, sharing/sparing and trade-offs. (The two parts are not mutually exclusive) This is a lightly edited version from a transcript of a … Continue reading A conversation with Professor Sir Charles Godfray
“Why not come over to Ireland to participate in our ‘Changing Landscapes’ conference and summer school”. And so I headed west – while diverting on the way to garner some relevant field intel. Rocky terrain I probably overinvest in ‘field intel’; visiting people on their own turf* to glean information as to what they really … Continue reading West coast thinking
Oh, the bright lights of London blended with conversations about the environment! It’s where people live, some environmental organisations have their offices, books are launched, and rural government civil servants work. A melting pot of an urbanising nation who have long disengaged with the land, food and nature. Ouch! No, this is not about the … Continue reading Piccadilly Marches
What do stoats and a letter to the Editor of The Times have in common? Both are tricky to ‘catch’ as they are both suspicious of the anything too obvious – whether a trap or correspondence. The trick on the latter is to be pithy. Though this brevity to secure publication tends to bleed out … Continue reading Conservation context
‘The environment in which managers do their job is being transformed: this new landscape rewards some skills more and some less than in the past‘. A line from an article in a magazine last year which resonates with many of today’s rural and environmental issues. ‘If we want things to stay as they are, things … Continue reading an uncertain superhero
My innate curiosity to understand what people think and do (rather than talk about), resulted in my arrival at the foot of a hillside, home to Cumbria’s Helm wind. This is what I learnt from fourteen face-to-face meetings over four days across northern England and southern Scotland. Edible windbreaks When the wind blows, think of … Continue reading Northern fields
Written evidence submitted by Rob Yorke FRICS (rural chartered surveyor and Founder of Track II Enviro Dialogue) to EFRA – (ref MH0016) 11th Jan 2021 (links and pictures added to published version) 1.1 I have worked in the rural sector since 1992 when I qualified as a chartered surveyor (Rob Yorke (Associates) Ltd) working with farmers, … Continue reading green blind-spot
I could hardly believe what I was seeing. From a public highway, three young hen harriers were riding the breeze over the ridge of bracken bordering onto heather. The story behind them is perhaps even harder to believe. I’ll get to why but first, let’s wind back in time for some context. A Naturalist’s Sketch … Continue reading Raptor’s return
#WoodofStones – a year’s worth of tweets of a tiny National Nature Reserved in Wales