independent 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.
My interview with George Monbiot was conducted in Sept 2013 and was first published in BBC Countryfile magazine. Rob Yorke (RY): Where did you spend your childhood? George Monbiot (GM): I was brought up in the Oxfordshire countryside next to an old golf course that had returned, I suppose rewilded, to an amazing habitat mix … Continue reading Monbiot, 2013
Myanmar, with all its complex history, raw resources, ‘wet markets’ and emerging economy, gripped me on a trip into its heartland at Inle Lake. It’s 2013 and we are in Burma. Or, as I should now call it Myanmar. Especially when within earshot of the sunglass-wearing officials as we hand over the cash. Tourists pay … Continue reading Fish slapping
My face-to-face ‘field intel’ trips provide enlightenment as to what people really think. Conversations can be so different in the field than online or indoors. This road trip (aka ‘field intel’) between lockdowns showed me how land managers, academics, govt, activists might exchange insight from different views. A previous intel trip along the Marches garnered … Continue reading Join the dots
Ever since I took my first call from the letters Editor at The Times in 1999, I’ve always written about environmental stuff others often don’t want to write about. Hedgehog populations, horsemeat, sea eagles, badgers, raptor conflict, deer, fungi hunters, little owl culls, wildfires, alien conifers, duck shooting, urban foxes, National Parks, indoor livestock, pesticides, … Continue reading Dear Sir,
An email, received from a tiny conservation organisation raising all its own funds seeking to conserve curlew, is published here as a guest blog Throughout the year, Curlew Country is contacted for advice by many people wanting to help Curlews. Especially now. Right in the middle of breeding season. We want to help others but … Continue reading Curlew public good
The countryside should not be a peaceful place. It should be humming with activity. While it’s hard to sometimes avoid humans, the real racket should be insects. From revered butterflies and bees to reviled wasps and ticks – insects have be hitting the news as much as windscreens 50 years ago. Klaxon classic Rachel Carson’s … Continue reading On insects
Ben Goldsmith was appointed a non-executive director of DEFRA’s board in March 2018. I asked him about a range of environmental and land issues Interview first published by the RICS RY: What is your role in the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)? BG: As an informal adviser to the secretary of state, … Continue reading An informal Defra adviser
“What makes a freethinker is not his beliefs but the way in which he holds them” Bertrand Russell. If you ask awkward question, voice unsaid thoughts, hang out with diverse company at farming conferences, wish to find common ground between polar views over a beer – be prepared to hold onto your hat. At a … Continue reading Freethought conservation
An exclusive interview with a previous Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Michael Gove for BBC Countryfile Magazine (first published Feb 2018) RY (Rob Yorke): Firstly, what are your personal connections to rural Britain and where do you love to walk? MG (Michael Gove): Both sides of my family have … Continue reading Gove green
“Calls for game shooting to push ahead with finding alternatives to lead shot are growing louder, both inside and outside of the sport. Rob Yorke offers a personal view on the subject” My piece, in verbatim, originally published in Shooting Gazette magazine October 2019 – now published with reference links and notes. One hundred and … Continue reading We need to talk about lead shot
#WoodofStones – a year’s worth of tweets of a tiny National Nature Reserved in Wales