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.
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 intel
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
“The pastime he is enjoying may include simply resting in the open-air in the peace of the countryside” – so said the Master of the Rolls, in the Court of Appeal on the 31st July 2023 re wild camping on Dartmoor. I welcome this decision – though as ever, devil’s in the detail or the … Continue reading Open air recreation
What do an umbrella, forage harvester and wild flower meadow have in common? The answer is delivering more nature through improved soil biology, land for ‘wild nature’ and habitat for pollinators – all via ‘agri-tech’ innovation. So, further to my 90sec vlog, I’ll unpack my thinking below. Feel free to comment below! Climate shade We … Continue reading Agri-tech 4 nature
(first published in The Times, 16th August 2014 as a Nature Notebook) Always look slowly over the edge of a bridge. I’ve done it all my life — perhaps all anglers do. As I peer at the water a big fat brown trout is still under the bridge. Neither sunlight nor I are his friends … Continue reading When nature feeds you must know when to look
I met with Professor Tim Benton in a tiny cafe at Victoria station, London. I was on my way to Kent from Wales to talk with farmers, whereas Tim was between high-level meetings. Neither of us knew quite what was about to unfold, nor how pertinent today, three years on, the overarching contents of this … Continue reading the Benton interview
Conservation comes in many forms – from parkland to farmland to moorland and, marshland forestland – a COP15 update. “To present a balanced picture of my philosophy as a naturalist, I must attempt to turn you into a fanatical wildfowler” Peter Scott (from his autobiography ‘The Eye of the Wind’) Cop15 targets The environment is … Continue reading COP in COP out conservation
Being eyeballed by dragonflies patrolling tree-lined rivers and watching hen harriers hunting over heather moorland, were just a couple of joyous moments on my recent ‘field intel‘ trip north. North by north west My reason for heading north from the hills of Wales was an invitation to fish a river in Sutherland. But what a … Continue reading Walking with dragonflies
I’m getting unbridled joy from my new purchase, a pair of second hand binoculars, which I bought to reward myself after undertaking a tough session of environmental dialogue brokering in Brussels. Hardware harm Using binoculars can be a badge. I’m a nature watcher. I’m a hunter. Though of course you can be both (I wrote … Continue reading Rose-tinted glasses
#WoodofStones – a year’s worth of tweets of a tiny National Nature Reserved in Wales