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.
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, notes and subtitles. One hundred … Continue reading We need to talk about lead shot
2020 – a year to face up to rocky issues, explore new ground, re-frame narratives while avoiding going down rabbit holes. Updated. Here’s an eclectic take on past and future issues to kick off the year. Most unexpected result – after my talk at an international rewilding conference – an interesting number would wear beaver … Continue reading Rocks and rabbit holes
“The fact of the matter…” peppers responses from the man self-styled as Dr Food in my exclusive interview with Professor David Hughes. So look out for environment/climate-friendly labelling, even more transparency in food production, emotion-driven dietary change, and ‘Big Food’ aligning with regenerative agriculture. Relentlessly travelling the world, “I’m a pollinator [of ideas]” he told … Continue reading An interview with Dr Food
At an African wildlife/conservation/hunting conference, the man from the UN Environment Programme was unequivocal: “if elephants are global ‘public goods’, then developed countries should also pay towards local communities having to ‘manage’ living alongside them”. Pigeon pie Plenty of conservation conflicts, tensions, dynamics make the mainstream media. Two years ago Germany wolves were shot if … Continue reading Up-close wildlife
Improving productivity of farming includes ‘intensification’ of conservation practices. ‘The countryside is my factory floor’ is how one farmer framed it to the audience at a Hay Festival debate I chaired a few years ago. Farming, like retail, recreation, and even conservation, is an industry (albeit a primary one). It’s often at the front line … Continue reading State of ecological intensification
Getting the right people into the room, who may not be the same as those who want to be in the room, is tricky. But this creative disruption is exactly what’s required for wildlife conservation for it to succeed on the ground. Some of you may find this blog annoying. Fence sitter. Not picking a … Continue reading Reconciliation Countryside
#WoodofStones – a year’s worth of tweets of a tiny National Nature Reserved in Wales
