Good morning. What a fantastic response to the relaunch yesterday. Welcome to all our new subscribers, and thank you to everyone who responded personally to my email – I shall try to respond to everyone personally over the next couple of weeks.
Sophie Yeo
Welcome to the weekly digest – or Ground Cover, as it is now called. The format remains the same, but with a few minor improvements. For starters, I am going start providing a short overview at the top: these newsletters run up to 3,000 words, and I thought it might help provide a bit of orientation. So, this week we have:
- National: Proposed protections for wild birds, a rare political campaign from the National Trust, and the imminent collapse of Britain's food system.
- Local: A wolf cull in Kent, the discovery of a Neolithic trackway in Somerset, and grassland restoration in Yorkshire.
- Reports: Scotland's new strategies, pro-biodiversity behaviours, and tree-planting progress.
- Science: Invasive newts, rural landscape change, and pollinator interactions.
- Driftwood: Pine hunters, artisanal food heists, and dusking.
National news
Birds | Six species of wild birds could receive greater protection from hunting under new proposals from the UK governments. The consultation proposes restricting recreational shooting of woodcock, snipe, white-fronted goose and three duck species. All are considered under threat, with populations declining sharply in Britain. The Welsh government is also proposing restrictions for shooting coot and golden plover; the different rules for England, Scotland and Wales are summarised here. Nature minister Mary Creagh said the proposals show the government is ‘committed to protecting wildlife’. Wild Justice, which has long campaigned for woodcock protection, welcomed the move, while BASC said it would ‘do nothing for conservation’. The Guardian reported the news.
Politics | The National Trust has launched a rare campaign asking its members and the public to contact their MPs about the ‘freefall’ of nature in the UK. It is the first time in 15 years that the Trust has asked people to pressure the government to change course, and director-general Hilary McGrady said the decision was not taken ‘lightly’. The campaign follows polling commissioned by the Trust showing that government inaction is out of step with public priorities: a survey of 4,000 people found that 6 in 10 believe the government cares less about restoring nature than they themselves do. It also found that the countryside and nature are major sources of national pride, second only to the NHS. McGrady said it was ‘time politicians listened to the electorate and started to implement change’. The Independent and Telegraph reported the news.
