Imagine a million acres of new nature reserves, scattered like countless pieces of a green mosaic all over Britain, and costing next to nothing to create. We are not talking special skills or complicated management. Anyone can build one of these wildlife havens. All you need is a garden. Entry level qualification is the ability… Continue reading
Browsing Category Conservation
The forest fix – we chopped 'em down, now plant 'em back
Fixing the atmosphere, where (so most scientists believe) a buildup of CO2 is causing the planet to overheat, is an immensely daunting challenge, and with today’s technology probably an impossible one. All we can do is stop the problem getting worse. But could there be a much more manageable, even potentially climate-stabilizing, target we could… Continue reading →
Hand picked solution to a sustainable scallop future
I’ve just been looking at a very tempting recipe for hand-dived scallops with pea purée, beetroot jelly and pancetta foam on the BBC food web site. No, keen reader, I’m not going to branch into a new career in cuisine just yet. But I’m concerned about sustainable fishing, and those two words “hand-dived” seem to… Continue reading →
Helping discarded fish scale the heights of cuisine
The very successful anti-discard campaign, taken forward by the cook Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall earlier this year, has already forced, or inspired, retailers into action. This month (June) Sainsbury’s launched its ‘Switch the Fish’ campaign. Customers who ask for cod, tuna and skate are offered, in addition, a free portion of some of the unfashionable species… Continue reading →
Civil servants, forces to be served sustainable fish
UK Food Minister Jim Paice MP has announced a big change to Government plans to introduce sustainability standards for fish bought by Whitehall. They will now extend to all fish, without any exceptions. Previously 4 out of 10 fish bought by Whitehall (effectively the British civil service) were to be excluded from the plans. This… Continue reading →
Life on the margin just got better for birds
Walking on a footpath near my home last weekend, I came across something I haven’t seen in that field before. A low cost avian “lifebelt”. All the farmer had done was not plough a 10 metre strip down the side of the field, reducing his yield by a few percent. But the benefit to nature… Continue reading →