September

The intention of Boris Johnson and other UN leaders to reverse biodiversity loss should be lauded, but designation alone is not the answer.

Don’t miss your chance to win a unique and rare opportunity for a team of 9 (double guns) to shoot grouse on Stags Fell, near Hawes, Upper Wensleydale. There are only a few of the 250 tickets still available and the draw closes on Wednesday 30th September.

When Sir Jim became GWCT Chairman two years ago, he spoke about the huge challenges that lay ahead. Few could have predicted the scale of the challenges not just facing us, but society at large.

With lessons from Australia and California about the unintended consequences of preventing controlled winter fires to reduce fuel load, we may need to be far more proactive in preventative burning than we have been in the past, as the likelihood of summer wildfires is increasing.

With the future of Britain’s agri-environment policy up for debate, the way we incentivise good farmland conservation will be pivotal in reversing the biodiversity declines we’ve seen highlighted across the media this week.

Those accusing the government of dishonesty might reflect on their own actions first. The continued reliance on legal protection has failed some species, such as the declining hedgehog population because this ignores the fact that the badger population, which is killing and eating them, is rising.

After substantial engagement by the rural interest organisations with government ministers and MPs, the government has announced exemptions to the rule of six for England which cover shooting