The articles below are the views of the authors and may not represent the views of the whole LNP Board
Jon Burgess, Forestry Commission With the increasingly imperative need to sequester carbon to mitigate the worst effects of climate change there is a huge push to plant more trees. It was quickly understood that the planting of trees should follow the mantra of Right Tree in the Right Place for the Right Reason to ensure …
Pete Etheridge, Dorset Coppice Group Woodlands are one of the UK’s most highly prized and valued habitats that offer a sanctuary for both wildlife and people alike. Here in Dorset, we are fortunate to have a wide range of woodland types, from coppiced woodlands to high forest, commercial plantations to wet alder carr. Many of …
Cllr Felicity Rice, BCP Council & Independent LNP Board Member BCP and Dorset councils are developing their local plans. These are 3-5 yr long pieces of work which have obvious implications on wildlife, such as biodiversity targets on individual plots or greenbelt release, or managing SANG’s or SSRI’s. However, in order for us to all …
Will Bond, Alaska Ecological Contracting Ltd There is a common assumption that lower land values would benefit conservation: it seems common sense. But is it correct? As the UK re-appraises its land management strategies post Brexit, there is an opportunity to reconsider the impact that land values have on our relationship with, and uses of, …
Durwyn Liley, Footprint Ecology Access and nature conservation overlap in a particular way in England. Some of the best countryside sites for recreation are also some of the most important for nature conservation. Some semi-natural habitats have open access and many sites managed for nature conservation have car-parks, trails and a range of opportunities for …
Imogen Davenport, Dorset Wildlife Trust The UK has over 20,000 species of insect, but their numbers are declining sharply. In Dorset over 8,000 species have been recorded over time – no doubt an under-estimate but some 20% of these are now under various categories of threat, are rare, protected or indeed extinct. Some of our …
Ian Alexander, Natural England We, humans, started farming at the end of the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago. Whatever initiated that transition to farming it enabled both substantial population increase and phenomenal technological and cultural development as, buffered by stores of produce, people were freed from the daily need to hunt and gather …
Luke Rake – Chair Dorset LNP It is a privilege to write my first blog post as newly elected Chair of the Dorset Local Nature Partnership. I have been a board member for some time, representing the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) but my interests extend far beyond the economic. We read a lot about the …
Paul Buckley, Dorset LNP Board member and Richard Archer RSPB Chesil Beach Little Tern Project Manager The Dorset LNP invests a lot of effort in conservation policy and strategy work, but of course actual field delivery of conservation is critical and integral to success. This month we focus on one of Dorset’s rarest and most …
Fiona Bowles – Chair Dorset Catchment Partnerships Spending more time in the Dorset Frome valley on foot, bike and horseback during lockdown, I can attest to the value of ‘blue space’ for my personal well-being. I have also knuckled down to some webinars and reading on watery matters. This has led to moments of high …
