Category Archives: Government
Ash update a positive spin
It was no surprise to the scientific community when Secretary of State Owen Paterson announced on Friday that “It will not be possible to eradicate ash dieback” but members of the public and tree enthusiasts may well be shocked at … Continue reading
Government's 'school report' shows 'must try harder' for water
Ministers, MPs, NGO’s and members of the Water Sector met this morning for the launch of the Blueprint for Water Scorecard. The Chair of the Blueprint for Water coalition, Carrie Hume, Head of Conservation Policy at the Wildfowl and Wetlands … Continue reading
Sandy’s trying to telling us something
With ‘Sandy’ raging for all she’s worth across the pond, flooding the streets of New York and making the headlines for the all the wrong reasons; we should remind ourselves of the increasing frequency at which extreme weather events have … Continue reading
Importation of Ash trees is now banned in the UK
The subject of tree health within the UK is now gaining a heightened media profile and increased governmental attention, but is it too late for our beloved woodlands? The Ash tree ban has captured the nation’s attention and a segment … Continue reading
The Future of Research Careers
At the one-off joint Education and Policy Lunchbox on 15th October (organised by the British Ecological Society, Biochemical Society and Society for Experimental Biology as part of Biology Week) our specially assembled panel and an audience of around 50 discussed … Continue reading
UK Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protected Areas Network is complete
The announcement last month by the Natural Environment Minister, Richard Benyon (Defra), that a 330km stretch of marine habitat between Studland and Portland in Dorset is to be designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) will complete the UK SAC … Continue reading
NERC – DEFRA High Level Policy Placement Fellowship
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are seeking a senior member of the environmental science community to take on a key role linking NERC science with Defra policymaking at the highest … Continue reading
"Water, water all around and not a drop to drink"
Following on from our post over the growing concerns about the state of the UK’s freshwater resources, in May of this year. A joint report by the Fabian Society and the WWF ‘Running Dry’ has brought in an edge of … Continue reading
Natural England Issues First Badger Cull License
Natural England yesterday issued the first license to cull badgers, under the Coalition Government’s controversial plan to allow free-shooting of the animals by consortia of farmers. Rather than vaccinate badgers, as is being trialled in Wales, in England the Government … Continue reading
Defra Consults on New Indicators to Measure UK’s Progress on Sustainable Development
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has launched a new consultation to gather responses to a set of proposed Sustainable Development Indicators designed to help measure the UK’s progress towards economic, social and environmental sustainability. “These new indicators will help us take … Continue reading