Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
16th September 2024
What if everyone lived within walking distance of a community-run orchard?
Surely that would improve biodiversity, improve people’s connection with the natural world and encourage people to expect and enjoy eating locally grown/ produced food?
Certainly that dream is the ambition of The Orchard Project. (1) Since 2009 they have created or restored 500 plus community orchards across the country – Orchard Map
13th September 2024
Many of the things for which urban trees offer us protection are at the same time threats to the tree themselves.
Urban trees suffer from:
The first years of a newly planted urban tree are critical. They need to be kept well watered, their root space kept clear of weeds and their trunk kept free of abrasive damage. GreenBlue offers some useful advice – https://greenblue.com/gb/who-is-responsible-for-maintaining-our-public-trees/
Urban tree stress https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/11/9/932
12th September 2024
Trees benefit their environment – and this is of particular value in urban areas – by providing:
For further information –
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/protecting-trees-and-woods/benefits-of-urban-trees/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/06/cities-urban-trees-climate-change/
11th September 2024
Trees are just as important in urban as in rural areas: “They have a huge impact on local wildlife, mental and physical health, and pollution levels, while making the places we live in more beautiful.” The Woodland Trust (1)
In London there are estimated to be 8,421,000 trees (2), whilst globally urban trees whilst covering only 2% of the land, comprise about 8% of the world’s tree diversity with 10 billion trees of more than 100 types. (3)
Looking after – and indeed expanding – these urban forests is clearly important for biodiversity.
(2) Rogers, K., Sarcre, K., Goodenough, J. & Doick, K. Valuing London’s Urban Forest: Results of the London i-Tree Eco Project. (Treeconomics, London, 2015)
(3) https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Biodiversity_infographic_final.pdf
10th September 2024
Every year trees such as the oak, the horse chestnut and the beech, produce vast numbers of seeds from which hardly even one will make it to become itself a mature tree. Rather their seeds will be eaten by squirrels, birds, deer and – if they are there – pigs or wild boar. There is a balance between the food supplied and the number of creatures fed. But then once every few years, the trees produce an excessive number of seeds – a mast year. For this year only the supply of food exceeds consumers and from this crop, the next generation of trees may sprout. This fascinating understanding of supply and demand comes from Tristan Gooley’s book, How to Read a Tree, which I thoroughly recommend.
9th September 2024
As a follow up to the comments about travel and the environment (days 156-160) here is an interesting article from the Guardian on the same topic: https://www.theguardian.com/news/article/2024/sep/06/flight-shame-climate-impact-tourism-boom-covid-environment-net-zero?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
9th September 2024
A rich biodiverse habitat is a habitat that is regulated by both competition and opportunism. The balance is not always even in the short term but longer term imbalances level out.
This year’s wet weather has seen an explosion of slugs that has not been fully balanced by an increase in beings that prey on slugs. Although conversely the wet weather may have produced excess amounts of plant growth on which the slugs have been feeding!
It is not just gardeners but farmers too who find their hard work devastated by hungry slugs – but research is in hand to find ways of creating a better balance between slugs and plant growers – for more information or to help – https://bofin.org.uk/2024/08/29/slimy-invaders/
6th September 2024
Biodiversity is also an important component of our relationship with God. The following comes from the Centre for Action and Contemplation, and invites us to look again at nature.
“It might’ve been being at the beach and seeing a flock of seagulls in flight that suddenly made you aware of beauty in a way you’d never felt it before, or it may have been the first dog that you really knew, loved, and connected with. It helped you think of intelligence that was different than your own, and beautiful in its own unique way. It might’ve been some other scene where you felt sacredness, and holiness, and depth in the natural world. It’s easy for us … to forget that childlike wonder at this beautiful world. We don’t need to put God and nature in competition. Nature is God’s original self-expression”.
5th September 2024
The campaign group Zero Hour UK is promoting the Climate and Nature Bill (the CAN Bill) as a means of creating legislation that will comprehensively address both the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. It is a private member’s bill which has cross party backing of some 170 MPs and currently its proposers are hoping that it will win time for debate in the private members bill ballot.
For more information, including how to support the Bill, visit https://www.zerohour.uk/climate-and-nature-bill/
4th September 2024
A biodiverse rich ecosystem is a more stable ecosystem, and that stability benefits all the component parts. A biodiverse rich environment will thus support a better life for humans as well as other creatures, plants and life forms. Such an environment will be healthier for humans – including cleaner air and water – and will ensure a richer, more reliable food supply.
