Simon Barnes Author and Journalist

Sports and Wild Blog

Simon Barnes
  • Home
  • Biog
  • Blog
  • Books
  • Pictures
  • Contact
  • Twitter

Bees and harriers: the unlikely alliance

5 December 2014 by Simon Barnes 12 Comments

Last weekend I was in Edinburgh to give the keynote speech at the AGM of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. I’ll spare you the whole thing — it went on quite a bit — but here’s the general idea.

Conservation badly needs a boost up the political agenda, because most people in positions of power are far too busy and important to be worried by trivial things like the future of the planet. And I have hopes that this could happen by means of an alliance between hen harriers and bumblebees. Between them they supply a potent mixture of anger and worry.

There is room for 300 pairs of hen harriers in England (Defra figures) and in 2013, precisely none managed to breed. This year we were up to a dizzying total of four. This shortage of hen harriers has come about because they are systematically and illegally killed to protect the interests of the grouse-shooting industry.

Anger at this is spreading beyond the usual conservation organisations. People are asking: whose countryside is it anyway? Do we all have a share? Or is it just for the fun of a few very rich men?

Meanwhile, a YouGov poll found that the shortage of bees was the most worrying environmental issue that confronted the people of this country. We are deeply disturbed by the idea of a world without bees — it would mean that the globe’s stopped working, nothing less. People are beginning to realise that we really should be running our planet a bit better.

It’s my hope that this combination of anger and worry will force people in power to take environmental issues more seriously.  Thus a small, specialised organisation, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, finds itself dealing with issues right on the cutting edge. It’s a huge task they’re lumbered with: a huge opportunity to change the way we think about the world we live in.

 

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Posted in Wildblog

Comments

  1. Rienk Slings says

    5 December 2014 at 1:00 pm

    Strange that hen harriers have also vanished from their Dutch breeding haunts in the same period. No grouse shooting there and no big ground predators (they breed on fox-free isles.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      5 December 2014 at 2:39 pm

      Hmm, interesting one. Any theories?

      Reply
      • Rienk Slings says

        5 December 2014 at 3:59 pm

        http://www.vogelbescherming.nl/CFFileServlet/_cf_image/_cfimg-4227751197766388598.png
        Negative trend in Holland is food related. Because of the rabbit desease VHS there are not enough young rabbits left to raise the young harriers on. Agricultural intensification in (former) foraging areas and landcape change on the breeding areas (mainly coastal dunes) are also part of the problem.

        Reply
        • Simon Barnes says

          12 December 2014 at 7:49 pm

          Fascinating, thanks for your contribution.

          Reply
  2. Delphine Spilsbury says

    5 December 2014 at 1:29 pm

    One reason I would like Scotland to become independent is that it might take back ownership of managing its environment. So far the new first minister seems to be going in the right direction to find out who actually owns land and to take it back – but I am concerned that this is to be done in the name of development for the human species – not necessarily sustainable development for all species. Also a pity they continue to support fishing rights for large corporations that endanger spawning and the environment. I will never buy farmed salmon – which means I don’t consume any salmon.

    George Monbiot writing in the Guardian is pushing hard for the UK gov. to stop subsidising the recreational game industry here. What with subs for that and growing wind turbines its cake and jelly all day! As a New Zealander I have no truck with any subsidies in farming – if you can’t afford to farm your land without subsidies then it is not economically viable. Continuing high country farming in NZ is under pressure and hopefully becoming a conservation effort rather than a farming effort. Getting rid of the wasteful attitude people have to food is a better means of improving the efficacy of food supply.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      5 December 2014 at 2:40 pm

      A lot of good sense here, and thanks for saying some important things. I remember visiting a kauri forest restoration project in New Zealand. It was based on a 1000 year time scale, seems the right sense of proportion to me.

      Reply
  3. george louis says

    5 December 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Join the BCT ☺ it’s a fantastic conservation organisation save the bees !

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      5 December 2014 at 2:41 pm

      Right on!

      Reply
  4. Mike Kelleher says

    5 December 2014 at 2:38 pm

    Don’t forget the sparrows – see Death of a sparrow on http://www.frenchandaussiecricket.blogspot.com

    Reply
  5. Mike says

    5 December 2014 at 5:24 pm

    Keep up the good work. We need more people like you to raise the alarm.
    Somehow the next generation needs to learn fast.

    Reply
    • Simon Barnes says

      12 December 2014 at 7:49 pm

      Yes indeed, it’s their world now.

      Reply
  6. Peter Farren says

    1 January 2015 at 9:26 am

    you should watch this, a propos of messing with the ecosystem…..brilliant

    http://sfglobe.com/?id=14064&src=share_fb_new_14064

    Reply

Please leave a comment Cancel reply

Receive Blog Updates By Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,416 other subscribers.

Recent Comments

  • Penny Woollams on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Rob Howell on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Jolyon Barton on Swift as a bow from an arrow…
  • Michael Clark on Cousin Caterpillar… one day he’ll wake with wings
  • Alan P on Swift as a bow from an arrow…

Categories

  • Myblog (7)
  • Sportsblog (7)
  • Wildblog (215)

Archives

  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014

© Simon Barnes · info@simonbarnesauthor.co.uk
Home page photograph © David Bebber · Bird drawings © foxillustration.com
Created by Purple Hippo

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.