pauldolman.bsky.social
Professor of Conservation Ecology at University of East Anglia. Collaborating with land managers to improve conservation outcomes for biodiversity. And a dad. Pronouns: he/him
191 posts
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Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them.
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Totally agree!
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Excellent work! The sands and chalk will deplete nutrients much quicker but the clay will hold onto its fertility.
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Wonderful, thanks for sharing! Can I ask - how many years have you been cutting to deplete nutrients & what soil type? The classic studies eg Marrs suggested cutting & removal take many many years to deplete enriched (eg former arable) soils, so that’s great you are seeing a difference.
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👆 @ueaceec.bsky.social
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Now, after 3 years of piloting, it’s great to see Natural England today launch the first version of their Protected Site Strategies (PSS) Advisory Guidance and identify the first 7 sites to take these forward.
naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/16/p...
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Honeysuckle seems dependent on some moist boulder clay, in much of Norfolk it’s really only in damp woods or fen edge not on drier sandier soils.
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It seems to work in the Peat Swamp Forests of the Norfolk Broads, so I find it strange you ignore that evidence in favour of tropical lowland evergreen Peat Swamp Forests of SE Asia? Please explain your criteria for evidence selection/ exclusion as it looks like cherry picking.
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And that 40% despite an El Niño drought!
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They didn’t complain about excluding Alder Carr habitat from the review!
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Link to the Indonesian peat swamp forest study: www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15...
Presumably moorland association also upset the NE review ignored evidence from wetting of lowland peat swamp (fen) ? Or would that evidence be inconvenient?
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Very sad. Sounds like this will lead to a loss of complexity and heterogeneity. Are there any agri-environmental measures to subsidise traditional cattle grazing?
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That looks incredible. What is the grazing management?
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Indeed, I understand historically that happened at Honeypot wood with starlings. But I did wonder whether a large pulse of decaying woody debris may do similar to the nutrient balance; occurred in non-intervention areas rather than harvested coppice coupes even though those have more sunlight.
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No pheasant pens. It’s been a marked change in recent few years since the Ash impact, I don’t think there’s been any change in adjacent land management.
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In one local ancient wood opening of Ash canopy has been followed by lots of nettle overwhelming the ground flora, I wondered if a big pulse of litter was a factor.
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Sadly so much ‘rewilding’ starts with flat fields and fails to create the topography.
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Perfectly illustrates that climate resilience primarily requires large heterogeneous complex sites, not ‘corridors’ (often implemented as hedgerows or little stepping stones). The Lawton hierarchy: Better Bigger More Joined, often overlooked with an emphasis on corridors and connectivity instead.
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According to Mrs M. Grieve “Henbane is in such demand for medicinal purposes it is necessary to cultivate it, the wild plants not yielding a sufficient supply” and advises the appropriate dosage! I once saw an entire field of broad beans in Suffolk Brecks entirely overwhelmed by Henbane.