Book review: Every Living Thing

Every Living Thing cover.***** An epic history of taxonomy across three centuries

Linnaeus was not the only seventeenth-century scholar trying to get to grips with life’s diversity; French naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (Buffon hereafter) was another. Though the two men never met, their ideas did. Author Jason Roberts provides a biography of Linnaeus and Buffon, writing an epic history of their work and intellectual legacy. It has quickly become one of my favourite books this year for introducing me to a new scientific hero.

In the first two parts, Roberts charts the lives and works of Linnaeus and Buffon, alternating between the two as he goes. Having just reviewed The Man Who Organized Nature, I could not resist immediately checking his reference section. Broberg’s books is not amongst them, though he has consulted several other biographies Broberg recommended. His coverage of Linnaeus follows the major beats of his life but leaves out much of the extraneous details that Broberg provided, focusing on his taxonomical ideas. It quickly becomes apparent that Broberg was respectful, even mild, just reporting the facts of Linnaeus’s life but rarely passing judgment. Roberts has no such reservations, calling him out for his arrogance and immodesty. He also covers Linnaeus’s apostles who were sent on collecting expeditions to uncharted parts of the world with often fatal outcomes. True, they went willingly and were not the only ones to do so at the time, but they provided a number of harsh lessons. Roberts particularly holds Linnaeus’s feet to the fire regarding his scientific racism. “Later apologists have attempted to absolve Linnaeus of racism” (p. 180), but not Roberts. Sure, others would make the message more explicit and amplify it but modern race science “has a genealogy that can be traced directly to the pages of Systema Naturae” (p. 181).

In contrast, Buffon (1707–1788) emerges from this book in a far more positive light. Inheriting a fortune at age 10, by 1739 he was nominated as intendant of the Jardin du Roi, gaining both the ear and the financial support of King Louis XV. That was vital for the project that would dominate the rest of his life: Histoire Naturelle. Intended as an encyclopedia of all creation, he wrote 36 large and painstakingly detailed volumes, covering the mineral kingdom and part of the animal kingdom. Like Linnaeus, Buffon was a polymath and became captivated by life’s diversity, but that is where the resemblances end. I admit to knowing little about him before reading this book, but he was a fascinating character! He was the morally more upstanding person of the two, vocally opposing slavery and treating the women who crossed his path as equals. At home, “Buffon designed a life of maximum efficiency” (p. 64), having his valet wake him up at 5 AM every day (even if it meant being dragged out of bed) for a strictly scheduled day of writing in his spartan room, with breaks for meals and some socializing. It was a lifestyle he would stick to for the next 50(!) years, delighting in his “rigorous cultivation of solitary focus” (p. 66).

Who Was Carl Linnaeus? via The Collector.Who Was Carl Linnaeus? via The Collector.

As if that quirk was not enough to endear Buffon to me, his thinking was decades if not centuries ahead of his time. In his writings, he speculated about extinction, common descent and the evolution of species, the cellular basis of life, the finitude of natural resources, and an impending epoch of humans. Roberts provides relevant context to explain the rhetorical safeguards Buffon employed to sidestep censors and is careful to avoid grand claims: we should be careful not to retrofit today’s knowledge to his hunches and speculation back then. He also disentangles the “thicket of significant linguistic differences between Buffon’s era and ours” (p. 199), pointing out that e.g. evolution as we understand it had not yet been coined. Even so, Darwin admitted that Buffon’s ideas were “laughably like mine” (p. xi).

Of relevance to the history of taxonomy, and the leitmotif of this book, is the rivalry between the ideas of these two men. Roberts captures the contrast beautifully early on: “To Linnaeus’s mind, nature was a noun. All species remained as created during Genesis, representing an unchanging tableau. To Buffon, nature was a verb, a swirl of constant change” (p. 7). Linnaeus, like most naturalists at the time, believed in the fixity of species; evolution and extinction implied that Creation was imperfect. Buffon believed that species evolved and went extinct, even if he did not yet know how. Their differences reflected a deep philosophical divide. Linnaeus believed in absolute universal truths, in Aristotelian essences, with species being real entities. Buffon, in contrast, considered systematics and species useful concepts but also flawed human constructs.

Comte de Buffon via the British Library.
Comte de Buffon via the British Library.

What elevated the book for me is that Roberts leaves himself a comfortable 110 pages in part 3 to describe what happened next and what the relevance of their ideas is to us today. The grand arc that he traces is that, after his death, Buffon’s ideas were quickly sidelined by Linnaeus’s adherents but over time have regained their significance. He takes you through the French Revolution and its aftermath, giving terribly interesting profiles of famous naturalists who embraced Buffon’s ideas to various degrees. He also discusses Britain’s lukewarm reception and then slow acceptance of Linnaeus’s ideas, with his collections ending up in England and leading to the founding of the Linnean Society of London. Simultaneously, Buffon influenced Darwin, Thomas Henry Huxley, and his grandson Julian Huxley who lived through the rise of genetics.

Today, Linnaeus’s taxonomical hierarchy has started to creak under the sheer magnitude of the planet’s biodiversity and has increasingly been abandoned, leaving just binomial nomenclature and a hierarchy of categorical ranks. Buffon’s observation, that life is like a web or network instead of a thread, seems more relevant than ever. Meanwhile, species concepts remain troublesome beasts, and some scholars propose we consider species “snapshots rather than static points”, which hews closer to Buffon’s idea they are “an entity of reason rather than a physical fact” (p. 352).

Though Roberts is not a science historian, he has done his homework, going back to source material wherever possible. He is not shy to judge both men by modern standards with Buffon emerging as the clear moral victor. He leaves ample space to discuss the aftermath and modern relevance of their ideas, which is a welcome stroke of brilliance. If you are new to the history of taxonomy, I have no hesitation in recommending that you start here; Broberg’s book is a more advanced text on a more circumscribed topic that will make for good follow-up reading.

Book review: Alexander von Humboldt

***** A factual and nuanced picture, and a critical interrogation of previous portrayals

I read and compared this book to Andrea Wulf’s widely-read The Invention of Nature. Historian Andreas W. Daum shows that good things come in small packages and delivers a factual, nuanced, and admirably concise biography. Straight off the bat, you can tell that this will be a different book. At 208 pages and 13 × 21 cm, it is swallowed by Wulf’s book. Though both authors are German, as a historian actively researching Humboldt’s biography, Daum is just that bit more qualified. Originally published in German, Daum was actively involved in the book’s English translation, revising and expanding it in the process.

A more detailed comparison follows at the end as I first want to judge this book on its merits. Daum discusses Humboldt’s life in six chapters, giving equal attention to periods that were less glamorous than his American and Russian expeditions. A short interlude reflects on his scientific approach, while the book ends with a chronology, a very useful narrative guide to sources and further reading, endnotes, and a selected bibliography. Daum has a clear mission statement: to examine Humboldt’s life “through a refined biographical lens [that] avoids both mystification and vilification [and] to suggest a more nuanced interpretation, portraying a multifaceted Humboldt” (p. 3). Two aspects stood out to me.

First, throughout, Daum pushes back on previous portrayals of Humboldt. Wulf’s and Meinhardt’s book are characterised as “popular, heroic accounts” (p. 162) that portray Humboldt as “a singular intellect way ahead of his time” (p. 2). He adds a clear barb at Wulf’s address by writing that Humboldt did not invent nature. He equally objects to postcolonial criticism that casts Humboldt as a gentleman colonizer. Though a necessary corrective, it needs to be combined with a fair assessment of his progressive sides. Portrayals of Humboldt as a second Columbus are similarly scorned as simplistic colonial tropes that are simply not true: “Humboldt was not venturing into unknown territory. Nowhere was he the ‘first'” (p. 55). Daum furthermore distinguishes between Humboldtian science and Humboldt’s science. Humboldt’s call for systematic collection of geomagnetic and climatological data by networks of observatories, later pursued by both Russia and the UK, has been called an example of *Humboldtian* science by historian Susan Faye Cannon. Daum counters that this is a later, idealized archetype that “jettisoned his emphasis on the aesthetic” (p. 124). *Humboldt’s* science, in contrast, was far more tentative, trying to balance empirical science with one’s subjective experience of nature. He did not have it all figured out before or after his American expedition. To suggest otherwise is “a retrospective projection” (p. 52) that does not do him justice. Finally, though Humboldt is venerated in South America and he welcomed declarations of independence, he played no role in them, nor should be labelled the “father of Latin American independence” (p. 109).

Alexander von Humboldt, by National Endowment for the Humanities.
Alexander von Humboldt, by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Second is Daum’s nuanced picture of Humboldt. Take, for example, his political stance, or lack thereof. Though remembered for his liberal values and criticism of colonialism and slavery, he feared bloody violence, such as seen during the French Revolution and favoured more gradual reforms. When Prussia took the fight to Napoleon and occupied Paris in 1814, his brother Wilhelm supported the German cause while Alexander refused to, “souring relations between the two” (p. 105). Humboldt helped prevent the Paris Museum of Natural History from being looted and drew criticism back in Germany when lobbying for stolen German artworks to stay in Paris. He supported and found patronage for French and German scientists alike and, by refusing to pick sides, easily moved in different social circles. When he later returned to Berlin with its increasingly conservative political climate that curbed freedom of expression, he swam against the tide by offering free public lectures that became incredibly popular.

Daum gives a similarly nuanced picture of Humboldt’s way of working. Hearing of his grand plans for the American expedition, his brother was already concerned he would overreach. Indeed, he habitually bit off more than he could chew, always had multiple manuscripts on the go, and left a legacy of unfinished projects. Kosmos, the magnum opus he laboured on for the last two decades of his life, was not necessarily a resounding success, despite the high sales. Some contemporaries considered it challenging or requiring too much prior knowledge. Ironically, the proliferation of simplified versions and explainers meant that Humboldt succeeded, sort of, in popularizing science, though it “had taken on a momentum that the author could no longer control” (p. 142). Daum characterizes it as synopsis of material rather than a coherent synthesis, which buttresses his conclusion that Humboldt is remembered not for coming up with “a clearly defined theory that fundamentally changed scientific and social thinking”, but for leaving us with “myriad complex thoughts and incentives for further research” (p. 151).

Alexander von Humboldt, by Smithsonian Magazine.
Alexander von Humboldt, by Smithsonian Magazine.

Given the number of people who will have read Wulf’s The Invention of Nature, a comparison is in order. My one-liner is that Daum’s book is less fluff, more facts. The book’s brevity is partially achieved by omitting all the biographical material on other people that Wulf included and partially by mentioning rather than describing events in lively detail. This is particularly noticeable when it comes to Humboldt’s expeditions. Now, before you conclude that Daum’s book contains less material than Wulf’s, let me stop you there. For all its brevity, there are numerous details here not mentioned by Wulf. Beyond factoids, there are the above-mentioned aspects, attention for his lesser-known works, a more informed opinion on his sexuality, and many other things besides. In a mere 153 pages, Daum concisely offers a full yet nuanced picture of Humboldt’s life and work.

If you have already read The Invention of Nature, should you read this biography? Next to being a quick read, hopefully by now you are convinced Daum’s book is worth your time by offering a different perspective and much new information. I found reading them together an instructive and rewarding exercise. If you insist on me recommending just one book, answer me this: do you read history books to be informed or to be entertained? In the former case, choose Daum for a more scholarly take; in the latter, choose Wulf for an entertaining book that indulges in digressions. I hasten to add that I am talking shades of grey here: Daum prioritising the facts does not mean his book is boring, just as Wulf prioritising storytelling does not mean her book is inaccurate.

Equipment in Focus: CHASING Underwater Drones

CHASING’s range of underwater drones (also known as Remotely Operated Underwater Vehicles – ROUVs) includes high-end consumer and heavy duty industrial-grade models.  The drones capture high resolution underwater images and video, allowing unobtrusive, accessible monitoring, surveying or exploration of aquatic spaces. With technological applications ranging from reef monitoring and marine ecological assessments to aquacultural inspection and general exploration, these innovative devices are a powerful tool for efficient data collection and observation.  

Underwater drones can alleviate health and safety concerns, save time, money, resources and the need for specialist personnel. By providing high-resolution imagery and precise manoeuvrability, this technology allows for the safe, efficient observation and sampling of aquatic environments whilst minimising harm or disturbance.  

In this blog, we introduce you to CHASING’s underwater drones – the Gladius Mini S, the M2 S, M2 PRO and the M2 PRO MAX.  

CHASING Gladius Mini S in field


Consumer Models

Gladius Mini S

CHASING Gladius Mini S droneThe Gladius Mini S is a highly portable consumer-grade drone for underwater exploration. Quick to deploy, with a maximum operating time of around four hours, the Gladius Mini S requires little preparation to get started and can be operated by one person– simply attach the tether, controller and accessories, and connect your mobile phone to the CHASING app. The Gladius can operate in temperatures between –10 and +45°C, and at depths up to 100m. High-quality video and still images are captured with the 4K image stabilised camera and powerful integrated lights, producing excellent underwater imagery. The Gladius Mini S has one mounting point, which can support accessories such as the grabber claw and underwater GoPro mount. 

The Gladius Mini S is available in four packs: Standard pack with a 100m tether, Standard pack with a 200m tether, Flash pack containing grabber claw B and a 100m tether, and a Flash pack containing grabber claw B and a 200m tether.  

  • An upper-end consumer-grade drone 
  • 100m max operating depth 
  • Five thrusters 
  • 100m or 200m tether included (dependant on package) 
  • One mounting point 

See the Gladius Mini S underwater drone in action

We also recently tested the Gladius Mini S in Plymouth Sound, watch our short video to see it in action.

 

 


Industrial Models  

Alongside the consumer model, there are a number of industrial-grade drones that are better suited for larger scale projects – the CHASING M2 S, M2 PRO and the M2 PRO MAX. The main advantage of these models is the use of interchangeable batteries, additional accessories and an increased tether length for longer sessions. Each industrial model benefits from a 4K camera, up to 4 hours run time, 150° field of view, e-reel compatibility, and powerful vectored thrusters allowing for precise movement. Here, we explore these models a little further, outlining the differences between each drone and their benefits.  

Find a summary of the M2 series specifications below: 

Comparison table of CHASING drones

CHASING M2 S

CHASING M2 SMarking the first step up from consumer models, the CHASING M2 S benefits from eight thrusters for maximum stability and a high response speed. The unit features multiple accessory ports that are suitable for grabber arms, distance lock sonars, laser scalers and floodlights, as well as third-party accessories such as GoPro cameras. With the ability to swap batteries, and a greater range of compatible accessories, the M2 S is equipped for longer sessions with increased capabilities. An upgraded colour restoration algorithm improves the image transparency, clarity, colour, layering and noise on the M2 S, and live feed can be streamed onto multiple devices.  

This model is available in three packages, each with varied tether lengths, accessories and spare parts. 

  • An entry-level industrial drone 
  • 100m max operating depth 
  • 8 thrusters 
  • 200m tether included 
  • One mounting point 
  • More compatible accessories than consumer models*

*To view the full range of compatible accessories please see the above table 

CHASING M2 PRO

CHASING M2 PRO underwater droneThe M2 PRO has an increased operating depth and is compatible with more accessories than previous models. It is the first model that is compatible with the Shore-based Power Supply System (SPSS), allowing for unrestricted power supply to enable 24/7 operation. It is also the first to accommodate the control console – a professional platform designed to control the drone, AC power, external lights and other accessories. The M2 PRO can operate at depths of 150m and is designed to house larger batteries to accommodate an increase in drone size and accessory power.  

The M2 PRO is available in two packages: Professional and Advanced.  

  • A mid-range industrial drone 
  • 150m max operating depth 
  • 8 thrusters 
  • 200m tether included 
  • One mounting point 
  • Compatible with the Shore-based Power Supply System and the control console 
  • An increased range of compatible accessories 

CHASING M2 PRO MAX

CHASING M2 PRO MAX underwater droneThe M2 PRO MAX is the most advanced model in our CHASING range, presenting a top-of-the-line industrial drone for NGO’s, researchers, government bodies and enterprise users. This upper-level model has five mounting points to attach an assortment of around 20 compatible accessories, including water samplers, sonar and sediment samplers. Eight powerful thrusters propel this drone to depths of up to 200m with 360° movement. For improved image clarity, the M2 PRO MAX has offset LED’s, helping to solve interference by the reflection of matter in front of the camera lens.  

The M2 Pro Max is available in two packages: Professional and Advanced. 

  • Top-of-the-line industrial drone 
  • 200m max operating depth 
  • Eight thrusters 
  • 200m tether included 
  • Five mounting points 
  • Compatible with the Shore-based Power Supply System and the control console 
  • Over 20 compatible accessories 

Applications  

Deep sea coral polyps

Underwater drones, or ROUVs, provide an alternative, accessible tool for ecological and scientific research. Their applications extend far beyond observation, enabling researchers to conduct detailed ecosystem health evaluations, monitor invasive or threatened species, and perform habitat inspections – all with the capability to collect samples for off-site analysis. From assessing the source of underwater pollution, to conducting biodiversity surveys, these drones provide high-resolution imagery and real-time data, facilitating well-evidenced conservation action. Their ability to perform targeted water and physical sampling allows for detailed analysis of aquatic environments, which can reveal insights into aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem health.  

Outside of its ecological applications, this technology has potential in search and rescue operations, item recovery, hull and dock inspection and energy facility inspection.  


Find the CHASING range and accessories on the NHBS website here. Check out our latest YouTube video of the Gladius Mini S in action here.

See the Gladius Mini S underwater drone in action

If you have any questions about our range or would like some advice on the right product for you then please contact us via email at customer.services@nhbs.com or phone on 01803 865913. 

Conservation volunteering to regenerate public grounds for butterflies and amphibians

In early November, NHBS colleague Dan volunteered with Chagford Conservation Group and the Chagford Parish Council to regenerate public grounds for wildlife – find out about his volunteer work below.


When strolling through your local public green space, take a moment to consider its value—not just as a recreational space but as a haven for wildlife. Behind the trees, shrubs, and ponds lies a delicate balance that requires care. Who ensures these spaces thrive for the benefit of both people and nature?

As you dig into the depths of your mind for answers and speak to fellow locals, you’ll discover that your local wandering patch has a past, present and even the future.

My front door patch, Padley Common, in Chagford – Dartmoor, has a variety of most of the above. Deciduous woodland, grassy fields aligned with stone walls and tree banks, areas with bracken and gorse, an area thick with young trees, streams and even some boggy areas.

One cloudy but warm November morning I joined the Chagford Conservation Group to help clear an area that was taken over by young willow and silver birch growth. Reading this with conservation specs may cause a frown. Cutting trees for conservation? The purpose of this venture, commissioned by Chagford Parish Council, was to restore the grounds to more favourable conditions for butterflies. Under the direction of Devon Wildlife Trust personnel, we cleared young willow and silver birch growth from the common. These trees, if left unchecked, would outcompete light-loving wildflowers and raise water uptake, drying out the damp grasslands needed by marsh fritillaries. This species depends on devil’s-bit scabious for its larvae. Its population in England has declined by 66% since 1990. Maintaining open, flower-rich meadows not only benefits butterflies but supports a host of other pollinators and insects.

Under the direction of Devon Wildlife Trust personnel, the Chagford Conservation Group and the Chagford Parish Council volunteers rolled up their sleeves and cleared a section of the common.

The cleared trees didn’t go to waste. They were repurposed into leaky dams that were fitted into streams that run through the common. These benefit the landscape in surprising ways as they allow water to pass through but slow its flow, reducing erosion and flood risk downstream. By creating side pools and wet areas, leaky dams also provide habitat for amphibians and aquatic insects.

With three organisations involved and so much goodwill from the local community, the day’s work saw the clearing completed and a series of leaky dams constructed. It was striking to see how effectively conservation targets can be achieved when vision, organisation, and community support come together.

Next time you wander through your local patch, take a moment to imagine its potential for wildlife. What small changes could make a big difference? Remember, with the right plan and a collective effort, even a single day’s work can transform a space—creating benefits for nature and leaving a legacy for future generations to discover as they explore their local patch’s story.


February 2025 update: 

Last weekend I joined a local volunteering group for some more work on the same site – clearing brambles and gorse to enable new growth. On checking the leaky dams, I was delighted to see that pools created by these were now full of frog spawn!


Recommended reading:

Butterfly Conservation The Warwickshire Approach book cover. Butterfly Conservation – The Warwickshire Approach This book documents, celebrates and shares the many successes the Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation has had in conserving rare butterflies over the past 25 years. It is a manual of techniques, tips and ideas that will help and hopefully inspire others to create and manage habitats and to conserve butterflies.

The volunteers: a memoir of conservation, companionship and community

The Volunteers: A Memoir of Conservation, Companionship and Community
When Carol finds herself single and unemployed, she unexpectedly takes on the role of leading a quirky team of countryside conservation volunteers. Although their first days are rocky, she and her diverse group of volunteers bond over nature, finding friendship, purpose, and a renewed sense of belonging. The Volunteers is a heart-warming story about healing, community, and the redemptive power of the outdoors.

British Wildlife Magazine

Since its launch in 1989, British Wildlife has established its position as the leading natural history magazine in the UK, providing essential reading for both enthusiast and professional naturalists and wildlife conservationists alike.

 

Conservation Land Management logo.Conservation Land Management Magazine

Conservation Land Management (CLM) is a quarterly magazine, widely regarded as essential reading for all who are involved in land management for nature conservation, across the British Isles. Each aspect of CLM is designed for those involved in managing land to achieve conservation goals and priorities.

This Week in Biodiversity News – 14th April

Conservation  

Invasive ferret populations are now under control on Rathlin Island. A five-year, £4.5 million project was launched in 2021 to remove the species from Rathlin after conservationists raised concerns about their impact on resident ground-nesting bird populations, including puffins, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars. The impact of ferrets includes predation on eggs and chicks, as well as adult birds, with one ferret having killed 27 adults in only a few days. The team behind this project deployed traps to capture the predators and have successfully controlled their numbers, whilst attempts to reduce brown rat populations have been ongoing since September last year.

Dugong by flickker photos, via flickr.
Dugong by flickker photos, via flickr.

Diminishing sea-grass beds in Thailand are driving Dugong population decline. The alarming increase in emaciated dugong deaths along Thailand’s Andaman coast prompted scientists to investigate the reasons behind their decreasing populations. Last year’s losses were more than double the annual average recorded between 2019 and 2022, and research has revealed that at least 40% of these deaths were likely due to starvation as a result of seagrass die-off; the species primary food-source. As a result of this, Dugongs need to venture into deeper waters to find food, where they can be killed by boat strikes and fishing bycatch. Marine Ecologist Petch Manopawitr stated that if mortality rates continue, Dugong are likely to be extinct in just a few years.  

Butterfly Conservation have renewed the lease on a vital nature reserve on the South Downs. Magdalen Hill Down, owned by The Church of England, has been managed by Butterfly Conservation for three decades, during which they have transformed it from scrub and farmland into one of Hampshire’s richest chalk grasslands. It is now one of the top ten sites in the country for butterflies and is home to over 30 different species, including the Adonis Blue, Green Hairstreak and crimson Cinnabar. Official figures released last week revealed that 2024 was one of the worst years on record for UK butterfly populations, so it is as vital as ever to provide these habitats. The renewed agreement with the Church Commissioners collates two previous leases and allows Butterfly Conservation to continue its conservation work across the 46-hectare site. 

Environment  

Northern Ireland’s richest nature sites require urgent action. The Office for Environmental Protection has revealed that the laws put in place to identify and manage protected sites in Northern Ireland is falling short. As a result, the condition of these priority conservation sites is deteriorating, with the number of sites in ‘favourable condition’ having declined from 61.7% in 2008 to just 51.5% in 2024. The report concluded that improving the protection and preservation of nature requires better implementation of existing laws for priority conservation sites, as the legal framework itself is not the primary issue. 

Stormy Fields by Ian Livesey, via flickr.
Stormy Fields by Ian Livesey, via flickr.

A recent report by the British Ecological Society has evaluated the impacts of regenerative agriculture. The study determined that while regenerative practices can enhance soil health and biodiversity, these practices alone are unlikely to be sufficient. Instead, the research indicates that they are most effective when integrated within a comprehensive system that prioritizes minimizing soil disturbance and bare soil, increasing farm diversity, incorporating livestock, and utilising nature-based methods in place of synthetic inputs. Although the report’s authors emphasise that a whole-system approach yields the most significant benefits, they also encourage farmers to adopt even a few of these practices. 

Over 125,000 wildflowers have been sown across Cumbria in two years thanks to Cumbria Wildlife Trust. With the help of thousands of volunteers, they have also restored 159 acres of grasslands, eight acres of hay meadows, and planted 16,000 plants in a variety of sites around Kendal and Milnthorpe. It is hoped that the restoration of these rich habitats will support a wealth of pollinating insects and increase the areas biodiversity. 

Wildflowers by Tejvan Pettinger, via flickr.
Wildflowers by Tejvan Pettinger, via flickr.

Policy

Conservationists raise concerns about the proposed budget cuts for the Darwin Plus fund. The UK’s Overseas Territories are home to over 32,216 native species, which represents 90% of all British biodiversity, including the rare Wilkins’ Bunting and endangered St Helena Plover. Many of the conservation projects undertaken across these sites have only been possible due to the government’s Darwin Plus scheme, which commits £10 million annually to support a host of critical conservation projects in these territories. The UK government is set to decide on the future of this vital funding as part of their summer Spending Review, and leading UK charities are urgently highlighting that any cuts to Darwin Plus would have catastrophic effects on the future of the flora and fauna found in these unique habitats. 

Author interview with Jon Stokes: Trees of Britain and Ireland

ThisTrees of Britain and Ireland book cover. comprehensive guide to tree identification features over 3,000 photos and illustrations of more than 300 native and common non-native species. It includes detailed keys, distribution maps and seasonal charts, alongside ecological insights, habitat information and conservation advice on each species, making it an invaluable resource for those interested in British and Irish tree species.

 

Jon Stokes photograph.Jon Stokes is one of Britain’s leading tree conservationists and has been studying the world of trees for over thirty years. He is the Director of Trees, Science and Research at a UK based charity The Tree Council, which aims to bring everyone together for the love of trees, and has authored or co-author ten books focusing on trees.

We recently spoke to Jon about Trees of Britain and Ireland, where he told us how he decided which species to include in this book, what his hopes are for the future conservation of our native trees and more.


How did you first become interested in tree biology and ecology, and why did you decide to write the latest WILDGuides identification book?

I have always been fascinated by trees. I love their huge size, their great age and their amazing ability to live for centuries in one spot, coping with everything the world throws at them. To truly understand trees, however, I believe it is vital to understand the other species that depend on them. Oaks, for example, support more than 2,000 other species.  

When the opportunity arose to write the WILDGuides tree book, it felt like an amazing opportunity to produce something new – a book that not only allowed the identification of all our diverse and varied native trees and shrubs, but one which also described the ecology of the trees and some of the species which live within them.

Sitka Spruce by Jon Stokes.
Sitka Spruce by Jon Stokes.

What was the greatest challenge you faced when writing this guide, and did you have any specific issues in relation to seasonality?

One of the many challenges in producing this book was our desire to photograph flowers, leaves, fruit and winter twigs – to show how to identify trees all year round. This obviously meant returning to each species a number of times, in all seasons, in all weathers, across the length and breadth of the country. We also wanted to show trees in their natural environments – all of which just made the project a little more complex! Despite the challenges, it was a joyful journey of discovery which took me from the top of Ben Lawers in Scotland; to sea level in Cornwall and Ireland; from sand dunes to heathland; from dense woodland to ancient wood pasture, and occasionally to some very scary cliff edges, looking for Whitebeams.

Trees of Britain and Ireland provides a comprehensive overview of the interdependent relationships between trees and a variety of plant, animal, fungal, and lichen species. Why did you think it was so important to highlight these relationships, and how did you decide which additional species to include?

The web of life that surrounds our trees is truly astonishing, from tiny wasps to bats, from fungi to Ospreys – they all live in and on trees. Selecting the range of species to illustrate was difficult and, of course, there was also a bit of personal preference in the final choices! In some cases, the selection process was very difficult. To my surprise, the biodiversity of some species, like Wild Cherry, doesn’t appear to be well studied – something I hadn’t realised until working on this book.  

Beech by Jon Stokes.
Beech by Jon Stokes.

It was evident throughout the book that this is a clear, easily digestible guide suitable for readers of all abilities. How important do you think nature accessibility and education is for future generations?

I have had the pleasure of spending my working life engaging people with nature. From guided walks, to lectures and talks, I love showing people new aspects of the world around us. Life is fascinating and every day is a school day. For example: Why are leaves green?  How do trees grow? Why is that tree, that shape? These are the questions that enthral me daily. I guess this is a long-winded way of saying that I believe learning about nature is vital to all of us, all the time, and at any age. I hope this book sparks an interest in learning more about my beloved trees. I hope it sparks a desire to go out and explore other aspects of our beautiful islands and the wealth of wildlife we have here.

What patterns did you notice whilst researching conservation status in the UK, and what are your hopes for the future conservation and protection of our native trees and plants?

This is a really interesting question. I now realise that, before researching this book, I hadn’t really thought about the conservation status of many of our trees and shrubs. Yet, Britain and Ireland actually have many rare and globally endangered species growing exclusively here, like many of the endemic Whitebeams and the Wild Cotoneaster. Our knowledge of our rare trees is sometimes scant. In the last twelve months, new information has emerged about our elm trees, suggesting there may be new and rare elm species hiding in plain sight.  

So, what are my hopes for the future of these rare species? Well, if nothing else, the development of the book allowed me to clearly articulate the importance of these rare trees in my work. More importantly, I hope a better understanding of the importance of these rare trees will allow better protection to be developed for these globally rare species growing in these islands. 

Blackthorn flowers by Jon Stokes.
Blackthorn flowers by Jon Stokes.

What’s taking up your time at the moment? Are you working on any other books or projects that we can hear about?

In terms of projects, there is one current Tree Council project that is very important to me. This project draws on work undertaken twenty years ago when, with my fellow authors and photographers, we had the privilege of writing a number of books on our ‘Heritage Trees’ – trees that are as important to the nation as some of our great stately homes and castles. From 2000-year-old yews, to astonishing old broadleaved trees like the Bowthorpe Oak, we featured a range of these iconic trees to show the amazing living heritage we have in Britain and Ireland. Now 20 years on, we are revisiting the trees to see how they have fared over the last two decades and the results of this will be published later in the summer. It’s already clear that while some of the trees have thrived over this time, others have not done so well. Our aim is for this project to lead to the development of new guidance on how to better protect our most important trees, to ensure that we can marvel at these ‘Green Monuments’ and hear their stories for many decades to come.

Trees of Britain and Ireland book cover.

Trees of Britain and Ireland is available from our online bookstore.

Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook: Author Interview

Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook cover.The third edition of the Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook is based on the most recent research and practical experience available on the ecology of Hazel Dormice. It provides information on best practices for conservation, whilst a separate publication, the Hazel Dormouse Mitigation Handbook, offers further information for those involved in development projects across the UK that may affect Hazel Dormouse populations.

We recently had the opportunity to speak to authors Simone Bullion, Rob Wolton and Ian White about the most recent volume, including the latest updates, how they became interested in Dormouse conservation and more.


Authors of Dormouse Conservation Handbook.

Firstly, can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you became interested in Dormouse conservation?

Simone Bullion:  

It was 25 years ago, when I had newly started a job with the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, that two events acted as a catalyst for my great interest in dormice. Firstly, I was approached by my friend, Pat Morris, to support the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme by helping to increase the number of people with dormouse licences. At the same time, there was a release of captive-bred dormice into a Suffolk woodland close to where I was living, giving me the opportunity to study them first hand. A series of funded projects followed, which helped increase our knowledge of their distribution across the county – this then initiated conservation action to restore vital linkages by planting kilometres of hedgerows. However, through time, the more I found out about dormice, the more it seemed they hadn’t read the book. Habitats that I felt quite certain would support dormice often resulted in several attempts to confirm their presence. Clearly, there were better places to nest than in the boxes and tubes I was offering them, so that led to my interest in footprint tunnels as an alternative detection method. There is still much to learn about dormice, but working with such an interesting and charismatic species has been a privilege.   

Rob Wolton: 

My fascination with dormice, and indeed with hedges themselves, really started when I noticed strange round nests in the hedges on our farm in Devon. As a keen birdwatcher, I could not place them. Until, one day about 30 years ago, a dormouse popped out! My first. That was the prompt that made me start to look seriously at hedges and at their wildlife, a passion that remains with me to this day. Each autumn I must admit to becoming more than a little fixated with trying to spot dormouse nests in our hedges as I walk around the farm, checking the stock or walking the dog. For several years my wife Paula took care of one, a three-legged female, no longer fit for captive breeding at Paignton Zoo. Dora, as we named her, was a huge draw, a natural lead in to talk about the farm’s wildlife and how we were encouraging it. There are few such endearing and engaging mammals. 

Ian White: 

I had always had an interest in conservation, but after university I worked in the retail sector. I then embarked on a new career path in my 40’s, thinking that I would become a wildlife ranger. During a training course I was asked to put together a presentation on a British mammal – I chose shrews, and so started an interest in small mammals. I was fascinated by the fact that many were considered common, but based on what? It appeared that very little was known about this group compared with larger mammals. My initial interest in dormice was somewhat biased in that, due to their conservation status, they were the only small mammal that anybody was likely to pay me for. Now after over twenty years working with dormice, I think that they are a fabulous ambassador for many other species, and they still fascinate me now as much as they did when I first saw one.

Dormouse Conservation Handbook.

The Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook marks the third edition of this vital text; what can we expect from this updated volume?

Much research has been undertaken on various aspects of dormouse ecology since the release of the second Dormouse Conservation Handbook in 2006. As a result of several PhD theses and other studies, much more is known about their habitat requirements, hibernation ecology, population biology and genetics. New survey techniques are also included to aid with detection of this sometimes very elusive species. 

Unlike previous editions which integrated conservation, mitigation and the effects of development within one title, the third edition presents this information into two distinct handbooks. Why was it necessary to separate this information into two guides? 

Landowners, land managers and the voluntary sector continue to have a significant interest in dormouse ecology and habitat management. Separately, there is a professional interest in this protected species in the context of land use planning. Specialist knowledge has also increased, in terms of understanding best practice approaches to minimise the impacts on dormice from development. Consequently, it was decided to separate these areas of interest into two books. It is envisaged that the Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook will be useful to anyone with an interest in dormice, as it covers their ecology, survey techniques and habitat management. The Hazel Dormouse Mitigation Handbook will be essential as an additional and complementary reference to support the work of professional ecologists and others involved in planning.

Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) by Frank Vassen, via flickr.
Hazel dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) by Frank Vassen, via flickr.

Since the 1996 publication of the first Dormouse Conservation Handbook, how have Dormouse populations and their conservation status changed? 

Sadly, Hazel Dormice have continued to decline. The ‘State of Britain’s Dormice 2023’ reported a 70% decline of dormice in monitored populations since 2000. If the observed annual rate of decline of 5.7% were to continue unabated, then dormouse counts would be expected to have fallen by more than 90% by 2034.  It is also believed that there has been a loss of the species from 20 English counties over the past 100 years.  Consequently, they are currently considered a vulnerable species and in danger of further localised extinction in Britain. 

Which factors pose the greatest threats to dormice in the present day, and what conservation strategies are being employed in an attempt to mitigate their effects? 

Whilst dormice are can live in a wide range of woody habitats, they thrive in the mid-stages of successional regrowth of woodland after coppicing, in networks of sensitively managed hedges and in scrub. However, woodland management has declined during the last 100 years; only half of our hedgerows are in favourable condition and scrub is much maligned.  Dormice are also particularly vulnerable to habitat fragmentation.  To be effective, dormouse conservation therefore requires landscape-scale thinking to deliver the necessary increases and improvements in their habitat, and to restore connectivity. This will also help remaining dormouse populations become more resilient to localised changes, as well as the negative impacts of unfavourable weather and climate change.  

However, there are parts of their former range where natural recolonisation of dormice is extremely unlikely.  The dormouse reintroduction programme, administered by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, focuses on consolidating the current range of dormice, working to restore dormice at landscape level to create robust metapopulations. 

Muscardinus avellanarius by xulescu_g, via flickr.
Muscardinus avellanarius by xulescu_g, via flickr.

Dormouse research relies heavily on the work of volunteer dormouse monitors, demonstrating the essential role of volunteers in conservation.  What does this volunteer role entail, how does it support conservation, and how can the public get involved?

The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (NDMP) has been running for over 25 years and is a powerful tool in monitoring population trends.  As it relies on volunteers, it also provides an opportunity for people to interact with wildlife and see a dormouse close up – something that rarely happens in the wild.  As dormice are a highly protected species, checking boxes for their presence must be undertaken by a trained licence holder.  This training can take several years to complete, and numbers of trainees are often limited by the sites available, so sometimes there can be a waiting list to start.  However, non-licence holders can also assist with putting up boxes, helping record the data and undertaking winter repairs to the boxes when they are unoccupied.  

Other ways people can also get involved is to volunteer with one of your local conservation charities to help manage habitats to benefit dormice.  

What do you hope the reader can learn from the Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook?

Dormice act as umbrella species for our native wildlife. Their habitats are home to a broad range of other species and retention of their populations is a strong indicator of habitat integrity at a landscape scale. Put simply, if we get it right for dormice, we get it right for many other species as well.  We therefore hope that this handbook will help to aid the recovery of this important species.  

Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook cover.

Hazel Dormouse Conservation Handbook is available from our bookstore here.

Interview with Devon’s Living Churchyard Project

Over the last 6 months, NHBS has had the opportunity to work alongside Devon’s Living Churchyard Project by donating a number of bat and bird boxes to be installed in a range of churches across Devon to support local wildlife. This initiative aims to manage churchyards while also encouraging wildlife, biodiversity and promoting sustainable management practices.

We recently spoke with David Curry, former Voluntary Environmental Advisor at the Living Churchyard Project, about his role, the importance of preserving these habitats and more.


Firstly, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you first became interested in biodiversity, particularly within churchyards?

I began my career working as Keeper of Natural History at Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery, and later St. Albans museums in Hertfordshire. I am now retired, having worked mainly in local government for 50 years, where I first worked in heritage departments and planning.  

My main role in planning was as an enabler – working with community groups in developing and managing wildlife sites – these ranged from changing derelict chalk stream cress beds into chalk wetlands, to planning and establishing community orchards ranging in size from 1ha to 72ha. 

I’m an old-fashioned naturalist, today it’s called biodiversity. 

In 1986 the Living Churchyard Project was set up by the Arthur Rank Centre to encourage the use of churchyards as a community environmental resource and to raise environmental awareness. I took an active interest in the project and began to visit and record churchyards in my area. I then lead the Devon Living Churchyards Project in a voluntary capacity for the Church of England’s Diocese of Exeter, while working in partnership with the national charity Caring for God’s Acre project.   

18 leaves etc. Danson Park by Brian Toward, via flickr.
18 leaves etc. Danson Park by Brian Toward, via flickr.

What does the role of a voluntary Environmental Advisor entail?

September 2023 saw the publication of the 4th State of Nature (SON) Report.  

The report provides the most comprehensive overview ever of species trends across the UK, laying bare the stark fact that nature is still seriously declining across a country that is already one of the most nature-depleted in the world. 

The data shows that since 1970, UK species have declined by about 19% on average, and nearly 1 in 6 species (16.1%) are now threatened with extinction. This is a timely reminder, if we needed it, that the nature crisis isn’t restricted to far-off places like the Amazon or Great Barrier Reef – it is right here, on our doorstep. We are losing familiar wildlife that we cherish including the Hazel Dormouse and Skylark.  

SON goes beyond the bare statistics to assess the evidence behind these differences, it also identifies the actions that are needed to recover nature. To quote the report; “We have never had a better understanding of the State of Nature and what is needed to fix it.” 

Exeter Diocese 

The Diocese of Exeter is part of the Church of England and covers the whole of Devon. There are over 600 churches in the diocese, many of them rural, and there are over 2,000ha of glebelands (areas of land owned by the Church of England) which are used as a source of income through rents etc. 

Opportunities 

So, what are the issues that that needed to be addressed? And what are the opportunities to address them? 

Evidence from the State of Nature report, and elsewhere, points to four big on-the-ground changes that we can take to accelerate nature recovery: 

  1. Improve the quality of our protected sites on land and at sea. These places have been chosen because they are special for nature, and wildlife should be thriving within them, yet too many are currently in poor condition. 
  2. Create more, bigger and messier places for wildlife. Our wildlife needs more space, and we know that many species can benefit from habitats that are quick to create such as ponds, scrubby habitats and un-trimmed hedgerows. 
  3. Reducing pollution on land (notably pesticides and excess fertilisers) and reducing the pressure on marine environments. This means more wildlife-friendly farming, forestry and fisheries. 
  4. Targeted species recovery action. This can be very effective when applied to a high proportion of a species’ population, and is also key to bringing back lost species. 

Churchyards and their unique habitats provide a recipe for recovery in that they can be used to create more, bigger and messier places for wildlife. But also, the local communities must have the chance to be part of these changes. Establishing a Nature Recovery Network of ‘honeypot’ churches has been key. A pilot scheme working with the South Devon National Landscapes Life on the Edge project and Buglife has surveyed churches along the South Devon B Line from Wembury near Plymouth to Brixham (2023/2024). From the data collected, we will be able to provide churchyard management action plans to improve the biodiversity of each site, creating ‘honeypot’ churches. 

In Conclusion 

The picture of ongoing nature loss painted by the SON report is stark. This isn’t just sad – nature loss undermines our economy, food systems and health and wellbeing. So, we owe it to nature, and ourselves, to make sure that it is the last State of Nature report to chart continuing decline. Churchyards, in particular the Living Churchyards project, can make a positive contribution towards nature recovery in Devon and ensure that the next SON report can document the start of nature bouncing back. 

“Nature’s recovery in Devon is not something we can achieve alone. It needs the support of individuals, communities, businesses and schools.” Devon Wildlife Trust 

Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) by Peter O'Connor, via flickr.
Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) by Peter O’Connor, via flickr.

Why do you think creating new habitats, and restoring old ones, is important for these spaces, and which species are you hoping to attract to the area with the installation of our habitat boxes? 

Encouraging a diversity of species on a site is important. Installing the NHBS habitat boxes will provide both shelter and protection to various species such as bats, swifts, and bees. 

Why do you think these vital areas of biodiversity are so often overlooked, and how do you think we can work to improve their future preservation? 

Mention churchyards to anyone and they will usually shrug their shoulders. 

A churchyard is many things to many people; 

  • A pleasant, reflective place for the congregation and visitors 
  • An environment in keeping with the function of burial and the scattering of cremated remains 
  • A respected and cared for part of our environment 

No one mentions its potential as a sanctuary for wildlife. That’s the problem. People will walk past a church cemetery without giving a thought to looking inside, after all it’s a cemetery containing graves and memorials for the dead. 

Raising awareness about the wildlife in the churchyard or the peace and tranquillity takes priority.  We need to make the entrance more welcoming with appropriate signage. 

‘People protect what they love’ – Jacque Yves Cousteau. This quote encapsulates the basic human instinct that drives us to safeguard and preserve the things that hold a special place in our hearts. Whether it be our loved ones, our communities or nature. At its core, this quote highlights the importance of connectiveness. Our modern culture has disconnected us from nature, and as ambassadors for nature we need to reconnect people, encourage people to understand and love nature and to be motivated to protect it. 

Nature can also trigger positive emotions, reduce stress, increase prosocial behaviour, and improve health and wellness.

Hart's-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) by Peter O'Connor, via flickr.
Hart’s-tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium) by Peter O’Connor, via flickr.

What are the most interesting species that you’ve found in some of the churchyards you’ve visit? 

Gosh, how long is a piece of string? Because churchyards have been oases in space and time, largely immune from activities beyond their walls, they have become sanctuaries for a wide range of species. Churchyards provide a mosaic of habitats, from meadowland to woodland edge, dense hedges, short and long grass cover and a variety of ‘cliff’ and rock habitats in the form of the church wall and gravestones. They can harbour a startling number (often many hundreds) of species and no doubt conceal rare and interesting creatures and plants. The range of rock types on headstones are of special value to lichens and other lowly plants, some of which may be very rare. 

Old cob boundary walls maybe especially interesting, offering hole nesting species including many species of solitary bees with places to lay eggs. These in turn attract the inevitable parasites, some of which are often over-looked but impressively sci-fi in appearance. Part of the peregrine falcon ‘come back’ after they dwindled to near extinction was fuelled by the nest site opportunities of church buildings – they are now a regular site perched on bell towers. Likewise, the shocking decline of swifts is now being reversed thanks to the installation of nest boxes in bell towers. 

4 images in a square showing 4 different species found in Exeter Diocese graveyards.

Love Your Burial Ground Week, celebrated every June, is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of churchyards and celebrate their natural diversity. How can the local community get involved? 

Saturday 7th June to Sunday the 15th June 2025. 

Love Your Burial Ground Week is a celebratory week which has been running for many years. Caring for God’s Acre has been encouraging all who help to look after churchyards, chapel yards and cemeteries to celebrate these fantastic places in the lovely month of June – in any way you choose.  

We’ve seen history talks, picnics, bat walks, storytelling, volunteering work parties and even abseiling teddy bears!

Churches Count on Nature 2025 runs at the same time as Love Your Burial Ground Week, and focuses on the brilliant wildlife to be found in churchyards and chapel yards. It is a joint initiative promoted by Caring for God’s Acre, the Church of England, the Church in Wales and A Rocha UK. 

In the months leading up to June we shall be working with Caring for God’s Acre to encourage church communities throughout Devon to take part in this exciting event. There is a wealth of information on how you can open your churchyard to visitors provided by Caring for Gods Acre.

This Week in Biodiversity News – 31st March

Conservation 

A new exclusion zone has been established along the Anglesey coastline to protect vulnerable wildlife. The RSPB have been granted permission to safeguard the area, which serves as vital breeding ground for Choughs, and key habitat for Peregrine Falcons, rare British plants and lichens. The exclusion zone will remain in place until 15th September to minimise harm from recreational activities in the area, such as coasteering. 

Kentish Glory Moth
Kentish Glory Moth (rotated) by Michael Taylor via Flickr

In collaboration with Butterfly Conservation, Natural England, and Forestry England, Twycross Zoo has launched a project to reintroduce the extinct Kentish Glory moth to England. Since the launch of the project, conservationists have collected DNA samples from existing populations in the Cairngorms to help improve the chances of a successful reintroduction, and over the coming months, conservationists will conduct feasibility evaluations, with the Wyre Forest noted as a potential reintroduction site. 

Policy 

The UK is set to introduce a Natural History GCSE, one of the first new GCSEs in a decade. Confirmed by the Education Minister on the 21st of March, the curriculum will cover both local and global environment, from local wildlife and habitat to global climate challenges and sustainability. Intended to foster an understanding and protection of nature, the new GCSE will be delivered nationwide, with a revised criteria to provide fieldwork opportunities to young people. The government will consult on the curriculum this year, ensuring relevance for both urban and rural students. 

Glass eels will no longer be exported to Russia from British estuaries after a UK government ban. Defra refused a request to send millions of glass eels to a restocking project in Kaliningrad, ending a trade that saw roughly three million eels exported last year. The species, red-listed and down 95% since the 1980s, was previously shipped via a conservation loophole from the UK. Conservationists argue these eels should instead be used to replenish depleted English and Welsh rivers. 

Red Grouse
Red Grouse by Caroline Legg via Flickr

Labour has announced plans to ban deep-peat burning in England, in order to protect vital habitats, reduce carbon emissions, and safeguard wildlife. These plans target the practice of burning vegetation, which is often utilised to create habitat suitable for grouse hunting. Labour’s plans seek to tighten the existing legislation introduced by the previous Conservative government, expanding protected areas by 146,000 hectares. UK peatland is estimated to store 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon alone – intentional burning of peatland vegetation releases stored carbon and can harm wildlife residing in this habitat.  

Brazil’s ‘Poison Bill’ has loosened restrictions on agrochemicals that are hazardous to human health and the environment. A dramatic surge in pesticide use has been observed within the Amazon – specifically, the use of mancozeb has increased by a staggering 5,600%, and atrazine by 575% in just over a decade, despite their bans in the EU. Experts warn that these relaxed controls will severely impact the Amazon’s biodiversity, posing heightened risks to Indigenous peoples, riverside communities, and small farmers exposed to these harmful substances. 

Science 

An exhaustive global analysis of over 2,000 studies, and 100,000 sites across all continents, confirms the profound impact of human activity on biodiversity. This landmark paper marks the first attempt at combining results from so many studies and provides unprecedented clarity on the influence of human activity. Researchers identified distinct shifts in community composition and marked decreases in local diversity across all habitats and species groups included in the study, and five drivers of loss – including habitat change, resource exploitation and pollution – had strong impacts on diversity loss.  

Whale shark by Daniel Gillaspia

Author interview with Flemming Ulf-Hansen: Exmoor

Exmoor Book Cover.This lavishly illustrated and comprehensive book marks the 150th volume in the renowned New Naturalist series, and details the wildlife, landscapes and natural history of Exmoor to reveal its incredible biodiversity. As someone actively involved with the environment of the South-West, the author provides the reader with a scholarly yet accessible volume on this abundant area.

Flemming Ulf-Hansen portrait photograph.Flemming Ulf-Hansen is an ecologist with nearly 37 years of experience working in wildlife conservation, primarily across Exmoor and Salisbury Plain. He is the founding chair of the Exmoor Mires Project and specializes in ecological restoration, with a host of expertise in grassland, woodland, and heathland management, as well as invasive species control. He joined the Nature Conservancy Council in 1988 and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2010 to study habitat restoration.

We recently spoke to Flemming about Exmoor, where he explains why a book on this area was needed, how rewilding may benefit this vital landscape, what he’s currently working on and more.


Volume 27 of the New Naturalist series, the first to explore Dartmoor, was published over 70 years ago. Why do you feel that a title on Exmoor was important to produce?

Exmoor’s wildlife has been neglected in published work for over 40 years, with perhaps the exception of the battles over heathland ploughing. Since the 1953 Dartmoor title, we have had a second volume in 2009, by Ian Mercer. Exmoor is one of the three moorlands in southern England, the other being Bodmin Moor – and one that spans the upland-lowland boundary. But it has a special ingredient – the coast! Exmoor’s somewhat remote location on the north coast of Somerset and Devon means that its wildlife has had less attention. With only Minehead, Dulverton or Combe Martin close by, there is no great supply of recorders in major towns or cities. An additional goal has been to highlight unpublished or grey literature, ensuring that this valuable information is accessible and not overlooked.  

Exmoor National Park supports a wide range of habitats: blanket bogs, dry heath, scrub and peatland to name just a few. Why is this landscape so vital and what is its ecological value in the UK?

The elements of a moorland landscape you highlighted were the main reason for the designation of the National Park. Its position as an upland massif on the western seaboard gives it a distinctiveness with a disposition of low- and higher-altitude communities, perhaps unique to southwest England. The western heaths can locally dominate the landscape, and the vibrant purple and yellow colours of flowering heathers and Western Gorse are a treat in early autumn which harbour Stonechat and Dartford Warbler. Well-developed mosaics and transitions between moorland and woodland are a feature and provide structure, shelter and rich foraging habitat for wildlife, including a home for some special species, like the Heath Fritillary butterfly. 

The woods should also be highlighted. Their position on the west coast of the British Isles brings moisture and a mild climate associated with the Gulf Stream. For many fungi, bryophytes and ferns these are ideal conditions, and Exmoor’s lichens reach international importance. Large sheets of western mosses and liverworts carpeting rocky ground among abundant ferns are Exmoor’s equivalent of lowland Britain’s much-vaunted Bluebell woods. They have been recently identified as temperate rainforest, placing them in a wider context. 

Porlock bay by Marilyn Peddle, via flickr.
Porlock bay by Marilyn Peddle, via flickr.

Exmoor is not typically known for its coastline – did the limited accessibility of this environment pose challenges in researching and writing Chapter 8?

It should be better known, as it is one of its high points! But yes, the steepness of the cliffs, including England’s highest at Great Hangman, combined with few rivers cutting down to the sea to allow safe access, has deterred much survey work. It has meant that, for example, cliffs are surveyed from a boat with binoculars. Spotting whitebeams is just about possible, but identifying rare or endemic members of the group is not. It was an ambition of mine – yet to be realised – to try and age cliff-edge Yews which were noted as far back as 1874 by the Midlands botanist Edwin Lees, at Combe Martin. The climbers who pioneered the Exmoor Traverse knew some of the locations well, the largest of which is probably at Wringapeak. They may well hold some surprises and form a reservoir of ancient trees and remnants of unspoilt natural woodland. 

In the marine environment there is no doubt that severe tides have limited exploration. I have had to rely on old data or records from very scattered locations. There is just one place where the seashore or seabed can be reached, Glenthorne, in the 12 km stretch of remote coast between Gore Point and The Foreland on the Devon side.   

Chapter 10 highlights the increasing popularity of ‘rewilding’ approaches, a prime example being the Knepp Estate in West Sussex. How do you think this method might benefit Exmoor, and what recommendations might you have for a rewilding approach?

Parts of Exmoor are of course deliciously wild, they are just not easy to see –the steep slopes and cliffs for instance. Of course, rewilding has in effect been happening on parts of Exmoor anyway, just not by design – I am thinking about originally open, marginal land transitioning to secondary woodland over the last 50–100 years.  

To restore more wildlife to Exmoor, we will need to embrace fundamental ecosystem processes across larger areas of wilder, semi-natural habitats with more wetland and forest. The range of approaches is great, and we should not be too purist. In some areas active intervention may be needed, such as by introduction of beavers or other herbivores. In other areas we can adopt ‘agricultural rewilding’, which aims to restore ecosystem functions using lower-intensity human interventions, such as the management and harvest of livestock.  

Exmoor by Eric de Redelijkheid, via flickr.
Exmoor by Eric de Redelijkheid, via flickr.

The Exmoor Nature Recovery Vision is an ambitious vision for a thriving, diverse landscape on Exmoor. What are the first steps to achieving this vision in your eyes, and how realistic do you think this vision is?

We can’t continue to spend time tinkering with the status quo. We need a step change and swift action. This won’t be possible with cuts in budgets of statutory bodies and the National Park Authority. For example, cuts in Natural England staff dealing with protected sites have been drastic and persistent. Projects relying on input of time have withered on the vine of neglect. Short-termism caused by short cycles of funding projects doesn’t help to achieve change in land management, which is a long-term game. Implementation is the key now, which requires partnership, appropriate tools and funding, and steadfast determination. 

The vision is achievable but only with significant change in land away from the protected sites. These areas may not be perfect, but at least there are mechanisms in place to help. Exmoor’s farmed and enclosed land amounts to about 65% of the park, and much is agriculturally ‘improved’ land that has little wildlife interest. These areas could form a source of land for recovery, if the incentives and mechanisms are in place. 

What are you working on next? Do you have any more writing projects lined up? 

I have retired after nearly 37 years of working for the government’s wildlife body. I am going to tackle some tasks at home, as well as enjoy experiencing more nature by travelling a bit, before settling on another project.

Exmoor Book Cover.

Exmoor is available from our online bookstore here.