Back to school…

Having read the article on the proposed Natural History GCSE (Lessons for the future, April 2021), I offer the following thoughts. Regardless of which subject(s) a student wishes to pursue to exam level, all are given a grounding in reading, writing and arithmetic (the ‘three Rs’), geography, history and general science.

These are the building blocks to choose from later.

A more rounded educational background would be achieved if this were broadened to include ecology from the earliest possible opportunity. This is natural science and can be localised as nature studies. A patch of grass and heaps of stones or fallen wood offer a fantastic resource, so distance from ‘countryside’ need not inhibit the student.

Nature is a fun subject, encompassing open air, observation, experimentation and research. It raises questions that may be answered in books or online. The basic ‘three Rs’ cannot avoid being used in the process. Later, as with other foundation subjects, choices can be made and a flexible curriculum adopted.

Margaret Parslow, Hampshire mention because, in practice, this is needed, as evidenced not least by its frequent occurrences in issues of BBC Wildlife. Tony Watson, via email

I fully agree with Mark – despite the work done by many conservation organisations, it’s not working.

We’re saying goodbye to turtle doves in England and to the northern white rhinos on the planet, despite all that has been done so far.

Not only do we need nature reserves, but we all need a countryside that works for farmers and landowners as well as for nature. It needs rewilding. We need a world that is nature-friendly and, to get this global change, everyone needs to start local – my garden is now an evolving wildlife garden and I’m part of a local biodiversity group. On a different scale, I make sure my MP knows of my concerns.

I urge all readers of Mark’s column to do whatever they can to rewild their area.

Mike Woodcock, via email

I wholeheartedly agree with Mark. We are still largely playing round the edges of conservation or rewilding – whichever term you’d like to use! As a guardian for WWF, I support major projects that go further in rewilding terms.

A good book to read on this subject that can serve to bring this message home and inspire others is Wilding by Isabella Tree – yes, a lot of funding was gained but the results at Knepp are magical.

Peter A, via email

I read Mark’s rewilding article and decided that he must be dreaming.

When he started working in conservation, the UK population was about 50 million. Today, the numbers are about 70 million. When certain species went extinct in the UK, the population was probably 25–30 million. The equivalent in the world population would be 3 billion, 4.9 billion and 7.2 billion today.

Wake up, Mark, we are failing miserably to conserve the fragments of nature that we have left – a pretty sorry admission to make. They can’t even safeguard the deer in parks from uncontrolled dogs or hares from coursing. On the world scene, the pangolin, tiger, elephant and rhino are still being poached and traded.

Peter Thomas, via email

Too little, too late?

Though we are about to see new UK farming policy come into play, I fear this will not go far enough to reverse the already catastrophic decline in wildlife across the country.

Too often, farmers and landowners are seen as the bastions of nature, which is unfortunate, as the evidence shows this has not protected wildlife or the environment.

As with any industry, farming and country estates are businesses, putting food on their tables as well as our own, and, of course, there are some who help nature, too. It is not the business of farmers or landowners to save the planet – they need help and support to achieve this.

We need to stop assuming landowners can or want to protect the environment, or relying on relatively small areas protected by NGOs. For wildlife and habitats to thrive, the Government needs all industries to prioritise keeping our air, soil and waters healthy, for all our sakes.

Simon Marsh, via email CORRECTIONS Spring 2021, St Kilda feature: the image on page 74 showed an Arctic skua, not a great skua as the caption stated.