Wild Service Book Club: Paul Powesland talks to Patrick Barkham about his chapter, Guardianship

This is the fifth of 13 book club panel events, where you'll meet the authors of the different chapters with special guests. At this event, Patrick Barkham, nature writer and journalist, will be talking to Paul Powesland about his chapter in Wild Service - Guardianship

[joturner]

Your perspective of guardianship is what is vitally necessary, if our planet is to survive. Humanity's hubris and sense of entitlement regarding the natural world is destroying life on earth. We need more people with a vision for stewardship, creating effective regulations that will ensure habitat maintenance and healthy soil, water and air. Capitalism seems to be a major stumbling block towards these goals, however . So many of our regulatory bodies seem to bow to corporate pressure, ie pesticide manufacturers, private water companies, etc. Perhaps if people connect to nature from an early age, as Robert MacFarlane maintains, and Mary Colwell proposes in her Natural History GSCE curricullae, next generations will protect Nature as part of a foundational ethos. Look forward to reading your book. Thank you for caring enough to walk the talk...

[brimstone]

I don't think that it is fair to say that nobody is representing Nature in the planning system. I work for one of the 46 Wildlife Trusts in the UK and most do have some input into planning applications and can acheive some good outcomes. In Nottinghamshire we have been doing it for years and have made some major gains for nature and also worked with local pressure groups to stop some very harmful developments.