James Hitchcock

@luketryl.bsky.social Hi Luke, have you published the full MiC polling on Labour defectors and nature policies that was discussed in the Guardian this week? Thanks! -
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

So pleased to announce Mark Drakeford - sponsored by @jameshitch.bsky.social with @rewildingbritain.org.uk - as the last MS to join our Species Champion project for 2021-2026 term! Just under the wire, we'll be trying to peregrine-spot at City Hall very soon

cardiffjournalism.co.uk/intercardiff...

If you agree the govt should not strip away our right to protest, add your name

Hey!

I just called on the UK government to scrap anti-protest laws which attack our hard won democratic freedoms.

Please can you defend the right to protest too by signing the petition?

act.gp/3pIM9ns

‘It fully changed my life!’ How young rewilders transformed a farm – and began a movement At Maple Farm, nature is returning in droves: nightingales, grass snakes, slowworms, bats and insects. All due to the vision of a group determined to accelerate its recovery

Reasons to be cheerful. Part 1.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

COP30 fire: BBC at the scene of 'intense' blaze Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt was at the UN climate talks in Brazil when a fire broke out.

Talk about a metaphor 😀

You really couldn't make it up

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

this is brilliant satire:

“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."

The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey The BBC belongs to all of us, and it is under attack as never before. The government must defend it from its enemies, within and without, says Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey

"To ensure the BBC’s independence, impartiality and trust, Robbie Gibb should have no role in appointing the new director general"

Good call by @eddavey.libdems.org.uk:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Sanity. Thankfully.

How far we've slipped that this appeal even came to be needed.

I feel relief and joy for Marcus and his family.

With a lack of leadership on climate in the face of widespread public support, what else are people supposed to do?

How did we beat Nigel Farage and Reform in Caerphilly? We stood by our convictions | Rhun ap Iorwerth Welsh voters have rejected Labour and Starmerite managerialism. By offering hope and not division we showed the populist right can be beaten, says Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru

The populist right can be beaten when people are offered hope and a vision of a fairer future.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Bromsgrove South (Worcestershire) Council By-Election Result:

🔶 LDM: 51.9% (+20.3)
➡️ RFM: 33.4% (-1.5)
🌳 CON: 11.3% (-5.8)
🌹 LAB: 3.4% (-4.1)

No GRN (-5.5) or Ind (-3.4) as previous.

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Reform.
Changes w/ 2025.

⏰It's time: the EU’s credibility on human rights & climate is on the line.

Ahead of the #Omnibus I vote, 140+ EU & non-EU CSOs urge MEPs to back a strong, fair deal that protects workers, communities & our planet, not corporate interests.

corporatejustice.org/publications...

*gasp*

We don't just want 9 river walks, we want access to all rivers. 96% of rivers in England and Wales have no rights of access. Landowners have blocked public access to rivers for centuries. Labour's promise is just 9 new river walks. We say that's not enough.

World’s oceans losing their greenness through global heating, study finds Researchers say decline in phytoplankton suggests weakened planetary capacity to absorb carbon dioxide

This is the third story in the past week detailing how natural carbon sinks are starting to falter. We don’t know nearly enough about how these tipping points could play out, but the potential for genuinely terrifying outcomes should be obvious by now.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Come on over …

You'd hope to get one off the back of that speech!

Emma Reynolds speech at Labour Party Conference drew on the 'spirit of Kinder Trespass' as a core Labour value......
Could this be a sign of hope?

Food is wrecking the planet. And Europe has lost its appetite for change. A landmark study says food systems are breaching Earth’s limits. Europe once promised to lead the way, but the revolution fizzled.

“Food is at the heart of both human well-being and planetary health,” said co-chair Shakuntala Thilsted. “Transformation must go beyond producing enough calories. It must guarantee the right to food, fair work and a healthy environment for all.”

www.politico.eu/article/food...

Fur real good
🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🦫🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

Beavers set to become protected species in Wales under legislation The changes bring Wales into line with England and Scotland in recognising beavers as requiring protection.

A big step forward for Wales.

Nice work Welsh Government.

Strong wording around their vital role in helping nature recovery, water quality and flow.

#beavers #nature

BBC News - Beavers set to become a protected species in Wales
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Senior Tories dismayed at Badenoch’s ‘catastrophic’ vow to repeal Climate Change Act Theresa May, Alok Sharma, business and church leaders say plan would harm UK and not even Margaret Thatcher would have countenanced it

Kemi Badenoch's pledge to scrap the Climate Change Act has now been condemned by Theresa May, Lord Deben (John Gummer), Alok Sharma, the Confederation of British Industry, the Church of England, the Catholic Church - all previously mainstays of the Tory party: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Meat is a leading emissions source – but few outlets report on it, analysis finds Sentient Media reveals less than 4% of climate news stories mention animal agriculture as source of carbon emissions

“.as the climate crisis has accelerated, it is increasingly indefensible for 📰 of climate change not to make it clear that this crisis is driven by very specific human activities – primarily burning fossil fuels. And in 2nd place is food, agriculture, forestry.”

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Diolch

Country diary: Searching for sanctuary, we find something else entirely | Eben Muse Drakes Broughton, Worcestershire: The scourge of rural litter is enough to bring anyone together, even a farmer and us, trying to camp for the night in his field

Lovely piece.

"As he drives off, waving, I wonder why this kind of interaction feels so rare, so unexpected, in the British countryside."

Well. Quite.

A Right to Roam and a Responsible Access Code could be the change.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

We need to re-set the debate on farming Speech in the Senedd on 16th July 2025 Let me start with the obvious: Farming is hard. I am proud to come from a family of farmers, and I un...

Very well said. 👏👏👏

I'd also add: food is a commodity that we pay for at point of sale. Our taxes should be spent on public benefits, delivering multiple targets and helping save money across departments.

amanwy.blogspot.com/2025/07/we-n...

Sheep are destroying precious British habitats – and we taxpayers are footing the bill | Chris Packham Large parts of Dartmoor have been denuded of wildlife, harmed by farming and a mess of government schemes that are costly in every way, says naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham

All power to @chrisgpackham.bsky.social and @wildjustice.bsky.social in pursuing this crucial case.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Pro-grouse shooting Labour MP Sam Rushworth received £10,000 donation from local grouse moor gamekeeper group Perhaps the most surprising pro-grouse shooting voice at Monday’s Westminster Hall debate on driven grouse shooting was Sam Rushworth MP, the Labour MP for Bishop Auckland. Wild Justice descr…

Oh! His support for driven grouse shooting during Monday's debate now makes a lot more sense!

FYI, @oliviablakemp.bsky.social

raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/03/p...

Photo of Rewilding Britain's James Hitchcock and Ollie Newham in front of a stand at the Welsh Labour Party conference.

We're at the Welsh Labour Party Conference this week, complete with exhibition stand and our Rewilding Manifesto, ready to talk about what rewilding could do for nature in Wales.

If you’re attending, please make sure to stop by and say hello – we're at Stand 37 in the Atrium.

Welwn ni chi yno! 👋

Screenshot of a Guardian news story overlayed on a background photo of the sea. The news story is titled: UK MPs call for ban on bottom trawling in protected marine areas'.

We’re thrilled to see the @commonseac.parliament.uk report featured today on The Guardian, calling for urgent action to protect UK seas. It contains many bold and vital steps that we champion in our Wilder Seas report, launched yesterday in collaboration with @mcsuk.bsky.social.

1/3

Join @oceanauk.bsky.social in demanding a ban on bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas👇
act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...