Helen Baczkowska

A suppressed warning finally appears: ecosystem collapse as a national security threat A government report on the national security implications of ecosystem collapse is finally out, and it’s even more shocking than feared

“The report warns that multiple ecosystem collapses are now likely, not merely hypothetical. These failures, it states, will have “dire implications” for national security and will require serious strategic adaptation merely to limit the damage.”

eastangliabylines.co.uk/opinion/a-su...

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) dying of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenze (HPAI). Once contracted, this disease invariably proved fatal for Gannets, and in 2022 ripped through Britain's breeding population, killing countless thousands of birds. Image © Jon Dunn

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) gathering marine waste to line its nest. This can have fatal consequences when birds entangle in plastic or nylon. Image © Jon Dunn

Gannets are fabulous. But they've had it tough lately. Marine pollution's a constant problem, and avian influenza hit them hard. The last thing they need is an annual hunt, even a small one in the name of tradition. Please consider signing to stop the hunt:

petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

Hazel - a tree of wisdom and inspiration, that gives joy with early catkins - one of the very first pollen sources of the year and a lifeline for queen bumblebees now emerging from hibernation. #Wildflowerhour @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Yesterday we planted 2 oak trees in memory of Romain Roch (poet, anarchist, friend & more) who died a month ago aged 22.

We read one of his poems, the words seeming all the more important hearing this morning news from Iran:

'Grow your heart to the size of the world.'

Looking forward to this!

Blackthorn! No it’s Cherry Plum! No it’s Blackthorn! Sort it out. Cherry Plum has green twigs, no thorns, reflexed sepals and flowers now. And is pretty gorgeous. Blackthorn equally so but in a few weeks #Wildflowerhour

Adding this to what we in my family call twitchy trees...those that clearly get up at night and move about a bit.

Twitchy trees are what we call the ones who look like they get up at night and shuffle about a bit.

I first heard this as a teenager, when we lived in fear of a nuclear war. It was 20 years old then. And still rings true.

Sadly it is Romain's memorial today, so mostly in church, but it St Gwendoline's, which was my grandmother's name, so feels welcoming. She was from a nearby valley, her voice had the rolling cadence of these hills.

Campaigners, overlooking Parliament in London, holding placards calling for an end to peat sales

Five people in front of No 10 Downing Street holding a petition box

Person in a bog costume with a box holding 16,742 signatures

Campaigners, overlooking Parliament in London, holding placards calling for an end to peat sales

We’re telling the Government to put an end to peat sales now! 📢

The destruction of peatlands has got to stop! We've handed in a petition with 16,000 signatures, calling for the government to ban peat sales in 2026.⚠️

Read more👇
https://loom.ly/KMRiz34

& email your MP to support

Careers | Wheatfen Nature Reserve | Broads National Park Discover careers and job opportunities working in the great outdoors at Wheatfen Nature Reserve.

Wheatfen reserve needs a new warden! Details of the job and how to apply can be found here: wheatfen.org/about-us/car...

No chiffchaffs here in Wales this morning, but woke up in my van in the hills, to ravens and dunnocks. Underrated song from dunnocks, I think. Ravens should be quiet at dawn I feel, let the others have a go for once.

That is awful. The need for surveys, specialists and understanding of sites and species is becoming devalued imho. Replacing us with AI and algorithms nonsense. And heather establishment a whole other discussion!!

Ohh, send your article over!

Increasingly feel that actual ecologists are often overlooked in so much decision making. Species rich grasslands are crucial for nature, and so rare now.

In celebration of Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s centenary, our friends The Book Hive have curated 10 years of my Norfolk Magazine columns - & words from other Norfolk authors - into This Wild Dream.

Details of the book and events at www.thebookhive.co.uk/product/this...

ALL profits go to NWT & nature.

Years ago I wrote an action plan for this fickle fungus, nice to see it still popping up in odd spots!

As persecution of wildlife becomes increasingly culturally embedded, Contributing Editor Tallulah Brennan urges us to side with the newts and microscopic snails for a chance at a richer life 🐌 www.caughtbytheriver.net/2026/02/shad...

A common land year, Exploring the many lives of Britain's common lands.

Escaped sheep, nuclear warheads, fractured memories of road protests and this year's damp February days.

Just part of the many lives of Britain's common lands

open.substack.com/pub/commonpl...

helenbaczkowska.com

‘It’s now or never’: Tunbridge Wells residents race to save commons from developers Campaign launched amid fears land in heart of Kent town that has been put up for sale could be turned into flats

'There's no common land left in England', someone told me once - there is and it is still being fought over.

@patrickbarkham.bsky.social shows how vulnerable commons can still be. Enclosure for development this time - always about profits from land.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

I have such fond memories of living by the Lambourn, following it upstream towards the hills, swimming in its always freezing chalk-born waters. I live by the Tas now, another chalk river, equally lovely.

FACT OF THE DAY. 21 February 1946. Aneurin Bevan announced the Labour Government’s proposals for a National Health Service. The service began on 5 July 1948. Its introduction represented one of the greatest social reforms in British History which helped every citizen.

Two partridges are visible on the rough hillside. Overhead a sparrow flies holding a feather to line its nest.

“After the snow has melted, western winds have brought mild weather, and when the sun shines many signs of springtime appear”

Writer: EL Grant Watson
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
‘What to Look for in Winter, 1959’

Like the bright orange of witch's butter, scarlet elf cups draw the eye on a dreary winter's day and give a little moment of joy.

New post/ substack on missing the snow, the Bloomsbury lot at home, a doodlebug, a rallying winter ghost of 1947 (& when the snow buried a train & 1,000 people.) It took me an age to write, & is free. Tho' if you'd like to, there is a Ko-Fi button. Love & thanks x nicolachester.com/2026/02/21/g...

Honoured to be at the private view of Poppy Matthew's exhibition of flint today. Real flints, paintings of flints, words and photos of sea flints and church walls. At St Margaret's on St Benedicts Street for next week if you are in Norwich.

A dead Puffin lies on wet sand, its black and white feathers darkened and slick against the beach. The bird rests on its side, wings folded, with its distinctive orange bill clearly visible against the pale sand.

Heartbreaking: Right now, thousands of Puffins are washing up along our coasts and further afield.

It is devastating to see.

These birds are Red-listed in the UK and already under serious pressure.

Mass deaths like this, known as a “seabird wreck”, can take years for colonies to recover from...

Very much needed and welcomed.

Anti-nature policies are a dead end for Labour.

You don’t secure lasting growth by risking long-term harm to the ecosystems we rely on.

The public knows this.

There’s no need for the Government to pick a fight with voters on nature.

It’s bad policy and bad politics.