Matt Watson

I pledge the same except.... I can't get out of leading an international field class. I helped inspire my department to radically cut long haul field classes and so half travel emissions across teaching programmes, but somehow I end up on the one long haul class remaining.

And what are we made of? Where does the energy for keeping on being and doing everything we do come from? And all the products we use? And..

This report says that more than half of global GDP — $50 trillion — is moderately to highly dependent on nature.

I say no less than all of humanity and the web of life — immeasurably precious — are part of nature and highly dependent on it.

www.newscientist.com/article/2461...

Truly bizarre that a top science journal can't recognise the total dependency of all human existence on the ecological processes and co-dependencies we share with the rest of life.

Any in the middle of the peak district in need of one more wanderer?

It's no surprise but great to see this evidence of how far the promise of biodiversity net gain is lost in practice.

Instead of listing my publications, as the year draws to an end, I want to shine the spotlight on the commonplace assumption that productivity must always increase. Good research is disruptive and thinking time is central to high quality scholarship and necessary for disruptive research.

So many about where I live, but when there's a vehicle I'm generally too busy getting on to or off the tiny scrap of steep verge to snap a photo..

75th Anniversary of the National Parks Act: New legislation to ensure Protected Landscapes are fit for the future Today is the 75th anniversary of the 1949 National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act. Read how the government is marking the occasion by empowering our Protected Landscapes.

Very good to see Labour will strengthen the mandate of National Parks & National Landscapes to "recover nature".

This will require primary legislation, and was something the Glover Review proposed way back in 2019 - but the Tories never did it. 1/

defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/16/7...

I think it was streamed, but haven't heard of it having been recorded.

Street sign outside British Ecological Society Annual Conference 2024 saying 'Nature and people thrive in a world inspired by ecology'.

This morning I was part of a fantastic panel discussing uncertainty in #rewilding at #BES2024 with @sahranhiggins.bsky.social, @jlorimer.bsky.social, Nell Pates, Ben Dempsey and Leo Mercer. Thanks so much @pettorelli.bsky.social and Chris Sandom for organizing it, and for inviting me.

The Climate and Nature Bill is dream legislation and we - you and I - have the chance to help make it UK law

But what’s so great about it, don’t we have legislation for climate and the environment already? Well...

Here are my Top 10 favourite things about the #CANBill

Thanks, signed and shared. I sat in an NGO policy meeting on the badger cull 25 years ago and the policy ambivalence between a totemic issue for cattle farmers and lack of scientific evidence that it makes any systematic difference was clear then.