In 2011, Miles King, the then Director of Conservation at The Grasslands Trust, produced "Nature's Tapestry" - a report that described the history of grasslands, and also their value to Society, as well as covering the threats that faced this important habitat.
Documents inevitably become dated, but this is one of those very special creations that should never be allowed to gather dust, or be removed from our essential reading and reference lists. The reasons are plenty:
1. Miles King draws on all of his passion, experience and feel for the UK's political system, to present our beautiful grasslands as they should be; in a compelling wrapper of history and culture.
2. The report was visionary, using the value of Ecosystem Services to strike home the urgent need to halt the destruction and create new rich grasslands to save the planet!!
3. "Nature's Tapestry", is, like it's subject matter, a thing of pure beauty and potency. If you haven't already, then please take the time to read it, as it's worth is arguably greater today.
4. Just as in the case of the 2013 State of Nature report, "Nature's Tapestry" was created by the coming together of our immense UK wildlife organisations. ARC Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Mammal Society, Plantlife and The Wildlife Trusts, among others, teamed up with the Grasslands Trust to create a document that should surely have been acted upon by those in power.
5. The Summary made it perfectly clear "What needs to be done"!!
So! Was there a new dawn across the UK, led by the "Greenest Government Ever"?...well NO actually!
In fact, The Grassland Trust closed in September 2012, because the charity was unable to secure the level of funding that it deserved. But loss can CREATE STRENGTH. Let us now honour the work of The Grassland Trust voting to protect this habitat NOW!
So let's fast forward to 2014. Still Natural Capital is being ignored or sold in some dirty fashion, that threatens our children's world.
Anyone who walks through a flower meadow in Summer, will ponder on just how many Bees, Hoverflies and beautiful Butterflies, each small piece of the UK's vanishing patchwork holds. Grassland truly is a habitat that displays it's biodiversity in a colourful open book for all to see.
Well here is a chance to create a powerful force from "Nature's Tapestry". Those with the power to protect and enrich the world are ignoring the Scientists with regard to the Badger Cull, they have failed to act early in response to thousands of scientific reports that confirm climate-change, and clearly present the massive consequences for mankind. HS2 continues to steam along, probably faster than the actual trains would ever be, without detailed consultations being held with the wildlife NGOs, and without including the TRUE cost of Natural Capital that would be lost along the WHOLE of it's destructive route (not just on some designated sites along the way!).
Three years have passed, where despite the heroic work of volunteers across the UK, biodiversity continues to fall and habitat continues to be needlessly destroyed.
Scaremongering? NO, WE ARE NOT!!! Just yesterday, Wildlife Warriors Buglife produced a new report that reveals that up to 75% of some of our most threatened bee species have been lost in counties in the South West of England.
Here is a chance to ALL RISE to create change and protect Mother Nature.
The Wildlife Trusts launched a new campaign: "Save our Vanishing Grasslands"
Please all, breath life into the tireless work of Miles King, channel the red-mist that rises from the fall of The Grasslands Trusts - let us ALL get behind this campaign and protect the World for future generations:
A number of key policy decisions are a matter of weeks away, so please ACT NOW.
2. Read the Guest Blog by Colin Raven, CEO at Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, on Mark Avery's site here.
3. In a remarkable parallel to fallen warriors, The Grassland Trust, please read The Wildlife Trusts' Grasslands page to discover the declines, why grasslands matter and are a part of our heritage, and what needs to be done - here
To every member of our amazing wildlife organisation, to everyone who is passionate about wildlife, to all those that wish for a sustainable world for our children, please, please sign this petitition.
As we all push to move nature and environment towards the centre of politics, I also respectfully ask you to join and support our UK wildlife charities. They can all be found by following the links on our Moving Mountains Nature Network home page here. They are all entering a crucial period, and perhaps need your support more than ever, in order to give nature the voice and level of protection across the UK, needed, given the current political climate.
Thank you as always for reading this article and for your support.
Together, we really can make a difference!
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