An offbeat proposal for improving National Park governance - My article for CNP: www.cnp.org.uk/blog/renewal... @guyshrubsole.bsky.social @georgemonbiot.bsky.social

England’s new 30x30 plan was published yesterday on how we get to 30% of land being protected for nature by 2030. But almost immediately, one of the country’s biggest institutional landowners, the Church of England, rejects a measurable 30% restoration target for its own estate. 🧵

Two years on from a Westminster Government commitment to reform the purposes & governance of England's protected landscapes⏲️ 👀, this new CNP report makes recommendations for what a more nature-focussed, equitable and effective future for the governance of our #NationalParks should look like.

Campaign for National Parks@campaign4parks.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It’s time to transform National Park governance 💪 Our new report - Leading National Parks into the future: modernising National Park Authority governance, sets out clear and achievable recommendations, grounded in evidence Read the report 👉 www.cnp.org.uk/news/new-rep...

Ugh. Proposals to build Wales’ first new national park in 60 years have been rejected. Cllrs in Powys unanimously rejected the proposed Glyndŵr National Park, a 358sq/m project. They said the area couldn't cope with tourists. (The vid of Wales FM doing a Gavin & Stacey impression is funny though)

Wales watching - The midweek briefing

Exclusive: UK Government ignore two Welsh Gov letters, plus Eluned Morgan does an impression...

open.substack.com

Latest England biodiversity stats are flashing red www.gov.uk/government/s... Many birds and butterflies considered to be in "deteriorating" state Bats one of the few bright spots, see story here for more: www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

* JOB ALERT * Nature recovery and creating new wildlife havens sit at the heart of the National Park Authority's work 🦉 We're currently seeking a Strategy Lead for Nature Recovery. Apply 👉 bit.ly/3K3QVpY 📷 Corinne Kozok

Hidden in today’s Nuclear Taskforce report: a plan to weaken the Protected Landscapes Duty. There’s no evidence this is needed, and it undermines our National Parks ⚠️ Last month, Ministers said they had “no plans to amend” the duty – now they must keep that promise 🔍 5 myths busted: bit.ly/49DarEm

5 facts: what the National Parks duty means for planning

Here are five key facts about what the new duty means for planning decisions which show just how wrong some of the myths being peddled are.

cnp.org.uk

10% of Britain's public land sold off since the 1970s. Communities left out of the conversation. In our latest guest blog, Harriet Child of @pilc-campaigns.bsky.social tells the story of public trusts, consultation failures and why the Lords' decision on the Planning Bill matters.

The House of Lords has acted to defend public open spaces against development

This post is by Harriet Child, solicitor at the Public Interest Law Centre.

buff.ly

Final call: Glyndŵr National Park Consultation open until Mon 8th Dec 2025 #newnationalpark www.youtube.com/shorts/rlOEi...

Could there soon be a new UK National Park? 🌄

YouTube video by Campaign for National Parks

youtube.com

Dartmoor is dying - it's time to bring it back to life. Today the Dartmoor Nature Alliance publish a new call to action to restore Dartmoor's habitats: rewet peat bogs, revive heaths by reducing grazing, double temperate rainforest area Read it & join here: www.dartmoornature.org.uk/call-to-action

Unite: “Today’s half a billion-pound profits in just six months for privatised water company United Utilities is yet more evidence that our energy and water systems are broken." "With overseas shareholders set to receive a record dividend, this is profiteering at the expense of consumers."

Relieved that Lord Banner's amendment to threaten green spaces was not moved in House of Lords on Monday, thanks to all the peers who opposed @openspacessociety.bsky.social @ramblers.org.uk campaignerkate.wordpress.com/2025/11/06/g...

Green spaces reprieved

It was a huge relief when a damaging amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill was dropped. This occurred at report stage in the House of Lords on the night of 3 November. As I wrote here, …

campaignerkate.wordpress.com

No 10: "Families & communities across the Oxfordshire-Cambridge corridor will benefit from a new national forest, creating green jobs, improving access to nature, and supporting climate action. A second forest will follow in the Midlands or North of England, ensuring benefits are spread nationwide."

The River Dart trespass was undertaken by our South Devon group, where they met at Galmpton before trespassing in the Waddeton Court and Sandridge Barton Estates, the latter of which is owned by a company registered in the Cayman Islands.

We're proud to stand alongside over 40 organisations in an open letter urging the PM to uphold the Aarhus Convention. Find out why it's so important for people and nature and read the letter below👇

Wildlife and Countryside Link@wclnews.bsky.social · 9mo ago

📢 40+ NGOs have written to the PM urging him to uphold the Aarhus Convention – the cornerstone of environmental justice The Convention protects your right to: ✅ Access environmental information ✅ Have a say in decisions that affect nature ✅ Seek environmental justice affordably

🌿A full house for the launch of the new APPG for National Parks & National Landscapes yesterday! 🌿 The new APPG will provide a powerful voice in Parliament 💪 A huge thank you to all the MPs, Peers & partners who joined us to make this such an energising start

We are being sold a false story that nature is the enemy. That newts, bats, snails and spiders are somehow responsible for the so-called housing crisis and a blocker to economic growth. This is a deliberate lie - using a cynically chosen group of species that could be found in a witches cauldron.

Our National Parks are at risk. ⚠️ From the rugged Lakes to the sweeping South Downs, these landscapes define us and our future. They sustain wildlife, communities and our wellbeing - and they must be protected. A future that puts them at risk isn't what anyone voted for.

The British public love National Parks & Landscapes. Weakening the law that protects them would be devastating for nature, visitors & the businesses they support. These places need more support from Gov't to make them wilder & more accessible to everyone 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Plans to weaken protections for national parks will have ‘disastrous consequences’ say green groups

Exclusive: Letter from 170-plus organisations calls on government to drop proposed changes to planning law

theguardian.com

Plans to weaken protections for national parks will have ‘disastrous consequences’, say environmentalists Pleased to have signed @campaign4parks.bsky.social's letter urging Ministers to drop plans to remove the Protected Landscapes Duty on public bodies 1/ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Plans to weaken protections for national parks will have ‘disastrous consequences’ say green groups

Exclusive: Letter from 170-plus organisations calls on government to drop proposed changes to planning law

theguardian.com

Over 200 charities, businesses & organisations have signed our open letter to Keir Starmer asking him not to weaken the laws protecting National Parks and Landscapes. We're so thankful to everyone who added their name 💪 This letter represents millions of people and shows that #NationalParksMatter

A new poll run by YouGov of over 2,000 people shows that support for a charge on visits to the Lake District is high among both residents and visitors. Click here to read more about this story here: https://loom.ly/w9QN7Uc

"They better look after the National Parks & the Protected Landscapes because it's going to be precious, not just for us but, 150, 200 years time people will regret it if those things start getting traded off" @rory-stewart.bsky.social puts it best 👇 (27:06) www.globalplayer.com/podcasts/epi...

The Rest Is Politics - Podcast Episode | Global Player

455. Question Time: Is Europe Already At War With Russia?

globalplayer.com

The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a hotspot for bird of prey killing. Another hen harrier - Sita - killed, last known location above grouse moor. We need a change in law urgently. www.henharrierday.uk/news/suspici...

Suspicious Disappearance of Hen Harrier Sita | Hen Harrier Action

One of the four young Hen Harriers satellite tagged thanks to the generous donations from supporters has vanished in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor

henharrierday.uk

Natural England confirms ongoing & relentless illegal persecution is reason why Hen Harriers are still rare in England. #RaptorResearch #WildlifeCrime #Ornithology raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/10/02/h...

Hardly any Hen Harrier nesting attempts on English grouse moors for second year running

Natural England has finally got around to publishing the data for the 2025 Hen Harrier breeding season, which demonstrate very clear differences between areas managed for conservation and those man…

raptorpersecutionuk.org

Climate change is already damaging the nature, beauty and heritage we care for. Without deep and sustained cuts to emissions, nature faces an even more perilous future and the places people love will continue to suffer. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tories pledge to scrap landmark climate legislation

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says her party would axe legally binding targets to cut emissions.

bbc.co.uk

Today, they're needed more than ever, but they're under huge pressure, and now there is shocking talk that the government wants to water down planning protections that only came into law a couple of years ago.” Listen from 27 mins in podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

455. Question Time: Is Europe Already At War With Russia?

Podcast Episode · The Rest Is Politics · 01/10/2025 · 35m

podcasts.apple.com

Is Labour about to put its historic link with National Parks at risk? National Parks are world-famous as Britain’s most special & iconic landscapes. Why on earth would any Gov't want to make it easier to pollute the Lake District or bulldoze the New Forest? greenallianceblog.org.uk/2025/09/30/i...

Is Labour about to put its historic link with National Parks at risk?

At last year’s Labour party conference the prime minister spoke about the beauty and wonder of the Lake District. Visitors to this year’s conference are greeted by six Labour history information bo…

greenallianceblog.org.uk

The third New Perspectives residential organised by @campaign4parks.bsky.social for young campaigners in @bannaubrycheiniog.bsky.social with @roseoneill.bsky.social @ebenmyrddin.bsky.social @ruthlovell.bsky.social @tirweddaucymru.bsky.social campaignerkate.wordpress.com/2025/09/30/o...

O dan y bannau

Beneath the beacons, o dan y bannau, sounds as lyrical in Welsh as it does in English. That’s where we were for the third of the Campaign for National Parks’s New Perspective residentia…

campaignerkate.wordpress.com

Very excited to share that I'm writing a new book, THE GHOSTS OF CHALK COUNTRY - about the loss of England's chalk downland: a tale of flowers, fascism & freedom. To be published by @wmcollinsbooks.bsky.social in April 2027: www.thebookseller.com/rights/willi... Website: ghostsofchalkcountry.org