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Dear Alistair, thank you for considering explicitly the call to include fungi among plants and animals to represent biodiversity. Fungi are unbelievably essential to most terrestrial ecosystems functioning, hence there's an urgent need to emphasize their role in nature and to stimulate their conservation in the wild. With kind regards from Amazonas, Brazil.

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Big business these global conferences aren't they, always in far flung places that delegates jet into to discuss the issue of the day (what's wrong with teleconferencing ?)

'The UN's member states are getting together next week to review the progress - or rather the lack of it - in meeting their commitments to stop the loss of plants, animals and fungi species - or biodiversity - and, conservationists hope, commit to new action to meet their commitments.'

The outcome the delegates seem to want is a whole new bunch of commitments that will not be met but will require that a new global conference in a different part of the world is convened so they can all meet up again.

A cynic might suggest that even if all the commitments were met and global diversity started to flourish another rationale would be created to keep the party going.

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The End is Nigh
The End is Nigh
The End is Nigh

Barmy when it comes from a religious nut, strangely cultured when it comes from an eco-warrior.

I am interested most in energy sufficiency but that's a symptom, as is the fall in biodiversity.

The problem is too many people. And those that are not in developed countries trying to become developed nations in human lifespans. Too many people chasing too few resources too fast, in dominant competition with the non human environment, until the planet sorts it out for us.

For instance, logically, a nation trying for a x100 growth in GDP per capita has to reduce its population by a factor of 100 to balance the equation. Difficult, and not their plan.

More possible solutions are a long term sharing of current resource consumption amongst the people there are. Also difficult.

The danger is the Planet saves itself by getting rid of us so it can rebuild for another 100 million years or so.

Its our power combined with puny life spans that is the problem. Planet can cope but humans can't if we don't ameliorate the impact of a technological civilisation to a rate of change it can cope with.

Probably. Fault the logic before you attack the position...............

PS A small change in the Sun's output will do for a lot or all of us anyway.

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Biodiversity: Lost or missing? Excellent question.

Even if, looking at the carnage of slash and burn in thread above, one has to appreciate the irony of those three last words.

Mods... I really think you'll need to search hard to find something to get rid of this, as OT won't cut it.

"before I am accused of being holier-than-thou,"

Obviously a whole lot holier than the bloggers you attract!

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"The problem is too many people. And those that are not in developed countries trying to become developed nations in human lifespans. Too many people chasing too few resources too fast, in dominant competition with the non human environment, until the planet sorts it out for us."

13. At 10:52pm on 18 Oct 2010, cattman wrote.

I agree, its all too late. Let's just get on with our lives and wait for the planet to sort it out for us.

How wise you are. The Planet is going to sort it out.

And being a wise planet, probably better than we can.

Alistair Burnett.

"But wider biodiversity loss and its causes are a more complex issue which is quite difficult to present in short reports and articles, which may be deterring mainstream journalists and editors."

more important than the difficulty of presenting 'a more complex issue' may be the can of worms you would have to open -- like critically evaluating the inherent incompatibilities of protecting habitats with our growth-oriented capitalist 'religion'. how many journalists and editors could remain in their jobs if they chose to criticise 'our' way of life openly?

Why is biodiversity loss important everywhere in the world - except in Greenwich Park?

While delegates to the Nagoya conference talk about the importance of reducing biodiversity loss, in Greenwich Park (London, UK) the rare acid grasslands are being grubbed up; across the ancient parkland aggressive agro-chemicals are being deployed (apparently for the first time outside a golf course or sports ground) that kill all invertebrates and fungi to a depth of one metre and are likely to wipe out what was a stronghold of the stag beetle, a protected species, and significantly impact on the food chain of all the animals in the Park. The agro-chemicals could cause skin problems or worse. Trees are being damaged or felled without any attempt having been made to ascertain whether or not they are bat roosts (no emergence survey). Conservation laws, eg

Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996
Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended)
Habitats Regulations 1994 (as amended)
Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 S40
EU Habitats Directive (1992)
The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 - S.I. 2007/1843

are being breached on all sides. The quangos that should ensure that habitat and species legislation is observed have, it seems, all been "whipped in". The local planning authority (Greenwich Council) has failed in its duty under Reg 3(4) of the 1994 Regulations to give consideration to the three derogation tests contained in the species protection provisions of the 1994 Regulations. And no European Protected Species licence has been obtained.

Why? For the sake of two hours of an elite sport, taking place in 18 months time, and for which there are much better venues, ie where it would be more cost-effective to stage the events.

Who is the UK delegate to the Nagoya conference - whoever it is, he or she is there on false pretences, in my view: while the UK makes the "right noises" on the world stage about biodiversity, here in fragile and unique Greenwich Park all those fine words are seen as just so much hypocrisy. In my estimation, the damage already done to the rare acid grasslands will take 10 years to repair. It may already be too late for the stag beetle.

DigAndDelve #20.

interesting comment, I think you should re-post it on Richard Black's Earth Watch blog which is all about the Nagoya conference at present:

/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/

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jr4412 #21 - I tried - slightly better worded but it has not been allowed past the moderator. I don't know why, of course, but Richard Black is known for not wanting to upset TPTB.

I have written again to Dr Baillie, with links to photographs of the despoilation of Greenwich Park: the destruction of the rare acid grassland; children playing bare-legged on grass that has only recently been sprayed with agri-chemicals, etc. You can see these on Flickr photos: usual URL for Flickr photos then greenwich [underscore] park.

DigAndDelve #23.

you are mistaken, your comment is published here. :-)

DigAndDelve #23.

"..Greenwich Park: the destruction of the rare acid grassland; children playing bare-legged on grass that has only recently been sprayed with agri-chemicals.."

is it actually legal for the council to do this?

jr4412 #24 - Yay, so it is!

jr4412 #25 "is it actually legal for the council to do this?"

I don't know. Greenwich Council has gone into siege mode. Its central government funding is being cut by nearly £100 million, and there is a perception within the Council that the only way of being sure of having a job next year is somehow to get "Olympic" inserted in your job title. The Leader of the Council is "busking" it: eg inventing brand new £1,000 parking fines for residents who dare park in their own street near the Park during the Olympics.

The contractors have taken over Greenwich Park: Taylor Woodrow, TJ Hunt and the newly created company "Eventing London". We have been lied to about everything. Local residents had been assured that The Royal Parks would oversee any pruning but we came across and photographed the course designer Sue Benson overseeing pruning with the LOCOG-contracted tree surgeon and two junior Parks staff who melted away when "words" started to be exchanged. The company that has the contract to prepare the course - STRI - their background is only in golf courses and sports surfaces. Trees have been damaged by course preparation machinery.

Things may get a bit passionate. A pension-age resident has already been arrested and charged with criminal damage for removing all 300 course markers very early one morning (they retail at about 6p each). The CPS in its wisdom decided to prosecute but he has elected for trial by jury which I doubt the CPS or LOCOG or The Royal Parks were expecting. His committal for trial hearing, or whatever it is called, is in just over four weeks time.

DigAndDelve #26.

left London years ago and rarely ventured 'south of the river', I guess the Olympic circus will do nothing to improve the quality of life for residents.

"A pension-age resident has already been arrested ... The CPS in its wisdom decided to prosecute ... in just over four weeks time."

yes, that's the way citizens get treated these days (, tells me a lot about our 'professional' police services), it's shameful. good luck to him/her.