I was a founding member of the OBC, its first joint conservation officer and second chairman. I have resigned my membership and this is why. For me the founding of OBC in 1985 was a manifestation of a new birding movement: a coming together of action-minded birders who wanted to make something happen. I recall
Originally published by Rewilding Britain, 7 June 2016 Paul Jepson makes the case for an enabling policy space for rewilding as a new and complementary conservation approach in Europe Rewilding is the biggest, most exciting idea to emerge in conservation since the 1970s. The challenge now is to create the spaces within conservation policy and
Each spring half term I go camping with my family and we visit a different British Isle. Its a week when I meet young conservationists out in the field - putting the hours in protecting tern colonies, showing visitors nesting peregrines, doing vegetation transects and the many other time-consuming seasonal tasks that conserving our nature
By Richard Ladle, Paul Jepson & Ricardo Correia Nature conservation was one of the defining cultural forces of the 21st century but there are indications that its influence is waning: research suggests protected areas are under pressure to justify their existence in the face of competition with other land uses and that societies as a
Originally posted at Geographical on 24 May 2016 Rewilding needs to be positioned as a forward looking and complimentary approach to the existing model of conservation In the conservation world everybody seems to be talking rewilding. The last year has seen publication of 45 academic articles (including two major reviews) and over 200 media articles
Back in March I was asked to provide a conservation perspective on the topic of “A homogenous world: Global culture and the future of mankind” at Oxford's 21CC debates I contributed these reflections from my career. When I was a young man in the 1980s I travelled the world motivated by my passion for
As part of the UK Green Film Festival last Saturday I was invited to be a discussant at the Oxford showing of Louie Psihoyos' documentary 'Racing Extinction'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwxyrLUdcss The film is a visually engaging and emotive smorgasbord of environmental issues brought together under the narratives of extinction and the slaughter of sea-life, in particular sharks
In March I introduced my students to protected area professionals working to conserve the unique biodiversity and landscapes of Tenerife -Europe’s popular vacation island located off the north coast of Africa. Tenerife is becoming a city island. It has developed rapidly since the rise of package holidays in the 60’s and nowadays receives upwards of
Originally published in The Conversation on 21 April 2016 To mark Earth Day, Apple has launched Apps for Earth: a one week fundraiser for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) involving 27 popular gaming and utility apps that have developed special paid-for content and an environmentally themed front page to the App store. This
Originally posted to Geographical in Opinions 24 Nov 2015 When the histories of 21st century conservation are written 2015 might, just might, be identified as a pivotal year: the year when the focus of conservation shifted from a defence of past natures to the active creation of a wilder anthropocene This year rewilding has moved
