Long Mead gives me something we in the environmentalist movement have long since needed: Hope and motivation. By Robbie Cooke Long Mead's ancient wildflower meadow with MG4 indicator species Great burnet & Meadow foxtail Long Mead meadow is undoubtedly a place of serene natural beauty, the gentle, green horizon and the mosaic of flowers it holds often feel like a scene straight out of an Arthurian fairy tale. But from my time both experiencing and partaking in the conservation efforts of the meadow I grow a deeper appreciation for this site and the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project (TVWMRP) as a whole as it provides a sensation I feel is sorely lacking in environmentalism: Hope. Whilst I 100% agree that environmental and ecological issues are to be the greatest challenges we will face this century, I frequently …
by Angus Gingell Many people are aware of the global issue of climate change. What causes it, what can we do about it and finally what are some of the misconceptions surrounding climate change? These are the questions we will be exploring today. Let us first answer the basic question of what is climate change. Climate change, also known more recently as global warming, is a process by which a location's weather conditions including rainfall, temperature and wind patterns are being affected as a result of human actions. The net result of these actions is: an increase in global average temperatures, an increase in the variability of weather patterns and ocean acidification (which may be considered a separate issue). More specifically it's greenhouse gas emissions such as co2 and methane accumulating in our atmosphere that are the main cause of …
by Sophie Fleet Over the last few years, waves of harrowing climate footage have swept the media. A polar bear dragging its skeletal body across a barren and iceless landscape. Colossal surges of water, tearing through Himalayan towns and villages, everything from trees to houses swept up by the destructive rampage. Or thick black smoke, broken by flickers of red as vibrant forest ecosystems are enveloped by darkness. People watch this, perhaps with a pang of sadness, then return to their everyday lives of indifference. It can feel impossible to understand how they cannot care. Nepal/Tibet Glacier Collapse Flood - August 2026 - image The Guardian/Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters However, I believe that, as a whole, we do care. In order to understand why compassion often fails to translate into tangible climate action, we need to understand how our brains are wired …
A brief exploration of the unique community-strengthening space created by NRN in a fragmented and anxious world by Ieuan Owen As nature retreats Retreating in neighbourhood nature is a treat When was the last time you heard someone have a real rant about how bad connecting with like-minded people is for your mental health? About how spending time in nature is a conspiracy dreamt up by the trees so that they can better take control of our minds in their pursuit of world domination? About how they hate protecting nature because what did nature ever do for them and they’re tired of these lazy plants asking for handouts? No? Not a regular feature of your dinner table conversation either? Perhaps there are some things we all agree on after all: our natural world is precious, community is indispensable for …
By Louise Floyd I often wonder about how my life would differ if I had been born one hundred years in the past or the future. I can somewhat picture material things in the past, for example the cutting-edge technology of the day or what food would have been available to buy. What I struggle to imagine is how I would have felt in my community. Community used to be much more limited by geography; now it can exist anywhere, including in online spaces. Nowadays, It feels like something you have to build, rather than automatically belong to. I wonder what community will mean to people in 2100 in the midst of cascading climate catastrophes. When I talk to my Grandad who was born in 1939 about his life, I am simultaneously envious and not. He worked as a programmer …
By Hannah Shaw Have you been feeling the heat recently? If so, that’s not surprising - it’s forecast to be, yet again, the UK’s hottest summer since records began - and ahead of what could be the country’s sixth heatwave this year, I’m starting to wonder if the term heat ’wave’ can really be applied anymore. It’s just hot. Aside from that, it’s been an incredibly dry year. Lengthy droughts have led to visible changes in the landscape, not to mention the influx of wildfires that blazed across the country last month.It’s led me to wonder at the extent of the long-term consequences on nature that might result from all this - as well as the human cost, here in Eynsham. Nationally, the impact of heat and drought extremes on plants is having a knock-on effect on British wildlife. …
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery Bridewell Gardens takes delivery of our rare wildflower seedlings to pot on. We have been working with Bridewell for over ten years. They and FarmAbility are our most cherished partners without whom there wouldn't be so many beautiful new floodplain meadows! We hope you've had a great summer. At Nature Recovery Network, alongside partners Bridewell Gardens, we have been furiously potting on wildflowers at every opportunity. We all outdid ourselves seed sowing this Spring and need to get our precious seedlings into pots so they can grow big enough for planting out this Autumn. Although it might be some time before the soil rehydyrates enough to be able to plant out, we want to be ready when it does, and plan to get as many plants into …
Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth. Image credit Pearson Education Inc Life on Earth began about 4 billions years ago as single-cell organisms – bacteria and archaea - the 'prokaryotes', which lack a nucleus. The cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) were able to use the energy of the sun to combine carbon dioxide and water to produce simple carbohydrates, like glucose, and generated oxygen as the by-product. About 2.4 - 2.2 million years ago, Earth experienced the Great Oxidative Event when there was a rapid rise in free oxygen generated by the photosynthetic action of cyanobacteria. This increase in atmospheric oxygen was toxic to many organisms and resulted in a mass extinction, but one of the beneficiaries was a new cell type called a ‘eukaryote’, which was formed from the union of an aerobic alphaproteobacterium and an archaeal …
Veteran apple tree in blossom, Back Lane, Eynsham. Photo C. Bass. The presence of trees in urban areas evokes a multiplicity of responses, ranging from deep concern and annoyance to feelings of joy and contentment. The concerns range from fear that a tree or branch might fall and cause damage, injury, or even death, or that their roots will cause damage to pavements or undermine foundations of houses, give us the annoying Autumn chore of sweeping up dead leaves, or drip sap on our parked cars, give off pollen and biogenic volatile organic compounds, and of course, trees are a natural ‘jungle gym’ for children. On the plus side, many scientific studies show there is a strong positive correlation between the density and diversity of urban trees and the well-being of the people who live there. Beware the Urban Tree...? …
Nature Recovery Network A Network of People working for Nature Recovery Long Mead in Flood - photo Jodie Baker Hello, As you might expect at this time of year, we are now experiencing flooding across the meadows in Eynsham, meaning that for our regular plant propagation group members, wellington boots have become must-have essentials. They have been busy tending the hedges that have been planted by the network - pruning, filling in small gaps left by any plants that have failed (or floated away!) and mulching as best they can in these conditions. Network members in this season's "de rigueur" accessory - photo Terri Frecker This week Nick and Allen were also busy putting up seven handmade recyled wood nesting boxes for blue tits and great tits. Their next project: Otter Holts! If you'd like to join us …