Ag & Wildlife Coordinator on a Lancs Estate, former Cumbria NE adviser. now supporting wildflowers and waders. Welsh. Harper Graduate. Fieldsports enthusiast.
The North
Joined March 2012
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Liam Williams retweeted
Proper naturalistic grazing is almost impossible in a rewilded area under about 150,000 acres. There are peer reviewed studies that back this up. We could very easily increase the productivity of the uplands with naturalistic grazing carried out by....wait for it...the people who have managed this land for countless generations.
Hi Matt. Draining of moorland and devastating overgrazing by sheep are what got us into this mess, as well as utterly impoverishing the nature of our uplands. We badly need a new way.
In my article I have suggested rewetting the uplands everywhere we can, which obviously reduces the risk and severity of wildfires; and the continuous removal of fuel by the grazing and browsing of hardy native cattle and ponies (especially ponies, which specifically eat dry material).
Continuing with the scorched earth approach practiced for the last century is just not the way forward.
Liam Williams retweeted
Don’t waste your breath Rob… the people of the uplands are literally the last people they ever listen to… it’s where they practiced for managing the British Empire
They ALWAYS know better than us
Proper naturalistic grazing is almost impossible in a rewilded area under about 150,000 acres. There are peer reviewed studies that back this up. We could very easily increase the productivity of the uplands with naturalistic grazing carried out by....wait for it...the people who have managed this land for countless generations.
Liam Williams retweeted
Hey Dartmoor enthusiasts! If you are really interested in conserving our native livestock and equines, why not support the work of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust ? rbst.org.uk/product/donate/
Liam Williams retweeted
No, we need better quality, better funded access that is available to all, not low quality access everywhere that creates more issues than it solves.
Liam Williams retweeted
If only a small % of people who voted for the reintroduction of species supported our endangered current species we could be assured of a rich ecosystem. However, complacency means we live in Europes most nature depleted environments. We need our countries in the UK & Ireland to be fit for nature. Whilst some of these species may play a role, they are not the sole solution. Whilst we wait for the brown bear please help us fix us freshwater habitats wildtrout.org/shop/donations
Liam Williams retweeted
If we are to halt & reverse decline of the Curlew then difficult subjects must be tackled, including the high density of predators we have across the country - including foxes, crows & badgers. All wonderful creatures as well, but too many is a big issue for ground nesting birds.
Curlew Action were part of an expert panel which gave a briefing to parliamentarians on the importance of the recently launched UK Curlew Action Plan. See my blog on what was said... @CHinchliffMP @CurlewCountry curlewaction.org/parliamenta…
Liam Williams retweeted
Well said Tony. I'll certainly point out positive messaging when I see it. Here in Wales we're increasing protections on some of the curlew's principal predators. It has now become illegal to remove CC from a curlew nesting area, as it's contrary to GL004 if there are no eggs/chicks already present. We are now in a scenario where we can only remove CC when it's a) too late, and even more concerning b) being early nesters, when they already have dependents back at the nest, leaving them to die a prolonged and miserable death. In NRW's and WG eye's this is progress.
Liam Williams retweeted
Well this is rubbish
@ForestryEngland have embedded the peat map of doom into their maps
And this is how bad data gets passed down & makes even simple jobs much harder
Just because @NaturalEngland couldn’t accept they had issues with their map, so didn’t deal with it last year
ALT A screenshot of the peat map layer in the forestry commissions online map
Liam Williams retweeted
Now that I have retired, I can I can finish off where I left off making comments about about Landguard Nature Reserve, without the threat of being put on a disciplinary by my employer for misuse of social media, subjective on my previous employers part. 1/2
Liam Williams retweeted
Why would government that actively hates nature even care? We will definitely have much less protected for nature in 2030 than we even do now unless a pro-nature party or coalition takes over soon. Only those farms and estates & nature charities that have enough spare resources will be able to deliver anything for nature. Times are very bleak for nature and will get worse under this Government
Liam Williams retweeted
Yes, your dog. Your sweet, non-aggressive and curious dog is a threat to wildlife - and so are you.
This message is almost completely absent from outdoor recreation messaging, and instead the public is told that farmers and gamekeepers are the real problem.
Liam Williams retweeted
🧵1. It's difficult to escape the irony that on #worldcurlewday another petition (I think maybe the 4/5th?) ticks over the 100k signature mark
Liam Williams retweeted
If at first you don’t succeed, just lower your expectations.🤷♂️
Liam Williams retweeted
People who illegally release species into the environment do so not for the welfare of the individuals they release, nor for local communities, but to satisfy their own personal agendas. I doubt the future is bright for these two animals, and this what happens when you've had so many conservation orgs, govt agencies and even the police turn a blind eye to other illegal releases.
Pair of Lynx found on the loose in the Highlands in 'suspected illegal release', via @katharine_hay
scotsman.com/hays-way/pair-o…
Liam Williams retweeted
The day after #StormDarragh
And out of our hovels we crawl, blinking in the sunlight to see trees blown over by the wild wind.
The natural instinct of a farmer or gardener, trained by years in the art of ‘tidy land management’ is to reach for the chainsaw and get to work…
⬇️
ALT A fallen ash with chainsaw ready to log it up
Liam Williams retweeted
"What’s befuddling about this is no one has ever given a sensible explanation of why?"
I can tell you @tommlancaster; no government, not the last one, and certainly not this once, want to place a budget on the countryside that would achieve this.
We have some new analysis out today on *the* biggest problem facing English nature conservation…
…& increasingly climate goals…
…& farm incomes…
It’s the befuddling failure of @DefraGovUK to stand up a higher tier land management scheme
🧵…
independent.co.uk/climate-ch…
Liam Williams retweeted
Modern conservation. Pick a species. Make it a large, eye-catching, sexy species. Don’t worry if there’s no good evidence it was ever here. Then install it into our countryside. That’s what’s happening here. What exciting new ‘wildlife’ will be imposed on us next I wonder?
Liam Williams retweeted
This sort of thing really pisses me off! People drive like idiots and run over wildlife that we spend all year protecting!! 🤬Everyday I find wildlife run over in this glen. I have driven it 1000’s of times and have run over only one rabbit in all that time. Come on folks drive with care in the glens.
