At present, England’s forests are managed by the Forestry Commission on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Ministers however, are now proposing to reform ownership and management of the estate by selling off large quantities of woodland to the private sector in an attempt to help tackle the deficit.

Current proposals suggest the introduction of a ‘mixed model approach’ to future management. This strategy suggests selling the most commercially valuable forests to timber companies on a long lease. Additionally, the reform aims to create a far greater role for civil society, businesses, and individuals when it comes to managing the environment by allowing communities, charities, and local authorities to buy and manage forests themselves; an approach in-keeping with the coalition government’s commitments to shift the balance in power from ‘Big Government’ to ‘Big Society’.

Plans to sell off England’s forests have caused controversy over worries that privatisation will create opportunities for timber and tourism development industries to move in, compromising both wildlife conservation and public access. The Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman however reassured that ancient woodlands such as the Forest of Dean and New Forest will be exempt from sale to commercial organisations, and that biodiversity and public access would not be compromised as environmental safeguards and rights of way would be maintained where possible.

The governments approach to forestry will be outlined in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper due to be published this spring. The current consultation is open for response until 21st April 2011 through both the Defra and Forestry Commission website. A debate concerning the matter will be held at the Houses of Parliament tomorrow afternoon, of which the proceedings will be broadcast online at www.parliamentlive.tv

The Green Party recently won its first set in Westminster when Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for the South East was elected with a majority of just over 1200 votes in the Brighton Pavilion constituency. Ms Lucas highlighted her party’s policy priorities in a recent press release, which included “responding to climate change with a million new ‘green’ jobs in low-carbon industries, fair pensions and care for older people, and stronger regulation of the banks”. The Green Party’s manifesto included the following proposals:

On food and farming: local, organic and GM-free foods are emphasised, alongside reform of the CAP to support small farms and phase out intensive and factory farming. Common Fisheries Policy reform, and proper financing to implement the Marine and Coastal Access Act is also highlighted as a means to protect the oceans.

In conservation policy: landscape-scale conservation is promoted, via reform of the CAP and planning system to encourage habitat restoration. The Greens continue to oppose the unelected Planning Commission and stress the need to place sustainability at the core of the planning system. Further regulation is encouraged, including an extension of the Natura 2000 network and the establishment of a new Environmental Protection Commission to integrate environment and public health research. Traditional Green Party issues also remain in the spotlight, including crackdowns on illegal wildlife trade and whaling, and an extension of animal welfare legislation.

On sustainable development: opposition to airport expansion is combined with proposals for aviation taxation and the prioritisation of rail travel. On energy, nuclear expansion, biofuels cultivation and new coal power stations are opposed, in favour of smart meters, feed-in tariffs and planning policies to support renewables, including renewable heat.

Ms Lucas hosted a member of BES in the European Parliament as part of the Society’s Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme this year, in her capacity as an MEP. As she moves into Westminster politics it will be interesting to monitor the advancement of Green Party policies within parliament.

An extremely interesting and insightful editorial in this week’s Nature (13 May, 465, p135):

“An analysis by London’s The Times newspaper shows that some 71 canddidates with scientific backgrounds have been elected, down from 86 of the 650 members in the last parliament…The case must be made to members of all thee major parties that science is an important driver of Britain’s economy; that it can provide crucial solutions to major issues such as energy independence and that it deserves strong support even during times of economic cutback. These arguments will hold more sway if they are cast in a non-partisan light.”

“in the run up to the general election, CaSE encouraged all parties to make their positions on science known, and in its aftermath the organisation must work to inform a new government’s science policies…Other scientific societies should rally their memberships to get word out to new parliamentarians about the value of science. A well orchestrated, non-partisan apppeal early in the life of the parliament could leave a lasting impression.”

The BES will be doing all it can in the coming weeks and months to stress the value of science to the new government. If you’re a member of the BES interested in forming links with your local MP, get in touch with us and we can provide a briefing to help you to communicate the value of ecology to them.

David Cameron has now announced his new Cabinet, including the key environmental portfolios within the coalition government. Policies in this sector have caused significant disagreements between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives in the past, most notably on nuclear energy which the liberals have consistently resisted. The new appointments reflect the apparent desire amongst both parties to govern in a constructive coalition.

This has been demonstrated by Cameron’s allocation of the weighty Energy and Climate Change brief to the Liberal Democrats’ former environment spokesman Chris Huhne. Huhne’s background in City makes him a practical choice given the big financial commitments a programme of low carbon energy expansion could demand. A new accord over the financial aspects of energy policy, such as the introduction of a low carbon infrastructure bank and green home loans, as well as agreements on the smart meters roll-out and marine energy will keep Huhne and his new department busy over the coming months. Huhne’s biography is available on the DECC website here.

At DEFRA Caroline Spelman has landed Hilary Benn’s former job as Environment, Food and Rural Affairs secretary. With a long farming background and published research on biofuels, Spelman starts the role on a firm footing, given she also took the brief in opposition. Spelman has said she will ‘work across government and beyond to respond to the challenges of increasing food production, adapting to climate change, protecting our natural environment and ensuring we live sustainably.’ See her biography on the DEFRA website here.

Another Conservative, Phillip Hammond MP, will take the transport brief, following his most recent portfolio in opposition as shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The prominent Liberal Democrat Vince Cable has been appointed Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills, whilst the Conservative David Willetts will look after Universities and Science within DBIS, after shadowing the Universities and Skills minister in opposition. Further junior ministerial appointments are expected to be confirmed in the next few days as the Prime Minister fleshes out these departments with politicians from both parties.

Details of the agreements between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have been announced, outlining the coalition’s stance on several environmental topics.

A document on the Liberal Democrat’s website outlines measures seeking to fulfill “joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy”.

Measures include aims to encourage marine energy production and significantly increase energy production from waste, continue public sector investment in CCS technology and introduce emission standards for new coal-fired power stations, and promote green spaces and wildlife corridors to “halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity”.

Agreement has also been reached to allow continued Liberal Democrat opposite to new nuclear power plants, whilst permitting the government to “bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by Parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible”.

Further details on the arrangement can be found on the Liberal Democrat’s website.

The three major political parties have launched supplementary manifestos: A green future fair for all”>Labour and the Policies for the environment”>Liberal Democrats launched their ‘green’ manifestos on 25 April whilst the Modern Conservatism; our quality of life agenda”>Conservative Party launched their supplementary manifesto, including a chapter on ‘Vote Blue, Go Green’, on Monday 26th. All three contain information in addition to the commitments made in the main party manifestoes, launched two weeks ago.

The Guardian website carries a useful article by Damian Carrington outlining the headline messages from the Labour and Liberal Democrat documents.

Adam Afriyie MP, Conservative Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation, joined policy officers and others at The Royal Academy of Engineering this afternoon at an event organised by PolicyNet. Mr Afriyie discussed the Conservative Party’s plans for Science and Engineering policy. A key message from the Shadow Minister was that his party believe that science is vitally important in helping to boost the economy and lift the country out of recession. He recognised the importance of long-term stable investment in science, which he said would be achieved through a ‘multi-year’ ring-fenced budget.

Although he emphasised that there are no plans for a major revolution in science policy, he mentioned several key areas in which the Conservatives plan to make changes. He spoke about how the Conservative Party plans to transform the UK into a European leader for high-tech exports (Britain is currently second in the EU, behind Germany). The science education system would be improved, by making studying triple science available to all students, and improving science teaching by repaying student loans of top graduates for every year they spend in the classroom. There are also plans to create a science literacy programme, open to all new MPs and compulsory for Conservative MPs, which would be run by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

Adam Afriyie also mentioned that there would be a moratorium on the Research Excellence Framework for up to two years, until a full understanding of how best to measure impact is achieved, a plan which is likely to be welcomed by many scientists. However a perhaps less popular aspect of the Conservative’s plans was that Adam Afriyie gave the impression that his party did not see the importance of having a Science Minister in cabinet. In speaking on this point, Mr Afriyie suggested that more significant was that the Conservative Party, if successfully elected to Government, accepted the importance of science at the highest level of administration. Many in the science community will be disappointed that the Conservatives are not commited to giving science a seat at the Cabinet table.

In the coming weeks, science spokespeople from the other main political parties will be speaking at further events organised by PolicyNet. Meanwhile, each major political party will release its manifesto this week. Adam Afriye indicated that science would be included in the Conservative manifesto: the BES Policy Team will post more information here when it is available.

Last night saw the BES Policy Team attend the winter reception of the All Party Parliamentary Environment Group (APEG) at the Houses of Parliament. Delegates from NGOs and industry were joined by MPs and Prospective Parliamentary Candidates on the House of Commons Terrace, for an evening of networking and speeches from Jonathan Porritt, Peter Ainsworth MP and representatives of the energy sector.

Peter Ainsworth MP, Chair of the APEG, introduced the event by stressing the importance of highlighting the up-side of a transition to a low-carbon economy to the electorate. He praised those present from the renewable energy sector for taking advantage of opportunities to create jobs. This was a theme of the evening; the need to relate climate change and the alterations needed in society and to people’s lifestyles to their everyday concerns. In a time of economic hardship people are concerned about their jobs and livlihoods; the opportunities which a transition to a more sustainable society can bring need to be better articulated.

The event was sponsored by the Mark Group and by the Micropower Council and speakers from both bodies again stressed the positives to come from a low-carbon society. Feed-in tariffs, paying people for the electricity they generate in their own homes and feed back into the National Grid (whether through solar panels or roof-mounted wind turbines), have now been released and are due to come into force on 1st April. One speaker emphasised that generating your own electricity can now yield a return of 8% on your investment, ‘better than any bank’. Householders will need an excuse not to generate their own energy, speakers stressed.

Jonathan Porritt, former Chair of the Sustainable Development Commission, praised the APEG and Peter Ainsworth in particular for work in parliament to raise the profile of environmental issues. However, politicians still haven’t woken up to the reality of what living within sustainable limits actually means, he said. Commenting on the environmental agenda for the next Parliament he saw it as unlikely that any new Prime Minister would take the difficult, innovative, decisions needed to move to a new form of economic system. He said, therefore, that backbench MPs and groups like the APEG would be more important than ever to highlight environmental concerns, particularly if no political party achieves a clear majority at the next election. He wished all the Prospective Parliamentary Candidates present luck with the election, urging them to enter parliament energised and with new ideas for reform. He stressed the need for them, and others present, to work hard to move other environmental issues up the agenda; these have not simply followed in the wake of climate change and more needs to be done to raise awareness of biodiversity loss and degradation of ecosystem services – and what these too mean for society.

One powerful point made by Mr Porritt was directed at science and scientists. ‘The truth will not conquer all’, he suggested; the public will not simply accept that changes need to be made to their lifestyles if the science behind climate change is presented to them- the reality of public engagement with science is far more complex. Scientists have to be better communicators and must relate climate change to people’s everyday lives. Again, as with other speakers he stressed that the positive side of de-carbonising the economy, the wider suite of benefits it will bring to society, must be articulated.

The Natural Capital Initiative has published an article for comment on the ‘Future Countryside’ website. Future Countryside has been established by the Shadow Environment Secretary, Conservative MP Nick Herbert, to debate new ideas in environment policy.

In the article members of the Natural Capital Initiative, a partnership between the Society of Biology, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the British Ecological Society, discuss whether movements towards valuing biodiversity and ecosystem services represent a paradigm shift amongst policy-makers and within the scientific community. Yet, say the NCI, policy is running far ahead of the ability to put an accurate ‘price’ on nature. The article calls for an approach which integrates monetary and other approaches to valuation as a way forward which reflects the true worth of society’s natural capital.

Have your say on the points raised in the article on the Future Countryside website.

Nick Clegg MP, leader of the Liberal Democrats, this afternoon addressed a packed audience at the Royal Society, laying out his party’s views on the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths. In a wide-ranging speech which lasted for approximately half an hour, Mr Clegg covered a range of topics; from early-years science and maths education to the use of independent scientific advice by the government. Mr Clegg’s speech was then followed by a high quality question and answer session.

Mr Clegg began his speech by congratulating the Royal Society on a diverse and exciting programme of events to celebrate their 350th anniversary year, stating that the Society represented one of the only bodies which has been influential historically and which continues to be so. His speech emphasised the importance of STEM training and STEM professionals in leading the UK out of recession and called for not just a ‘rebuild’ but a ‘redesign’ of the economy, built not just on the financial sector but on science, technology and innovation. Mr Clegg blamed the Labour Government for failing to capitalise on the success of UK research (with 1% of the world’s population and 8% of the world’s scientific publications) by translating this success into business opportunities.

As a key part of his speech, Mr Clegg made five pledges to the scientific community. According to Mr Clegg a Liberal Democrat government would;
1) Be honest about spending:
Mr Clegg emphasised that the Government’s current debt was not sustainable and that a period of fiscal contraction would have to occur in the years to come. He stated that STEM would be at the forefront of Liberal Democrat thinking in grappling with the economic situation.
2) Allocate funding to broad priorities:
A Liberal Democrat government would respect the ‘Haldane Principle’ but that government would be entitled to take strategic decisions based on broad priorities. ‘Impact’ as part of the Research Excellence Framework would be re-examined.
3) Reform education to increase scientific literacy:
One of Mr Clegg’s key points was the fundamental importance of early-years education in crystallising young people’s attitudes to STEM and take-up of STEM subjects later in life. A Liberal Democrat government would be committed to improving the quality of STEM tuition, with all Key Stage 4 students having the opportunity to take three sciences.
4) Uphold policy based on independent evidence:
Mr Clegg said that he understood the importance of independent scientific advice and that he supported the Prinicples for the Treatment of Independent Scientific Advice as submitted to the Government by Sense about Science. A debate was also necessary, he said, on the media’s communication of science and of the nuances of scientific discovery.
5) Immediately reform English libel laws:
Freedom to evaluate critically the work of others is fundamental to science, Mr Clegg said, and immediate reform is needed to make sure that the UK’s libel laws don’t stifle scientific debate and inquiry.

In response to questioning Mr Clegg confirmed that these five principles would be found in the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto. In response to other questions he reiterated his party’s commitment to abolishing tuition fees for university students, although acknowledged that money was not available for this at present, and reiterated his commitment to ‘lead with evidence’ the policy-making process. When questioned about how he would deal with a direct clash between the evidence (in this case, that eating less meat would be better for the climate) and politics (safeguarding farmers’ interests) Mr Clegg was pragmatic however, stating that ultimately he and his colleagues were politicians, representing the public. With many rural constituencies he said that it would be difficult in this case to make policy purely on the basis of this evidence. He hoped, he said, that a Liberal Democrat government would show ’sophistication’ in its approach to evidence-based policy-making.