The Deer Are Eating Out on Pender Island and Now It’s Raining Caterpillars.

Living on the Lower Mainland of British Columbia it's difficult not to notice how much is being covered with concrete and tarmac in the rush to build houses that run to the limits of each new property. Driveways and decks take up the remaining green space and the local roads are now so busy, walking to your destination can be quicker than using a car. Not that walking is a bad thing, but air quality in summer is so poor, breathing successfully can no longer be taken for granted. The occasional visit to somewhere cleaner and quieter might seem essential.…

The New Forest’s Overgrazed Stream Sides and Woodlands.

The banks of New Forest streams have changed significantly over the years. Long before I started photographing the New Forest in the 1970s streamsides were steadily being opened up by livestock as they grazed and trampled these fragile areas into blandness, and it is a problem that continues to the present day. If managing the open Forest continues to prioritise traditional practices, then maybe it's not such a bad idea to refer to photographs taken earlier in the 20th Century to gain a better understanding of the changes that have occurred. Many stream banks were grazed out long before I began taking…

The New Forest’s Overgrazed Heathlands.

Overgrazing the New Forest - a major contribution to species decline. I wrote recently about ‘The New Forest’ and the obvious truth that it has a litter problem, but there is something more consequential going on that has been bothering me for years - the fabric of the Forest is being eaten away by herbivores more quickly than it can regenerate, and rather like the litter - there is no sign of a change for the better. The New Forest, for those who don't already know, is a patchwork of habitats ranging from lawns, through open heathlands to forests and…