Unearthing the Senses in Our Experience of Woodlands

by Karis Jade Petty

This blog post originally appeared on the Woodland Trust News and Blog.

Have you ever stood in a woodland and closed your eyes, even for a few moments? Could you hear the rummaging of the squirrel, smell the familiar pungency of the damp musk that follows the rainfall, or feel the movement of the wind as it danced through the trees?

I have often found myself watching the woodlands, those beautiful, radiant colours that turn and change with the moods of the seasons. Tracing the contours of the twisting limbs which rise towards the sky to finally burst with offshoots of green. But there is so much more to the woodlands than what is seen. So often the beauty of the woodland is a scene to behold with the eyes alone.

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Posted in Health, Nature

Risk, Property, and the Politics of Nature

By Kelly Kay

Last year, the School of Global Studies (through the Centre for Global Political Economy), in conjunction with the ESRC STEPS Centre, held a conference on the Financialisation of Nature. The conference produced some exciting and thought-provoking dialogue on this important issue.

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Posted in Nature, Policy, Rights

Wildlife or Domestic Animals?

by Amos Ochieng

The question of whether or not to protect wildlife or domestic animals remains unanswered for many African countries. In Uganda for example, several attempts have  been made  to  conserve wildlife especially  on private land, around Lake Mburo National Park. To do this, the government through the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), reintroduced sport hunting in 2001 to bring both financial and material benefits to the communities.

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Posted in Nature, Policy

Looking at Everyday Behaviour, is it a Good Idea to Put a Price on Nature?

by Lavinia Ioana Udrea

When thinking about an answer to the title question, a good place to start would be to define our common understanding of the word: nature.

nature – [mass noun] The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations. (Oxford English dictionary)

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Posted in Economy, Nature

Time to Throw out the Balance Sheet

by Alan Lester

A bit of a departure from our standard project blog, this essay responds to the latest rehashing of the British Empire in the media (The Rhodes statue debate and a YouGov poll have both made the British Empire topical again). The Independent has called for the empire to be taught ‘warts and all’ so that the 44% of Britons who are proud of it have a little more to think about.

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Posted in Economy, International Relations, Rights