Campaign bearing fruit in fight to save nation's woodland

At the time of writing (10 February) there are nearly half a million signatures on the 38 degrees petition, no less than 41 separate blog postings on the Guardian website, and coverage across papers of every other political persuasion and format. There have been two Early Day Motions and an opposition day vote in parliament. The National Trust has been talking of rediscovering its radical roots, and Jonathan Porritt has left several green NGOs with red faces for not having said more sooner. The cause, of course, is our beloved woodland.

Environmental philanthropists are also concerned. As Simon Brammer of the the Ashden Trust states: “Philanthropy will not be picking up the tab for transferring woodland from state to community ownership. As well as the widespread concern about public access and protecting biodiversity, any major sell-off would undermine the UK’s good standing in critical international efforts to reduce global deforestation.”

If, as seems increasingly likely, the government drops its proposals, it will be a remarkable victory. Strong proof, for any that doubt, of the deep strain of environmentalism that runs through the British psyche, far beyond those that would describe themselves as environmentalists.

For all campaigners and change agents, there is a perfect lesson in the need to root campaigns in the fertile soil of emotion and imagination. The original ‘government proposal to sell off our forests’ was actually the inclusion of a couple of dull clauses in the short, boring, and very powerful Public Bodies Bill, enabling the Secretary of State to make fundamental changes to the role of the Forestry Commission. Whilst details on the government’s actual intentions for forests remained scarce, campaigners mobilised around the worst possible scenarios. The Bill itself is now, rightly, under far more public and political scrutiny than would have been the case. Worryingly, the same Bill gives equivalent powers to amend the name, governance and functions of many environmental bodies, including our national parks. 

For philanthropists, there is a clear demonstration that popular campaigns can offer extremely good value for money. 38 degrees, the campaign body that played a key role in raising the issue, and which has hosted the main petition against the government plans, costs about £360,000 a year to run (according to figureson their website). It relies entirely on philanthropic support from the general public, and several trusts and foundations. The Woodland Trust, which largely focuses on woodland management, had an income in the last year of £25.5 million.

Of course, the Woodland Trust, and other large conservation NGOs, have invaluable policy and technical expertise, and credibility with government, but for big-picture policy change it is popular campaigning which can really open up space. Campaigns are broad brush; policy work is detail. We need both – the woods and the trees.