Summer flowers, nest and pond
I normally just share nature on this blog, but I'm feeling to share something more here.
Last week, I saw from my Yorkshire office a field full of yellow flowers. Walking through the field, I'd seen the many different plants within the grass, so I went to take a look. Here is what I found. Unlike ploughed and fertilised fields, this one has beautiful biodiversity.
From memory, in a presentation by Pavan Sukhdev of the UN's Green Economy Initiative, I saw that each 1% loss in biodiversity costs the global economy, in net present value between 1 and 4 trillion dollars. In the emerging world where people, businesses and governments will be accountable for stewarding ecosystems, perhaps we can begin to value farmers for the biodiversity of their fields.
At one point while walking in the field we saw a lapwing (tewit or green plover) rising from the field five meters away. Lapwings typically run before they fly to hide the location of their nests. Looking down in front of us there was the nest with four beautiful eggs. (If you look way back on this blog, you will see a photo of a lapwing chick.)
Below is the developing ecosystem of the pond in the garden. We dug the pond in 2004. It is now full of many frogs, thousands of tadpoles and many other plants andcreatures including a newt that I saw for the first time a few days ago.
There are so many learnings from how the pond has developed and from all of the wildlife that makes use of it. One is how ecosystems develop and flourish given the right conditions. Another is the reminder of the invaluable and timeless beauty of nature.
Last week, I saw from my Yorkshire office a field full of yellow flowers. Walking through the field, I'd seen the many different plants within the grass, so I went to take a look. Here is what I found. Unlike ploughed and fertilised fields, this one has beautiful biodiversity.
From memory, in a presentation by Pavan Sukhdev of the UN's Green Economy Initiative, I saw that each 1% loss in biodiversity costs the global economy, in net present value between 1 and 4 trillion dollars. In the emerging world where people, businesses and governments will be accountable for stewarding ecosystems, perhaps we can begin to value farmers for the biodiversity of their fields.
At one point while walking in the field we saw a lapwing (tewit or green plover) rising from the field five meters away. Lapwings typically run before they fly to hide the location of their nests. Looking down in front of us there was the nest with four beautiful eggs. (If you look way back on this blog, you will see a photo of a lapwing chick.)
Below is the developing ecosystem of the pond in the garden. We dug the pond in 2004. It is now full of many frogs, thousands of tadpoles and many other plants andcreatures including a newt that I saw for the first time a few days ago.
There are so many learnings from how the pond has developed and from all of the wildlife that makes use of it. One is how ecosystems develop and flourish given the right conditions. Another is the reminder of the invaluable and timeless beauty of nature.
posted by Morel Fourman at 6:35 AM
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