Yesterday, I spoke in the debate on Britain’s Ancient Woodlands and made the case for their protection. These environments are complex and unspoiled, and offer habitats for wildlife and rare species. They cannot be recreated if they are destroyed. But they are also a living link to our history.
I want to see these Ancient Woodlands protected because losing them would have profound consequences for what kind of country we want to be and our relationship to our history. Our ever growing command of the natural world must not mean that we have to make a clean break with nature.