Note: My website address has
changed to
www.fenton.scot
This is because after Brexit the .eu
domain name will no longer be valid.
The old address was
www.james-hc-fenton.eu
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James HC Fenton © 2018
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How do we know what we know?
Some things we just know!
For example, we know that woodland is the climax vegetation in our
part of Europe; that tree regeneration without fencing is ‘natural’
regeneration; that the reason that there are so few trees in the UK
uplands is because of our actions, now and in the past; that there is
too much grazing in the our uplands; that sheep grazing in the hills has
reduced their biodiversity value; that peat erosion is caused by human
action and is a sign of bad land management; that erosion generally is
caused by poor land management; that trees prevent floods and
landslides; that tree planting is good for climate change mitigation…
But how do we know all these ‘facts’? Do we just know them because
everyone else does, i.e. GroupThink? Or do they all have a sound
evidence base? Are they facts or beliefs? Do we ever stop to analyse
our own beliefs?
Nowadays, is ecology really science-based or belief-based?…
A View from Argyll
James Fenton’s perspective
on current conservation issues
Click here for previous blogs
WOODLAND OR OPEN GROUND?
Scenarios for the persistence of woodland
in the presence of grazing
The Highlands of Scotland as an example
Note: I have recently added new papers to
the peatland page. These consider the long-
term dynamics of ombrotrophic peatlands.