Sussex partnership explains threats to natural world in new series of talks

Ending the War on Nature is a partnership between Sussex Wildlife Trust, Shoreham Wordfest, CPRE and Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham, informing people of risks from development, environmental damage and climate change, while highlighting the positive efforts underway to protect wildlife.

The monthly talks launch on Wednesday, February 12, with a discussion about rewilding and its relevance to nature conservation, ecosystem restoration and people’s health and wellbeing.

Independent ecologist Dr Tony Whitbread will lead this and the following two talks, on March 11 and April 28.

Dr Whitbread retired as Sussex Wildlife Trust chief executive in March 2018 but has returned to take a leading role in nature conservation as the trust’s president.

He said: “Nature, indeed our whole life support system, is consistently undervalued or ignored in traditional economics and political decision making. This is a fatal flaw in the prevailing valuing system of our time.”

His talk in March, with the theme ‘there is no wealth but life’ will ask whether we can perceive an alternative view.

This will be followed with a focus on plants in April, explaining how they are central to our very existence.

Henri Brocklebank, the trust’s director of conservation, will give a talk on Rewilding the Channel on May 20, explaining the importance of the Help Our Kelp blue carbon project.

The series will end with a discussion on environmental protection, chaired by Dr Whitbread on June 10.

The talks are 7.30pm to 9pm. Tickets £10 for one talk, £40 for all five, available from Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham. Visit www.ropetacklecentre.co.uk for more information.