I'm not Welsh, but I had the privilege of working in the country for a year in 2006/7, during which Iolo came and filmed at the conservation project that I worked on. He was one of the most honest, humble, passionate and down to earth people who I've ever met. When I heard this speech ten years ago, it brought tears to my eyes. Listening to it again, it does the same now. Tears of sadness and loss but, amongst them, gritty eyed tears of determination to continue the fight. What else is there to fight for, if not life itself?
What a magnificent and rousing speech, and beautifully presented. Iolo, is one of my native countrymen, and am i am extremely proud to have someone so passionate about our environment.
The most passionate speech about the importance of wildlife conservation I have ever heard. Every single word of it true. Amazing, passionate and a clarion for action and change.
I am old enough to remember the bluebells spreading across the hills in the Rhondda valley and the foxgloves that came later. Like others we collected tadpoles and watched them develop day by day. Now those areas are covered with conifers. I hope Iolo's inspiration will encourage us all to do what we can. What a prophet!
Thank you Iolo for such a strong speech, much needed from what you said. I grew up in Machynlleth and remember the wildlife and freedom we all enjoyed as children. Please keep on being such an impassioned speaker for wildlife in Wales. What a bleak future you paint for our childrens children
A million thanks to Iolo for this. His experiences are so like mine. I'm a soil scientist and it's even more difficult trying to convince people of the need to protect our soil. You cannot be a soil scientist and not notice what's happening in the many habitats underlain by soil. Iolo's passion is heartfelt and infectious. Sadly, it is not just his Welsh habitats that are at risk; it is the same here in England. We must respond to Iolo's call for action. That means us not someone else.
Iolo, please try to get the BBC to allow you to make these points on Springwatch. It was great to see you on your moors this week. Perhaps we could see other local specialists putting the case forward for our planet. Your passion, their passion, could make a difference. Thank you for speaking from the heart. Thank you for the truth, beautifully told.
Thank you Iolo.Your passion is in inspiring. If those who crave the power to influence us also had the emotional intelligence to realise that- whatever you sow you reap, then maybe they could have that life affirming connection with a grandchild in 30/40 years time...(?)
We need to listen to this man, hear what he says over and over again, and each take at least, at least, one step towards changing this dreadful state of affairs. I am currently communicating with Wrexham Council on reviewing and changing their verge-cutting programme as recommended by Plant Life.
Iolo is saying everything I feel and express myself. I'm an ecologist and a heretic. We need a radical and urgent rethink about protecting our natural heritage. Eco System Services is the Emperor's new clothes = The cost of everything and the true value of nothing. Iolo is right about empty words in endless meetings. We are sleep walking to the environmental precipice. Most politicians think short term and the many of those working for NE, SNH, NRW are afraid to speak out, or don't care enough!
Tourism to one of the most beautiful and well managed countrysides has got to be worth more than logs. We don't want to be digging it up for coal, putting wind turbines on it, having pylons across it, or flooding valleys for water for Birmingham or Liverpool. Great speech, I feel a little pessimistic though, but I'll tweet it to some people who should see it. Management comes from the top, do you fancy being the next PM Iolo, (or an AM) there's no one worth the trip to the polling station now.
Agree with everything said Iolo. Wonderful Wales, the Aran and Berwyn range need to be protected for future generations. There is a disappointing change happening within County Councils with officers in planning guilty of damaging and tearing out trees and hedgerows without due care for our natural environment. National Park Authorities are now considering planning applications for wind turbines - under pressure from politicians who want to meet unsustainable targets?
I doubt there's many of us, who can't relate to what Iolo is speaking about. I too can remember the chirruping of grasshoppers in a local field as a child, now a housing estate. Waking up to the sound of' 'our' Sparrows in the eaves. My elderly father told of collecting jacksnipes(little fish) in the local brook, now enclosed in pipe work and buried under the housing estate, finding it way to sea in darkness. Iolo is right, we only have one earth - it isn't too late, we need to act now.
A brilliant speech! I have been watching the destruction of the Welsh countryside and the disappearance of wildlife too for many years, and it sickens me to see what is happening.
I am a massive nature lover that grew up as a young lad in south Wales valies so I can relate to many things Iolo said here and I agree with many of them. But, and there is a but, the argument Iolo provides is not a stong one. Not in the emotive sense, as that was bang on, very emotive and inpirational but the objectively rational reasons of why we need to save nature need to be made better. The central reason Iolo argues we should save nature is for our grandchildrens entertainment and perhaps that beautiful, almost spititual connection and awareness of our meaningful existence as living beings on this planet . However, there are many things than can entertain us, too many these days in fact. Entertainment value doesn't really stand as a strong reason for saving nature and it's quite a self centered one to be honest. 'We should save nature so nature may entertian us', no. We should save nature yes, for that beautiful connection that being immersed in nature provides but not entirely because of just that, that is a secondary, perhaps tertiary reason as to why we should save nature. We should save nature because life is an incredibly rare thing. Life has taken billions of year to develop through what could be the most improbable and unlikely process ever to happen - the emergence of life in the universe. Life exists on only one planet that we know of; ours. We should, if merely out of respect for this improbable process, and the toil suffered by all those living beings that fought to survive, the ones that did, and the ones that didnt, to save nature. We living things are all linked to one another, we share a beautifully unique existence and historical ancestary. We are all interlinked and depend on the biophere to survive. If we keep destroying land areas and species keep going extinct, we will too. These are the main reasons to save nature.
What an amazing and passionate speach, im fortunate to live at lake vyrnwy ive spent my whole life in this area and the changes in my lifetime of nearly 40 years are dramatic, I remember lapwings and curlews everywhere now never see a one, its so sad that the powers that be are only into making profit and lining their pockets, they are killing our country, our planet and it has to stop before its too late! Matt.
Well said Iolo.I moved to Montgomery 13 years ago I can remember having to constantly clean dead insects from my car windscreen, not any more and I don't think I got them all. A small change for me not so for those that feed off them.
I wish every one within the Welsh Government ill be made to watch and listen carefully to this wonderful address by Iolo. With many of the areas of wild mooland Iolo mentioned -will if wind farm developers have their way, will cover these areas with massive wind turbines - The recent County Times Petition had people voting 7,6688 to say NO to this Industrialisation . The WG needs to stop supporting the Renewable Industry with their massive subsidies and start to protect our landscape.
Remarkable & 100% accurate. Also VERY sad. I too have seen drastic declines in once-common (and not so common ) species. Matched only by the rise in 'career politicians' with noses-in-trough, no interest in or knowledge of the balance of nature. Over-subsidised farmers/landowners given carte blanche to destroy our uplands for short term gains. Don't get me started on windmill mania that is as unchecked as the South Sea Bubble. Implanting gigantic concrete block into peat uplands. Sheer madness.
The message here is VERY important - a pity/shame that the people who crave and get power don't understand and cannot see it unless there is a financial profit to be made from it - perhaps they will finally understand when it becomes obvious that WE are also a part of the environment (not above or beyond it) and if we destroy our environment and the wildlife then we eventually destroy ourselves too !!!!!
I really just have one question. How can we get through those decisionmakers? I would really like to change things here in the Netherlands as well, but I just don't know how and where to start...
I agree with all the comments but I have to ask - why is the ongoing, increasing, wholesale and utterly unjustified (if anything ever could justify it)slaughter of badgers (not to mention foxes) ever talked about when someone makes a speech like this? If we're talking about responsibility and keeping faith with our grandchildren how can we possibly justify not standing up and DEMANDING that the slaughter of a pivotal native wildlife species, utterly benign and in this country before us (in fact since the Ice Age) STOP and stop NOW. The badger, loved by generations, is now locally extinct in many parts of the UK and we have done that, and are doing that, INTENTIONALLY! Quite apart from all the wrong turns over the last twenty years, what on earth do we think we're doing NOW? As for Wales,most of the AMs support culling yet they cannot even begin to provide any actual scientific arguments in favour of it - most display an astonishing and shocking level of ignorance. All that Wellbeing of Future Generations guff is talking the talk but it's certainly not walking the walk. It means the Welsh Gov can claim to be caring about the environment while filling in a few tickboxes and dredging Cardigan Bay.
after visiting Romania last year it is so sad to see US (the western world) wrecking this very special place as we have done to all of our once 'special places'....IT IS NOW TIME FOR THE DO'ERS OF THE WORLD TO TAKE OVER....
I had a tear, too. Please visit my page on facebook to see what I'm trying to do about the condition of everything! Realslatecouk I'm starting selling in London markets as I live in Kent. I'm a big believer that things won't change until the indigenous people all around the world are listened to & given a voice for their opinions for the lands they live on, and those opinions are listened to and requests to stop destroying the land & environment respected. Diolch
See another impassioned camapigner... 80+ year old Elsie Jones talking to BBC tv objecting very eloquently about saving 7 MILES of hedgerows near the Welsh border at Marrington nr Chirbury Shropshire (close to Iolo's house) search for 'youtube thetreehunter elsie' and choose the video link...I am sure Iolo would agree with ecery word!
