Conservation Communication
To bring together people from different walks of life and mindsets for harmonising an inclusive approach for protecting Britain’s landscapes, wildlife and communities.
Safeguard
To safeguard the future of Britain’s wildlife, societies, and local economies we must urgently prioritise nature’s recovery. There is near universal support for this ambition. How we go about achieving this ambition while protecting remote communities leads to different opinions and often emotive debate.
Understand
We have to be prepared to gather together, engage in constructive dialogue from all angles and understand each other. We aim to bring together people from the three key sectors of farming, conservation and fieldsports to discuss and find ways to work together to achieve the same goal – nature’s recovery.
Achieve
Talking constructively and reaching compromises is the way forward. Our events seek to bring people together for exactly this purpose in order that we can all learn and better understand each other and find solutions. We often find everyones opinions are not that different once we get around a table and talk.
What we do…
In order to achieve these goals and objectives, commencing in 2022, we began to borrow large properties capable of hosting groups of eight to ten guests, plus volunteer hosts and speakers, in order to meet, talk openly in a safe environment (often under Chatham House Rules), enjoy meals together (eating together creates a more relaxed and personable atmosphere, allowing for deeper conversations and stronger relationship building particularly when trying to establish rapport) and finally, to demonstrate and enjoy the surrounding landscapes and wildlife together. We are funded via donations and generous assistance from personal donors who support our objectives.
Our Events
Events in the uplands since 2021
Events in the lowlands since 2024
Sponsors
Testimonials
Roger Morgan-Grenville
Author and Journalist
British conservation is in a crisis, not only of disappearing wildlife, but also of the un-necessarily adversarial nature of just about all the crucial debates, all generally fuelled by heat not light. I know from first hand experience that these events form an elegant, helpful and vital bridge between ‘sides’, and are, as such, a vital contributor for where we should all head to next
Teresa Dent
CEO, GWCT
The Government’s main target for biodiversity is to reverse the decline in abundance of species by 2030. I suspect there is nowhere in England we can see increasingly rare and endangered waders in more abundance than on grouse moors so they are a testament to the conservation effort that we will need to see replicated across many parts of the countryside to hit those government targets in a mere six years.
Dominic Buscall
Founder, Wild Ken Hill
The forum created by Tarquin and his colleagues is an incredibly important one. As a group, we entered the room prepared to listen and with constructive intent. This provided a great space to learn, and to find common ground. It was also an incredibly enjoyable two days; the Wildlife watching was fantastic, the hospitality extremely warm, and I made some brilliant new acquaintances. Thank you to Tarquin and the team.
Jonathan Pointer
Artist and naturalist
The Moorland Matters project facilitates an important conversation, bringing together people from different interests to discuss ways to work together towards a shared goal. A fantastically insightful and positive experience. Such education, dialogue and joined-up thinking is just what is needed to promote a more hopeful future for our precious upland spaces and species.
Charlie Burrell
Owner, Knepp Estate
Bringing together conservationists, gamekeepers, and guns, is essential for fostering collaboration and understanding. Providing a safe environment for open dialogue allows participants to address deeply held beliefs about ecosystem challenges and explore strategies for effective species management and survival. This work is crucial for building shared solutions to complex conservation issues.
Baroness Batters
President of NFU (E & W) 2018 to 2024
Having been lucky enough to experience the first Lowland Matters event I saw for myself how crucial it is to bring people together. With over 70% of the country being farmed, this initiative shows just how important it is to bring people together to achieve multiple benefits for entire ecosystems. We can only make progress if we can share our success.
John Miller
Author and Conservationist
Nothing beats observing something with your own eyes, for an immersive learning experience. I wish everyone could come and see this.
Ian Harrison
Osteopath
Nothing beats observing something with your own eyes, for an immersive learning experience. I wish everyone could come and see this.
Prof. Charles Tyler
Exeter University
A wonderfully engaging and open-minded team making great efforts to connect people for the good of our upland landscapes and the hugely important wildlife we most urgently need to protect.
Jonathan Spencer MBE
conservation biologist and former Head of Environment for Forestry England
The workshop approach, in such lovely surroundings and under Chatham House Rule, encourages close and personable exchanges between like-minded souls but of varied and often contrary views. This leads to a far deeper appreciation of the challenges, a far better understanding of the issues and a far greater commitment to seeking and securing a promising way ahead. My own experience was extremely educational, especially of the economic realities in the uplands and the economic opportunities that might just open up with improved understanding on both sides of what can so often be a fractious and fruitless debate. A fascinating and fruitful approach to dialogue, understanding and the way ahead. I would encourage attendance by all manner of people interested in the future of our rural landscapes and participation can only be a positive contribution to addressing our challenging future, especially in the much misunderstood upland