1 BRITISH LICHEN SOCIETY OFFICERS AND CONTACTS 2012 PRESIDENT B.P. Hilton, Beauregard, 5 Alscott Gardens, Alverdiscott, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 3QJ; e-mail [email protected] VICE-PRESIDENT J. Simkin, 41 North Road, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 9UN, email [email protected] SECRETARY C. Ellis, Royal Botanic Garden, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR; email [email protected] TREASURER J.F. Skinner, 28 Parkanaur Avenue, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS1 3HY, email [email protected] ASSISTANT TREASURER AND MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY H. Döring, Mycology Section, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, email [email protected] REGIONAL TREASURER (Americas) J.W. Hinds, 254 Forest Avenue, Orono, Maine 04473-3202, USA; email [email protected]. CHAIR OF THE DATA COMMITTEE D.J. Hill, Yew Tree Cottage, Yew Tree Lane, Compton Martin, Bristol BS40 6JS, email [email protected] MAPPING RECORDER AND ARCHIVIST M.R.D. Seaward, Department of Archaeological, Geographical & Environmental Sciences, University of Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, email [email protected] DATA MANAGER J. Simkin, 41 North Road, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne NE20 9UN, email [email protected] SENIOR EDITOR (LICHENOLOGIST) P.D. Crittenden, School of Life Science, The University, Nottingham NG7 2RD, email [email protected] BULLETIN EDITOR P.F. Cannon, CABI and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; postal address Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AB, email [email protected] CHAIR OF CONSERVATION COMMITTEE & CONSERVATION OFFICER B.W. Edwards, DERC, Library Headquarters, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XJ, email [email protected] CHAIR OF THE EDUCATION AND PROMOTION COMMITTEE: S. Eaton, Royal Botanic Garden, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR; email [email protected] CURATOR R.K. Brinklow, c/o Dundee Museums and Art Galleries, Albert Square, Dundee DD1 1DA, email [email protected] LIBRARIAN R.G. Woods, Ty Mawr Mill, Llanfihangel Brynpabuan, Builth Wells, Powys LD2 3SH; e-mail [email protected] WEBMASTER A. Hale (email [email protected]). CHAIR OF THE MEMBERS’ SERVICES COMMITTEE D.J. Hill, Yew Tree Cottage, Yew Tree Lane, Compton Martin, Bristol BS40 6JS, email [email protected] FIELD MEETINGS SECRETARY S.G. Price, Woodlands, Combs Rd, Combs High Peak, Derbyshire SK23 9UP, email [email protected] MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL G. Boswell, A. Britton, C. Gueidan, T. Greenaway, D. Hawksworth, L. Knight, M. Powell, A. Pentecost, A. Silverside, S. Ward. REFEREES (Regional & Specialist) See web-site: http://www.britishlichensociety.org.uk/ 2 British Lichen Society Bulletin no. 111 Winter 2012 Welcome to the Winter 2012 Bulletin. This issue we have not one but two Presidential communications, a guest Editorial (see below) by our immediate Past President Stephen Ward, and an article by our current President Barbara Hilton. We communicate with our members via The Bulletin and with lichenologists worldwide via our prestigious journal The Lichenologist. On a wider level we communicate with the world of natural history via British Wildlife - subtitled the magazine for the modern naturalist which is edited by one of our members, Andrew Branson. This excellent magazine carries a series of wildlife reports, that for lichens usually being contributed by Sandy Coppins, sometimes by Neil Sanderson. Compared with the Society’s membership of several hundred, British Wildlife’s circulation of several thousand has the power to reach many more potential lichenologists. British Wildlife rarely carries an editorial but last October, Andrew Branson provided the context for a commentary entitled The 2011 Environmental Revolution in which Peter Marren considered the cascade of consultative documents under the Coalition Government to be the “the greatest shake-up of environmental regulation and practice ... probably in our lifetime ... in effect an environmental revolution.” At this time last year, the revolution had begun and this Society had responded to DEFRA’s Invitation to shape the Nature of England and to the Welsh Government’s proposals outlined in A Living Wales – a New Framework for our Environment. We are in Wales and this afternoon, Ray Woods will whet our appetites with some of Wales’s lichen delights and of his concerns about their welfare. We will then have an opportunity not only to hear from Diana Reynolds of the Welsh Government how those ideas have developed, but to engage with her in discussion. This presents an exceptional opportunity for the Society to discuss our concerns and to influence policy. A further aspect of the revolution is DEFRA’s ‘red tape challenge’. The government’s website says it is committed to being ‘the greenest government ever’ and goes on to say ‘protecting and enhancing the natural environment is crucial to our long-term economic success and quality of life. But ... we have to make sure that ... our environmental regulations are not strangling businesses and individuals with red tape.’ On this Society’s behalf, I responded during September to the challenge by detailing those pieces of legislation of value for lichens and their habitats. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Front cover: Anointed by dogs for 4500 years? Lichens on the standing stones of Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick, Cumbria. The well-developed bright yellow patches at the base of the stones are primarily colonies of Candelariella coralliza. 1 In his autumn statement in November 2011 Chancellor Osborne decried ‘green policies as a “burden” and a “ridiculous cost” to British businesses’ (Harvey 2011). He hinted at a watering down of regulations protecting British wildlife by reviewing implementation of the EU Habitat and Wild Birds Directives, saying ‘We'll make sure goldplating of EU rules on things like habitats aren't placing ridiculous costs on British businesses’. Presaging a new approach, Andrew Branson says ‘What is needed is a more effective way of communicating the importance of diverse habitats rich in wildlife to decision- makers at all levels, and of promulgating policy initiatives that will raise the nature and quality of the debate’. How is this ‘revolution’ likely to impinge on lichens, lichenologists and the British Lichen Society? • Lichens were around long before man and are likely to remain long into the future. If your focal point is lichens per se, then you have nothing to worry about. • If however, your interest is in lichen communities, some of which are fragile, then the suggestion that their habitats may be considered of less value than a commercial development is of concern. • As lichenologists we have to find better ways of communicating our interest and fascination with lichens. OPen Air Laboratories (OPAL) was one such initiative, but some way has to be found of maintaining that momentum. A political party in these circumstances would say that it had ‘failed to get its message across’ – so what is our message and are we articulating it in simple enough terms to engage the public? • This is a very successful Society in terms of our achievements and longevity, but judged in terms of membership numbers we are still remarkably small. Our activities received a boost as a direct result of resources channelled into lichen survey under the Biodiversity Action Plan but, as Andrew Branson notes, we have perhaps ‘failed to engage an indifferent, or even hostile, wider audience’. One sector of potential interest with which we have yet to fully engage is those drawn to lichens by their beauty of form, texture and colour or by a mild curiosity as to what a lichen is. The Bristol Downs Lichen Trail is an excellent initiative in this regard which could well be emulated in many more locations. In considering Chancellor Osborne’s suggested weakening of wildlife legislation, it is sobering to note that this is the Biodiversity Decade 2010 - 2020 Living in Harmony with Nature – the decade in which it is intended to halt the loss of wildlife! If anyone is to speak up for lichens as a key feature of our surroundings, then it must be us, the members of the British Lichen Society. It is often said of this Society that we punch above our weight, but in terms of our impact on environmental policy and decision- making, we are not making the impact we should. Decision-makers appear to take the view that if the statutory conservation agency has no comment to make, then there is no case to answer. Wales stands at the crossroads of the formation of a new environmental body; given the hitherto potentially avoidable loss of key lichen habitats, such as trees hosting internationally rare lichens in the course of road 2 realignments, it is essential the new Welsh Environment body is aware of, and takes into account, the expert views of a learned Society such as our own. References Branson, Andrew. Editorial. British Wildlife, 23, No. 1, p.1. Harvey, Fiona. Less Protection for Wildlife in Pipeline as Osborne Turns a Paler Shade of Green. The Guardian 29th November 2011. Marren, Peter. Comment: the 2011 Environmental Revolution, 23, No. 1, pp.2-6. Stephen Ward [email protected] A new perspective – a letter from the President A privilege of the President is to view the Society with new perspective. Throughout 2010 and 2011 my familiarity with the work of individuals