Marion Shoard | Writer : Broadcaster : Speaker

Environment

I have always been fascinated by the natural world and the ways in which people interact with it. This fascination has borne fruit in much of my work, from 'The Lure of The Moors' (1982) to my award-winning essay 'Edgelands' (2005) to Nature Notes - a regular feature on BBC Radio Kent from 2020 until 2023, in which I alerted listeners to aspects of Kent's outdoor world that might interest them in the coming month.

Much of my writing has revolved around addressing threats to our outdoor environment and barriers to our exploration of its delights. From 1988 onwards (with the publication of my book This Land is Our Land and presentation of the documentary on Channel 4 Power in the Land) I have been urging a universal right of access on foot throughout our countryside, subject to sensible exceptions, such as gardens and areas of growing crops. My later, award-winning book A Right to Roam (1999) made the case for this right and set out how it could work on the ground in the UK. In 2023, I was delighted to respond to a request by the then leader of the Green Party, Caroline Lucas, MP, to brief her for a debate in the House of Commons on 18 May about Access to Nature and even more so to hear her call during that debate for a universal right of access. Since then, Caroline Lucas has become a leading member of the Right to Roam campaign, and I wish it every success into the future.

The books, essays and articles about rural affairs which I have written over the years fall into four main subject categories and are listed in dropdown sections. Their subject-matter ranges from the ways children use the countryside for play and the politics of the National Trust to policy proposals in fields as diverse as forestry and rural housing. Many articles are hyperlinked, but if there are any which you would like to read but without a hyperlink, let me know and I will send you a pdf.

Marion Shoard - Environmentalist

Image Courtesy of Trail Magazine

Proposals I have advocated over the years include:

  • The extension of the town and country planning system to embrace farming and forestry operations that can have a significant and long-lasting impact on the beauty of the landscape and/or its wildlife, archaeological features and value for informal open-air recreation
  • The creation of countryside action groups
  • Widespread reconstitution of landscapes damaged by intensive farming
  • The designation of new national parks in Scotland and Northern Ireland
  • The designation of new national parks in lowland England
  • A rural land-tax-and-grant system in which the profits from land use would go to fund the enhancement of landscape and wildlife attractions and the creation of more opportunities for informal outdoor recreation
  • Recognition of the unique landscape, wildlife, historical and archaeological value of 'edgeland' landscapes around towns and cities
  • A reversal of the presumption in favour of building on brownfield rather than greenfield land
  • The introduction of a right of public access on foot to the countryside of the UK, subject to limited exceptions
  • A right to swim in inland waters
  • Greater public access to private squares in cities like London
  • Better provision of facilities such as benches to enable people with disabilities to explore the outdoors
  • Greater provision of public transport, especially buses to enable town and city-dwellers to get into the heart of the countryside
  • Greater provision of access to the outdoors during the evening, night and early morning, not least by extending the opening horus of urban nature reserves

You can find more information about my environment books in the books section of this website.