In Britain and Ireland we live in an overcrowded and intensively managed landscape, in which not a single square metre has not been, or is not, influenced by the ‘hand of man’. We have cut it down, ploughed it, drained it, afforested it or concreted it over – in short, we have totally ruined much of it. And yet . . . like you, I still love it with all my heart. I can still find scraps of paradise, things of extraordinary beauty, and things both big and small which make me smile, sing, set my alarm clock to get up, go out and rejoice in. And that is why, like you, I care so much when it comes to conserving it.

But let me ask you a question. If conservation in these islands were a single-company business, all the effort, endeavour, all the strategies, money and employees were under one roof, and that company had shares to purchase on the stock exchange, would you invest in them? Based on results? I wouldn’t. Not because I think that the company isn’t sincere or isn’t trying hard enough, simply because its results are not only poor – they are disastrous.