Chantal Lyons

The news I can finally share, although I can still barely believe it - honoured to have made the Wainwright Prize shortlist alongside books of such calibre!

@severnpiscator Hope it went well!

Over a pint (or two) we came up with the idea of an elver safari. - A talk on eels and the problems they face, the chance to watch the Severn bore and then a nighttime foray into the world of the elver and the men who fish for them. I hope the eels (and bore) show up 🤞.2/2

Our first elver safari! Wish us luck! @MattyH02 and I will be working with the EA on some assisted migration, moving fish past these barriers (see 🧵below) but we also want to highlight the clapper gate issue to a wider audience and share our love for the wonderful eel. 1/2

Reminder to all in the Bristol area/surrounding environs that I'll be talking about the future of #WildBoar in Britain at the gorgeous Watercress Farm/Belmont Estate next Wednesday evening! Tickets here 👉 belmont.estate/events/

I am delighted to see the UK’s second free-roaming bison project underway 🦬 A huge team effort to get here—despite significant regulatory barriers. We need to make it simpler and more affordable to scale projects like this. Much more to do. Onwards. #Rewilding #NatureRecovery

Absolutely sick to death of hearing about how the new @louistheroux documentary has made people think about attitudes to women. Lots of MPs jumping on the bandwagon. I mean, no disrespect to Louis - I’m grateful for the highlight - but for God’s sake… Women get killed by their partner every week. Tiny Man Tate has been a thing for years. Domestic violence shelters are overwhelmed. Women have been waving the red flags about incels and attitudes for years. We’ve been begging for change. We’ve been highlighting the serious threat of anti-women social media. Then a MAN makes a documentary and suddenly everyone’s interested? Do you not all think that this might be part of the problem?

Wild garlic isn’t just for cooking. It’s a quiet powerhouse of our woodland ecosystems! 🌱❤️

@joshual951 Didn’t realise it was this good for soil health!!! I’m curious though, what is the dispersal mechanism? I know bears eat it…

@natashacarthew @bookshop_org_UK Love the cover and the title, excited to read it!

Preorder ROUGH EDGES from @bookshop_org_UK here: uk.bookshop.org/p/books/rough-…

Had a great time interviewing the eminently quotable Paul - champion of the bees!

@BMW_Monica They felt no shame that they were happy for their child to hurt another animal? It was just the threat of a fine that changed their minds? What wretched people. Thank you for standing up for the seals.

2/2 I did tell the kid "YOU CAN'T THROW ROCKS AT SEALS!" I explained her parents would be fined (she seemed to accept this). Doesn't change the fact that hello, who doesn't tell their kids not to throw rocks at ANY animal minding its own business and not trying to hurt them?! 😤

Yesterday, I was getting my camera set up when I heard a family approach and the daughter (10-12) say, "I'm gonna throw a rock at them and see what they do." 🤨 What. She had a rock and was trying to decide which seal to hit. The mom didn't say not to. I was horrified. 1/2

@JoPhoenix1 This is great! We should all be using she/he for other animals, in recognition that they are living conscious beings. Seeing it more and more in nature writing.

Sitting in bed, doing a little reading in anticipation of getting our new puppy next month. The book opens with this.....🤣🤣🤣

@JLewisStempel @thetimes Very much enjoyed this. Any chance your boar had some Eastern European in him? I understand those further east are bigger (average for Western Europe is ~100kg?)

Hope it's not 'boaring' - an encounter with a wild boar in my @thetimes Nature Notebook #nature #huntergathering thetimes.com/comment/column…

@paulpowlesland Blew my mind when my uni lecturer told me about the pumps that are needed to keep farming there viable

It is quite strange to live in one of Europe’s largest wetlands and then worry that it is wet. With climate change, there is no economic feasible way that the Somerset Levels can be maintained in its 20th century state. No amount of river dredging or new pumps is going to stop a wetland metres below sea level in one of the wettest parts of the UK from being wet. We should decide to give the Marshes of Avalon back to nature gracefully: rehoming and compensating those affected, rather than being forced to do so in the wake of repeated tragedies. Let’s make these rare, precious & irreplaceable wetlands wet again.

@ednewtonrex Need to name and shame the company or companies responsible

I am genuinely astonished by how terrible this 'AI Skills Hub' is. For the record, this cost *£4.1 million*. There are no words. /end

I took a closer look at the UK government's new 'AI Skills Hub', and it is insane. It includes 'courses' that are simply links to info pages about PhD programs; 'courses' that are literally just software developer documentation; and 'courses' that don't exist at all. Short 🧵

@neilalexander_ @BorrowBox I didn’t realise till a week ago that I also should have registered for PLR as well as ACLS… I just wish publishers could hand us a simple leaflet or something?

In Beauty of the Beasts, Jo Wimpenny challenges our fears and biases toward nature’s 'least loved' animals – revealing their intelligence, ecological importance, and misunderstood behaviours. A must‑read for wildlife lovers! Available to pre-order now. @CSLyons

That is the least that should happen People need to know that you cannot do this Roadside trees near me have been hacked down indescriminantly recently, using the excuse that they are diseased ash trees (many aren't) and/or dangerous (most aren't) theguardian.com/environment/20…

@DanicaPriest F**k Around and Find Out 😂

Some good news for once! The Toby Carvery in Enfield that cut down a healthy 500 year old tree without council permission is potentially getting evicted by the council! It’s nice to see trees getting justice 🌳 💪

@ret_ward About five times as much land in England that is generating power from solar grows maize for electricity generation in anaerobic digesters. Carbon is being lost from soils under maize & much less electricity is being produced per acre compared with solar. I’d say solar IS better.

Reminder: right now—on Xmas Eve—tens of thousands of delivery drivers are peeing in bottles to meet brutal quotas for one of the most powerful corporations in the world, so the rest of us can get boxes of stuff that’s shittier than ever and only seems cheap because the same corporation crushed competitors and algorithms manipulate its prices. It doesn’t need to be this way. None of this is inevitable.