George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/04/20261. Every year, large areas of gorse in Dartmoor and Exmoor national parks are deliberately burnt. It’s an appalling act of vandalism, killing wildlife, preventing regeneration of crucial habitats, releasing toxic smoke and carbon. This thread is about why it’s happening. Pic from this weekend. 1/7 17501224
Rob Hemming @robhemming25.bsky.social · 28/04/2026Breeding season already underway. How is this legal at this time of year? Rhetorical. It's illegal!! Infuriating 110
Chris Green @chrisbirder.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Why is it happening? The 'guardians' (or 'custodians' if you prefer) of our countryside are a bunch of backward-looking, entitled morons. That's why it's happening. 271
Art Gelling @artgelling.bsky.social · 28/04/2026On Saturday, I recorded Gorse Seed Weevil, Grey Gorse Piercer Moth, Gorse Shield Bug, Green Hairstreak Butterfly (foodplant gorse), and Whitethroat (singing from gorse). Like so many native plants, gorse isn't just a plant. It's a community, including specialists seen nowhere else. 092
Rob Yorke @robyorke.bsky.social · 27/04/2026I was there too / that’s either arson or a wildfire, as the swaling season ends voluntarily 31st March or legally, 15th April nb wildfire risk is a developing issue based on various factors including dead dry winter vegetation fuel loads, tourist hotspots etc 110
Ang Kidd @autumngrrrl.bsky.social · 28/04/2026I've never understood why gorse is seen as 'invasive' here in the UK nor do I understand the use of fire to control it. Gorse/furze is a brilliant pioneer plant, has nitrogen-fixing properties and in some cases thrives after fire. 1/2 141
wanderingpath.bsky.social @wanderingpath.bsky.social · 28/04/2026What's frustrating is that it's so easily trackable as well. Each one of these black blobs is a swale over 4 hectares in size. The free Copernicus Browser shows the scale of it so clearly. Surely this cant be right if they're in a defra scheme? 020
Ellwyn Male @arlunydd.bsky.social · 28/04/2026It happens all the time in valleys too, but there’s no reason behind it other than just cos 010
Elon Gates @strawdogs.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Even St Kilda is covered in sheep. It’s a bizarre take on sustaining the landscape 070
Julia @toddlenrant.bsky.social · 27/04/2026Sickening. Year after year, like no one learns the lessons. 020
Quinton @qu1nton.bsky.social · 27/04/2026We have a similar push out here on the west coast of Canada. There are regular “broom bashing” gatherings. www.coastalisc.com/blog/broom-i...coastalisc.comBroom is Bad, and Gorse is Worse! (Salt Spring Island Conservancy) - Coastal Invasive Species CommitteeBroom is Bad, and Gorse is Worse! (Salt Spring Island Conservancy) 021
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/04/20262. It's called “swaling”. Extraordinarily, it’s not just permitted by the national park authorities, but actively encouraged. Dartmoor is now on its 3rd justification. #1 “it creates grazing for sheep” #2 “it’s traditional” #3 “it stops wildfires” www.dartmoor.gov.uk/living-and-w...dartmoor.gov.ukSwaling | Dartmoor_______________ 511316
Lerrup @lerrup.bsky.social · 27/04/2026It's a bit like the sheep bitten bits of all our moorlands, no one in power has the imagination to see it's not the only way it can be. 0150
MisanthropeLovesBirds𓄿𓄿 @bird-nerdco.bsky.social · 29/04/2026This is appalling. It calls to mind the fact that government agencies are actually spraying glyphosate on public lands in order to benefit lumber companies. 010
John Rankin 🏴💙💛🤍🍀🍀 🇵🇸 @shabba73.bsky.social · 27/04/2026I once spoke to an Environment Agency officer and he described sheep as "the plague of the uplands". They stop anything growing longer than cut grass, that includes shrubbery and trees. Completely unnecessary and very damaging. 181