“Just a tree”. That’s how the two found guilty of chopping down the iconic Sycamore Gap tree described the response to their actions. To many, myself included, the Sycamore Gap is so much more than “just a tree”. It’s a proud symbol of the North East of England, a living monument woven into the landscape and the memories of generations.
Britons have an underlying yearning for and a love of nature in their communities. Nature is a part of us – it’s part of our identity as proud Britons. Think of the works of Beatrix Potter, Wordsworth, Kenneth Graham and the power of Sir David Attenborough’s work. So much of our cherished literature and culture celebrate our beautiful landscapes, natural heritage and wildlife.
Just how much we rely on nature for wellbeing – quite aside from the more tangible benefits – was brought home to us during the Covid lockdowns, when it provided a lifeline for many of us who needed something reassuring and joyful to cling to.
But we now stand at a crossroads —not only for our natural environment, but for our whole country. In Great Britain alone, nearly one in six species are threatened with extinction. Yet while we often think about nature’s beauty, the truth is that it is our life support system.
Our land, wetlands and seas store carbon, hold back water, pollinate crops and host the rich web of life of plants and animals we cherish. Yet some of these natural treasures are so degraded that they exacerbate the effects of a warming planet, amplifying flooding, drought and pollution and causing people misery when they could be providing places for them to be happy and healthy.
My plea would be that the devastating felling of this iconic tree can be a turning point and the start of a national conversation about how we put nature on the road to recovery.