The Reformation of National and International Policy on Ancient Trees

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Following Brexit, the UK has an opportunity to reform its environmental policies. Previously, the UK was locked into EU legislative frameworks, and while many principles of these regulatory structures remain, such as the notion of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), the models for environmental assets and services are undergoing significant change. Specifically, the climate crisis necessitates the adoption of novel approaches to valuing natural resources. Through fieldwork at an SAC in England, I will examine some of the implications of these policy shifts on ancient tree conservation, and how tree valuation is changing as a result. This scholarship primarily aims to trace the evolving landscape of national and international policies concerning ancient tree conservation in the UK. It assesses the grounded outcomes of policy reforms, and provides nuanced insights into their implementation, shedding light on broader implications for ancient trees across social, political, and scientific domains. In order to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainable conservation practices, this work builds on existing discourses and attempts to address whether or not new environmental policies and models foster or detract from collaboration between human and non-human worlds.