More like this<\/strong><\/p>\n
Can, and should, the royal estates be rewilded?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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In more than 50 years of being involved with the environmental movement, King Charles has inevitably come under criticism. By convention, the monarch is politically neutral, as is any member of the immediate Royal Family. But Charles has repeatedly tested the water by lobbying the government on a plethora of issues.<\/p>\n
Should he have got involved in controversial debates such as the genetic modification of crops? His opposition was partly rooted in a belief that humans were involving themselves in something that was properly the responsibility of God, an arguably unscientific viewpoint from a man who generally prides himself on following the science. But he was also concerned about the power and influence of multinationals.<\/p>\n
More recently, some conversationists have highlighted the Royal Family\u2019s failure to match what they say about wildlife conservation with how they manage their own lands<\/a> \u2013\u00a0much of the criticism centres on the Royal Family\u2019s continued penchant for field sports such as game bird and deer shooting, activities that almost by definition do not allow for ecological regeneration.<\/p>\n
But there is also the stewardship of the Duchy of Cornwall, which has now passed to the King\u2019s son, Prince William. A considerable amount of its land is rented out for unsustainable, intensive sheep farming, according to Joel Scott-Halkes of the environmental pressure group Wild Card<\/a>, and tree coverage is only 6 per cent, compared to an average of 38 per cent across the EU.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis support for ecologically devastating, low-yield sheep farming across Dartmoor \u2013\u00a0where rare temperate rainforest could and should grow \u2013\u00a0is no different from [Brazilian president Jair] Bolsonaro supporting cattle ranching in the Amazon,\u201d Scott-Halkes says.<\/p>
In Kent, the Duchy of Cornwall, meanwhile, has come under fire because of plans for a 2,500 home new town on the edge of Faversham. Environmental campaigner Beccy Smart says the development will swamp the area and reduce Britain\u2019s food security by building over grade one farmland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really dismayed to find that the Duchy of Cornwall was behind this trashing of farmland and nature,\u201d Beccy says. \u201cDisbelief really. I have always been a big fan of [King] Charles and support the Royal Family, but you cannot be an environmentalist if you are building over green fields because that completely destroys what he stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Craig Bennett argues that if there\u2019s one thing that a constitutional monarchy can rightly highlight in the course of their work, then it\u2019s the environment. \u201cThis is an issue that isn\u2019t alway dealt with brilliantly by politics which moves in short-term electoral cycles,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not controversial any more, there\u2019s widespread cross-party support but sometimes governments find it harder than they should to move forward on it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juniper says there\u2019s a case to be made that he has been, over the past five decades, the most significant environmentalist the world has known. \u201cAt some point, King Charles has had a role in moving the debate on with every one of the major environmental issues,\u201d he continues. That\u2019s quite an accolade from a campaigner who himself has played a major role in shaping Britain\u2019s environmental movement, and one which \u2013\u00a0whatever your views on the monarchy \u2013\u00a0is surely hard to refute.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n

What now for King Charles?<\/h4>\n
\u00a0What he has said<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cIt will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply. But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0What this means<\/strong><\/p>\n
Most commentators believe he was mainly referring to his son Prince William, the new Prince of Wales. The heir to the throne has already shown an interest in issues such as the illegal trade in wildlife, and is now starting to take on the issue of climate change.<\/p>\n
\u00a0What experts say<\/strong><\/p>\n
Many environmentalists point out that there is no reason why the new King Charles needs to bow out from the debate entirely. The late Queen Elizabeth set a precedent for this by addressing the COP26 climate change conference last year, making a passionate plea for world leaders to properly address the issue for the benefit of future generations.<\/p>\n
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