The Orchid Outlaw Quotes

“As for the hedgerows, the law required the developers to commission a hedgerow survey; it found that single hedgerows on the site contained up to eight tree species. An approximate rule of thumb known as Hooper's Rule states that the age of an English hedgerow can be estimated by counting the number of woody tree species growing along a thirty-yard stretch and multiplying that number by 110. This suggests that some of the hedges could have been part of the landscape since well before the first mention of an orchid in English. Neither the survey nor the developer's Environmental Impact Statement noted this.”
― Ben Jacob, The Orchid Outlaw: On a Mission to Save Britain's Rarest Flowers

“The falling populations of all Britain's wildlife, due in no small part to the disappearance and degradation of native habitats, are evidence that, despite their ties to our cultural heritage, the natural heritage of these lands is being allowed to collapse. In the words of the law, 'the creatures and habitats that belong to all' are being allowed to vanish.”
― Ben Jacob, The Orchid Outlaw: On a Mission to Save Britain's Rarest Flowers