Page 105 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #05

YOUR

race must start to leave Earth
ONLINE PHOTO CONTEST O Enter our monthly online within as little as 30 years to
photographic contest at
THEME: SPRING WILDLIFE www.discoverwildlife.com/ avoid being wiped out by over-
your-photos/photo-contest population, climate change
and an asteroid strike. He was
convinced it was crucial to
1 2 establish colonies on the Moon,
Mars and possibly outside
our solar system, taking a
‘Noah’s Ark’ of plants, animals,
fungi and insects. I would not
consider Hawking to possess a
“jaded view of the Earth” and all
life on it, rather a frighteningly
realistic one.
Henry Chester, Feltham
Ross Piper replies: Stephen
Hawking was a great man, but he
3 and others who have suggested
colonies on the Moon or Mars
have little understanding of the
complexity of life here on Earth.
All life on Earth is connected and
parts of it in isolation quickly fail,
as the Biosphere 2 experiments
have demonstrated. Indeed,
Hawking himself once wrote
“... right now we only have one
planet, and we need to work
1 FROGS, Stella Byrne, Dorset, UK
2 BLUE TIT, Natalia Bachkova, Moscow, Russia together to protect it.”
3 DRONEFLY, Elizabeth Cooksey, Gloucestershire, UK

Roe deer are
Women in nature very magazine. The problem such as BBC Wildlife the situation amongst the visitors
to Simon’s garden.
I was very interested to read is the same for women science is Catch 22. Without more
the article about the small writers. There are many reasons female wildlife photographers
numbers of female wildlife for the lack of women in both and science writers coming
photographers (Beyond the nature photography and science through, we cannot feature their
Headlines, March 2018), but I writing, as Suzi mentions, work. We always welcome ideas
wanted to offer hope! including safety concerns and a from women working in wildlife
In 2010, I became a lack of female role models. But and over the past few years we
photography tutor and back getting girls into STEM fields have made strenuous efforts to
then almost every group I isn’t the problem, it’s keeping encourage and feature them.
taught was male dominated! them there. Harassment, Sadly, I have to add to Kelly’s
However, in just a few years discrimination and harmful list of what often seems to keep
the trend has changed totally stereotypes drive girls and women out of the limelight
and now most of my students women out at every level from – having self-conviction. It is
are female. Perhaps things school to professional. We all troubling and surprising how
will alter from now on as these have stories. many times we have approached
young female enthusiasts I don’t have the perfect a female scientist only to be told
develop their interests and solution, but there are steps by them that their male colleague
become professional wildlife everyone can take. We can make is probably better qualified!
Enjoy the show
photographers of the future! the outdoors a more welcoming E j t h h
Peter Hitchman, Bristol place by being respectful Life on Earth Mike Dilger is right to say that
and calling out inappropriate I think that Ross Piper (The your nearest nature reserve is
I applaud the efforts of Suzi behaviour. It’s up to all of us to Spice of Life, February 2018) disguised as your own back
Eszterhas and Girls Who Click improve equality, not just for is too dismissive of those who garden (Wildlife Watching,
(Beyond the Headlines, March women, but for everyone. would take humans back to the February 2018)! In our garden,
2018). She’s absolutely correct, Kelly Brenner, via email Moon and beyond. we have owls (though we’ve
female photographers are the The late Professor Stephen never seen them), foxes,
minority, not only in the field, Editor Sheena Harvey replies: Hawking, in a speech last badgers, deer and bats.
but in publications like this Unfortunately, for magazines summer, warned that our Simon Withers, via email
Spring 2018 BBC Wildlife 105