Conservation "needs people in boots, not people in suits"

See Matt Ridley on the announcement by Michael Gove about the plans to set up a new statutory body, “independent of government” with “clear authority” whose job is to “uphold environmental standards”.

We do not need more quangos, we want better direction from the 'suits' to the 'boots' that reflects the needs of businesses, the environment and communities. Gaining the trust and input from those who manage the land (people in boots) is an essential part of the process, as no changes can be delivered until these people are influenced to do something. The rest of us (suits in boots, or just plan suits) should be seen to be supporting those who manage the land to achieve what society wants. 

We should be putting more, not less, power in the hands of the 'boots' who understand how the countryside, and in my case the uplands, works.