Some Personal Stuff

For friends, family and fellow traveller allies…

By Robert J. Blakemore PhD, VermEcology Zama. July, 2023.

(Photo at survey of Sir Albert Howard’s Indore vermicompost facility, India, 2016).

We all enjoy a good story. You may not believe what I am about to report but, to the best of my ken, it is true and supported by the most current and correct information. Also, as an independent research scientist, I have no political, religious nor commercial interests to distract from the veracity of my tale. Just the facts. Just the facts (yes, I said it twice). In the last few years I have doubled the size of the Earth, and hence its biodiversity, as well as curing cancer and solving climate. Unbelievable I know but true nonetheless. More remarkable is that I am being modest and the Earth size is likely quadrupled, biodiversity increased 20 times and most other chronic health and environmental issues are also resolved. Is this possible?

Obviously, I must give some background and explain that rather than my being exceptionally gifted, most other lazy researchers have vested interests and narrow views. As an Ecologist I study the interactive relationships between organisms (mainly the living, but also dormant or dead) and their natural habitats or wider bio-physico-chemical environment. Hence Biology is a part of Ecology. The vision is broad, complex and interlinked but the focus on key issues is keen. Hence my main study subject condenses to humble earthworms as key movers and shakers of the soil world, whose narrow shoulders we depend upon to support most Life on Earth (as Darwin, Steiner, Howard, Balfour, and Carson told us).* I grew up living and working on mixed farms in Shropshire where Darwin and Howard also come from. I completed BSc (Hons.) in two years (with transfer credits) in 1981 at what is now Westminster University, London; and PhD at CSIRO/Queensland Uni on Tropical Agroecology & Earthworm Eco-taxonomy (my PhD thesis completed in three years in 1994 – https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:366290 with mentor Dr Ken Lee; despite the speed, one of the reviewers said that half the amount of work would have been sufficient to be awarded the doctorate). Also Post-Grad. (PG) Certificate in Computer Science at Birkbeck College, London Uni. in 1984, and PG Geothermal Energy at Auckland Uni., NZ in 2012.

My Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course was with Bill Mollison in Tasmania in 2000/2001 and refresher with Geoff Lawton in NSW in 2016.

A recent breakthrough (actually after twelve years of research!) is that current calculations all falsely assume the surface area of the Earth is planimetrically mirror-flat whereas – in factual reality – land is hilly and soil is bumpy. When this is factored in then the topographical surface area increases two to four-fold. From current (wrong) ~50 Gha to >100 Gha with topography and exquisite overlain terrain. Ditto for most biodiversity estimates.** Moreover, recent advances in PCR assays of soil samples reveal a massive dominance in microbes, especially bacteria and their allies, which further multiplies the extent of the living soil realm by orders of magnitude. Actually again I am being modest and values are increased 20x.***

Interrelated issues of human and environmental health are mostly addressed by preserving the earthworms in rich organic soils and by practicing principals of Permaculture. Healthy soils provide healthy plants that nourish our bodies, myriad microbes and the needs of both beast or bird. For 40 years I researched organic farming and Soil Ecology, especially earthworms, around the globe. I have personally unearthed, described and published about 500 new species or new exotic species records in about 250 academic papers and reports (again possibly I have found twice as many, but have not had funds or motivation to publish). My finding show many benefits and few, if any, penalties of earthworms with organic husbandry. On the other hand, agrichemical farming destroys soils and soil life, provides toxic food and is a downward spiral of damage and decline. Is it deliberate evil or simple ignorance? When things do not meet Common Sense or Empirical Evidence often there is either politics or a profit motive. That seems to be partly the case, but as much is our basic lack of knowledge on the state of our soils and due to this no real motive to care or protect by the ordinary folk. Change is needed. In1962, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring warned us all of the dangers of toxic environments to humans and to all Nature.

Science = Search for Truth; Science + Commerce = Commerce; Science + Politics = Politics.

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all. Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know.”

The four papers below update the information above and in particular refer to earthworms & healthy soil*; land’s true and corrected surface area**; upped biodiversity***, and to carbon & climate****:

* Blakemore, R.J. (2018a). Critical Decline of Earthworms from Organic Origins under Intensive, Humic SOM-Depleting Agriculture. Soil Syst. 2: 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems2020033.

** Blakemore, R.J. (2018b). Non-Flat Earth Recalibrated for Terrain and Topsoil. Soil Syst. 2: 64. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems2040064.

*** Blakemore, R.J. (2022). New Global Species Biodiversity: Soil soars, Ocean flounders. Veop. 5: 1–9. https://veop.wordpress.com/2022/09/10/volume-5/ . DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7735752.

**** Blakemore, R.J. (2023). Biotic SOC Stock: What We Had & What We Lost. Veop. 6: 1-59. https://veop.wordpress.com/new-publications/. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7825445.

Regarding extinction of species, after failed surveys, I have personally published three lost earthworms: one each from Tasmania, NZ and Japan and my recent IUCN Redlisting for all 100 or so native species from Japan and 200 from NZ indicated about 30% are either endangered or are already lost. My recent blog report suggests that ~490 earthworms are likely extinct worldwide, but the upper figure could be as high as 2,100 lost worms – https://vermecology.wordpress.com/2023/06/01/wdd2023/. No-one knows…

We are so ignorant yet of the most basic information. Another recent blog increased peat ten fold (10x) from “experts’ official” 600 Gt C now upped for depth, possibly glomalin, and with underlying lignite (itself at 3,000 Gt C) included to total 6,000 Gt C. Please see – http://web.archive.org/web/20230722032119/https://vermecology.wordpress.com/2023/06/14/missed-peat/ (why no images copied?) ; https://vermecology.wordpress.com/2023/06/14/missed-peat/ .

Photo montage of some fond and proud memories. In my time I have traveled around the Earth about four times (including trans-Arctic flight & ship to sub-Antarctic that circled a great Blue Whale) visiting Pompeii & Venice, Great Wall & Xian Terracotta Army, Grand Canyon, Masai Mara & Lake Turkana, Pyramids & Petra, Mt Fuji (twice!), Angkor Wat, Taj Mahal, dived GBR, etc. etc. Assisting in both home-births, I have privilege of two sons; also of two dogs (and a Siamese cat, Neko-chan). Seeing both Auroras, I have lived and worked on six continents in a range of roles from dairyman to derrickman, from prehistoric archaeologist (RCAHMS Scotland) to field zoologist (CSIRO), from factory worker (Howard Harvestore) to Computer Scientist, and from museum Research Fellow (Edinburgh, Sydney Museum, ANIC Canberra, Tokyo National Museum, Lake Biwa, Inchon, Kanagawa-ken Museum Odawara) to University Professor (Kyorin, Yokohama KokuDai#, Sophia, UP Visayas). So I believe I have fared reasonably well and done enough to justify myself whilst mostly enjoying the journey so far and pleasure meeting most of the folks I have met… and almost all the animals too:

The King and I… (Macquarie Island 1996/7) and what we may see looking the other way (that is not me by the way, nor is it my photo, but I often met such massive Beach-Master Elephant Seals on the island):

#Below my Yokokoku References (both professors left soon after me and Soil Ecology Group disbanded) –

Like most others I have done a few (many!) stupid things… “Also extraordinary things. Revel in your time“.

As a kid I spent much time with my grandfather, here in June 1990 when he was near 90 years old; he lived in Grinshill village as a master blacksmith/farrier on the local estate from 1914 aged 14 well into his 80s. Also a carpenter and bee-keeper, he was a keen landscape oil painter. A true gentleman, always smartly dressed, generous and behaving correctly (no drinking, smoking, swearing nor bad mouthing, unlike me…), he had no tie this dinnertime. On the left is an old bed-warmer, on the Aga I think is a Country Cookbook/Almanac.

Better at Art, History and languages, I thought I should study the Sciences at A level as I found it hardest.

Cross-country running (hare & hounds or harriers) team, maybe around 1973? Me top right.

Parachute training was with Royal Marine Commandos at the airfield where JFK’s brother died in WW2.

I also studied flying in Auster, Piper and Cessna planes and in ultralite Truster in Tasmania (quite the buzz as in the photo below, but not me flying), getting half way to PPL before money ran out.