Prince Philip battles eco-warriors, and his son

LONDON - A battle royal has broken out over the fate of Britain's countryside.

In one camp stands famous conservationist Professor David Bellamy and his powerful patron, Prince Philip.

But an even more powerful alliance is being formed against them, which features one of the Prince Charles' closest and most trusted advisers - his "green guru" Jonathon Porritt - as well as many prominent environmentalists.

The focus of the battle is a new polemic on the state of rural Britain by Bellamy, which carries an admiring foreword by Prince Philip. The book throws into sharp relief the divisions over environmentalism between father and son.

The two have often fallen out over the issue. Charles allegedly accused his father of vandalism for felling dozens of ancient oaks and chestnuts at Windsor 12 years ago. His father said his critics were "tree-huggers". Philip likened GM science to selective breeding by farmers. His son claimed GM techniques were distorting nature.

In his book, Conflicts in the Countryside: The New Battle for Britain, Bellamy echoes much of Charles' own agenda. He champions wildlife-friendly farms, cereal bars made with "conservation grade" oats, the restoration of ancient woodland, and saving rare birds.

But he attacks some of the biggest issues on the green agenda: climate change, windfarms and saving endangered birds of prey.

In his foreword, Prince Philip accuses environment groups of creating confrontations. "Instead of looking at the whole picture and trying to find compromise solutions, an increasing confrontation and antagonism seems to have developed between the various interests, all of whom should be on the same side."

Porritt describes that argument as "bizarre". The claims "are completely counter to what's going on".

Bellamy rejects the evidence for man-made climate change, claiming that "water vapour" is the most significant greenhouse gas. Recent temperature rises are part of the Earth's natural cycle of ice ages and warm periods. Windfarms are "silver satanic windmills" which kill "tens of thousands" of birds and bats.

These claims were denounced by Tony Juniper, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, and Stephen Tindale, director of Greenpeace UK, as "bonkers" and "confused".

- INDEPENDENT