# .plan-26-19: Ancient oaks, parliamentary evidence, and TESSERA in the City

*2026-05-10 — note*


<div class="video-center"><iframe title="Bill Sutherland demonstrates how to measure a glorious old oak, the old fashioned way" width="100%" height="315px" src="https://crank.recoil.org/videos/embed/12ef49be-eb71-41a7-a359-eccd20e13d71" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe></div>
This was a week of going to nice offsites, giving talks and catching up on the
massive backlog of reviews and admin that had been piling up through the
[travel](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w16) and [paper writing](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w18) of the past few weeks.  At
least my inbox is vaguely approaching three digits unread now...

## Attenborough at 100 in Norwich\!

The week's highlight was a [Conservation Research Institute](https://www.conservation.cam.ac.uk) retreat in Norwich, which
happened to coincide with David Attenborough's 100th birthday. Chris Sandbrooke, the director of the CRI, kindly arranged for us to get away for a
couple of days.

Aside from being great to catch up with colleagues and [send our best wishes](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3pww9g0p5o),
it was great to see how far we've come with integrating computer science in with our colleagues from Geography, Plant Sciences, Zoology,
Architecture and a myriad of other departments. [Srinivasan Keshav](https://svr-sk818-web.cl.cam.ac.uk/keshav/wiki/index.php/Main_Page) and I and the rest of the EEG have really been welcomed with open arms by
our colleagues, and I don't think I've ever enjoyed doing interdisciplinary research as much as I am right now\!

Topics of conversation ranged from:
- uses we could put [TESSERA](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/tessera) to, which are pretty diverse and include [habitat mapping](https://geotessera.org/projects), [species predictions](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/enki), and also a mobile phone version of the foundation model for offline use (something [Michael Dales](https://mynameismwd.org) and I have been chatting about recently as we [shift to mobile-friendly Zarr](https://digitalflapjack.com/weeknotes/zarr-notes/)).
- data handling is a difficulty for many colleagues; they're still using Google drive sharing for many datasets, and it struck me that an ATProto-based link sharing system that points to a local PDS might be a good usecase for Tangled as well. [Akshay Oppiliappan](https://oppi.li/) has been adding [vouching support](https://oppi.li/weeklies/2026-19/) so there's the beginning of a trust network on ATProto. However, I'll need to investigate if there's an oAuth-ATproto bridge possible to allow bridging university logins with the wider network.
- also fun discussing entirely new areas of exploration like [insect mapping](https://anil.recoil.org/ideas/digitisation-of-insects) or longer term scenario projections for biodiversity.

<div class="video-center"><iframe title="" width="100%" height="315px" src="https://crank.recoil.org/videos/embed/20f00ac4-a44d-4be2-a1d2-013aeb134a8b" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-forms"></iframe></div>

<figure class="image-right-float"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-1.webp" alt="Massive dining table so everyone could eat and chat" title="Massive dining table so everyone could eat and chat" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-1.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-1.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-1.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-1.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-1.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-1.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-1.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-1.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-1.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-1.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-1.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Massive dining table so everyone could eat and chat</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="image-right-float"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-5.webp" alt="Magnificent indoor facilities as well to hang out, great for an offsite" title="Magnificent indoor facilities as well to hang out, great for an offsite" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-5.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-5.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-5.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-5.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-5.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-5.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-5.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-5.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-5.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-5.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-5.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Magnificent indoor facilities as well to hang out, great for an offsite</figcaption></figure>
The [venue](https://www.instagram.com/p/CvXqSoSMv_Z/) itself (Old Oaks Hall) hasn't opened yet as it is brand new and we were lucky to be one of the first set of visitors there. I *highly* recommend it for future offsites for anyone looking to get away.

Absolutely gorgeous grounds, great facilities, and enough room to wander around for side conversations without getting under everyone's feet.

Of particular note are the fabulous old oaks on the grounds, which have been around for hundreds of years. I took a look on the [Ancient Tree Inventory](https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/?v=3029053&ml=map&z=16.98008889614121&nwLat=52.76219359455888&nwLng=1.0718685953579836&seLat=52.759609884478635&seLng=1.0789773257051536) run by the Woodland Trust, and noted that the surveys are pretty out of date; the satellite pictures don't appear to show the farm at all, so I might also have been off in my coordinate search\!

But even if I was off, there still seem to be a lot of trees around in those maps that aren't yet [catalogued](https://patricoferris.github.io/the-woods-for-the-trees/)... yet another good use for TESSERA?\!

<a href="https://ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk/tree-search/?v=3029053&ml=map&z=16.98008889614121&nwLat=52.76219359455888&nwLng=1.0718685953579836&seLat=52.759609884478635&seLng=1.0789773257051536"> <figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-ss-treesearch.webp" alt="Another use for TESSERA may be to try and spot all the ancient trees!" title="Another use for TESSERA may be to try and spot all the ancient trees!" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-ss-treesearch.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-ss-treesearch.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Another use for TESSERA may be to try and spot all the ancient trees!</figcaption></figure> </a>

Thank you also to the head gardener for giving us a tour of the grounds, which are full of wildlife. I even think I spotted a hedgehog as we drove in, although it was worryingly late in the morning for that to happen\!

## Parliamentary Evidence for Nature Recovery

[Bill Sutherland](https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/bill-sutherland), [Lynn Dicks](https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/prof-lynn-dicks) and I took part in a [UK Parliament POST briefing](https://post.parliament.uk/type/postbrief/) a few months ago on [Evidence for Nature Recovery](https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0767/), and the report just came out this week. The [full report](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0767/POST-PN-0767.pdf) is a really good overview of how systematic evidence can help the government comply with the requirements of the recent [Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/34), which states that when designing environmental delivery plans "Natural England or the Secretary of State must take account of the best available scientific evidence".  This usually means avoiding [bat tunnels](https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/04/hs2-bat-tunnel-dangerous-spin-behind-deregulation) and relying on [conservation evidence](https://conservationevidence.com/) instead that's backed by real trials.

I won't try to summarise the full report, but I thought the piece on evidence
quality highlights the nuance involved in biodiversity data (which is highly
multivariate and uncertain):

> Contributors called for more transparency when applying evidence to
> decision-making, including transparently documenting its quality and when
> there is a lack of evidence. For example, some contributors criticised
> inaccuracies in Natural England’s Living England map (which was developed
> using remote sensing), arguing that inaccuracies in mapping shared with
> landowners undermined the credibility of planned actions.
> 
> Others disagreed, advising against letting the "perfect be the enemy of the
> good". For example, structured citizen science monitoring schemes can provide
> high-quality, large-scale, long-term monitoring data.  Although other citizen
> science data can be fragmented, lack metadata or be of variable or ambiguous
> quality, it can still be valuable for researchers.
> <cite>Page 25, [Evidence for Nature Recovery](https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0767/), POSTnote 767, 2026</cite>

<a href="https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/POST-PN-0767/POST-PN-0767.pdf"> <figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-ss-nature.webp" alt="Evidence for Nature Recovery" title="Evidence for Nature Recovery" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-ss-nature.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-ss-nature.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Evidence for Nature Recovery</figcaption></figure> </a>

And of course, I had to bring up my [red pill/blue pill](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/red-pill-conservation) point, which showed up:

> AI has the potential to boost expert capabilities by accelerating evidence
> synthesis from literature. Researchers raise concerns that human oversight is
> required for transparency, and AI models with clear governance and human
> safeguards are being developed. These retain metadata and streamline evidence
> collation, freeing resources for analysis.
> <cite>Page 35, [Evidence for Nature Recovery](https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0767/), POSTnote 767, 2026</cite>

## Talking TESSERA at the Cambridge Ring alumni evening

I managed to make it from the middle of nowhere in Norwich to hop down to London to give a talk on [TESSERA](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/tessera) at a Computer Lab Ring alumni event,
hosted at Jane Street's London office. It's been a few years since I've been to JS London, and it has grown massively since then to take over the entire building where they had just a single floor before.

<figure class="image-right-float"><img src="/images/26w19-ring-1.webp" alt="" title="" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-ring-1.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-ring-1.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-ring-1.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-ring-1.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-ring-1.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-ring-1.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-ring-1.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-ring-1.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-ring-1.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-ring-1.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-ring-1.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
It was especially lovely to catch up with a lot of former students again, and to show them how my promise in [1A FoCS](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/focs) that OCaml was a useful language held out with my talk on geospatial foundation modelling! Particular props to William Henderson for continuing to [supervise in Cambridge](https://whenderson.dev/blog/supervising-at-cambridge/) post his [graduation break](https://whenderson.dev/blog/china/).

## Fun links

[KC Sivaramakrishnan](https://kcsrk.info) caught my eye with his [shrinking jsoo](https://kcsrk.info/ocaml/oxcaml/modes/2026/05/10/shrinking-the-oxcaml-bundle/) whereby he got oxcaml's Javascript output down to 4MB from 285MB! I'll need to look at this as I shift my own website to be client-side OxCaml powered as well.

Book of the week is [Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691207070/beyond-belief) by Helen Pearson, who wrote the [FT article](https://www.ft.com/content/9b8eebc6-ed76-41cf-bc46-a1ef84613218) I wrote about a [couple of weeks](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w16) ago:

> For many years, most medical advice was based on doctors' opinions and
> conventional wisdom, not solid science. Helen Pearson describes how
> evidence-based medicine swept the world in the 1990s—becoming the predominant
> form of medicine practiced today—and how the idea that evidence should guide
> decisions is quietly transforming a host of other fields as well. Do police
> patrols reduce crime? Do performance appraisals boost job performance? Do
> welfare programs help the poor? Do smaller classes aid learning? Do
> smartphones harm teenagers? At a time when science is under attack and
> questionable claims run rampant, Pearson underscores the importance of
> evidence in all facets of our lives, empowering each of us to sift fact from
> falsehood and misinformation from the truth.
> <cite>\--  [Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works](https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691207070/beyond-belief), 2026</cite>

[Bill Sutherland](https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/bill-sutherland) introduced me to this amazing native wildflower in Norwich called ["Jack go to bed by noon"](https://www.nativeflower.co.uk/details.php?plant_url=163), since it has a habit of closing up by midday. I'm now looking around for it during early morning runs in Cambridge but couldn't spot any open yet\!

<figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-2.webp" alt="Jack, go to bed! (by noon)" title="Jack, go to bed! (by noon)" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-2.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-2.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-2.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-2.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-2.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-2.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-2.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-2.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-2.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-2.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-2.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Jack, go to bed! (by noon)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-4.webp" alt="Conservation Avengers Assemble! (and me)" title="Conservation Avengers Assemble! (and me)" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-4.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-4.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-4.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-4.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-4.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-4.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-4.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-4.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-4.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-4.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-4.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>Conservation Avengers Assemble! (and me)</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-3.webp" alt="We were in the middle of nowhere in Norwich" title="We were in the middle of nowhere in Norwich" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-3.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-3.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-3.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-3.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-3.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-3.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-3.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-3.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-3.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-3.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-3.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>We were in the middle of nowhere in Norwich</figcaption></figure>
<figure class="image-center"><img src="/images/26w19-oo-6.webp" alt="We found the oak trees that give Old Oaks Hall its name" title="We found the oak trees that give Old Oaks Hall its name" loading="lazy" srcset="/images/26w19-oo-6.768.webp 768w, /images/26w19-oo-6.640.webp 640w, /images/26w19-oo-6.480.webp 480w, /images/26w19-oo-6.3840.webp 3840w, /images/26w19-oo-6.320.webp 320w, /images/26w19-oo-6.2560.webp 2560w, /images/26w19-oo-6.1920.webp 1920w, /images/26w19-oo-6.1600.webp 1600w, /images/26w19-oo-6.1440.webp 1440w, /images/26w19-oo-6.1280.webp 1280w, /images/26w19-oo-6.1024.webp 1024w"><figcaption>We found the oak trees that give Old Oaks Hall its name</figcaption></figure>
Synopsis: Celebrating David Attenborough's 100th birthday at a Conservation Research Institute retreat in Norwich, a Parliament POST briefing on Evidence for Nature Recovery lands, and a TESSERA talk at the Cambridge Ring alumni evening at Jane Street.
Words: 1346

## Related

- [Bill measures a tree the old fashioned way](https://anil.recoil.org/videos/12ef49be-eb71-41a7-a359-eccd20e13d71) (video, 2026-05-12)
- [Happy Birthday Sir David Attenborough from the CRI team!](https://anil.recoil.org/videos/20f00ac4-a44d-4be2-a1d2-013aeb134a8b) (video, 2026-05-11)
- [.plan-26-18: From tropical forest protection to oi swallowing its oxcaml tail](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w18) (note, 2026-05-03)
- [.plan-26-16: Chennai, Cambridge, Belfast: a week on the wing](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w16) (note, 2026-04-19)
- [Discussing effective conservation with all the UK Chief Scientists](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/red-pill-conservation) (note, 2026-02-03)
- [Enki, a Dashboard of Life on Earth](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/enki) (project, 2026-01-01)
- [Affordable digitisation of insect collections using photogrammetry](https://anil.recoil.org/ideas/digitisation-of-insects) (idea, 2025-02-01)
- [Foundations of Computer Science](https://anil.recoil.org/notes/focs) (note, 2025-01-03)
- [TESSERA, a pixelwise geospatial foundation model](https://anil.recoil.org/projects/tessera) (project, 2025-01-01)

---
Canonical: https://anil.recoil.org/notes/2026w19
Type: note
Tags: tessera, conservation, 4c, talks