Doug is active in many aspects of environment and conservation, particularly rivers for which he chairs two groups and monitors the River Thame for chemical pollution and for wildlife. He tweets regularly on environmental issues and writes columns for local news sheets and his books have a strong landscape and wildlife conservation theme. He has initiated a series of projects since the year 2000:

2019 to Present – Chalk Rivers Action Group (CRAG)

CRAG was the product of the Chalk Streams In Crisis Conference. It is a high-level strategic group comprised of the water companies, regulators, Defra and the Chilterns AONB which is working together to find ways of returning water to England’s chalk streams, in the Chilterns and beyond.

2018 – Present The Chiltern Society and Chalk Streams In Crisis

In November 2018, Doug was asked to become chairman of the Chiltern Society Rivers & Wetlands Conservation Group to re-energise their work. In 2019, the Chiltern chalk streams dried up  for much of their lengths owing to 2 dry years and over-abstraction of water from the aquifer. The culmination of his work was the Chalk Streams In Crisis Conference held by the Chiltern Society in October 2018.

2013 – Present Save The River Thame and the River Thame Conservation Trust.

The River Thame was badly polluted with sewage during and following the winter of 2012-13. Doug blew the whistle on this and set up a campaign to put it right.

Doug continues to chair a group he formed called the Thames Water River Thame Liaison Group which meets every 6 months at the Aylesbury sewage treatment works. The group is comprised of Thames Water, the River Thame Conservation Trust, the Environment Agency, local council ecologists and anglers. Its purpose is to maintain open communications between Thames Water, the local community and conservation interests concerning the River Thame.

2011 – 2013 Greener Cuddington

Doug worked with others in the village of Cuddington and the community of Aylesbury Vale where he lives to build a long-term project to enhance reduce the overall village environmental footprint. This included taking thermal images of 20 houses around the village whose results were a great help to the owners in understanding where their properties were leaking heat.

Doug still writes monthly columns on environmental matters in the local news sheets and provides advice when asked.

2003 – 2011 – The Best Of Both Worlds

Doug completed his Masters degree in Environmental Decision Making in 2002 with a paper on the friction between people and bodies involved outdoor pursuits (climbing, riding, hiking, trail riding etc) and Natural England. He convened a conference on the problem under the auspices of the Central Council for {Physical Recreation which resulted in him chairing a senior committee of stakeholders. This became known as the Best Of Both Worlds group which sought for better ways of managing recreation in the countryside.