Britain's proposed sale of 15% of its publicly owned forest has been delayed while the government attempts to protect public access and biodiversity. The Forestry Commission's plans to sell 258,000 hectares of UK forests have been met with public opposition and cross-party criticism, and the chief of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which may benefit from the sale by taking over a "heritage forest," said that the New Forest "cannot be run by charity." The forests were slated to bring in as much as 100 million pounds to close its record deficit. While the Labour shadow environment secretary called the halted sale a "panic measure" and a "partial U-turn" that would fail to "silence the protests," the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has stressed that the lands will not be sold if it cannot assure public access. For the full story, see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/8319103/Panicking-ministers-forest-retreat.html and http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/121894-uk-govt-calls-temporary-halt-to-its-big-forest-sell-off.html. For the remarks of the chief of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-12427961.