UK Nature and Environment

Not as many submissions this time as for the summer banner competition, so I am including a couple of my own as well.

So, please upvote your favourite from the comments below.

The winner will be the one with the most votes by 10:00pm (BST) on Sunday 22nd. In the event of a tie, I will flip a coin or similar.

"The UK government is planning to appoint a special envoy for nature for the first time, as the foreign secretary, David Lammy, seeks to put the UK at the centre of global efforts to tackle the world’s ecological crises, the Guardian has learned.

Labour will also appoint a new climate envoy, after the Tories abolished the post over a year ago, a move that dismayed foreign governments and climate campaigners..."

Public outrage over river pollution has been heartening to see. Over the past few years, stories about sewage contamination in rivers have captured public attention, and prompted campaigns and protests, such as the forthcoming River Action UK march for clean water on 26 October in London. It is important to protect our rivers because they are biodiversity hotspots and essential for human health. However, as a freshwater ecologist, I know there is more nuance to the story than you may have been led to believe. From my perspective, there is some good news when it comes to our rivers. I would even say that some rivers in England are in the best state they have been in for hundreds of years.

Many rivers in England are polluted, but we need to recognise that this is not an emerging issue but a much longer-standing one that has been largely ignored by the media and politicians for decades. Much of the recent furore over pollution has to do with increased awareness, rather than a sudden increase in pollution itself. It’s only by understanding how these ecosystems have changed over time and reflecting on previous successes that we can make real progress.

The British Government is being urged to “boldly commit” to rewilding 30 per cent of land and seas by 2030, as polling shows high levels of support for the approach.

Charity Rewilding Britain is also urging the new Labour Government to expand nature-based jobs and businesses, boost access to nature for people to benefit health and well-being, empower communities to lead the way with rewilding, and create a “game-changing” shift in rewilding funding and investment.

The call comes on the back of polling of more than 2,200 people by YouGov for Rewilding Britain which suggests that more than 83 per cent of people support rewilding, a slight increase on 81 per cent in polling in 2021.

A project to increase the number of plover birds has been hailed a success.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said chick numbers had increased after efforts by volunteers to keep visitors and dogs away from coastal nests at Snettisham, Norfolk.

The ringed plover, with its black eye mask and distinctive orange and black-tipped bills, were red-listed by the bird charity, after their breeding populations suffered declines of greater than 50%.

Three years ago, 40 pairs of birds fledged 19 chicks, rising to 71 this year after funding from the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, and nature reserve Wild Ken Hill.

The Severn Valley Water Management Scheme ‘demonstrator project’ is managed by Shropshire Council through the River Severn Partnership and has its focus on the Rea Brook, which flows into the River Severn in Shrewsbury.

It aims to provide a suite of nature-based flood management schemes that will demonstrate different measures that can both hold back water and also enhance habitat and biodiversity.

Cattle egret birds have nested at a wetland site in West Sussex for the first time.

Three nests, all with hatched, active chicks, have been spotted at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre.

The birds were uncovered by reserve manager Suzi Lanaway after she heard the noise of chicks last week.

Dolphins gliding across the water of a Hampshire beach have been captured on camera by a stunned passer-by.

Sarah Coulson was walking along the beach at Barton-on-Sea this morning when movement in the sea caught her eye.

A pod of dolphins was spotted swimming in the sunshine.

She immediately stopped to take a video, zooming in to watch the dolphins appear above the surface of the sea, before disappearing again.

From photographs of a majestic kingfisher playing in the rain to a water vole enjoying a salad lunch, the winners of an annual nature photography competition have been revealed.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) announced the winners of its 2024 nature photography competition, which saw more than 600 entries.

The photographs beautifully captured various species found in Norfolk with Stuart Merchant's photograph of two emperor dragonflies being declared the overall winner.

The number of rare bats in a Devon town has "plummeted", a bat-observing group has said.

Be Buckfastleigh, a community interest group, said the decline of greater horseshoe bats in the town was "alarming".

Director and resident Pam Barrett has been observing the protected species for about 10 years and said her group would normally expect to see around a thousand bats at this time of year.

However she said earlier this year they had counted "as few as 20" greater horseshoe bats in Buckfastleigh.

A new project that aims to deepen people’s connection to nature and increase awareness of climate change has been awarded £1.1 million from The National Lottery Community Fund.

Over the next five years, and thanks to the support of National Lottery players, River Esk Connect (REConnect) will see schools, community groups, and volunteers take part in learning days and conservation activities including wildlife surveys, invasive species control, river monitoring and hedge laying. The project aims to inspire people to take the lead with environmental activities in their own communities, ensuring the River Esk and surrounding area grows as a nature-rich landscape that is protected for future generations.

REConnect is led by a group of organisations including the North York Moors National Park Authority, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Groundwork, and the Yorkshire Marine Nature Partnership, bringing together experts in climate, ecology and community action.

A breeding programme is set to boost a critically endangered species.

About 120 young freshwater pearl mussels are being released into a Gwynedd river to help the species.

The mussels were raised at Natural Resources Wales’s (NRW) captive-rearing facility near Brecon.

They will be released into the river following extensive habitat restoration works in 2022.

When you think of rainforests your mind likely jumps to the forests of Borneo or the Amazon. What you may not realise is that there are incredible rainforests right here in Wales. These temperate rainforests create a habitat which is globally rare, and considered to be more threatened than tropical rainforest.

Thousands of wildflowers are being planted in the Lake District as part of efforts to restore traditional hay meadows.

More than 5,500 are being plug planted during September at Boon Crag Farm on the shores of Coniston.

Once established, they will provide habitat for wildlife including bees and butterflies, as well as providing benefits to grazing livestock, the National Trust (NT) said.

Time-honoured techniques are bringing nature back to life in Kent.

Scotney Castle, near Lamberhurst, is owned by the National Trust and has started using horses for mowing duties to help grow wildflower meadows on the estate.

The Oakwood Clydesdale horses - called Percy and Frank – are used as they cause less damage to the soil and wildlife when clearing vegetation compared to modern machines, the trust said.

They are also more environmentally friendly than heavy machinery since they do not need fossil fuels, it adds.

The rare and illusive One-flowered Wintergreen Moneses uniflora, a small flowering plant found in pine woodlands, has defied expectations of Plantlife Scotland and partners in the UK’s first ever project to restore the species.

One-flowered Wintergreen has seen a 70% survival success rate following a translocation (movement of a species from one location to another) from a secure population of the species in Roseisle Forest and Old Grantown Wood to RSPB Abernethy, led by Plantlife Scotland.

The flower has suffered a sharp decline globally and it is estimated that in the last 50 years over half of the UK population has been lost, with only two known remaining patches in the Cairngorms National Park and as few as just seven populations in the whole country.

More than 100 water voles have been released at the Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve as part of ambitious plans to restore the species to Northamptonshire.

Last week 116 water voles bred in captivity were released to the nature reserve and more will follow next year. The release was funded and licensed by Natural England as part of its Species Recovery Programme. Find out more about the funding in this blog Species Recovery Programme Capital Grant Scheme awards – Natural England (blog.gov.uk).

Water voles in Northamptonshire are now restricted to a few isolated colonies. The last records for the area around Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve are from around the year 2000. The Wildlife Trust has been working with partners in the county including Stanwick Lakes country park and Water Resources East to create the right conditions for water voles return. It is hoped that this project will be the start of a meta population of water voles which can then expand across Northamptonshire.

A record total of 55 pairs of Chough attempted to breed in Cornwall this year.

The red-billed corvid began to recolonise Cornwall in 2001 after 28 years of absence from the county. The 2024 breeding season was the best yet, with a record number of breeding pairs and a total of 108 young known to have successfully fledged. This follows an expansion in the range of Chough in Cornwall, with birds now readily found in inland areas.

This year’s breeding season for endangered hen harriers at an upland nature reserve has been the most successful for 30 years.

RSPB staff and volunteers worked around the clock at the Geltsdale reserve on the border of Northumberland and Cumbria to monitor the nests. Teams worked in shifts, concealing themselves a safe distance away and watching the nests with thermal binoculars at night to ensure the birds were not disturbed.

Eight hen harrier chicks have fledged at the RSPB nature reserve this year. Two pairs of hen harriers each produced four chicks. One of the pairs, including a satellite-tagged female, also bred in 2023.

What do you think of when you think of a national park? Is it a wide area of glorious natural beauty, where wildlife runs free under the protection of the state? Or is it a wide area mostly farmed by private landowners, in which nature is faring worse than outside its boundaries, and largely off-limits to the public?

In England, the reality is the latter, and this matters. The country is one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, in the bottom 10% of nations for biodiversity. “Nature is in freefall in our national parks,” says Dr Rose O’Neill, the chief executive of the Campaign for National Parks (CNP).

Wildlife is wonderful for its own sake, but its loss also damages its near-magical ability to boost people’s wellbeing, as well as natural flood defences, pollination and more. Restoring nature is also critical to fighting the climate emergency, soaking up carbon in new trees and rewetted peatlands.

A wildlife trust hopes a giant wasp nest found in a house could help people better understand the insect.

The impressive structure, measuring an estimated 75cm (30in) across, was donated to the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire by a pest controller, who was called to remove it from an attic.

Now situated in the entrance to the trust's office in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, the nest has gained attention and also highlighted that wasps are skilled architects.

Waterways managers are working to stop another pollution incident in stretch of a canal where thousands of litres of cyanide were leaked last month.

About 4,000 litres (879 gallons) of sodium cyanide and other chemicals spilled into the canal in Walsall on 12 August, closing a 12-mile stretch of the waterway.

Walsall Council said aeration of the canal to deal with the problem had since been successful.

"[But] the next step is, what’s the pollution level like in all the sediment that lies at the bottom of the canal," said Henriette Breukelaar, from the Canal and River Trust.

"Failed" efforts to tackle sewage pollution mean Wales' water watchdog should be stripped of its role regulating the industry, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said.

The water industry in Wales is covered by Welsh government agency Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the environmental regulator and Ofwat, the economic regulator.

Sir Ed said a "different system" should be drawn up to create a "more powerful" regulator.

A group of UK marine biologists are visiting Alderney for a research trip, to improve the island's ecological records.

Twenty-seven members from the Porcupine Marine Natural History Society (PMNHS), arrived on the island on September 12, for a one week stay supported by the Alderney Wildlife Trust.

The marine environment in Alderney is still largely unrecorded, and the field trip will investigate under-recorded marine habitats and species, through a variety of methods including diving.

Dozens of water voles have been released into the wild in Cornwall to help improve a wetland.

The Duchy of Cornwall said it released 80 water voles in the River Fowey at Restormel.

The rodents, which are the fastest-declining mammal in England, were declared extinct in the region in the 1990s, the duchy said.

It said larger and deeper pools created along the River Fowey through a nature programme since 2022 had made an ideal habitat for water voles.

Did you know, that Autumn is one of the best times of year to scatter wildflower seeds? Co-founder of Seedball, Ana Attlee, tells us 5 reasons why you should make Autumn you’re gardening time of choice...

As Summer’s vivid colours begin to transition to the rich, warm tones of Autumn, there’s a wildflower gardening secret that often goes unnoticed: in the UK Autumn is the perfect time to scatter wildflower seed balls (and sow your collected seed from this year’s wildflowers).

In the UK, Autumn typically begins to make its presence felt from the end of August into September. This is when you’ll notice a gradual cooling of temperature, the days becoming shorter, and subtle changes in the environment, such as increased moisture in the air, a crispness and earthy scent. These signs indicate that the season is shifting, even as summer lingers on the calendar. While many of us think to Spring as the season for planting, nature herself does otherwise. British native wildflowers naturally release their seeds in Autumn, following a cycle that has evolved to match our climate over millennia. So this year why not embrace this natural rhythm and prepare your garden, balcony or window pots for a wildlife-friendly welcome next spring.

Restoring nature in the UK’s national parks is being held back because nearly 90% of their land remains in the hands of private owners, campaigners say.

The Campaign for National Parks (CNP) has called for the authorities overseeing the protected landscapes to be given more powers to buy up private land under what they call a ‘People’s Charter’ so they can do more to boost biodiversity.

New research estimates that just under 595,000 acres of 5.7m acres of land covered by Britain’s 15 national parks is in public ownership.

An ambitious vision for how the UK’s seabed can continue to support the accelerated delivery of nature recovery and the transition to clean energy has been set out by The Crown Estate, which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Amid increasing demand on the seabed from sectors critical to the UK economy, The Crown Estate has been working with stakeholders to develop initial plans for a ground-breaking Marine Delivery Routemap.

We are appalled to hear that the badger cull will once again go ahead in Derbyshire.

We understand the devastation that bovine tuberculosis (bTB) causes to affected farmers and the wider farming community, but we need to find the right mechanisms to control the disease. However, badgers are not the primary cause of the spread of bTB in cattle.

On 30th August, the Government launched its strategy to use a scientific approach to end the badger cull and accelerate the development of a cattle vaccine. Despite this encouraging news the Government’s strategy is not urgent enough. Thousands of badgers will be needlessly killed whilst the cull is allowed to continue until new measures are rolled out and take effect.

Butterfly Conservation has joined more than 100 retailers, compost manufacturers, nursery owners and other conservation charities signing a letter urging Keir Starmer and his cabinet to legislate to end peat sales for good.

It is the first time retailers, charities and the horticultural industry have joined forces to demand a change in legislation.

Coordinated by The Peat-Free Partnership – a coalition of horticultural organisations and environmental NGOs in the UK – the letter includes support from B&Q, the Co-op, major compost manufacturer Evergreen Garden Care and supplier Vitacress – and calls on the new Government to fulfil its legal commitments on climate change and biodiversity.

A country estate has been honoured for its work to make sure curlews don't become extinct in the UK.

Moorland Association member Bolton Castle Estate has won the Upland Curlew Award at the North of England Curlew Conservation Awards, organised by the National Parks and National Landscapes in the north of England for its work in protecting the species.

The awards are presented to farmers and landowners who have contributed to curlew conservation.

The English Channel has become a hotspot for a species of porpoise, a charity has said.

It was feared overfishing had stopped the Channel from sustaining harbour porpoises.

But conservationists from charity ORCA say they are thrilled that animals including whales and dolphins are being spotted in the Channel after decades of many species being scarce in the area.

Ambitious plans to make farming ‘net zero’ by 2040 - 10 years ahead of the UK’s legally-binding national target – may not be achieved, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) has told the BBC.

Reaching net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere. The NFU said a lack of investment in climate-friendly farming measures by the previous government had made doing that by 2040 “tricky” but insisted that the deadline would not be dropped.

Meanwhile, the Soil Association warned that UK agriculture would not be able to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions “without radical changes".

A pioneering project to boost golden eagle numbers in southern Scotland is facing the "imminent threat" of being wound down.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (SSGEP) said it needed to raise £400,000 in order to secure its long-term future.

The scheme has brought the birds from other parts of the country to a secret location near Moffat since it started in August 2018.

However, it has now launched a public appeal for funding to ensure it does not have to fold.

Groups involved in a pioneering project to transform a floodplain into a thriving wetland habitat are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the start of their work.

Long Preston Floodplain in is a unique wetland area around parts of the River Ribble between the Yorkshire Dales and Forest of Bowland.

Since 2004, several organisations have worked with farmers in the area on the project, which is ongoing.

Volunteers are being sought for a scheme to introduce wildlife wardens in West Devon.

The project is being launched by West Devon Borough Council on 28 September at the authority's office in Tavistock during an event from 10:30 to 15:00 BST in collaboration with Devon Wildlife Trust.

The council said work would be carried out through the scheme to improve habitats and monitor the borough's ecology with the aim of protecting and increasing wildlife locally.

More than 1.9 million trees were planted in 2023 as part of a major project to boost woodland cover across northern England, it has been revealed.

The Northern Forest project will see 50 million trees planted from coast to coast and around cities such as Liverpool, York, Leeds, Manchester, Sheffield and Hull by 2043.

Since 2018, nearly eight million trees have been planted - with the highest number recorded last year, the Woodland Trust said.

The Oxford Rivers Portal, a website and map that helps people understand the health of the Thames and its tributaries in Oxfordshire and make informed choices about safer river conditions, has been launched today by environmental charities the Rivers Trust and Thames21 and research institute the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

The launch of the Oxford Rivers Portal follows increasing public concern over the state of England’s rivers, as well as a growth in interest in wild swimming and watersports.

On a single map, it brings together live raw sewage spill alerts, water quality measurements taken by the Environment Agency and citizen scientists, water levels, flood warnings, bacteria measurements at bathing water sites and sewage treatment rates* at both Oxfordshire’s designated bathing waters, Port Meadow in Oxford and Wallingford Beach. Users can zoom in and click on any of more than 2,000 locations to find out real-time information or data from the past three years.

A rare British bat species has been spotted dangling from a toilet block after a century’s absence from Derbyshire.

The lesser horseshoe bat had not been recorded in the county for more than 100 years before being seen on 14 August.

A Severn Trent ranger at Ladybower Reservoir spotted the winged mammal sheltering under the porch of the toilets at the Heatherdene Car Park.

He photographed the animal, allowing it to now be confirmed by experts at Derbyshire Bat Group as the rare species.