News

World’s earliest forest discovered in Somerset

Scientists have found what they believe to be the world's earliest known fossilised forest in cliffs on the coast of South West England.

Hedgerow regulations to be brought into law to protect wildlife

Hedgerow regulations to be brought into law to protect wildlife

Nature crisis: One in six species at risk of extinction in Great Britain

Numbers of the UK's most precious animals and plants are still falling, as a countrywide nature-loss crisis continues.

Government sets out Biodiversity Net Gain timetable

Developers in England will be required to deliver 10% “Biodiversity Net Gain” from January 2024 onwards.

Committee on Climate Change responds to Government's net zero announcements

The CCC has said that the Government's decision to roll back on some of its net zero commitments will make legal targets harder to meet.

Projected decline in European bumblebee populations in the twenty-first century

Around 38–76% of studied European bumblebee species currently classified as ‘Least Concern’ are projected to undergo losses of at least 30% of ecologically suitable territory by 2061–2080 compared to 2000–2014

30x30 in England 2023 Progress Report

A report has found that 3.1% of England’s land is effectively protected for nature, down from 3.2% a year ago.

Drugwatch info sheet on Glysophate

Glyphosate is an herbicide used to kill weeds. It’s the active ingredient in Roundup and other weed killers, and can cause a variety of side effects. Recent lawsuits have claimed exposure to glyphosate in Roundup has led to certain cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Plants Respond to Touch Sending Different Signals Through Their Cells, Shows New Study

Scientists have established using sophisticated microscopy that plants register the beginning and end of every touch by sending slow waves of calcium signals to their cells.

4 Children And How They Survived Inside Amazon Forest

"The survival of the children is a sign of the knowledge and relationship with the natural environment that is taught starting in the mother's womb," according to the National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of Colombia

TfL more than doubles roadside area to be managed as wildflower verges following successful trials

Additional 74,000 square metres of wildflower verges takes the total across London to almost 130,000 square metres, equivalent to 18 football pitches

Regulating to achieve
environmental outcomes

The National Audit Office has found that only 38% Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England are in favourable conditions.

Plant Atlas 2020: 20 year research project reveals devastating loss of British & Irish flora

53% of our native plants such as Heather and Harebell have declined in Britain due to human impacts such as agricultural intensification and climate change

Half the wetlands in Europe lost in past 300 years, researchers calculate

Half the wetlands in Europe, continental US and China have been destroyed in the past 300 years, with some areas – including the UK, Ireland and Germany – losing more than 75%, new research shows.

UK butterflies vanish from nearly half of the places they once flew

The distribution of 58 native species has fallen by 42% as butterflies disappear from cities, fields and woods. Those that are only found in particular habitats, such as wetlands or chalk grassland, have fared even worse, declining in distribution by 68%.

A win for farmers and rewilding as English farming scheme saved

Today’s announcement by the UK Government that its Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme will continue as planned is a win for farmers and rewilding – but detail around funding for large-scale nature recovery is urgently needed, said Rewilding Britain.

Q&A: Will the UK’s new farm payments cut emissions and help nature?

The new system of “environmental land management schemes” (Elms) has been described by the government as the “biggest change in agricultural policy in half a century”.

Recent and future declines of a historically widespread pollinator linked to climate, land cover, and pesticides

The western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis) was once common in western North America, but this species has become increasingly rare through much of its range.

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