UK Nature and Environment

A coalition of nature charities including Butterfly Conservation is battling plans to put a golf course on an internationally-important wildlife site for the second time in 10 years.

An application to create the leisure facility at the Coul Links site on the east coast of Scotland will be discussed at a public inquiry starting on Monday (11 November).

The threat to this precious place has shocked many across Scotland and the coalition is working together to oppose the plans. The coalition is made up of Butterfly Conservation, Buglife Scotland, Marine Conservation Society, National Trust for Scotland, Plantlife Scotland, RSPB Scotland and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

Nature campaigners have called for taxpayers to take stakes in forest and peatland projects designed to store carbon, to avoid all the profits from carbon credits going to private investors.

A report from the Revive Coalition, an umbrella group for Scottish land reform and conservation charities, says carbon credits also need to be used much more effectively to bolster demand and help the UK meet its net zero targets.

It argues that current policies are failing to restore nature quickly enough: it notes that upland areas are so heavily degraded by overgrazing and deforestation that Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has seen four familiar shorebirds moved to higher threat categories.

Grey Plover, Dunlin, Ruddy Turnstone and Curlew Sandpiper, all of which are regular sights for UK birders, are of increasing conservation concern.

Scientists reviewing the conservation status of the world's bird populations have confirmed that these four species have suffered significant declines in their numbers. As a result, they have moved to higher threat categories on the global Red List.

A project restoring seven areas of Welsh peatland has successfully installed an impressive 16km of fencing on sites in Pembrokeshire which will enable safe and sustainable grazing on 280 hectares of common land.

Grazing plays a key role in maintaining these landscapes by reducing the dominance of invasive vegetation that choke areas where important “bog building” mosses need to thrive and form the all-important peat.

The five-year, £5 million LIFEquake project, funded by EU LIFE and supported by Welsh Government is being delivered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in partnership with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Eryri National Park and National Trust.

LIFEquake, focusses on transition mire and quaking bog habitats –so called because the ground literally ‘quakes’ underfoot.

A new report, published today, reveals an almost record-breaking number of rare birds bred, or attempted to breed, in the UK in 2022.

The latest annual report of the Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP) (Rare Breeding Birds in the UK in 2022), funded by JNCC, RSPB and BTO and published in the journal British Birds, aims to track the progress of the UK’s rarest breeding birds by compiling data from conservationists, scientists, and thousands of volunteer birdwatchers.

The latest report reveals that 107 species and races of rare native birds were reported breeding, or attempting to breed, in the UK in 2022; this is the second-highest total since the Panel began reporting in 1973, and suggests a continuation of the increasing trend in the number of rare breeding bird species in the UK, largely driven by the arrival of colonising species. This included the first confirmed breeding by Glossy Ibis, with a pair raising one chick at a wetland site in Cambridgeshire. This elegant wading bird was once only found on Mediterranean coasts in Europe but has been moving northwards in recent decades.

National Geographic will be streaming a new documentary about an unlikely bond between a man and an otter in Shetland.

Billy Mail met Molly, a starving pup, in 2021 when he saw her jumping off a pontoon into the sea near his Shetland home. Mail wanted to see how close he could get to her before she fled. But it turned out that Molly had no intention of running away.

She was starving and alone, Mail said. “She had a lack of fear that was really interesting because otters are normally pretty scared. I think it was just desperation. She needed food.”

But even after she regained her strength and was fending for herself, Molly kept visiting the Mails and became a “breath of fresh air” in their lives.

The population of the corncrake, one of Scotland's rarest birds, has seen a "promising" increase on the isle of Canna, the National Trust for Scotland says.

A survey on the small island in the Inner Hebrides found 12 to 14 calling mates compared to one or two in previous seasons.

Corncrakes have been in decline due to intensive agricultural methods and are one of 26 priority species listed by the trust.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) said the "buoyant" population can be attributed to new farming practices that support conservation.

Thousands of "giant spiders" which were released into the wild by a zoo are thriving in the wild and have had a record mating season, conservationists have said.

Chester Zoo released the spiders a decade ago as part of a project with the RSPB which aimed to save the species from extinction.

More than 10,000 breeding female Fen Raft spiders have been recorded this year, with zoo bosses hailing the breeding programme "a success".

A project to boost biodiversity in a former plantation woodland has seen conservationists take some unusual measures to liven up its “boring” trees.

Work is being under taken at Goblin Combe in North Somerset by the Avon and Somerset Wildlife Trust in a bid to boost the population of three species of bats and dormice.

The site was previously a timber plantation, meaning the trees “are quite young and quite dull” for wildlife, reserve manager Andy Jones said.

As well as tree-thinning to allow more light to the woodland floor, the team have been “veteranising” some young trees to give them the right features to attract bats, birds and insects.

Processes intended to decontaminate noxious liquid landfill waste before it enters rivers and sewers have been found to increase the levels of some of the worst toxic chemicals, a study has shown.

Landfills are well known to be a main source of PFAS forever chemicals – or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – but the new study shows that the treatment plants designed to clean up the liquid waste can instead boost the levels of banned PFAS such as PFOA and PFOS, in some cases by as much as 1,335%.

PFAS are a family of about 15,000 human-made chemicals with nonstick properties that are used in a wide range of consumer products and industrial processes. They can take thousands of years to break down in the environment and the handful that have been studied in detail have been found to be toxic, with PFOA and PFOS linked to cancers and other diseases. PFAS pollution is widespread, having been found in the remotest parts of the world, and it is thought every US citizen has it in their blood.

Amid the negative daily news, a beacon of hope shines through.

Transition Chichester have recently completed a film festival at Chichester Cinema and the documentary film, ‘Our Sea Forest’ filled me with hope. A packed auditorium were inspired during the 30-minute showing of the impact of increased trawling since the 1980s and encouraging revival of the marine ecosystems off the Sussex coast.

The two heroes of the show were the Sussex Wildlife Trust and the 73 year-old free diver Eric Smith, who have worked alongside the fisheries management authority and other charities and partners.

A rare fungus has been spotted in an East Anglian park for the first time by a Suffolk woman.

Favolaschia Calocera also known as Orange Ping Pong Bat Fungus, was discovered by fungi enthusiast Astrid Ivy Martin, 44, whilst walking through Orwell Park.

The fungus originates from Madagascar and has been spotted in the UK on a number of occasions since 2012 where it was thought to have made the 9,000 kilometre journey on imported wood.

A new species of moth has been seen on Alderney that wildlife experts believe is a first sighting for the Channel Islands.

The Robust Tabby moth (Pandesma robusta) was recorded in October by the head of Alderney Wildlife Trust's (AWT) moth monitoring team, Lou Collings.

The charity said the Robust Tabby, which is a member of the Erebidae family, had been found across a range extending from Asia through Africa to the Mediterranean, as far north as Spain and Portugal.

The AWT said the moth's appearance in Alderney was "intriguing" and could be the result of recent strong southerly winds blowing it off its usual course.

Chris Packham has criticised the Government for not mentioning climate or nature in its Budget during a protest march against water pollution in central London.

The naturalist and TV presenter said the omission was “scary” given the “parlous state” of the UK’s lakes, rivers and seas as he addressed demonstrators in London on Sunday.

An estimated 15,000 people joined a range of environmental groups, including River Action, Greenpeace, the Wildlife Trusts and British Rowing, on the March for Clean Water to demand tougher action on keeping the UK’s waterways clean.

A nature charity is searching for a team of conservationists to live and work on a remote island off the south coast of the Isle of Man.

Manx Wildlife Trust has had a bird observatory based on the Calf of Man since the 1950s, and over the years the team has grown from one to four.

The charity is looking for a bird warden, assistant bird warden, estate warden and assistant estate warden.

Calf Manager Lara Howe said the roles gave the charity "really important information about what is going on with our bird species" and allowed for long-term data collection.

Montane scrub provides protection from flooding, avalanches, rockfalls and landslides and supports a range of rare insects and scarce birds.

Overgrazing by deer and sheep on Scotland’s peaks since the 18th century contributed to a rapid decline in high-altitude woodland. By the 1990s, native montane willows were nearly extinct, with the largest remaining patch equivalent to the size of a tennis court.

Since then, almost 400,000 montane willows have been planted within 2,659 hectares managed for the restoration of mountain woodlands across Scotland, bringing the trees back from the brink of extinction.

Proposals to build a tidal barrage across the Mersey Estuary have sparked concerns for the myriad wildlife in the area.

The Mersey Barrage is a proposed tidal barrage across its namesake estuary, which is situated between Liverpool and the Wirral Peninsula. The River Mersey is considered to be a suitable source of marine renewable energy in the UK because of its strong current and tidal range of up to 10 m.

The idea of a barrage in the Mersey was first floated as long ago as 1984. This year, in March, the Mersey Tidal Power Project was launched by Liverpool City Region – and the plan was put to public consultation in September.

A conservation charity has called for cuts to nature and forestry services to be reversed when the Scottish Government gets an extra £3.4bn in funding following the Westminster Budget.

The Scottish Government will receive a £47.7bn provision in the next financial year, with Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS) saying a portion should be dedicated to restoring funding cut from the forestry sector.

In December 2023, the Scottish Government announced a £32m – or 41% – reduction in the money available to the Forestry Grant Scheme which is responsible for forestry activity across the commercial timber and nature conservation.

Sea eagles were last seen soaring over the shimmering mud flats and brackish tidal waters of the Severn estuary more than 150 years ago. Now wildlife charities have unveiled innovative plans to bring the raptor back to the estuary, which flows into the Bristol Channel between south-west England and south Wales, by 2026.

“Sea eagles used to be common in these regions. But they were wiped out through human persecution,” says Sophie-lee Williams, the founder of Eagle Reintroduction Wales, which is leading the project. “We strongly believe we have a moral duty to restore this lost native species to these landscapes.”

Britain’s sea eagles, which have a wing span of up to 2.4 metres, were shot and poisoned by landowners until the early 20th century, with the last known native eagle shot in Shetland in 1918. However, birds from Norway were brought to Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s and there are now estimated to be 152 pairs across the country. Some of the Scottish birds were released on the Isle of Wight in 2019, with three eaglets successfully reared by their parents so far.

In a year when a “butterfly emergency” has been declared, one species in Northern Ireland is bucking the trend.

The marsh fritillary made its presence felt in autumn, when the caterpillars spin striking webs in long grass.

A total of 679 webs were counted across 20 sites in 2024 – an increase of 423 compared to 2023.

But the species is still vulnerable, with the number of sites where it is found across the UK almost halving between 1985 and 2019.

The Environment Agency has announced there will be 30 extra officers in the East of England who will focus on investigating pollution incidents by the water industry.

A Southend Water Summit held in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, was told the increase in officers would mean ten times the number of inspections.

Anglian Water has been prosecuted and fined last year for discharging sewage into waterways and sea. The summit heard the company had been prosecuted five times since 2022.

Anglian Water said it was investing £104m into improving the sewage system and reducing storm discharges in Southend.

A project set up to boost Scotland's rare population of medicinal leeches has got its first babies.

Twenty have hatched in a captive-breeding programme at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near Aviemore.

They are the offspring of leeches collected in Dumfries and Galloway, one of the few places in Scotland where the creatures are known to survive in the wild.

The leeches were once widespread but declined in numbers in the 18th and 19th centuries due to their use in medicine and loss of wetland habitats.

As part of National Highways’ A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade, and among a number of environmental mitigation measures, the bespoke bat house was constructed close to the new dual carriageway early in 2022.

Following extensive survey work and planning with Cornwall Environmental Consultants Ltd, Costain constructed the insulated house incorporating specially designed crevices and open flying spaces to accommodate the needs of varying bat species.

Two years on and the teams have now discovered Lesser horseshoe bats roosting in their new home – constructed of locally sourced Cornish stone and slate – along with recorded activity of brown long-eared and common pipistrelle and myotis bat species.

A commuter car park in Essex is to be one of the first test cases of whether the government will enforce new legislation aimed at protecting national parks and landscapes in England.

Dedham Vale is a designated “national landscape” on the border of Essex and Suffolk, home to increasingly rare species including hazel dormice and hedgehogs. Within it is Manningtree station, where the train operator Greater Anglia built an extension to the car park to cope with increased traffic.

Campaigners say the 200-metre long wall and a bike shed built as part of the extension inhibits public access to St Edmund Way, an ancient pilgrimage path, generates light pollution and threatens habitats. They are now locked in dispute with the planning inspectorate over whether the development should be allowed to stay and have applied for a judicial review, which is likely to be heard early next year.

A delicate heathland plant could return to one of the UK's ancient woodlands as part of a new conservation project.

Erica cinerea, otherwise known as bell heather, is believed to have disappeared from Epping Forest in the 1960s.

It has struggled to survive in Essex and its only known location in the county is Tiptree Heath near Colchester.

Conservationists from the Essex Wildlife Trust will transport root cuttings, from Tiptree, to Epping Forest.