UK Nature and Environment

A new poll published today reveals how badly people think all main parties are faring on tackling the nature and climate crises.

The Wildlife Trusts urge all parties to heed voter concern and pledge bold action on the twin emergencies.

The new poll, which was published today, reveals that a majority of the public think the main parties are doing poorly on river pollution (78%), nature loss (71%), climate change (69%), ensuring communities can benefit from nature (65%), and supporting sustainable food production (63%).

A surge in volunteer participation has bolstered the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) over the past year.

The scheme’s annual report, published during Volunteers Week, shows that in 2023, a total of 4,340 ‘Flower-Insect Timed Counts’ (FIT Counts) were submitted by dedicated nature lovers, surpassing the previous year’s total of 3,730.

Each FIT Count involves ten minutes of careful observation, during which volunteers document every insect landing on a patch of flowers. These efforts play an important role in gathering data on the abundance of pollinating insects.

PoMS also expanded its systematic 1 km survey, which now encompasses 92 sites surveyed by trained volunteers across the UK – up from 72 sites in its inaugural year, 2017. Remarkably, these surveys have identified more than 260 species of bees and hoverflies, representing nearly half of the known species within these insect groups in the UK.

Today every political party in Britain is challenged to sign up to a blueprint that will save the nation’s rivers.

Amid growing public anger at the health hazards from sewage and other pollution – and the widespread destruction of wildlife – i has created a manifesto to rescue UK rivers and seas.

The plan is simple but requires political willpower, rather than the current blame game. Every political party in the UK will be asked to support it. There are five key pledges to reverse the destruction of our precious waterways.

A male Cirl Bunting has been found on the South Downs in Sussex, representing the first sighting of the species in the county this century.

Cirl Bunting bred in Sussex until the early 1980s, but had become a major rarity since its local extinction as a breeding bird. The last accepted record involved a male at Sidlesham, West Sussex, in March 1996, which was also the only county record of the species in the 1990s.

Records outside of the birds' restricted UK range in Devon and Cornwall have increased in recent years, with sightings in Dorset becoming regular, leading to breeding at Portland in 2023.

Strangford farmer David Sandford is celebrating a remarkable milestone: six years of giving barn owls a home, as a pair have returned to his wildlife-friendly farm to raise their young.

With fewer than 30 breeding pairs of barn owls estimated to remain in Northern Ireland, his farm now stands as one of the most successful breeding sites in Northern Ireland for these vulnerable birds.

The journey began a decade ago when David encountered a barn owl during an evening walk across his fields – the first time he’d seen one in over 30 years. Intrigued that the birds might be breeding nearby, he reached out to Ulster Wildlife to install some nest boxes to compliment the nature-rich habitats he had created. Four years of patience and perseverance finally paid off in 2019, when a pair of barn owls took up residence.

Amid the growing local government bankruptcy crisis, as many as half of the local authorities in England and Wales might be forced to cut their green spaces budgets. The situation in Scotland and Northern Ireland is not much better. A survey by the Local Government Association in February 2024 found that 48% of local authorities say they plan to defund, to varying degrees, the parks and other green spaces within their areas.

England’s urban green spaces alone are estimated to provide up to £6.6 billion in benefits to the communities that use them each year. Yet using them isn’t open to everyone.

There is significant social inequality in terms of access to urban green spaces. In December 2023, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs parliamentary committee heard evidence that the most affluent 20% of urban wards have as much as five times more publicly accessible green space that the most deprived wards.

The next government must meet a legal goal to halt wildlife decline in England, parties have been warned as they face calls to boost nature-friendly farming and protected areas.

Conservationists are urging political parties to deliver on “overdue” policies such as banning sales of horticultural peat and allowing the reintroduction of beavers into the wild, promised but not delivered by the previous government.

And parties are being warned the next government will need to get on track to meet international commitments to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030 as well as targets for tree planting and peatland restoration to tackle the climate crisis.

A German-style pillbox used for Army training in the run-up to D-Day has become home to some of Britain’s most protected bat species.

Dunwich Heath and Beach on the Suffolk coast, external provided a vital training area for British soldiers during World War Two by mimicking German defences.

One of its few surviving pillboxes was modified to provide a suitable bat habitat by the National Trust and brown long-eared and Natterer’s bats have roosted there.

The trust's Richard Gilbert said converting the pillbox "was a fantastic way to honour Dunwich’s lasting heritage".

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build more angling platforms along the river Wye in Hereford has been slammed by the government’s wildlife watchdog as a threat to the river habitat.

Hereford and District Angling Club is seeking planning permission to construct 28 more wooden “pegs” on either side of the protected river upstream of the city’s main Greyfriars bridge.

But Natural England now says in a six-page submission that “further alteration to the banks of the river could prevent the restoration of both bankside and in-channel habitat”.

A blue songbird which was spotted in Guernsey may be "one of the rarest ever recorded in the Channel Islands" if it was wild, according to a local nature group.

The bird, which is suspected to be an indigo bunting, was seen in a private garden in St Martin's Parish, according to La Société Guernesiaise.

The bird, a male, has not been seen since but may be visiting gardens in the Jerbourg area.

Have you heard anything about nature as a political priority in the upcoming UK general election? We haven’t. And as biodiversity researchers, that troubles us.

The UK is already one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries. Any further loss is a major risk to wellbeing and prosperity, would make climate change worse, and would remove options for adapting to a warming world. The UK public cares deeply about nature, yet it is not a major topic in this election.

That’s why we recently sent a letter to all UK political parties asking them to make the loss of nature at home and overseas a priority both in this election and in the years to come. The letter was signed by over 180 UK scientists with expertise in biodiversity and conservation, including Fellows of the Royal Society and government advisers.

For the first time since 2019, rangers on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, cared for by the National Trust, are gearing up to carry out a full puffin census, surveying eight of the 28 islands to get a vitally needed and critically overdue picture of the red-listed seabird’s numbers.

Counts in recent years have been adapted and carried out amid severe disruptions, firstly due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021 - which resulted in the islands having to close with rangers limited to working as and when restrictions allowed – and subsequently due to outbreaks of avian influenza in 2022 and 2023.

As a result, this year’s full count will be pivotal for obtaining a complete picture of how the quirky seabirds are faring, with limited sample surveys across only two to four islands over the last four years, indicating the average number of breeding pairs as under 40,000 compared to nearly 44,000 back in 2019.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have today (5th June) published the first-ever State of Yorkshire’s Nature report, which for the first time gives an accurate insight into how the whole of Yorkshire’s nature is faring – and, crucially, where action is now needed to create healthier, resilient and more abundant landscapes.

Yorkshire is not immune to the UK-wide nature crisis, where 1 in 6 of our species are now assessed as being at risk. Today’s report concludes that the declines here are similar to those that are happening across the UK, but for the first time identifies which species in Yorkshire are declines and which are increasing, where and – crucially – why.

The report was compiled and analysed from a number of respected sources and environmental organisations, reflecting years of dedicated and expert monitoring work by a community of species specialists and naturalists.

An environmental campaigner has said Northern Ireland is facing a “dire situation” after a report revealed the number of serious water pollution incidents almost doubled in 2023.

Friends of the Earth NI director James Orr said the report, published by Daera last week, painted a “devastating picture” and urged candidates in the General Election to make the environment a priority.

The report indicated that the number of medium to high severity water pollution incidents had risen by 85% last year.

Overall, 1,851 water pollution incidents were reported to the department, of which 821 (44%) were confirmed as having an impact on water quality, an increase of 21% on the previous year.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is delighted to announce the resounding success of the Seeing is Believing 2024 CEO Conference, held last month in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight.

The event brought together leaders from Wildlife Trusts across the UK, along with notable conservationists Liz Bonnin, Chris Packham, and Megan McCubbin, to showcase the innovative conservation work throughout the two counties.

Vital connection between land and sea The conference highlighted the vital connection between land and sea, emphasising the importance of integrated conservation strategies and a collaborative approach to nature recovery.

A key highlight was the remarkable seagrass restoration efforts across the Solent, discussing initiatives to protect, restore, and monitor this crucial habitat. The conference also focused on the importance of healthy soils and river ecosystems, exploring the potential role of beavers in landscape restoration, flood and drought mitigation, and biodiversity enhancement.

BCT launches our first manifesto, created so that evidence-based conservation policy ideas are available for political parties and decision makers. Now we’d like your support to get these ideas out there.

Why a bat conservation manifesto?

Bat conservation faces many threats, from the climate crisis to chronic underfunding of environmental services. And though legal protections have enabled some positive signs of recovery, there are still UK bat species at risk of extinction and declines in some species and areas.

Political action is needed now to protect, conserve, and enhance our natural heritage. So, we have distilled expertise from across BCT into policy asks that would protect bats - and create a nature-positive economy that benefits wildlife, people and communities.

The Bridestone boulders are an iconic set of giant, gritstone rock formations in West Yorkshire, popular with climbers and boulderers. Right now, there is a chance to secure access to this land for all and protect the wildlife for future generations by supporting the not-for-profit, Community Interest Company (CIC) Bridestones Rewilded.

Bridestones Rewilded are a group of naturalists, ecologists and members of the local community united by a love of nature and access to wild spaces. They currently have a Crowdfunder to raise the remaining £17,000 of their £55,000 target by 16 June. If they are successful, this 114 acre site will be Calderdale’s first community-owned nature reserve.

Director of Bridgestones Rewilded, Cath Baker, says, “I can confirm that climbers will continue to be very welcome. We want to make sure that this place can continue to be enjoyed by hill walkers and climbers, whilst we quietly restore the peat bog and let the heathland rejuvenate.

Get nature on the agenda

We’re calling on people across the UK to help put the nature crisis firmly on the agenda. We need to let all candidates and parties know that protecting our natural world for our wildlife, and for us, must be a priority. The UK has committed to halting the loss of our wildlife and protecting and managing 30% of our land and sea for nature by 2030. That’s just six years away. If we are going to restore our wildlife, it must be now. Nature can’t wait any longer. Election Toolkit

Our campaigns team has put together helpful guides, tools and other resources so you can speak up for nature this General Election.

Invasive Asian hornets have survived a UK winter for the first time, DNA analysis has confirmed, suggesting that they could make the UK one of their permanent homes.

The species poses a deadly threat to honey bees and could have a "concerning" impact on native pollinators and biodiversity were they to stay, master beekeeper Lynne Ingram told the BBC.

The insects, which can eat up to 50 bees a day, had previously flown into the UK from France in the warmer months.

"The DNA analysis has now proved they are overwintering - they could get really established here," Ms Ingram said.

Badger cull licences have been issued by the government despite its own scientific adviser saying there is “no justification” for doing so.

Leaked documents seen by the Guardian show the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs this month issued 17 new licences to continue culling badgers, overruling Dr Peter Brotherton, the director of science at Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England.

Badgers are culled to the point of local extinction because they spread bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to cattle, and the disease can wipe out entire herds. Last year, figures released by Defra revealed more than 210,000 badgers had been killed since the cull began in 2013. However, scientific reports have shown that killing badgers is not the most effective way to end the disease.

Four peregrine falcon chicks have hatched at Lincoln Cathedral.

Three of the chicks were first spotted by a photographer on 25 May and are now around four weeks old.

The chicks' wooden nesting box is situated about two-thirds of the way up the east-facing side of the main tower.

Bruce Hargrave, tower guide and resident peregrine falcon expert at the cathedral, said seeing the chicks was a "great indicator" for the once-endangered species.

Two large floating platforms covered in 500 native plants have been launched in a city harbour to help improve the water quality.

The two islands, which measure approximately 17m in length, were created at Bristol's Festival of Nature and are the first of a number of platforms due to be floated in the water this year.

It is part of a £500,000 project to regenerate the Capricorn Quay area of Bristol Harbour.

Savita Willmott, CEO of the Natural History Consortium that runs the festival, said the ecosystems were made in response to the "challenges around our waterways".

A rare dragonfly caused much excitement when it was rescued from the water of a nature reserve.

The club-tailed dragonfly was saved by wetland boat safari guide Joel Coram at WWT Arundel Wetland Centre on Sunday.

Club-tailed dragonflies are classified as nationally notable as they only breed on five UK rivers - the Arun, Thames, Wey, Dee and Severn.

The insects are only seen at Arundel Wetland Centre every few years and they are listed in the Sussex Rare Species Inventory.

More than one million tonnes of raw sewage is estimated to have been released from a pumping station into the North Sea in 2023.

Northumbrian Water produced the estimate of how much sewage was released from its Whitburn site after a Freedom of Information (FoI) request from South Tyneside resident Steve Lavelle.

A tribunal ruled the company needed to provide Mr Lavelle with the data.

A spokesperson for the water firm said it has "some of the lowest amounts and durations of spills in the country".

One of the UK’s favourite garden birds, the Blackbird, is in rapid decline, and members of the public are being asked to help scientists find out why.

For hundreds of years, this familiar bird has been celebrated by poets, painters, and songwriters, but now this popular songster of town and country is in danger of becoming scarcer in many of its former haunts. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has launched a survey to work out why.

Concerns about the common garden bird’s well being have been raised in recent years as birdwatchers have reported fewer Blackbirds in their gardens, especially in the Greater London area since 2020. This decline has been linked to the recent appearance of a mosquito-borne virus affecting the species in England.