The Norfolk snout was always a rare moth in Britain. By the late 1960s, populations of this small beige moth with a distinctive protuberant “nose” had dwindled to just one site – a working quarry in north-west Norfolk.

Bad weather or possibly over-collecting by a few zealots meant that the moth, which has a 20mm wingspan, became extinct in Britain in 1971.

Now, after an absence of more than 50 years, the Norfolk snout (Nothris verbascella) has reappeared, close to where it was first discovered in 1853.

A £5.77m cross-governmental funded project has shown that expanding access to Green Social Prescribing can promote wellbeing and improve mental health.

Researchers from the University of Exeter – in partnership with the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and University of Plymouth – have today (September 4) published a report for the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) on their findings into efforts to increase access to Green Social Prescribing, and its effectiveness in tackling and preventing mental ill health.

Green Social Prescribing is the practice of supporting people with mental health needs to engage in nature-based activities. Referrals will typically come from GPs, community mental health teams, or social workers, but people can also self-refer. Social Prescribing Link Workers, and other trusted professionals, then connect people to community groups and agencies for practical and emotional support. There are many different types of nature-based activities and therapies, including conservation, horticulture and gardening, care farming, exercise and sports, or talking therapies in the outdoors.

Reed delivered a rousing speech on Wednesday night (4 September) as part of think-tank Green Alliance’s 45th anniversary gathering in Westminster.

He said: “We live in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and that is not just a disgrace, it is an absolute tragedy. We have to stop it and we have to reverse it.

“I want to use this opportunity to make this the most nature-positive government this nation has ever had. This is an ambition we can make real. Two months after the election, it is dawning that we can do stuff rather than just talking about it.

People in Orkney and North East Scotland are being asked to look out for greylag geese with special GPS collars as part of an international project to understand more about the birds.

NatureScot and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History are working together to gain a better understanding of the current migration patterns for Icelandic greylag geese.

The birds are known to spend the summer in Iceland and winter almost exclusively in the UK, particularly in Orkney and North East Scotland.

A pair of cranes have successfully reared a chick to fledging in Wicken Fen, in East Anglia, in what is thought to be the first time in hundreds of years.

The cranes have chosen to breed at Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve in Cambridgeshire, which is cared for by the National Trust, since 2019, but this is the first time they have successfully reared a chick.

The common crane is 4ft tall, making it Britain’s tallest bird, and was native to East Anglia’s fenlands before it was driven to extinction in this country in the 16th century because of hunting and the draining of its wetland habitat.

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The Nottinghamshire Water Vole Recovery Project – one of more than 60 projects aimed at recovering a wide range of our scarcest animals and plants supported by £14.5 million of funding via Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme – has reached an exciting stage with the release of over 100 captive bred water voles at the charity’s Idle Valley Nature Reserve near Retford.

The project, which runs until March 2025, is investing £491,740 in a range of measures to restore and create vital wetland habitat to support the species; boosting water vole numbers, and a targeted programme of mink control across 900 hectares of wetland habitat and more than 50km of rivers.

Fixing the environmental issues in the River Wye may be more complex than first thought, a new study has found.

Cardiff University researchers found that water quality in the River Wye catchment will not improve by focusing only on phosphate levels in the water.

The chemical, which finds its way into the river from a range of sources, has been linked to a perceived increase in frequency and severity of algal blooms, which are harmful to the river’s ecology, wildlife, and those using the river for fishing and swimming.

But the new report, prepared over two years by researchers at Cardiff University for the Wye and Usk Foundation, shows current phosphate levels are mostly within Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) targets.

Skiddaw has long stood proud in the northern Lake District, a distinctive, treeless peak that is England’s sixth highest mountain. But now the fell’s barren heights will spring back to life after its purchase for rewilding by Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

More than 1,200 hectares of Skiddaw Forest, once a royal hunting ground, will become England’s highest nature reserve and the UK’s biggest project to restore Atlantic rainforest, after the site came up for sale for £6.25m.

“We can’t believe it, to be honest,” said Stephen Trotter, the chief executive of Cumbria Wildlife Trust. “It’s not every day you get the chance to buy a mountain – in fact, you never get the chance, especially in the Lake District. It’s really exciting to have the opportunity to put some nature back into this landscape.”

Water bosses in England and Wales could be jailed for up to two years if they cover up sewage dumping, under legislation proposed by the Labour government.

At the moment, CEOs of water companies face fines for failing to comply with investigations by the Environment Agency (EA) and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), but there have been just three such fines since privatisation three decades ago.

Civil servants at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told journalists on Wednesday that they planned to tighten compliance rules to force companies to hand over sewage data quickly, and that the maximum sentence for covering up this information or failing to release it would be two years.

A wildlife project is using a new technique to reintroduce shellfish to the East Yorkshire coast.

Wilder Humber aims to reintroduce 500,000 native European flat oysters to the Humber estuary over the next five years.

A new method is being tested where oyster larvae are placed in a tank filled with scallop shells.

Sewage pollution of Scotland’s rivers and beaches is far more widespread than realised because ministers have failed to take the problem seriously, an environment watchdog has found.

Environmental Standards Scotland (ESS) said there were thousands of sewage overflow incidents last year, and that nearly half of the country’s storm overflows released sewage more than 50 times.

Of those, a third released sewage at least 100 times, and four sites more than 500 times. Few of these incidents were publicly disclosed; most failed to be justified as exceptional.

New Programme for Government a key moment to prevent Scotland being “left behind” on nature recovery, says Alliance.

80% of Scots think the Scottish Government should have policies in place to support rewilding, shows polling carried out for the Scottish Rewilding Alliance.

But the coalition of more than 20 organisations is warning that despite overwhelming public opinion in favour of large-scale nature restoration, the Scottish Government and public bodies are being too slow to engage with the opportunities offered by rewilding.