UK Nature and Environment

About 200,000 trees will be planted across Lincolnshire by 2026, officials have said.

The LincWoods project, a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council and the Woodland Trust, will also see 20,000 metres of hedgerows planted.

The trust said tree planting was "crucial" for enhancing green spaces and biodiversity.

Landowners will be offered subsidies to get involved, though no payment figures have been revealed.

A community group is installing nesting boxes to help protect an endangered species of bird.

Clevedon Swifts, based in Somerset, is made up of members of the community that want to save swifts from further population decline.

They are calling for more boxes to be added to houses and buildings to replace lost natural nesting areas.

A pod of 40 bottlenose dolphins spotted off the Yorkshire coast is one of the biggest seen in the past 12 months, according to an expert.

The dolphins were reported off Filey, North Yorkshire, on Saturday. On the same day another group of about 13 was seen off the coast of Flamborough, East Yorkshire, just before 11:30 BST.

Robin Petch, of the Sea Watch Foundation, said a new-born calf was among the latter group and had been identified by foetal folds "showing it is no more than a few weeks old".

Butterfly numbers are the lowest on record in the UK after a wet spring and summer dampened their chances of mating.

Butterfly Conservation, which runs the Big Butterfly Count, sounded the alarm after this year’s count revealed the worst numbers since it began 14 years ago.

Many people have noticed the lack of fluttering insects in their gardens. Experts say this is due to the unusually wet conditions so far in 2024. Climate breakdown means the UK is more likely to face extremes in weather, and the natural rhythms of the seasons that insects such as butterflies are used to can no longer be relied on.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority is thrilled to announce that it has secured funding from the Nature Networks programme for its Cysylltu Natur 25x25 project.

This ambitious initiative aims to boost nature recovery across 25% of the northern section of the National Park by 2025. Thanks to a generous grant of £244,450 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, bolstered by an extra £5,000 from the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, the project will help connect species-rich habitats to nationally and internationally protected sites, fostering a more resilient environment in which wildlife can flourish.

Part of the Cysylltu Natur 25×25 project involves building upon the Park Authority’s existing work of supporting farmers and smallholders who use traditional farming techniques to conserve nature on their own land and on commons.

A council has become the first in Kent to formally make a Nature Recovery Declaration.

In it, Maidstone council recognises “the catastrophic and ongoing declines impacting the natural world” and made a “solemn commitment to embed positive change across all our interactions with the natural world”.

It comes as butterfly numbers are the lowest on record in the UK.

The Butterfly Conservation said this year’s Big Butterfly Count, which revealed the worst numbers since it began 14 years ago, is “a warning sign to us all”.

The North Sea’s oil and gas rigs impact more than the atmosphere.

Using over than 30 years of data, scientists found the sediment around nine platforms contains levels of pollutants up to thousands of times higher than in the wider seabed. In some samples, toxic chemicals breached thresholds associated with harming the health of marine wildlife.

Top predators and specialists were the worst affected species, whilst generalists came to dominate. This caused species diversity near oil rigs to drop by almost a third as the food chains collapsed.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has launched a survey to gather valuable insights from boaters regarding mooring and anchoring in the Solent.

Boating practices can have a significant impact on the health of marine ecosystems. The Solent Boating Survey seeks to understand and build a clearer picture of how boating can impact the Solent’s vital seagrass meadows.

Charities have come together to explain that the Welsh government needs to significantly increase investment in wildlife-friendly farming to ensure nature restoration and climate targets are met.

RSPB Cymru, National Trust Cymru and The Wildlife Trust Wales are calling on the Welsh government to urgently commit to a long-term annual investment in nature and climate friendly farming, as with the effect of nature and climate crises worsening, any delay to future proofing the agricultural sector will cost more to fix.

The charities say that up to £594 million per year is required and that programmes such as the Sustainable Farming Scheme must help farmers bring back nature and tackle climate change while producing food sustainably and underpinning resilient businesses.

Nearly £6bn needs to be spend on the rural budget in the UK if nature and climate change objectives are to be met according to a new report. The analysis, jointly commissioned by the RSPB, National Trust and The Wildlife Trusts, provides figures on the level of investment needed in land management to achieve nature and climate objectives across the UK.

The analysis shows the annual UK rural budget needs to nearly double to £5.9bn at least for the next ten years.

While the report looks at the UK as a whole, it also estimates the level of investment required in the different UK countries reflecting the variation in natural assets and farming systems. In Scotland the report suggests annual public investment in the region of £1.5bn to 1.8bn a year which would see Scotland more than double farm funding over the next ten years.

A “dismal” lack of tree planting in Wales is failing the country’s economic and environmental future, forestry experts have said.

Figures show 640 hectares of new woodland was created last year – just over 12% of the Welsh government’s target of 5,000 hectares annually.

The Confederation of Forest Industries (Confor) said that "Wales is going backwards" and its reliance on imported timber made it “very vulnerable".

It said the rapid planting of new forests was “absolutely crucial” for the country’s environmental targets.

A citizen science water quality project, which previously was funded by grants, will go ahead this summer after organisers said they would pay for it themselves.

The Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) has completed eight rounds of water quality surveys in Windermere, Cumbria, since 2022.

This year it failed to raise the funds it previously had from bodies such as the Environment Agency (EA), National Trust and Westmorland and Furness Council.

The National Trust said it was "unable to fully fund the survey", the council said its water budget for Windermere had already been allocated and the EA declined to comment.

A West Yorkshire moor stores carbon equivalent to the annual emissions released by a million cars, researchers have said.

Marsden Moor, a popular spot for tourists and walkers between Manchester and Leeds, is known for its blanket peat bogs stretching across the 2,300-hectare landscape.

To mark World Bog Day, a team from the University of Leeds geography school have released the results of a four-year study into the layers of peat across the entire estate.

IN 2023, private water companies in England more than doubled the amount of sewage they discharged into the country’s rivers and seas.

It amounted to around 3.6 million hours of sewage spills in total, up from 1.75 million hours in 2022.

However, as environmental campaigners have pointed out, sewage dumping is also an issue in Scotland.

Yet a key difference stands out when comparing the figures between the two countries.

While 100% of combined sewage pipes in England are monitored, in Scotland, that figure stands at around 5%.

The annual celebration of the sea, National Marine Week, runs from 27 July-11 August 2024.

This year's theme is Sea the Connection, which aims to celebrate the diverse ways in which people feel connected with the sea. As part of this, The Wildlife Trusts are encouraging people to share favourite seaside memories, adventures and places on an interactive map.

The event spans over a fortnight due to varying tidal conditions around the UK. There are celebrations and events taking part across the country, including the family-friendly SeaFest celebration in Cumbria and a Marine Mammal BioBlitz in west Wales. For a full list of the events taking place, visit wildlifetrusts.org/national-marine-week.

Dive into the ocean…pink?

What colours would you expect to see when dipping beneath the waves off the coast of Cornwall? Perhaps the calm blue of the waves, or the soft greens and browns of the seaweeds.

Few people would expect the rose pink of a maerl bed – the Barbieland of the underwater realm.

These slow growing, fragile beds of rare pink calcified seaweeds form the basis of marine food chains in the area, and as well as being breathtakingly beautiful, are hugely important for the local ecosystem.

A species thought lost from Spurn Point National Nature Reserve has flowered for the first time in 30 years.

Staff believe the reappearance of the bee orchid is due to a new conservation grazing regime.

Cows were controlled via GPS collar and allowed to eat only in specific areas, rather than roaming freely where they were naturally attracted to eating sweet flowers.

It helped to create the "right conditions" for a wide variety of wild flowers to grow on the reserve's Chalk Bank meadow, which Rosie Jaques, reserve and marine officer, said was an "amazing result".

The number of little tern fledglings at a seaside resort has hit record levels.

Durham Wildlife Trust warden Derek Wood said 140 of the birds had developed wing feathers large enough for flight at Seaton Carew in Hartlepool this year.

"The numbers follow an improving year-on-year trend," he said.

Earlier this month the birds set off on their annual three-month migratory journey to The Gambia in west Africa.

Last year the team recorded 125 fledglings at Seaton Carew, whereas in 2022 there were just 89.

A farmer has said rewilding her land is a key way to look after nature and "give life back to the soil".

Alex Stevenson owns Jordan's Farm in Wakes Colne near Colchester, Essex, and hoped that rewilding 25 acres land at her farm would help the ecosystem to thrive.

The process of rewilding aims to let nature take care of itself and repair damaged ecosystems naturally.

Watch dolphins surprise wildlife spotters Watch dolphins surprise wildlife spotters

Wildlife photographers returning from a day trip off the East Yorkshire coast were treated to this bonus appearance from a pod of dolphins.

Yorkshire Coast Nature had taken passengers out to watch gannets feeding when the dolphins unexpectedly provided the perfect end to their day.

Company director and tour guide Steve Race said: "This is why we love our job."

Bridlington is proving to be a popular destination for both whales and dolphins, with plenty spotted already this summer.

Backpack-wearing dogs are being enlisted to “act like wolves” to help rewild an urban nature reserve in the East Sussex town of Lewes.

Before wolves were persecuted to extinction in the UK in about 1760, they were known to roam large areas, typically covering 12 miles (20km) or more each night.

In doing so, wolves would inadvertently pick up wildflower and grass seeds in their fur, dispersing them many miles away and helping establish new colonies of plants, which is vital for biodiversity and for ecosystems to thrive.

The project by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes, funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action, aims to recreate this ecological benefit by equipping local dogs with seed-filled backpacks to help reseed the landscape. The project is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK.

Woodland Trust Northern Ireland has welcomed a Private Members Bill submitted by Peter McReynolds MLA at Stormont.

This proposal for a Tree Protection Bill, submitted in July, aims to introduce dedicated legal protection for Northern Ireland’s oldest and most significant trees. As the UK’s leading woodland conservation charity, one of the Woodland Trust's core objectives is to protect these living legends.

The Bill seeks to strengthen the protection provided through Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs), create a new 'Heritage Tree' designation specifically to protect and support Northern Ireland’s oldest and most significant trees, and safeguard these heritage trees – along with ancient and long-established woodland – from permitted developments.

Sewage did not cause a surge in bacterial pollution which made Portobello beach unsafe for swimmers, according to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa).

The agency issued a warning on 10 July, advising swimmers to avoid bathing at a section of the Edinburgh beach until further notice.

Further sampling on 11 July following the advisory notice showed water quality was "back to normal" according to Sepa, indicating a "short-lived event that had no lasting impact".

The agency said long term sampling of water from the site has shown the main sources of pollution there to be human, dog and gull waste.

After an almost 40-year campaign, a stunning but little-known UK landscape has been awarded world heritage status.

The Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland in the far north of Scotland covers almost 2,000 sq km (469,500 acres) of one of the most intact and extensive blanket bog systems in the world.

Blanket bogs are wetland ecosystems created when peat, a soil made up of partially decayed matter, accumulates in waterlogged conditions.

Achieving world heritage status is a rare honour – particularly for a landscape. It is an internationally recognised designation awarded to places of outstanding cultural, historical, or scientific significance.