H a b i t a t - Daily wildlife and environment news from the British Isles


Animals
Resources
Mammal Society Mammals Trust UK The Deer Commission for Scotland Scottish Big Cat Trust Scottish Badgers International Otter Survival Fund Bat Conservation Trust National Federation of Badger Groups Froglife Herpetological Groups of Britain & Ireland Butterfly Conservation Butterflies of Ireland Spiders of NW-Europe British Dragonfly Society Buglife

Plague wipes out rare Crayfish

A colony of rare white-clawed crayfish, Britain's only such native species, has been wiped out by disease.

BBC

Penrith farmers ordered to pay £38,000 for polluting beck with sheep dip

Two Penrith farmers have been fined £1,500 each yesterday after being found guilty of illegally polluting Blind Beck with sheep dip, which lead to the death of white clawed crayfish.

Environment Agency

TB prevalence - Defra's badger Road Traffic Accident survey published

Data from Defra's badger Road Traffic Accident survey (RTA), covering the three years 2002 - 2004, has been published today.

Government News Network

Fox expert tells estate to clean up its act

A fox expert has told Tottenham residents annoyed with the animals ransacking bins and digging up gardens to stop feeding them and to tidy their estate.

Hornsey and Crouch End Journal

Go nuts about Red Squirrel Week!

To highlight the plight of red squirrels, The Wildlife Trusts have teamed up with other organisations involved in red squirrel conservation work (including The National Trust and Red Squirrels in South Scotland) to bring you a range of events at selected red squirrel sites during Red Squirrel Week, which is running from the 10th to 18th September 2005.

The Wildlife Trusts

The harlequin ladybird is the most invasive ladybird on Earth.
Now it's in Britain.
Help monitor its spread here


Birds
Resources
British Trust for Ornithology Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Birds Directive BirdGuides Bird News JNCC - Birds Natura 2000 Birds by Species Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside Black Grouse UK Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust BirdLife International Fat Birder

Continental chicks now choosing balmy Irish climes for their summer holidays

It would have seemed unbelievable just a decade ago, but a number of Mediterranean birds are spreading their wings and spending the summer holidays in Ireland.

Irish Independent

Poison alert as heron chicks die

An investigation is continuing into a disease at one of Britain's largest heronries, which is causing the legs and wings of heron chicks to snap as if they have rickets.

The Guardian

Farmer's wait for next crop of Wagtails

An environmentally-minded Dales farmer has been playing a waiting game, putting off harvesting his final meadows to allow Yellow Wagtails to raise their young.

Leeds Today

Anger over hunting group's joke e-mail urging: kill birds of prey

A spoof e-mail sent out by the chief executive of the Scottish Countryside Alliance that encouraged people to shoot birds of prey has been condemned by conservation groups.

Scotsman.com


Plants
Resources
The British Lichen Society The Woodland Trust Botanical Society of the British Isles Plantlife Flora locale Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Heritage Trees of Scotland The Postcode Plants Database Forestry Commission

Anger over wild flower graveyard

Visitors to a Lincolnshire cemetery have complained it is being spoilt by attempts to preserve a rare flower.

BBC

Nature notes

A dangerous flower that can grow twice as tall as a man is now lurking in the countryside.

Times Online

Should we weed out rare plant which is all over graves?

Angry mourners say they cannot find their relatives' graves due to a rare plant which is taking over a village cemetery.

this is Lincolnshire

GM superweed springs up after British farm trials

More problems have surfaced for biotechnology companies promoting GM crops in Britain, with the discovery of the country's first genetically-modified superweed.

icWales


Marine
Resources
British Marine Life Study Society JNCC Fisheries Marine Conservation Society Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland Shark Trust The European Register of Marine Species The UK Coastal Zone

How fishermen's tales mask natural disasters

A study of the old men of the sea has shown how out of touch modern generations are with the scale of damage people have caused to the oceans.

Telegraph

Whale Watch Ireland 2005 results

We are delighted to report that Whale Watch Ireland 2005 was a big success, attracting in excess of 1,275 people to 10 headlands throughout the four provinces.

Irish Whale and Dolphin Group

Manx Wildlife Trust Marine Day on Saturday

The last ever Manx Wildlife Trust Marine Day at the Port Erin Marine Laboratory will be held on Saturday.

Isle of Man Today

Greenpeace activists target trawlers

The environmental group Greenpeace has boarded three shrimp trawlers in the north-west Atlantic to investigate the environmental damage done by bottom trawling, a Greenpeace spokesperson said on Tuesday.

IOL

Mourning whale mother keeps divers at bay

A whale mourning her dead calf kept at bay divers attempting to retrieve the body on Currumbin Beach on Australia's Gold Coast on Tuesday.

IOL


National/Europe
Resources
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Natural Environment Research Council Minerals and Nature Conservation Forum The Wildlife Trusts Wildlife and Countryside Link British Naturalists' Association EnvironmentJobs

Sure, let's save the planet as long as we don't get our hands dirty

Britons are in danger of becoming a nation of "armchair environmentalists", who claim to be concerned about saving the planet and conserving species but are prepared to do little when it comes to getting practically involved in such schemes.

Scotsman.com

Organic farms 'best for wildlife'

Organic farms are better for wildlife than those run conventionally, according to a study covering 180 farms from Cornwall to Cumbria.

BBC
Reuters

Farmers working hard to reduce pollution

The risk of pollution on farms has been significantly lowered, according to a new report.

this is Lincolnshire

Threat to 'green belt' 50 years on

Countryside campaigners are marking today's 50th anniversary of the Green Belt by claiming that the protected areas are under threat from development as never before.

Telegraph
CPRE
BBC

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here


England
Resources
English Nature Countryside Agency Environment Agency Campaign for the Protection of Rural England

Leak turns Beal into dead river

Raw sewage has poured into the River Beal, killing thousands of fish and raising health fears among residents in the area.

ManchesterOnline

Environment Agency bans fish movements to save carp

Due to the large number of carp dying in and around the River Weaver, the Environment Agency has placed a temporary ban on all coarse fish movements in Merseyside, Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

Environment Agency

New £2m project to protect coast

Work is about to get under way on a multi-million project to protect the north Norfolk coastline and its wildlife habitats.

BBC

Reserve flags up success

It was jubilations all the way at a family day in the Marshall's Arm Nature Reserve on Saturday.

icCheshireOnline

Charity highlights coastal walks

Ten of the countries most majestic coastal walks, five of which are in the South West, are to be highlighted from today by the National Trust.

Community Newswire

Planners accused on windfarm

Planners opposing eight 300ft wind turbines on a site only 50ft from an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty were accused yesterday of refusing to accept their obligation to contribute to Government targets for providing renewable energy.

Yorkshire Post Today


Ireland
Resources
Environment & Heritage Service (Northern Ireland) Northern Ireland Biodiversity Group National Parks and Wildlife Service Ireland's Environment All-Ireland review of introduced species

€30m superdump plan scrapped

A leading waste disposal firm was struck a major blow yesterday when it was refused the green light for a giant refuse facility.

Irish Independent

Toxic spillage covered up, claim Greens

The Environmental Protection Agency has been accused of a cover-up after it failed to notify the public of a toxic spillage in Co Cork for nearly three weeks.

online.ie

Minister 'is on Shell's side' over offshore pipeline path permit

The economic benefits of the contentious Corrib gas pipeline were stressed yesterday as permission was granted for the latest section of the project.

Irish Independent

Bitter dispute over gas pipeline

Some local people in one of Ireland's remotest communities are pitched against petrochemical giant Shell, in a bitter dispute over the routing of a gas pipeline from the Atlantic Ocean to County Mayo.

BBC

IFA launch countryside walkways initiative

IFA President John Dillon has said that a real opportunity exists to resolve the difficulties surrounding recreational use of the countryside through the implementation of a new and innovative scheme to promote managed walkways.

Roscommon Herald

National Trust opens up estate for deer tour

The National Trust's Crom Estate is this weekend hosting a guided trip into the deer park to discover some of its most beautiful creatures.

Belfast Telegraph


Scotland
Resources
Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Environment Protection Agency Scottish Biodiversity Group Scotland's National Nature Reserves John Muir Trust Scottish Environment News Scottish Wildlife Trust Red Squirrels In South Scotland

£66,000 SNH grant towards environmental education programme

A initiative that helps schools in the Highlands and Islands to learn more about their natural environment is to benefit from a grant of £66,225 from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

Scottish Natural Heritage

Wind farms controversy just won't blow away

A new report has thrown plans for a major wind farm into doubt after ruling it would be a blot on the Lothian landscape.

Scotsman.com


Wales
Resources
Welsh Assembly Countryside Council for Wales Wales Biodiversity Partnership Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales Environment Agency (Wales)

Nesting birds find gardens' haven

Gardens in Wales were a big draw for nesting blackbirds, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said yesterday.

icNorthWales

Predator kills rare chick

A rare honey buzzard chick which had become a local celebrity in the Afan Valley has been snapped up by a predator.

this is southwales


Climate
Resources
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research Southampton Oceanography Centre Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Natural Environment Research Council UK Climate Impacts Programme Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife ENN Special Reports: Climate Change Global Warming: Early warning signs

Back eco-Bills

South Ribble's MP wants all-party backing to tackle climate change. David Borrow has signed an Early Day Commons Motion to support two new energy Bills.

icSeftonandWestLancs

Figures show UK emissions rising

New figures show that UK carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise again this year, despite the Government's commitment to taking action to tackle climate change.

Friends of the Earth
politics.co.uk
The Guardian
ManchesterOnline

Scientists puzzle over oddities along Pacific coast

Marine biologists are seeing mysterious and disturbing things along the Pacific Coast this year: higher water temperatures, plummeting catches of fish, lots of dead birds on the beaches, and perhaps most worrisome, very little plankton -- the tiny organisms that are a vital link in the ocean food chain.

CNN.com

Help produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century, using your computer -
here


Global
Resources
IUCN - World Conservation Union Convention on Biological Diversity WWF - The global environment network World Land Trust

Key Andean wildlife sites under threat

The most comprehensive inventory to date of some of South America's globally important areas for birds and biodiversity reveals that more than half have no legal designation.

Birdlife International

Federal judge blocks easing of logging rules in the Northwest

A federal judge struck down a move by the Bush administration to ease logging restrictions in the Northwest, saying the government failed to consider the effect on rare plants and animals.

Environmental News Network

The tiny pest that threatens to gobble up the Big Easy

In New Orleans the battle against the termites that threaten to devour the hot, humid city is relentless.

Independent Online

Flood traps hundreds of migratory birds in Indian sanctuary

Hundreds of migratory birds have been trapped with their fledgling offspring in southern India after monsoon floodwaters inundated their sanctuary, an official said Tuesday.

Environmental News Network

The World Land Trust is a conservation charity that has helped purchase and protect over 300,000 acres of rainforest and other threatened wildlife habitats worldwide. You can help us save even more - here

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Daily wildlife and environment news from the British Isles