Conservationists concerned as numbers
continue to plummet
Figures for butterfly
sightings in 2009 have raised fears that five of Britain's rarest butterflies
face a growing risk of extinction. Their numbers last year either continued to
plummet or remained at near rock bottom levels.
The Department of the
Environment yesterday confirmed that it is to spend over €200,000 on a conservation
programme for one of Ireland’s most endangered species – the corncrake.
Major plan for houses to
be built on habitat of rare bee rejected
Objectors
to a major housing estate planned for the outskirts of Grantown were last night
raising a glass to a rare bee that helped them get the 193-house application turned
down yesterday.
Wild fish interests condemn major
escape from Lochaber freshwater salmon farm
The
Association of Salmon Fishery Boards (ASFB) and the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts
of Scotland (RAFTS) have condemned a major escape of juvenile salmon from a Marine
Harvest unit on Loch Lochy, the freshwater loch in the Great Glen near Fort William.
Dolphin watchers yesterday expressed concern that wildlife will
be put in jeopardy by an increase in commercial boats using the Moray Firth, including
Inverness Marina, and a proposed new boat centre at Whiteness along the coast.
The cottages around Askam
wind farm occupy the perfect spot, looking out to sea over to the isle of Man
and inland to the Lake District. The only problem is the noise.
Hain attacked for backing Severn Barrage before study completed
Environmental campaigners have accused Welsh Secretary Peter
Hain of acting irresponsibly by backing the proposed Severn Barrage ahead of the
completion of a feasibility study.
Four tidal energy options identified for Mersey Estuary
Four options for harnessing tidal power from the Mersey Estuary
have been identified in the first stage of a feasibility study published yesterday
(March 4).
Rivers could
be harnessed to generate electricity for almost a million homes with the building
of up to 26,000 controversial hydropower turbines around the country, a report
will say tomorrow.
Regional authorities in England are set to be able to assess
the potential for onshore wind, biomass, hydro power and solar energy under new
guidelines published today (March 5).
Politicians back Leicestershire quarry
plan protest
Protesters have lobbied
politicians with their concerns about quarry extension proposals which they say
will destroy a large swathe of Charnwood Forest.
Volunteers wanted to help encourage
more wildlife to old quarry
The Mosaic
Trust at Austerfield is giving members of the public the opportunity to join a
conservation volunteer group to fill their Saturday mornings once a month.
European
Union countries are still arguing about introducing a ban on the trade in Atlantic
bluefin tuna. Conservationists say that such a ban is the only way to save the
over-fished species from extinction.
Australia and Japan have failed to reach a breakthrough in an
intensifying row on whaling, but delegates in three days of intense talks say
that all sides agreed to keep seeking common ground.
Australian police search anti-whaling
ships for Japan
Australian police
searched two anti-whaling ships at the request of Japanese authorities on Saturday,
seizing log books and videos, after activists called a halt to their turbulent
harassment campaign.
The hoof, the whole hoof...Swiss to vote
on legal rights for animals
Is fishing
as cruel as bullfighting? Antoine Goetschel thinks so. The Swiss lawyer carries
the distinction of being the first man in the world to stand up in court on behalf
of a dead (and eaten) 22lb pike.
Giant
panda genome reveals new insights into the bear's bamboo diet
A Chinese-led team including international researchers with a
scientist from Cardiff University, has shed new light on some of the giant panda's
unusual biological traits, including its famously restricted diet.
The European Union's promotion of
plant-based biofuels will raise EU farm incomes and agricultural commodity prices,
but could create food shortages for the world's poorest consumers, draft EU reports
show.
U.S. to protect bird, oil drilling likely restricted
The iconic sage grouse that once roamed the western U.S. plains
in great numbers needs protection, a move that will still curtail some energy
development, the U.S. Interior Department said on Friday.
Canada shift on reviewing energy projects critiqued
Ottawa's plan to shift responsibility of environmental assessments
to Canada's main energy regulator fails to address fundamental problems surrounding
major oil and gas projects, a green think tank said on Friday.
Fears over delay to feed-in tariff designed to kickstart domestic
energy revolution
The government will
come under fire tomorrow from a renewable energy sector increasingly concerned
about potential delays in the implementation of a "feed-in tariff" meant to kickstart
a domestic green power revolution.
Global leaders in the energy business say they want some certainty
in U.S. climate policy to encourage development of new technologies and other
investment, but they do not expect federal legislation to pass this year.
Study says undersea release of methane
is under way
Climate scientists have
long warned that global warming could unlock vast stores of the greenhouse gas
methane that are frozen into the Arctic permafrost, setting off potentially significant
increases in global warming.
The
European Union's development chief may be forced to name and shame France, Germany
and Italy for not living up to their aid commitments, contributing to a roughly
$17 billion funding gap this year.
EU tempers hopes of binding climate deal this year
The European Union executive is tempering its hopes of securing
a legally binding climate deal in talks this year culminating in Cancun, Mexico,
focusing instead on a 2011 summit in South Africa, a source said.
China to unveil multibillion-dollar renewable energy plan
The Chinese government is working on a 10-year initiative that
would see 15 per cent of the country's electricity generated from low-carbon sources
by 2020, according to reports in China Daily.
