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

Rare butterflies set up home in quarry

Two wildlife charities were today celebrating after getting permission to protect a rare butterfly population who have set up home in a North East quarry.

Community Newswire

Big bug baffles Bill

A "strange" insect stopped one Peterborough man in his tracks as he cut the lawn

Peterborough Today

Sun, scent and birdsong where snake eats snake

Under clear blue sky, strong sun and lark song, the coconut aroma off hot gorse and the thyme-and-violet perfumes – a heady day in that “other” world for the hill-man – the Solway Mosses.

The Cumberland News

'I gassed badgers to save my cattle'

A westcountry farmer has been warned he could face prosecution after admitting using his tractor to gas badgers he suspects are carrying bovine TB.

this is Devon

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


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

Beware pond-invading plant species

News from Devon Wildlife Trust includes an appeal for those of us with ponds not to allow pest plant species to get into the wild.

this is Cornwall

The handsome hawthorns

Once known as the hagthorn or hedgethorn the hawthorn is the original shrub of ancient hedges.

this is South Devon

Ancient woodlands get room to breathe

Woodlands across the Westcountry should be transformed by a new policy unveiled by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, which aims to put ancient and native woodland at the heart of forestry work.

this is Cornwall

Nature notes

Yellow flowers are becoming more prominent in the countryside.

Times Online


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

Marine wildlife under threat, group warns

What was once a thriving marine environment around the Westcountry's coastline is now in a state of crisis, an international wildlife pressure group claims.

this is Cornwall

Poisonous algae invade Swedish coastline

Carpets of poisonous blue-green algae have started invading the coasts of Sweden, a senior scientist said on Wednesday.

IOL

Ministers in bid to boost sea fisheries

UK Fisheries Ministers are set to adopt new measures to help bring about profitable and sustainable sea fisheries in a thriving marine environment.

Belfast Telegraph

Vote wave power G8 leaders urged

"X" marked the spot yesterday as environmental campaigners from Cornwall made a renewable energy challenge to G8 ministers.

this is Cornwall


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

Birds killed by nets

Netting used to stop pigeons nesting under a railway bridge is trapping and killing dozens of birds.

icSouthlondon

Marsh harrier shooting condemned

A leading conservationist today condemned the “morally repugnant” people responsible for killing birds of prey following the shooting of a rare marsh harrier.

EDP24

Join the hunt for a rare bird

Bird lovers hope a high-tech safari to track down an elusive bird of prey will provide much-needed information on its habits.

this is Lancashire

Chance to release red kites

Next week sees the latest stage of the project to re-establish red kites in the North-East

icNewcastle

Wind turbines not so deadly for birds -Dutch study

Wind turbines producing "green" energy kill many fewer birds than previously thought and pose less of a threat to avian life than cars, a study by the Dutch Bird Protection charity and power utility Nuon showed.

Reuters

'Swan attacks rise' says charity

A four-week-old cygnet has died after being attacked near a Powys lake, says a swan charity.

BBC

Nature notes

A collared pratincole was seen yesterday at Rainham Marshes alongside the Thames in Essex.

Times Online


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

Blair presses for G8 climate deal, signs positive

Tony Blair is closing in on an accord with his fellow Group of Eight leaders, officials said on Wednesday, recognising climate change as an urgent problem but with no specific targets to curb it.

Reuters

Lords fuel climate change row with blow to Kyoto

The Kyoto Protocol has been rubbished by a heavyweight committee of peers, on the day that Tony Blair opens the G8 summit with a focus on global warming.

Scotsman.com

Former Irish president calls for action on climate

Cancellation of third world debt by G8 leaders will be "completely undermined" without commitments on preventing climate change, according to Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland.

Scotsman.com

Anti-Bush gibe by Royal Society sparks climate change row

A prickly row between the scientific academies of Britain and America over the precise wording of their positions on climate change has come to light on the eve of the G8 summit.

Times Online

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


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

Hill farmers' livelihoods at risk

A report for the Peak District Rural Deprivation Forum has found farmers' businesses in the Peak District are being severely threatened by low wages and an excess of bureaucracy, and recommends major changes to the way they work.

Country Life
Reuters
Telegraph

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here


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

Rare bats halt firm's plan to open quarry

A County council has put on hold plans by Gama Construction to open a quarry near a €190m bypass the Turkish company is building because of the impact the quarry could have on rare bats.

Irish Independent

Forest park escapes pollution disaster

An award-winning Belfast forest park has narrowly avoided environmental disaster after the dumping of thousands of litres of diesel oil at the foot of Divis Mountain.

Belfast Telegraph
BBC

Pipeline protester hurt in collision

A man picketing the proposed site of the Corrib Gas gas terminal at Bellanaboy in north Mayo was injured yesterday by a 4x4 vehicle as it emerged from the second entrance to the complex at around lunchtime.

Irish Independent


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

Dame Judi backs woodland appeal

Actress Dame Judi Dench has lent her support to a campaign to save an ancient Welsh woodland and avert a "national tragedy".

BBC

Hedge fund on tap

Funding is available for landowners in to improve hedgerows and encourage wildlife.

this is southwales

Warning - air service will cost the earth

It can take more than four hours by road or rail but less than an hour by air.

icWales


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

Waking up to Wildlife

Fitness guru Mr Motivator and BBC TV presenter Nick Baker, of The Really Wild Show, will be launching English Nature’s Local Nature Reserve celebrations in Sheffield on Sunday July 17.

English Nature

Quarry plans announced

Plans to open a big sand and gravel quarry in South Norfolk, where more than a million tonnes of raw material would be extracted, have been revealed.

EDP24


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

Electricity provider shocked by location of bird box

An electricity provider has warned the public not to interfere with overhead power lines, after a bird box was found attached to a pylon.

this is north scotland

Perthshire forest prepares to enchant visitors

Planning and preparations are already under way for one of Perthshire's most successful tourist events in recent years, scheduled to take place in October.

this is north scotland


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

U.N. environment chief tells G8 it pays to protect forests, coastlines

The U.N. environment chief has a message for leaders of the world's major industrialized nations: scientists have shown that it pays to preserve forests, coastal waters and marshes.

Environmental News Network

Rare eagles prompt wind-farm rebuff

Pacific Hydro's plan to build a A$150 million ($165 million) wind farm in Australia's Victoria state was rejected because it threatened a colony of rare wedge-tailed eagles.

New Zealand Herald

Activists seek to curb deaths at wind farm

When it comes to wind power, few places are more productive - or more deadly to birds - than this gusty stretch of rolling hills between the San Francisco Bay area and the San Joaquin Valley.

Guardian Unlimited

Aleutian cackling goose population rebounds

The Aleutian cackling goose, which went from the brink of extinction to a farm pest, has been taken off the Oregon endangered species list, only the second species ever to be removed from state protection.

CNN.com

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