For the first time, we can see spring coming from 4,000
miles away
Very early signs of spring are among the most uplifting
markers of the turning world, not least because they occur when the
Earth is in lockdown – grey and cold, especially now in this
first full week of February.
Two dormice, which were saved and taken to HART Wildlife
Rescue after their nest was wrecked by a cat, have been successfully
transferred to Paignton Zoo.
Concern for wildlife in Voluntary Initiative surveys
Farmers want to help wildlife and the vast majority
believe that wildlife conservation is an integral part of their farming
system, according to two surveys conducted by the Voluntary Initiative.
Wildlife sanctuary boss Caroline Gould has launched
a campaign to have snares banned. It follows the discovery of a badger
that had been horrifically injured by one.
Badger Trust gives DEFRA notice of legal challenge
The Badger Trust has sent a letter to the Department
of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs giving them notice of the grounds
of challenge which the Badger Trust intends to pursue if DEFRA does
not set aside its decision to kill badgers in its measures to eradicate
bovine tuberculosis.
Ed Davey throws weight behind green energy by opening
giant UK windfarm
The new energy secretary, Lib Dem MP Ed Davey, will
face down the growing army of renewable power critics inside the
coalition by making his first major outing a visit to a wind project.
Report reveals huge benefits of community farming
schemes
An impact assessment of Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA) in England has found the pioneering farming schemes are providing
huge benefits not only to thousands of members, but also their communities,
local economies and the environment.
Funding for wildlife friendly farming takes another
hit
“It’s extremely disappointing that pleas
for Mr Swinney to reverse cuts to schemes that encourage wildlife
friendly farming seem to have fallen on deaf ears."
RSPB asks for safeguarding of funding to deliver
sustainable farming
The RSPB believes that Northern Ireland’s farmers
are well placed to lead the way in delivering the European Commission’s
priorities of ‘Sustainable management of natural resources
and climate action’.
A new study which is investigating the benefits of
supplementary feeding during the leanest months of winter could
mean that farmers will be paid to feed their starving farmland birds
in future.
A US federal judge has thrown out an animal rights
group's lawsuit accusing SeaWorld of enslaving captive killer whales,
ruling that orcas have no standing to seek the same constitutional
rights as people.
A federal government vessel would be sent to spy on
foreign whaling ships that enter Australian waters, under a private
bill from Greens leader Bob Brown.
Slash-and-burn agricultural practices, banned by governments
because of the risk of uncontrolled fires, provide better growing
conditions for valuable new trees than more modern methods of forest
clearance, a study suggests.
Tuna and mackerel populations have reduced by 60% in
the last century
A study shows that the impact of fishing for tuna and
similar species during the last 50 years has lessened the abundance
of all these populations by an average of 60%.
European Union failing threatened Mediterranean sharks
Oceana ... denounces the European Commission for blocking
efforts to protect threatened and endangered sharks and rays in the
Mediterranean Sea, under the Barcelona Convention.
The UK government on Thursday recommended slashing
subsidies for solar panels on homes from July 1 after a boom in
installations last year nearly exhausted its support budget.
Scientists melt mystery over icecaps and sea levels
U.S. scientists using satellite data have established
a more accurate figure of the amount of annual sea level rise from
melting glaciers and ice caps which should aid studies on how quickly
coastal areas may flood as global warming gathers pace.
Melting glaciers on the Himalayas not contributing
to sea level rise
The Himalayas has lost no significant ice over the
past decade, according to a new study, that found melting ice from
glaciers is having a much smaller effect on sea levels than previously
thought.
Don't despair - still time to reverse climate change
Australia's carbon price is due to come into effect
in a few months. When the economic catastrophe prophesied by its
opponents fails to materialise we may perhaps see a rational debate
about the costs and benefits of measures to stabilise the planet's
climate.
The Himalayas and nearby peaks have lost no ice
in past 10 years
The world's greatest snow-capped peaks, which run
in a chain from the Himalayas to Tian Shan on the border of China
and Kyrgyzstan, have lost no ice over the last decade, new research
shows.
Scientists melt mystery over icecaps and sea levels
U.S. scientists using satellite data have established
a more accurate figure of the amount of annual sea level rise from
melting glaciers and ice caps which should aid studies on how quickly
coastal areas may flood as global warming gathers pace.
