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


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 told: act now on climate

Tony Blair will arrive at next month's G8 summit with a powerful mandate from voters to confront George Bush over global warming, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today.

The Guardian

Climate change at the G8 Summit

On 21 June 2005 environmental Non Governmental Organisations met Tony Blair to discuss negotiations over climate change at the G8 Summit.

WWF-UK

EU carbon emissions continue rise

Greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union rose by 1.5% in 2003, having fallen the previous year, the European Environment Agency (EEA) says.

BBC
Friends of the Earth

Aircraft emissions to double by 2030 despite hi-tech jets

Greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft will double by 2030 even if airlines invest in new fuel-efficient planes, the industry predicted yesterday.

Times Online

Airlines to reveal their impact on environment

People booking a flight will be able to assess the damage to the environment as well as to their wallet under plans announced by the industry.

Independent

Storms, floods and sunshine: welcome to global warming

Unusual meteorological conditions led to the topsy-turvy weather at the weekend, which saw torrential storms in the North contrast with bright sunshine and high temperatures in the South.

Independent

Experts blame it on the jet stream

A change in the jet stream has turned Britain into a divided nation, with the North drenched in heavy storms while the South suffers from a desperate shortage of water.

Times Online

Climate change plan has setback in U.S. energy bill

A key Republican refused to back a plan by Senate Democrats to slow U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, casting doubt on whether the Senate can muster enough votes on Tuesday to approve a climate change measure.

Reuters

Margaret Beckett welcomes London Climate Change Agency launch

The London Climate Change Agency was launched yesterday, Monday 20 June. Margaret Beckett welcomed the establishment of the agency and described it as a key driving force in tackling climate change.

Defra

EU approves plan for industrial carbon dioxide trading rights for Greece

Greece became the last country to meet European Union criteria allowing emissions trading, joining a scheme at the heart of the EU's policy to cut carbon dioxide emissions, officials said Monday.

Environmental News Network

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


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

Island declares war on its rampaging rabbits

The fight to protect Scotland's natural assets from the destruction of alien invaders is about to take a new turn with an all-out war on rabbits on one of the country's most important islands.

Independent

Bat scuppers rail shed plans

The latest bid to develop Tetbury's Rail Shed for a community project has been hampered by the discovery of rare wildlife.

this is Cirencester

Rare con artist butterfly returns on a wing and a prayer

One of the rarest and most fascinating wild species in the UK is expected to make an appearance this summer.

icBirmingham

Damselfly mating game turns some males gay

Disguises used by female damselflies to avoid unwanted sexual advances can cause males to seek out their own sex, a new study suggests.

National Geographic News

Nature notes

Midsummer brings out new butterflies. The first meadow brown butterflies are on the wing, flitting through fields where the purple grasses tower above the buttercups.

Times Online

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

Delight as red kite returns to the capital

A bird of prey which was hunted to the verge of extinction has been seen in Edinburgh for the first time in 300 years.

Scotsman.com

See sea TV: big brother to spy on birds in Bangor

A big Brother-style camera has been fitted to a nest in Bangor to spy on seabirds. The RSPB installed the device at a guillemot nesting site at the marina to highlight their lives and let more people see another side to their town.

Belfast Telegraph

Three churrs for nightjar increase

The efforts of an army of twilight bird surveyors has revealed that the mysterious nightjar, formerly one of the UK's 40 most threatened birds, now has a population of at least 4,500 males, a welcome increase of over one third since 1992.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Telegraph

Nightjar now in sharp decline in Scotland

A national survey of the mysterious nightjar, a summer visiting bird only active between dusk and dawn, has found it to be in sharp decline in Scotland.

this is north scotland
The Herald

Visitors get bird's eye view of harrier chicks

Three tiny hen harrier chicks are proving the main attraction at a far north nature reserve.

this is north scotland

No osprey chicks on loch nest this year

The RSPB has said that no chicks will be fledged from the world famous Loch Garten nest this year, despite the resident female, EJ, laying four eggs earlier this season.

Strathspey & Badenoch Herald


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

Japan’s call to resume whale-hunting rejected

The International Whaling Commission has rejected Japan’s call to resume regulated commercial whaling and end the 19-year moratorium on whale hunts.

New Scientist
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
Politics.co.uk
BBC

Giant sharks home in on Scottish waters

Britain's biggest fish, the basking shark, may be moving north possibly as a result of climate change, according to a report launched today by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Marine Conservation Society

Fish farms giant closes broodstock operation

Fish farming giant Marine Harvest is to close its salmon broodstock facilities in the Highlands and Islands.

this is north scotland

Dolphin pod jeopardised by boats

Police have condemned the behaviour of a group of people who nearly killed a pod of dolphins in Cornwall.

BBC


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

Nature's wealth in ancient forest

Dating back to the end of the last ice age, Wentwood Forest is one area of Gwent that has changed very little in centuries.

this is Gwent

Is it a fly? Is it a bee? – No it’s an orchid!

Monkeys, spiders, lizards and bees can be seen within the alluring petals of some orchids - the super models of the plant world - and you don’t have to go to exotic places to find them.

English Nature

The Fens spring to life in city garden

The Fenland landscape has been brought back to life in the heart of Cambridge.

CEN News

£23,000 handout provides green shoots of growth for woodlands

Three woodlands in Midlothian have received a cash boost of more than £23,000 as part of a Scottish Executive initiative.

Scotsman.com


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

Beckett welcomes EU rural development deal

The Rural Development Regulation, the mechanism for delivering EU rural development funding from 2007, was agreed unanimously last night ( 20 June, 2005) by Agricultural Ministers in Luxembourg.

Government News Network

EC proposal would hurt poor farmers, says Oxfam

The European Commission’s proposals to reform its sugar regime will have devastating effects on some of the world’s poorest countries, international agency Oxfam said today.

Oxfam

Britain becoming ‘environmental leader’

Defra’s annual report has described the UK as an ‘environmental leader’, due to ambitious targets and the work carried out in meeting them to date.

Green Consumer Guide
Defra

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here


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

New bid to save hare population

Two Warwickshire nature reserves are to join the fight to save the UK's brown hare population.

icBirmingham

Ancient herd and land are preserved

Measures have been taken to give the Chillingham cattle the best possible chance of survival.

icNewcastle

Knottingley wildlife haven to open

The wildlife haven created as part of the Environment Agency’s flood protection scheme for Knottingley will be officially opened on Thursday 30 June.

Environment Agency

Air safety fears over pond birds

A bid to retain a pond on a country estate near Ripon has been rejected because it poses a threat to air safety.

this is the North-east

New haven for wildlife

Volunteers have helped to create a wildlife habitat. Nature-lovers and schoolchildren planted reedbeds and wildflowers in Gaunless Valley, between Ramshaw and West Auckland, on Saturday.

this is the North-east

Residents dig in to help wildlife in park

Wildlife and gardening enthusiasts joined in the fun at Poverest Park, Perry Hall Road, Orpington, to support the park.

News Shopper


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

New scheme opens up woodlands to community ownership

Communities across Scotland can buy publicly-owned forests without waiting for them to be put up for sale under a new scheme launched yesterday.

Scotsman.com

Forest land may soon be freed up for affordable rural housing

Thousands of hectares of forest land could soon be bought up by Scottish communities, freeing up land for much-needed affordable housing, it was announced yesterday.

this is north scotland

350 turn out for nature reserve Open Day

An estimated 350 people, mostly Shetlanders, turned out for a special open day held on the island of Noss on Saturday.

Scottish Natural Heritage


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

Jail me, says gas pipeline protester

A farmer has vowed to go to jail rather than let oil giant Shell build a pipeline through his land.

Irish Independent
The Papers Today

Litter horror as five tonnes of rubbish dumped in beauty spot

'This is the worst incident I've seen in this area,' said Community Warden Oliver Hosey, as he surveyed what only can be described as a horror scene in a scenic wooded area on Ballythomas Hill last week.

The Papers Today


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

'Ease planning law' call on Gower

Farmers and tourism operators in Gower have called for planning restrictions to be eased in one of Wales' best known beauty spots.

BBC

£540,000 to aid rare species

Nature will be the winner after Gower picked up £540,000 to help rare species thrive. The money will be spent over the next three years to improve the biodiversity of the lowland heath habitat on the peninsula.

this is south wales


Energy
Resources
DTI Renewable Energy British Wind Energy Association Greenpeace - Renewable Energies Irish Wind Energy Association Yes2Wind Country Guardian Impact of Wind Turbines on Birds Wind-Farm.org Windfarm News

Be wary of wind farms

It was perhaps fortunate the weather was so awful during the opening of Cefn Croes wind power station that BBC Wales's reporter was driven into the shelter of a turbine.

this is south wales

Wind turbine factory opens

This is a very sad day for Wales with the opening of the Cefn Croes wind turbine factory near Aberystwyth.

this is south wales

The wind and waves should power Wales

Wales could harness the power of wind and waves to fuel its growing economy under plans unveiled yesterday.

icNorthWales

A blow for the environment?

Why have you been campaigning against wind farms for more than 15 years and why are you so against the proposal at Whinash?

News & Star

Reprieve for wind farm protesters

Objectors to a wind farm have won a temporary reprieve after Your Energy failed to lodge a planning appeal in time.

this is Bournemouth

Windfarm bosses say site visit was positive

The company behind a proposed £28million Angus windfarm has hit back at claims by opponents that its fact-finding trip to a similar development was misleading and disappointing.

this is north scotland

Renewable energy target set to be met

Scotland is on course to meet its targets for producing renewable energy, according to a report issued yesterday.

this is north scotland

Concerns are expressed about wind turbine effect on wildlife

Five national conservation, recreation, and wildlife organizations and the Wisconsin Audubon Council have expressed concerns about a proposed 200-megawatt wind energy generating facility consisting of 133 wind turbines adjacent to Horicon National Wildlife Refuge near Brownsville.

Watertown Daily Times

Nuclear power stations face widespread opposition

Tony Blair faces strong public opposition to building new nuclear power stations, a poll revealed today.

Scotsman.com

Biofuel increasingly competitive if oil surge lasts

Biofuels would be increasingly competitive if crude oil prices, which are back near all-time highs, were to go beyond $60 a barrel, officials at the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday.

Reuters


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

Mass. trees attacked by two moth species

The destruction is obvious through much of southeastern Massachusetts: Trees stripped of their leaves dot the landscape, leaving mostly brown and gray where green once was.

Environmental News Network

Satellite pinpoints behaviour of rare vultures

BirdLife International and the Wildlife Conservation Society have announced a significant advance in the understanding and conservation of threatened vultures in Indochina.

Birdlife International

Alaska natives push for more toxin studies

Alaska Natives have seen runny bone marrow in moose and caribou, and lesions and parasites in fish -- and that makes Shawna Larson wonder if toxic chemicals in these traditional foods are making people sick, too.

Environmental News Network

Greenpeace gives golden chainsaw to Brazil tycoon

Brazilian agriculture tycoon Blairo Maggi, the world's largest soy producer, has been voted winner of environmental group Greenpeace's first Golden Chainsaw award for contributing to Amazon destruction.

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