H a b i t a t - Blue for the world, green for the land, red for the living
Stag beetle
Animals
Resources
Amazing bug find is first in 118 years
A majestic stag beetle has been sighted in Warwickshire for the first time in almost 120 years.
Otters under threat
Somerset's fragile otter population is under threat from a parasite spread by escaped ornamental fish.
Five in danger
You've got to feel sorry for the poor old hare. First it lost out in the speed stakes to a tortoise. Now it's been beaten hands down in popularity terms by, of all things, a ragworm.
Why life's not so rosy for our prickly pals
It's a prickly subject, being a hedgehog. They are, says Colleen Powell, of Leicester Hedgehog Rescue, the "gardener's friend", gorging on slugs and snails - Mother Nature's number-one pest controller.
Badger lobby opposes cull
Conservationists have criticised the National Farmers’ Union for demanding badger culling to control bovine tuberculosis.
'Safer' sheepdip is wiping out wildlife, conservationists claim
Unlikely allies from the world of conservation have joined forces in condemning the latest wave of sheepdips which they claim are playing havoc with the ecosystems of Britain's rivers and streams.
MPs clash over new laws on poisoning of moles
Two local politicians have clashed over the new EU law on pest control that comes into force next year.
Nature notes
On the bright yellow ragwort flowers, there are some colourful caterpillars crawling over the stalks and leaves.

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

Avocet
Birds
Resources
Rare bird success at Humber site
The Humber Estuary has become one of the most successful breeding grounds for a rare British bird.
Refuges to protect fish are proposed
The Government has published new advice for protecting inshore fisheries after spending £1.7million on studying the impact of cormorants and other fish-eating birds.
More attacks on Queen's swans
Attacks on swans on a stretch of the Thames have increased, the historic Swan Upping census showed yesterday.
Feather report
According to a new survey of breeding birds by the British Trust for Ornithology, the bird that is most commonly encountered in Britain nowadays is the wood pigeon.
Fledgling seagull 'attacked' by older birds in city centre
Shoppers in Aberdeen city centre yesterday were distressed to see a baby seagull apparently being attacked by two older gulls.
Spotted orchids
Plants
Resources
Flowers: the wild bunch
Gardening has millions of loyal followers. Bird-watching too. So what's the British public got against wild flowers?
Scotland's native woodlands under the microscope
The first phase of the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken of Scotland's native woods and forests is under way.
Air your views on bing plans
Countryside experts are drawing up a plan to enhance woodland in West Lothian.
Marine
Resources
Brussels orders even landlocked countries to enact maritime laws
They have no coastline; no international mariners ply their non-existent territorial waters.
Lundy lobsters bounce back in UK's first no-take zone
The UK'S first no-take zone for marine nature conservation is producing promising results, with lobsters showing a huge increase in numbers after just two years.
By-catch of marine mammals show steep decline in the south-west
Strandings of harbour porpoises and dolphins in the South West have shown a steep decline this year.
Beach alert over swarms of stinging sea monsters
Swarms of jellyfish are plaguing British beaches.
Patrols protect marine wildlife
Kent Police's team of waterborne officers and the RSPCA are teaming up to protect marine wildlife from harassment by powerboats and jet-skis.
FSU scientist warns North Atlantic right whale facing extinction
The North Atlantic right whale's future looks grim if the current mortality rates continue, according to Florida State University assistant professor of oceanography Douglas Nowacek and a group of fellow scientists from across the nation.
To battle barnacles, ships test fake sharkskin
Whether you're a ship or a shark, you need a sleek surface to speed through the sea. Which is why barnacles, algae, and other marine organisms that glom onto hulls or bodies are such pests.
National/Europe
Resources
Tax blots on the landscape
Robert Watts investigates how wealthy investors are being lured by enormous tax breaks to channel billions into British wind farms
'Animal terrorists' in bid to ban shooting
Campaigners lobbying for a ban on the use of guns in rural sports were labelled "animal terrorists" by a former Labour agriculture minister yesterday.
Wildlife law given teeth at last!
WWF-UK and Traffic International have this week succeeded in helping close a loophole in the law, that made it impossible for police officers to arrest people for selling illegal products made from the world's most endangered species.

Naturenet
Countryside management and nature conservation
- here

England
Resources
Quarries backing wildlife
Quarry owners have signed up to an agreement which further strengthens their commitment to protecting wildlife habitats.
New Tyne crossing decision bad news for environment
Commenting on yesterday's decision by the Government to give the go-ahead for the New Tyne Crossing, a second road tunnel under the River Tyne, Friends of the Earth's Senior Transport Campaigner Tony Bosworth said: "This is desperately bad news for the environment..."
Wind farm colossus could jeopardise park
Council bosses are to ask experts before deciding whether to give a wind farm the go-ahead.
Tinderbox conditions spark Moors fire warning
A fire warning has gone out to visitors to the North York Moors.
Park is untamed, uncompromised and just teeming with wild delights
This week Osiers Nature Park, on the edge of Braunstone Town, presented me with some unexpected delights and challenges.
Plea made for nature volunteers
An environmental charity has today issued a plea for volunteers to help preserve the county's nature reserves for future generations to enjoy.
Meet the Gatekeeper
Nature enthusiasts across the borough are being offered the chance to catch a glimpse of a variety of insects at a Quarry Bank nature reserve.
Butterfly survey
National Trust warden Malcolm Stonier has a passion for butterflies, including painted ladies and peacocks.
Ireland
Resources
Gardai uncover massive overfishing ‘in every port’
A Garda investigation has found extensive illegal overfishing in every big Irish harbour along the west coast.
Shell pipeline works ‘without consent’: Inspectors
Government inspectors have found that Shell has carried out unauthorised works at Rossport, Co Mayo, backing up claims made by the five men imprisoned for their protests against the Shell pipeline.
DUP spokesman In nitrates debate plea!
South Antrim DUP MP and party spokesperson on agriculture and rural affairs at Westminster, William McCrea, has challenged the Leader of the House of Commons to ensure that proper time is accorded to debating the issues surrounding the introduction of the Nitrates Directive and its likely impact on the wellbeing of the farming community in Northern Ireland.
Scotland
Resources
RSPB seeks enforcement of trap laws
Scotland's leading wildlife charity has called for stricter enforcement of laws governing cage traps following the deaths of more than 20 birds protected by legislation.
Actress supports return of bison to Scotland
Virginia Mckenna, the actress turned conservationist, is helping to spearhead a campaign to reintroduce bison, beaver and wild boar into the Scottish countryside.
Exposed: Scotland’s filthiest companies
The companies with the worst pollution records in Scotland have been outed by the government’s green watchdog, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
Wales
Resources
Wentwood forest appeal bid fails
Campaigners trying to buy Wales' largest ancient wood have said they have not given hope of restoring it, despite being outbid for the site.
Promoting the Welsh environment at show
Environment Agency Wales is launching a number of major initiatives at the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells next week (18 – 21 July) which emphasis its commitment to the environment of Wales.
Climate
Resources
Members of Congress probe climate researchers
Scientists and a Republican member of Congress are protesting other members' attempts to investigate three researchers who have produced climate data that support global warming, arguing the investigation is designed to intimidate scientists who don't generate politically favorable data.
Greens slam Government's failure to meet Kyoto commitments
The Green Party has accused the Government of failing to fulfil its commitments under the terms of the Kyoto Protocol on gas emissions.
Can we bury global warming?
When William Shakespeare took a breath, 280 molecules out of every million entering his lungs were carbon dioxide.
Help produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century, using your computer -
here
Global
Resources
Butterfly unlocks evolution secret
Why one species branches into two is a question that has haunted evolutionary biologists since Darwin.
Kutch soon a biosphere reserve
There’s some good news for the State. Kutch will soon be declared a biosphere reserve—the State’s first and country’s fourteenth.
Honduras crocodiles safe from hunters, not handbags
A writhing mass of crocodiles slithers out of a muddy pond, the animals snapping their blood-spattered jaws shut on hunks of raw horsemeat and gulping them down in one.
Endangered plants focus of new study
In a review ranging from the Western lily to the Tennessee coneflower, the Center for Plant Conservation is about to embark on a major study of endangered plants to determine their potential for recovery in the United States.
To cull or not to cull?
It was a gathering of the big bull elephants. No tusks were locked in battle as they were all on the same side.
Make Malta abide by European bird law, groups demand
BirdLife International and BirdLife Malta made a formal complaint to the European Commission this week about the failure of the Maltese government to regulate bird hunting and trapping on the island nation.
Rare woodpecker's identity under scrutiny
The authenticity of recent sightings of one of the world's most enigmatic birds has been called into question by a group of ornithologists in a paper submitted for publication in the online science journal PLoS Biology.
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