30 Days Wild is the perfect opportunity to discover the health benefits of spending time in nature. Rob Gordon shares some of his top tips for relaxing in nature this June. Spending time in nature is something that brings a lot of people happiness. Whether it’s the peaceful sound of birds, rustling leaves, and...
No Nature. No Future.
Nature is under attack from plans by UK Government that puts at risk thousands of crucial laws that protect our environment A new Bill, officially called the Retained EU Law (REUL) Bill, would give Ministers sweeping powers to remove or replace over 4,000 laws in the future, without public consultation or scrutiny by Parliament. If...
Paws for thought
The UK is a nation of both dog lovers and nature lovers, but are those two passions compatible? We spoke to some Wildlife Trust staff who balance both. Dogs are more popular than ever, with an estimated 34% of UK households giving ‘man’s best friend’ a home in 2022. All these dogs need fresh...
Great Big Nature Survey
Results will help shape action to protect and restore our natural world The Wildlife Trusts has launched their biggest ever public survey about wildlife found across the British Isles. The charity wants to learn more about what people think about our nature and how we, as a society, should protect it. Ambitions also include...
Pet owners urged to help keep wildlife and livestock safe this spring
Tee Valley Wildlife Trust ask the public to keep dogs on leads to protect nature The Wildlife Trust are urging dog owners to keep their pets on short leads now that birds are nesting, species are emerging from hibernation and to protect grazing livestock. Experts say dogs off leads are one of the biggest...
The woodland drummers
Headbangers Whilst some birds sing to attract a mate and intimidate their neighbours, woodpeckers take a different approach. They hammer their beak against a tree trunk at incredibly high speeds – up to 40 strikes per second for the great spotted woodpecker. There’s no denying that’s impressive! There’s been some debate about how woodpeckers...
Top 10 issues for The Wildlife Trusts and nature’s recovery in 2023
In 2023, The Wildlife Trusts will call on the Government to ensure that nature is able to recover by… In 2022 we witnessed first-hand the impacts of a warming world on nature in the UK, with devastating wildfires and extended periods of drought putting nature under increasing pressure. Research also revealed that global wildlife...
Nature recovery needs Government’s new plan to succeed – but wildlife declines will persist
Dramatic increase of £1.2bn extra per year is needed to restore nature say The Wildlife Trusts Today the Government’s much anticipated Environmental Improvement Plan is published. It sets out how the Government is going to achieve their manifesto commitment to ‘deliver the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth’. But with less...
Farming announcement today a welcome step in the right direction
Image – Early Oat Fields, Haregill Lodge Farm, Ellingstring, North Yorkshire – Paul Harris/2020VISION Today Defra has finally published more details on the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELM) that farmers have been clamoring for. Whilst many questions remain, The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, and The National Trust welcome a significant step in the right direction...
UK government allows ‘emergency’ use of banned bee-harming pesticide just days after EU tightens protection
UK government allows ‘emergency’ use of banned bee-harming pesticide just days after EU tightens protections Today, 23 January 2023, the government has announced that for the third year in a row, it will permit the use of the banned pesticide thiamethoxam – a type of neonicotinoid – on sugar beet in England in 2023....
Scale of nature and climate crises undermined by low ambition farm payments
The Government has announced new payments for farmers which raise serious questions as to whether we’ll see any better environmental outcomes now than the era of the much-derided Common Agricultural Policy. Our food security’s dependence on nature and a stable climate is in the spotlight at this week’s farm conferences, particularly in the light...
Landmark COP15 agreement gives nature hope for the future, if implementation follows
After twelve days of talks and two years of delay, negotiators at COP15 in Montreal have agreed a historic global deal to protect nature. The new Global Biodiversity Framework enshrines the target of protecting 30% of land and sea for nature in international law, and commits richer countries to providing $30bn a year to...