18 May 2022

The salinisation of fresh-water habitats is a growing threat to biotic communities. To protect the biodiversity and ecosystem services and goods associated with these systems, effective monitoring is essential. Here, researchers present the Salinity Association Group Index (SAGI), a novel tool for the assessment of salinity in fresh-water habitats. Three case studies demonstrate how SAGI […]

11 May 2022

The Guardian reports that the Liberal Democrats condemn ‘environment scandal’ as party releases figures compiled from Environment Agency data Untreated sewage was discharged into England’s coastal bathing waters for more than 160,000 hours last year, according to figures collated by the Liberal Democrats to mark the start of the summer sea-swimming season. Data compiled by […]

11 May 2022

Less than 1% of the Earth’s surface is covered by freshwater, yet freshwater ecosystems hold a disproportionately large amount of the world’s species and genetic diversity. At the same time, these ecosystems and species are under threat from human activities. To contribute to halting this biodiversity decline, a new task force of the IUCN Species […]

11 May 2022

Sewage flooding a river for hours was blamed on Anglian Water’s slow response to the incident. The company has been fined £18,000 for failures at a pumping station near Peterborough that an investigation said showed up their “reactive attitude” to pollution. District judge Ken Sheraton said Anglian Water should have given “a higher category of […]

11 May 2022

Grants to help support a wide range of environmental improvement projects have been given to communities across Scotland. The money will enable local people to take a hands-on approach to improving their local environment. Removing dangerous invasive plant species along riverbanks, installing eco-friendly electric vehicle charge points, helping fish to migrate upriver more easily, and […]

11 May 2022

On behalf of the CaBA Water Resources Working Group, The Environment Agency and The Rivers Trust (with support from the EU Interreg project ‘Water for Tomorrow’) have established a fund for communication and engagement projects that facilitate a greater understanding of surface and/or groundwater water resource challenges and support the development and implementation of sustainable […]

11 May 2022

Scientists are calling for the production of new plastics to be capped in a bid to cut pollution and tackle the climate crisis. In March 2022, 175 countries unanimously agreed to adopt a global plastic treaty to stop plastic pollution. Not only is the treaty set to address the issue of plastic waste, but it will address the “full lifecycle of plastics,” from the extraction […]

11 May 2022

UK retailer Boots has vowed to stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres by the end of the year, Sky News reported. The pharmacy chain is one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the country, with more than 140 different brands stocked across skincare, baby, tissue and health care categories. After selling […]