03 Dec 2024

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has launched an investigation into the government’s Statutory Guidance on applying the Farming Rules for Water (FRfW). These regulations aim to reduce and prevent water pollution from agriculture by requiring farmers to plan the application of organic manure and manufactured fertiliser so that it does not exceed the needs […]

03 Dec 2024

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the estimates of the financial and societal value of natural resources to people in the UK. Key figures include that the total asset value of ecosystem services in the UK was around £1.8 trillion in 2022, an increase of 11% since 2018 and that health benefits from […]

03 Dec 2024

The Scottish Government has published the response to its March 2024 consultation on legislative proposals for marine nature restoration. The consultation explored two related legislative proposals: 1) To take powers to introduce a registration process for marine restoration projects that fall below a threshold of environmental impact, in lieu of having to apply for a […]

03 Dec 2024

Four videos of orca hunting sprees, the earliest from 2018 and the latest from 2024, suggest that an orca pod in the Gulf of California is specialising in hunting whale sharks, the largest fish in the world. The unusual behaviour has emerged among a pod of killer whales provides a rare glimpse into the intricate […]

03 Dec 2024

The UK’s Royal Navy Maritime Domain Awareness Programme (MDAP) and Global Fishing Watch have signed an agreement to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF). The UK Government, Global Fishing Watch and the Joint Analytical Cell (JAC) already work closely together to tackle IUUF through an innovative pilot project in the Philippines funded by the […]

03 Dec 2024

The Government’s marine Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (mNCEA) programme is delivering evidence, tools and guidance to integrate natural capital approaches into policy and decision making for marine and coastal environments.   Photo: James Watson   The mNCEA has announced the release of year two research outputs: A Seascape Natural Capital Approach for Sustainable Management […]

03 Dec 2024

Norway has paused its controversial project to open up its seabed for commercial-scale deep-sea mining. Oslo had planned to let companies apply to mine 280,000 sq km (108,000 sq miles) of its waters for precious metals – an area equivalent to Italy – situated between Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island in the Arctic region. The […]