31 Oct 2023

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is now commencing the roll-out phase of inshore vessel monitoring system (I-VMS) devices to under six metre vessels. This phase continues the MMO’s support for all under 12 metre vessels to enable them to meet the requirements to have an I-VMS device once legislation comes into force early 2024. Fishers […]

31 Oct 2023

A major international conference on the Antarctic marine environment has failed to agree on new conservation areas despite hearing evidence the southern continent is facing a range of crises, including historically low sea ice levels, plummeting wildlife numbers and the first cases of bird flu. Longstanding proposals to create nearly 4m sq km of marine […]

31 Oct 2023

Under normal conditions, the floating macroalgae Sargassum spp. provide habitat for hundreds of types of organisms. However, the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt (GASB) that emerged in 2011 has since then caused unprecedented inundations of this brown seaweed on Caribbean coastlines, with harmful effects on ecosystems while posing challenges to regional economies and tourism, and concerns […]

25 Oct 2023

The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, Woodland Trust and National Trust have published a set of principles for ensuring ‘nature markets’ truly deliver for nature, climate and people. With an estimated £6 billion annual funding gap for UK nature recovery across land and sea, the UK Government has set an ambitious target to grow annual private investment […]

25 Oct 2023

Ofwat has published key facts from water companies’ business plans 2025-2030, with information on proposed increases in investment and customer bills. The regulator is currently scrutinising these plans, including looking at water companies’ ambition for customers and the environment and the affordability of plans for customers. The proposals could see bills increase significantly by 2030, […]

25 Oct 2023

Climate risk assessments that take account of threats like heatwaves, droughts, floods and wildfires are increasingly being used to inform and improve national adaptation policies according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) assessment of national adaptation actions published this week. The EEA briefing ‘Is Europe on track towards climate resilience? Status of reported national adaptation actions […]

25 Oct 2023

The BBC reports how hundreds of deliberately leaky dams made of wood have been installed along a stretch of river as an innovative measure to prevent flooding. Researchers from the University of Worcester said the dams could have a dramatic impact on flooding in places including Bewdley and Ludlow. During Storm Dennis, the dams along […]