08 Mar 2023

From the Guardian The scenes are rare enough in mid-summer; in early March, they are unprecedented. Lac de Montbel in south-west France is more than 80% empty, the boats of the local sailing club stranded on its desiccated brown banks. In northern Italy, tourists can walk to the small island of San Biagio, normally reached […]

08 Mar 2023

A new NetworkNature knowledge database is available, bringing together European research, policy, projects and market-based tools in a searchable online database. It is easily searchable and includes multiple UK references. Introduction to the database As the recognition of the potential Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) grows, so too does the need for a robust evidence base and […]

08 Mar 2023

Help inform the delivery of high-quality SuDS and the implementation of Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act. WSP, CIWEM and CIRIA on behalf of Defra are undertaking a review of the skills and training needed, following Government’s acceptance of the recommendation to make SuDS mandatory in new developments. A survey has been […]

07 Mar 2023

Kittiwakes, puffins and razorbills are some of England’s most treasured seabirds that could benefit from proposed measures to ban sandeel fishing, Defra has announced today (Tuesday 7 March). Sandeels are small, eel like fish that are a vital food source to vulnerable seabirds, commercially important fish species such as haddock and whiting, and sea mammals […]

06 Mar 2023

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and the Tourism, Mairi Gougeon has told Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland, Monica Lennon, that the government has no plans to introduce a three-nautical mile limit. When the Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland asked in a written question: “To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to […]

06 Mar 2023

New research now shows that seabirds are suffering from a plastic-induced illness named ‘plasticosis’, the Natural History Museum has said. Rather than being caused by viruses or bacteria, ‘plasticosis’ is caused by small pieces of plastic which inflame the digestive tract. Over time, persistent inflammation causes tissues to become scarred and deformed, with knock-on effects on growth, digestion […]

06 Mar 2023

Villagers at Holy Island have rejoiced after HPMA plan was scrapped, the BBC have reported. The government had been exploring designating the area off the coast of Northumberland a Highly Protected Marine Area (HPMA), which would have seen fishing halted. Voicing their relief, campaigners said the news was “still sinking in”. Berwick MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan […]

06 Mar 2023

As reported by The Times, over the next few months a company wants to dump tonnes of minerals used to make laxatives in the sea as a way to fight climate change. Planetary Technologies believes the minerals dump in the ocean could increase its alkalinity which in turn will remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The company […]