From the Guardian Plastic bags now make up only 1% of plastic in freshwater after sustained efforts to reduce their use. Plastic bottles, the detritus of our throwaway water and soft drinks habits, are the most prevalent form of plastic pollution in European waterways, according to a new report. Food wrappers, including crisp and sweet […]
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority, alongside 11 partners, will receive £4 million from the EU’s Urban Innovation Actions initiative for this project. The partners will then identify sites within Greater Manchester where natural capital climate adaptation projects can manage urban flood and overheating risks. Bundling schemes will create larger investable packages of projects, at scales that […]
From the Guardian Pesticides and antibiotics are polluting streams across Europe, a study has found. Scientists say the contamination is dangerous for wildlife and may increase the development of drug-resistant microbes. More than 100 pesticides and 21 drugs were detected in the 29 waterways analysed in 10 European nations, including the UK. A quarter of the […]
The EU has confirmed it wants a short-term arrangement with the UK on fishing quotas in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Karmenu Vella, the European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, said he wanted to see that “the EU and the UK would decide to continue to give access to each other’s waters”. Otherwise, “the […]
A Defra consultation at the end of last year has concluded that I-VMS will be introduced for all owners or operators of licensed British fishing boats under 12 m in length operating in English waters. The stated policy objective was to gain better information on where all such vessels are fishing, align the requirement for VMS across the whole fleet […]
Two possible networks of MPAs were presented to delegates negotiating the first every high seas conservation treaty at the UN last week. The maps, generated using biological and oceanographic data and the Marxan programme, showed potential reserves covering 30% or 50% of the high seas. The options presented were those the researchers thought offered the […]
Wet wipes are reshaping the banks of the Thames to create a “Frankenstein foreshore” warn campaigners. New survey data published by volunteer group Thames21 found that in Barnes, West London, a ‘Great Wet Wipe Reef’ has swelled to 50 metres wide, 17 metres long and a metre high – almost a metre larger than a year […]
New research from the Monterey Bay Aquarium finds that historical tortoiseshell trade routes may have established the groundwork for modern illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The study published in the journal Science Advances, “The historical development of complex global trafficking networks for marine wildlife,” analyses 150 years of tortoiseshell trade records and derives several realistic […]