06 Aug 2019

Bob Earll  ‘The Government have been quick to remind us (again) with a great fanfare that the plastic bag tax works. All it does is remind me how little progress they have made with all the other obvious single use plastics which seemed to be stuck in an endless round of announcements and consultations. The […]

06 Aug 2019

Chris Williams, New Economics Foundation The UK Fisheries White Paper makes extensive mention of the need to favour low-impact fisheries, but these are not defined and therefore this ambition cannot be met without having objective, transparent and measurable criteria. Without a definition of low-impact fishing , the bold statements in the Fisheries White Paper and […]

06 Aug 2019

“Messaging matters: A systematic review of the conservation messaging literature”: Changing human behaviour and attitudes are key to conserving global biodiversity. Despite evidence from other disciplines that strategic messaging can influence behaviour and attitudes, it remains unclear how to best design messages to benefit biodiversity. We conducted a systematic literature review to investigate the status […]

06 Aug 2019

Non lethal seal deterents MMO Stakeholder report on non-lethal seal deterrents MMO stakeholder report published on non-lethal deterrents suitable for control of seals from fishing vessels (MMO1131).  Interactions between seals and fishing gear include depredation of fish catches by seals and bycatch of seals in fishing gear. Throughout England, depredation is an issue for static […]

06 Aug 2019

The State of the British Coast – Observable Changes through Art Imagery 1770 to the present Day This is a remarkable report and body of work which uses paintings, images of the coast to remind us of the changes that are continuously underway. Robin McInnes The report can be downloaded here  This report by Professor […]

06 Aug 2019

Guardian: ‘There are fewer than 19 vaquita porpoises thought to be left, according to a study. In 2016, estimates of the vaquita population stood at just 30, but research published in Royal Society Open Science suggests the figure has fallen further. “Based on the uncertainty inherent in the models, the number could be as few as six,” […]

30 Jul 2019

Defra ‘This document constitutes the summary of responses received to our January 2019 consultation, ‘Improving our management of water in the environment’, the Government’s responses to the points respondents raised and our decisions on the proposals. This is a big report and questions and Government responses cover these areas: Water Resources Management Plans (questions 2 […]

30 Jul 2019

The National Drought Group is warning of growing concerns over the potential impacts of prolonged dry weather on the environment. Environment Agency ‘The NDG met on Thursday 25 July, chaired by Harvey Bradshaw, Executive Director of the Environment Agency, to assess the latest water resource situation and actions being taken to reduce the impact of […]