29 Aug 2023

The UK will stand among the first countries to contribute to the newly launched Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, Defra has announced. Previously funded work included providing new software to support rangers in Africa to track and protect animals from poachers, targeted finance towards more effective ocean management strategies in Asia, and helping to safeguard the […]

15 Aug 2023

A coalition of 15 leading environmental groups has written to the Government urging it not to delay or cut back on environmental spend at PR24 to improve water quality. The organisations include the Wildlife Trusts, Rivers Trust, Surfers against Sewage, RSPB England, Friends of the Earth and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. They were responding to […]

15 Aug 2023

Defra has issued a press release to let the world know that Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey and Water Minister Rebecca Pow met stakeholders “to discuss actions to improve the River Deben” in Suffolk. Apparently part of the follow-up to the government’s Plan for Water, there was no significant progress reported, no additional funding and no action […]

15 Aug 2023

Observer investigation reveals the shocking state of the country’s protected freshwater sites of special scientific interest. More than 90% of freshwater habitats on England’s most precious rivers are in unfavourable condition, blighted by farming pollution, raw sewage and water abstraction, an Observer investigation reveals. None of the approximately 40 rivers with protected habitats in England […]

01 Aug 2023

The government has published indicative guide prices and information on calculating costs for developers buying statutory credits. They start at £42,000 per credit for a low distinctiveness habitat, up to £650,000 for high distinctiveness habitats (lakes). Defra notes that buying statutory biodiversity credits is a last resort option for developers unable to use on-site or off-site units […]

01 Aug 2023

Six new landscape scale projects will support nature recovery in England and improve habitats for wildlife. The projects will be supported with £7.4 million funding from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The projects will also help manage flood risk, improve access to nature, and protect endangered species. The nature recovery projects […]

25 Jul 2023

Six new landscape-scale nature recovery projects are launched by Natural England and the UK Government. The multi-partnership collaborative projects covering 176,000 hectares of land across England – from the Tees Estuary to the South Downs – will create improved and better-connected habitats for wildlife and improve public access to nature. The projects will strengthen the […]

18 Jul 2023

Defra has released six Fisheries Management Plans for consultation alongside a raft of other measures. In its press release Defra said that ‘the UK is introducing a world class system of fisheries management. This draws on the best available science and the expertise of our fishermen to ensure our fish stocks are healthy and sustainable long […]