GreyShuck

People are being asked to keep their distance at one of the island's coastal beauty spots, to protect endangered birds nesting.

Manx Birdlife has implemented an "exclusion zone" around Langness during the ground-nesting season from March to August.

Of the island's 332 known bird species, more than 200 have been recorded at the southern peninsula.

The last chance to spot a mysterious bird of prey that is making a quiet return to Norfolk is approaching.

Renowned for being "very secretive", goshawks are still a "very rare" bird in the UK, according to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

Otherwise known as the "phantoms of the forests", the raptors can soar through trees at up to 25mph as they hunt prey, including pigeons, crows, squirrels and rabbits.

Last year, sewage was discharged into England and Wales’ waterways for over two and a half million hours - 2,651,296 to be precise. Discharges occurred a total of 386,466 times. Today, data from water companies in England and Wales was released, containing information about raw sewage discharges into English and Welsh rivers during 2025. One thing is clear: it’s been another terrible year for sewage in our rivers.

Citizen Science Month launch marks start of biggest ever survey season – now including France for the first time!

The UK’s popular insect citizen science survey is back – bigger, earlier and bolder than ever. Bugs Matter the bug-splat-counting survey, organised by Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust, launches on Wednesday 1 April and runs through to Wednesday 30 September. That’s a full month earlier than previous years, timed to coincide with Citizen Science Month and to capture precious early-season data.

In 2026 Bugs Matter continues its international journey. For the first time, the survey expands into France – joining the UK and the Republic of Ireland in what is becoming a cross-continental effort to understand the health of our flying insect populations. Because, as nature knows and we’re learning, biodiversity knows no borders.

Visitors to England’s National Nature Reserves (NNRs) now have even more reason to explore, after a remarkable discovery.

A fungus never recorded before in the UK, has been found at the 150-hectare Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve in West Sussex. It comes almost 20 years after a similar discovery in Spain.

Blue-Based Earthtongue, also known as Microglossum cyanobasis, was spotted by a member of the public in the reserve’s ancient yew woodland.

A proposed end to trail hunting in England and Wales came a step closer on Thursday as the government launched a public consultation on a ban.

Trail hunting was introduced after the Hunting Act 2004 as an alternative to hounds chasing foxes and involves using an animal-scented rag. Labour first announced a planned ban in its 2024 election manifesto.

Animal welfare campaigners, including the RSPCA, say live animal scents are often picked up by packs instead and that trail hunting is being used as a "smokescreen" to hide the deliberate hunting of foxes by some hunt groups.

Sewage released into England’s rivers and seas nearly 300,000 times last year

Campaigners criticise frequent use of storm overflows when parts of the country were in drought for months Sandra Laville Thu 26 Mar 2026 12.49 CET Prefer the Guardian on Google

Raw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas almost 300,000 times last year after the driest spring for more than 100 years and the sunniest and warmest year on record in England.

Water companies released raw sewage into rivers and seas from storm overflows – designed to be used in extreme wet weather conditions – 291,492 times. This was a 35% reduction on record spills in 2024. Average discharges were 20.5 spills for each overflow, compared with 31.8 in the previous year.

The duration of raw sewage discharges into waterways fell by more than half, to 1.8m hours, from a high of almost 4m hours in 2024. Some water companies had reductions of more than 60% and 70% compared with the previous year, according to figures released on Thursday by the Environment Agency (EA).

They were released this time last year with fanfare, much hope and also, perhaps, a little trepidation.

Twelve months on, there have been ups and downs for the first beavers to be (officially) reintroduced into the wild in England since the semiaquatic mammals were hunted to extinction 400 years ago.

Providing an end-of-year report, the National Trust, which is in charge of the project, said it was thrilled the beavers had been reshaping their new home in Dorset, where they have felled trees to construct a 35-metre dam, slowing the flow of a stream and creating a deep, wildlife-rich pool.

An action plan has been launched to help revive a rare and valued wildlife habitat.

A recently published Natural England report identified habitat pressures at the Adur Estuary, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that supports threatened coastal saltmarsh and mudflats.

In the wake of the report, conservation volunteer group Friends of Adur SSSI are leading the implementation of a new action plan to help recovery efforts.

Protecting Peregrine Falcons, creating Marine Protected Areas and championing nature at global conventions are just some of the critical projects delivered by JNCC and highlighted in our Impact Review, published today.

Covering the period 2024 to 2025, the review sets out how JNCC delivers on its strategy, Together for Nature, and highlights a year of significant progress in turning science into action for nature, people and the planet.

One of the year's standout achievements was JNCC's role at the latest Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (COP16), where we supported UK negotiations on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. JNCC led negotiations on invasive alien species and sustainable wildlife management, and co-led the development of the Monitoring Framework, which will track global progress towards nature recovery goals.

Amid the U-turns and Keir Starmer’s personal approval ratings, it’s easy to forget that Labour was elected in 2024 on a platform of optimism. Less than two years on, manifesto promises to “stop the chaos” and “grow our economy” are proving difficult to fulfill.

Yet, there remains one area where the government appears to be performing well.

The UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050 is “within reach, provided the government stays the course”, according to a 2025 progress report from the Climate Change Committee, which is the public body whose role it is to advise the government on its progress in meeting its legally-binding climate targets. This is not only being driven by the power sector - with wind energy soaring and the UK’s last coal-fired power station closing in 2024 – but also through heat pumps and electric vehicles decarbonising heating and transport: areas considered much more fiddly to go green.

A charity has launched its "largest and most ambitious" nature recovery project after receiving multi-million pound backing.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust said its Tor to Shore scheme aimed to link habitats across the county and reintroduce animals to areas, including bringing more beavers to the Helman Tor nature reserve near Bodmin.

Funding for the £5m initiative has been boosted with a £3.3m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.