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New research from the Ramblers shows overwhelming public support for access to nature yet millions of Brits are being locked out of nature by a “shameful web of barriers”.

The Ramblers is accusing governments of failing to support and grow Britain’s love of walking outdoors, with a new poll finding that 84% of adults think access to nature should be a basic right.

The charity says decades of political inaction has led to far too many blocked and unusable paths, missing signs and a shocking lack of access to green space – sometimes leaving entire communities without the chance to enjoy healthy walks from their doorstep.

"Dancing" gnats, a close encounter with a spider and a surgical examination of a dead whale are among the winners of the Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year Awards 2025.

Scenes pictured in Edinburgh and Glenshiel also picked up prizes.

An exhibition tour and portfolio yearbook of the award-winners will be launched in the summer.

Back when the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch began in 1979, the Greenfinch was at number seven in the top 10 birds seen. But in this year's Birdwatch (2026), they were down to number 18. These figures reflect a broader loss across the UK. Numbers of Greenfinches have been falling since around 2005, dropping by over 65% in the last three decades.

In 2021, conservationists moved Greenfinches into the Red List category in the Birds of Conservation Concern report due to this severe decline. Chaffinch numbers have begun to decrease too, with 39% being lost between 2012 and 2022. For both species, the cause is a disease, trichomonosis.

Trichomonosis is caused by a microscopic protozoan parasite called Trichomonas gallinae. It typically infects the upper digestive tract of birds. Trichomonosis has been known to affect pigeons and doves, along with birds of prey, for many years. These bird species can be infected by different strains of the parasite, they can act as carriers or succumb to the disease.

England’s Community Forests has reached a major milestone: planting 10 million trees across England through its Trees for Climate programme.

The landmark figure highlights the scale and pace of tree planting delivered by the network of 15 Community Forests, improving places where people live, supporting local economies, and tackling the impacts of the climate emergency head on.

Funded by UK Government via the Nature for Climate Fund, and delivering in the areas of greatest need, Trees for Climate has increased woodland and tree cover in towns, cities and rural areas – helping capture carbon, restore nature, reduce flood risk and improve health and wellbeing. As the trees grow, they will also provide shade, cleaner air, and accessible green spaces for communities to enjoy.

The merlin, Britain’s smallest bird of prey, is one of more than 200 species that will become extinct in the UK if action is not taken to curb emissions and unsustainable land use, a study has claimed.

According to the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), there is a 20-year window in which decisions on climate and land use will determine the fate of dozens of Britain’s native species.

By 2050, the British isles, already one of the most nature-depleted regions in the world, faces an ecological “point of no return”, they said.

Cows and goats are playing a vital role in restoring some of the most important freshwater wildlife habitats in mid-Wales. Livestock is being introduced to carefully chosen sites as part of the River Irfon Catchment Project, led by Freshwater Habitats Trust.

Working with landowners, the national conservation charity is using controlled livestock grazing to help manage dominant vegetation and give rare plant species a chance to thrive.

The River Irfon catchment stretches from Abergwesyn to Builth Wells and is home to a rich variety of freshwater wildlife, living in ponds, wetlands, fens, and streams, as well as the main river channel. One of the aims of the River Irfon Catchment Project is to restore biodiversity hotspots by establishing long-term management plans to protect them for the future.

Efforts to remove invasive stoats from Orkney have given a boost to the islands' native voles and birds of prey, according to a new report.

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project report shows vole activity in spring 2025 was the highest since 2019 when a project to protect native wildlife from not-native stoats began.

It also revealed the number of breeding attempts by rare hen harriers and short-eared owls - which rely on the voles as a food source - were high compared with six years ago.

Part of a wide-ranging tree planting scheme on the Isle of Man has been completed ahead of schedule, with the team behind it hoping to plant 333,000 more across the island.

The Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) owns three areas of temperate rainforest on the island - seeking to improve its biodiversity, flood defence and water quality through planting native trees.

The 105-acre (about 42-hectare) site at Creg y Cowin, in the Baldwin Valley, has since seen the last of its 30,000 mixed-native trees go into the ground by a team of volunteers.

Almost 40% of England’s seas are designated as marine protected areas. Their purpose, the government says, is “to protect and recover rare threatened and important marine ecosystems … from damage caused by human activities”.

And yet in the four years to 2024, trawlers using vast nets, including those that scour the seabed, caught more than 1.3m tonnes of fish within them, according to official figures that campaigners say show they are “little more than lines on a map”.

“The government claims vast areas of UK waters are protected, but the reality is a national scandal,” said Chris Thorne, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace UK.

A hibernating dormouse was rescued after being found fast asleep in an old helium balloon caught in a tree.

The tiny creature was discovered by an Essex Wildlife Trust officer during a litter-picking campaign in woodland north of Halstead.

It was in a torpid state, meaning a sleepy hibernation which they go into in colder weather as a survival strategy, the trust said.

Birders are in for a treat this spring as plenty of rare and beautiful creatures, big and small, will be taking to the skies.

Here are five species that you might see in Norfolk over the coming months.

Drivers across south-east England are being asked to count the number of insects which hit their vehicles as part of a nature survey.

Bugs Matter, organised by charities Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, is a survey which is due to start on Wednesday and finish on 30 September.

The organisations said the study was to help them understand of the health of flying insects, which are crucial to the ecosystem.