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Farmers and landowners in Higher Tier agri-environment schemes are facing uncertainty as they lack a clear pathway into the newer Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes.

The NFU is calling on Defra to give farmers in existing Higher Tier schemes access to equal payments for options delivering the same outcomes in other ELM schemes, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship (CS).

Many farmers with Higher Tier stewardship agreements ending this year – and many others on annual rollovers on historic payments – have been left unable to apply for a newer Higher Tier ELM scheme because it hasn’t been made available.

Plans have been unveiled to reintroduce White-tailed Eagle to Cumbria.

White-tailed Eagle was once found across Cumbria, with the last recorded breeding attempt near Haweswater in 1787. Now, the Cumbrian White-tailed Eagle Project has been exploring the possibility of bringing the species back to the county.

The raptor has been successfully reintroduced to Scotland and the Isle of Wight, as well as to Ireland. There are now breeding populations across Scotland and Ireland, while in 2023 a White-tailed Eagle chick was born in southern England for the first time in 243 years.

A Suffolk wildlife and conservation charity has called for "greater transparency" from Sizewell C in relation to its wildlife compensation schemes.

Earlier in September, developers of the new Sizewell C nuclear power station announced a new partnership with the nature restoration movement WildEast to promote the return of land to nature across the region.

In announcing the partnership, Sizewell C flagged up how it had pledged to return a large part of the land to nature during the construction of the new power station.

One of the most ambitious peatland restoration projects ever consented to a developer in the UK is now complete on the outskirts of East Kilbride.

ScottishPower Renewables' £1.4 million project marks a significant milestone in valuable habitat conservation and climate change mitigation at Whitelee Windfarm in Eaglesham, bringing SPRs investment in peatland restoration to £4million to date.

Degraded peatlands release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, accounting for around 15 per cent of Scotland’s emissions, but healthy peatlands store carbon and have a net cooling effect on the climate, so they’re critical to mitigating the effects of climate change.

Draught horses are being put to work in south-west London as part of a council's bid to "enhance" its grasslands.

The horses are pulling mowers and harrows - heavy frames with teeth or tines that are dragged over land to stir the soil - in Wandsworth Park and King George’s Park to create wildflower meadows.

Wandsworth Council said the traditional method allowed horses’ hooves to create small gaps in the grass, helping wildflower seeds to take root more effectively.

Beavers have been born in Hampshire for the first time in 400 years.

The two baby beavers, known as kits, were first spotted in early July in an enclosure on the Ewhurst Park estate near Basingstoke, its team announced on Tuesday.

The kits have since been captured on camera, swimming, splashing and gnawing on bark.

The British Government is being urged to “boldly commit” to rewilding 30 per cent of land and seas by 2030, as polling shows high levels of support for the approach.

Charity Rewilding Britain is also urging the new Labour Government to expand nature-based jobs and businesses, boost access to nature for people to benefit health and well-being, empower communities to lead the way with rewilding, and create a “game-changing” shift in rewilding funding and investment.

The call comes on the back of polling of more than 2,200 people by YouGov for Rewilding Britain which suggests that more than 83 per cent of people support rewilding, a slight increase on 81 per cent in polling in 2021.

A project to increase the number of plover birds has been hailed a success.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said chick numbers had increased after efforts by volunteers to keep visitors and dogs away from coastal nests at Snettisham, Norfolk.

The ringed plover, with its black eye mask and distinctive orange and black-tipped bills, were red-listed by the bird charity, after their breeding populations suffered declines of greater than 50%.

Three years ago, 40 pairs of birds fledged 19 chicks, rising to 71 this year after funding from the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk, and nature reserve Wild Ken Hill.

Public outrage over river pollution has been heartening to see. Over the past few years, stories about sewage contamination in rivers have captured public attention, and prompted campaigns and protests, such as the forthcoming River Action UK march for clean water on 26 October in London. It is important to protect our rivers because they are biodiversity hotspots and essential for human health. However, as a freshwater ecologist, I know there is more nuance to the story than you may have been led to believe. From my perspective, there is some good news when it comes to our rivers. I would even say that some rivers in England are in the best state they have been in for hundreds of years.

Many rivers in England are polluted, but we need to recognise that this is not an emerging issue but a much longer-standing one that has been largely ignored by the media and politicians for decades. Much of the recent furore over pollution has to do with increased awareness, rather than a sudden increase in pollution itself. It’s only by understanding how these ecosystems have changed over time and reflecting on previous successes that we can make real progress.

Dolphins gliding across the water of a Hampshire beach have been captured on camera by a stunned passer-by.

Sarah Coulson was walking along the beach at Barton-on-Sea this morning when movement in the sea caught her eye.

A pod of dolphins was spotted swimming in the sunshine.

She immediately stopped to take a video, zooming in to watch the dolphins appear above the surface of the sea, before disappearing again.

From photographs of a majestic kingfisher playing in the rain to a water vole enjoying a salad lunch, the winners of an annual nature photography competition have been revealed.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) announced the winners of its 2024 nature photography competition, which saw more than 600 entries.

The photographs beautifully captured various species found in Norfolk with Stuart Merchant's photograph of two emperor dragonflies being declared the overall winner.