GreyShuck

A “rescue mission” for native crayfish is under way in Northumberland after a population were found dead with mysterious patches on their shells.

The Environment Agency is working to save the internationally important species of native white-clawed crayfish in the River Wansbeck by searching for females with eggs to be taken and reared in a hatchery.

At least 100 individuals of the endangered species, which is the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish, have been found dead since the end of September and environment experts are perplexed as to what is causing the “concerning” mass die-off.

A forest is marking its 30th anniversary after the first plan to "bring forests nearer to people" was developed for parts of Merseyside and Cheshire.

Millions of trees have been planted as part of the Mersey Forest project, bringing a host of benefits for people and wildlife in urban areas.

In the last 18 months alone about 260 hectares of new woodland have been established on plots of land throughout the Liverpool City region and Cheshire - the equivalent of about 400 football pitches.

I just thought it worth noting that as far as the UK goes, tonight's full moon - a supermoon - which, at this time of year is known as the beaver moon according to some traditions, will be the most beavery beaver moon for 4 centuries, given the number of reintroductions and kits born around the UK over the last 12 months (building on decades of previous work towards these reintroductions, of course).

A project to restore 213 hectares of rare coastal habitat in County Durham has been launched with nearly £1m of funding.

Durham County Council has partnered with the National Trust and Durham Wildlife Trust to deliver the Coastal Grasslands Reconnected Project.

The project, which has received £975,000 from the Government’s Species Survival Fund, will create and restore the wildflower-rich Magnesian Limestone grasslands along the county’s coastline from Noses Point, near Seaham, to Horden.

Fifty years of change on iconic limestone pavements has revealed mixed fortunes for one of the most distinctive landscapes in the UK.

The landscapes - which will be familiar to visitors to the Yorkshire Dales and fans of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film – have, in many places, seen reductions of specialist species and more common less desirable species become more abundant.

However, it is not all bad news as the picture is very mixed across the UK’s areas of limestone pavement with some areas increasing in plant biodiversity.

The colours, bangs and excitement of fireworks thrill many of us but what looks pretty comes with a pollution penalty, harming air and rivers.

A network of three UK university research observatories have revealed the complexity of the unique air pollution that fireworks create.

Guy Fawkes fireworks and bonfires are rarely confined to the marking of the gunpowder plot on 5 November, as often people celebrate early. This year peaks in particle pollution were seen on the preceding Saturday evening, especially across the West Midlands and London, perhaps due to the combination of Diwali and Guy Fawkes fireworks events.

In most places the worst air pollution was measured on the night of 5 November, reaching level seven on the government’s 10-point scale across Yorkshire. Notable peaks in particle pollution were also seen across Merseyside, as well as north-east England, Worthing, Norwich, Bristol and Cardiff.

A group of UK nature charities have written to Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP and Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP calling for action to protect the UK’s chalk streams in planning reforms.

The letter is headed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and signed by various river, water and wildlife charities including The Rivers Trust, Angling Trust, River Action, Wild Trout Trust and The Wildlife Trusts. The letter leads on from the March for Clean Water earlier this month, when over 15,000 people including charities, campaigners and celebrities gathered in London calling for Government action to improve the health of rivers, lakes and seas.

The charities writing today urge the UK Government to integrate enhanced protections for chalk streams into reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). During the Government’s consultation on proposed changes to the NPPF (30th July – 24th September), more than 700 people urged action on protecting chalk streams.

Wildlife charities have condemned a decision by Scotland’s nature conservation agency to dilute a new law designed to combat the illegal killing of birds of prey.

NatureScot, a government agency, has decided to greatly reduce the area of land affected by a new licensing regime for grouse moors after legal threats from shooting estates and land owners.

Campaign groups including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) and Revive Scotland have said they are furious, and have called on the Scottish government to close the loophole urgently.

A unique collaboration between the Met Office and The Wildlife Trusts has driven a series of projects examining the impacts of weather and climate change on wildlife and their habitats across the UK.

Dr Debbie Hemming is a Met Office scientist who oversaw the projects. She said: “A couple of years ago Met Office staff voted for The Wildlife Trusts to become our corporate charity.

“Building on this success and popularity of this relationship many of our colleagues – including climate scientists – realised they could use their expertise and time to help understand more about the impacts of weather and climate change on threatened species.

The planned reintroduction of beavers to a county after 400 years has been delayed by "extreme flooding".

It had been hoped that a £180,000 habitat for the dam building creatures in the Nene Wetlands nature reserve, near Rushden in Northamptonshire, would be completed last month.

But the local Wildlife Trust, which is working with Anglian Water to release a family of beavers into a new enclosure at Delta Pit, said it was now aiming to complete work "before Christmas".

Natural England is pleased to announce the successful launch of a pioneering habitat restoration project aimed at supporting breeding seabirds in the Solent. The initiative, part of the broader Solent Seascape Project, focuses on creating vital nesting habitats for terns and other seabirds.

The project aims to provide suitable nesting sites for four species of terns - common, sandwich, little, and roseate - and other breeding seabirds. Initial trials with a single shingle-topped raft in April 2024 proved successful, attracting the first common terns to successfully breed on the national nature reserve for over 20 years. The new shingle islands are expected to benefit both breeding seabirds in spring and summer, and overwintering wading birds.

A “unique” site for nightingales and other wildlife on farmland left to go wild decades ago has been saved following a £1.5 million appeal.

Conservationists are celebrating the success of saving Strawberry Hill in Bedfordshire, which saw nearly £500,000 raised by more than 3,800 individual public donations plus a substantial private donation and contributions from trusts and funds.

The previous owner of the 377-acre site stopped farming his land 37 years ago – decades before “rewilding” became a trend.