UK Nature and Environment

An ambitious project to protect rare and endangered white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) across Derbyshire has completed another successful translocation of the species. 

Working with partners at Buglife, AECOM, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Birmingham Sea Life Centre, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust coordinated the relocation of native white-clawed crayfish which are under threat from non-native signal crayfish living in the same area. 

Over the course of the entire project, hundreds of the native species have been moved to ‘ark’ sites at secret locations in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where it is anticipated the crayfish will thrive.

Landmark programme to remove invasive rodents sees remarkable recovery of Manx Shearwater and other threatened species on the Calf of Man.

Manx National Heritage (MNH) and Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) are delighted to have won the award for Environmental or Sustainable Initiative of the Year at the Media Isle of Man Awards for Excellence for their long-term partnership work on the Calf of Man.

Since 2012, the two charities have collaborated on an enduring conservation project that has transformed the ecological outlook for the incredible island nature reserve, working to remove invasive species and restore natural habitats, enabling the return of key seabird populations, particularly ground-nesting species vulnerable to predation from brown rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Across the wild beauty of the Cairngorms, peregrine falcons – the fastest creature on earth – should be in their hunting element.

However, a disturbing new report has triggered concerns among wildlife crime specialists that in Scotland’s precious national park, the ‘top gun’ hunters of the skies - top speed of 200mph - have become the hunted.

The first park-wide survey examining the number of peregrine falcons across its area revealed the number of breeding pairs has slumped by 56 per cent since 2002.

A highly invasive species of mussel which can cause extensive environmental damage to waterways has been detected in Northern Ireland for the first time.

The quagga mussel is a non-native mollusc from eastern Europe which breeds extremely quickly, often out-competing and replacing other mussels.

Quantities of quagga were collected during routine surveys in Lower Lough Erne and on 10 December the species was formally identified through DNA analysis.

A community celebration at Dorset Wildlife Trust's Wild Woodbury reserve saw the planting of 420 trees.

Close to 300 people attended the event near Bere Regis to mark the site's four-year transformation from farmland into a wildlife haven.

The reserve, acquired by Dorset Wildlife Trust in 2021, is now home to a mix of wetlands, woodlands, and meadows, offering refuge to diverse species including otters, skylarks and orchids.

A marine biologist lecturer has said how "immensely proud" she is to see her students helping with rising wildlife call-outs.

A new course at Kendal College, Cumbria, has trained budding marine wildlife enthusiasts, with its facility one of a handful in England that can specifically rehabilitate seal pups and otters.

Programme leader Sarah Neill said it had been "fantastic" to see her students "bossing it out in the field" while helping with "real-life marine animal rescues".

Suffolk Wildlife Trust has confirmed the successful purchase of Worlingham Marshes after meeting its £775,000 fundraising target, securing 154 ha of marsh, fen, wet woodland and grazing land in the Lower Waveney Valley.

The acquisition was made possible through a matched-funding scheme linked to a major National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, supported by donations from members, volunteers, local communities and businesses.

Formerly privately owned and managed for grazing and wildfowling, the site will now be restored as a mosaic of wetland habitats. The trust intends to enhance grazing marsh, fen, scrub and wet woodland, improve water management and re-establish traditional dyke systems – part of a long-term ambition to reverse wetland loss in this corner of the Broads National Park.

Seal pups and jellyfish-like creatures are among the wildlife washed up on Dorset's beaches during storms this week.

Thousands of by-the-wind-sailors - organisms carried by ocean currents and the wind - were reported in Poole Bay and Kimmeridge.

Seal pups have also been washed ashore in recent days, with part of Weymouth beach temporarily cordoned off on Wednesday to ensure one of them could return to the sea, undisturbed.

A historical former royal hunting ground is being transformed into a nature paradise – with the help of three pigs.

Harold's Park Wildland is a 509-acre nature reserve in Waltham Abbey, in Essex, but it has proved unsuccessful as arable farmland and as a Christmas tree plantation.

But owner Nattergal is on a mission to use "soft engineering" - a natural process to manage environmental challenges - to improve biodiversity.

Homeowners, schools and businesses are being offered the chance to install artificial nests to help reverse the decline in house martin numbers.

The distinctive dark blue and white birds, which migrate from Africa each spring, are on the UK's Red List of endangered bird species.

The Hampshire House Martins Project is offering free so-called nest cups, which save the birds time and energy compared to building their own mud nests.

A new woodland area, which is about the size of 30 football pitches, is being created in Nottinghamshire.

About 15,000 plants and shrubs will be planted across 54 acres (22 hectares) in Upper Broughton in Rushcliffe as part of a project by the borough council.

The site will be called Rushcliffe Woods and is set to feature a new meadow area, paths for the public to use, and wetlands for local species and wildlife.

A new study by the University of Portsmouth shows that plastic items make up more than seven in ten pieces of litter recorded across the UK, with countryside locations and public recreation areas carrying some of the heaviest burdens.

The research draws on ten years of citizen science data collected between 2015 and 2024, using artificial intelligence to bring together information from thousands of volunteers who logged litter through mobile apps, beach clean surveys and community projects. This has created one of the most comprehensive national overviews of litter pollution ever produced in the UK.

More than 460,000 individual litter records were analysed and standardised, allowing researchers to compare data that was previously fragmented or incompatible. By combining these records with detailed information on land use and local infrastructure, researchers identified where litter is accumulating, and which settings are most affected.

More than 3,600 trees have been planted in Accrington's Bullough Park as part of an ambitious woodland creation scheme.

The new Bullough Community Woodland marks a major phase of environmental upgrades in the park.

It was completed during a week-long effort by volunteers and organised by the Prospects Foundation, with funding from the Forestry Commission.

EA to spend millions clearing Oxfordshire illegal waste mountain in break with policy

Announcement draws anger from Labour MP over refusal to remove tonnes of rubbish dumped near school in Wigan Sandra Laville Fri 12 Dec 2025 11.47 CET

The Environment Agency is to spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump in Oxfordshire, saying the waste is at risk of catching fire.

But the decision announced on Thursday to clear up the thousands of tonnes of waste illegally dumped outside Kidlington has drawn an angry response from a Labour MP in Greater Manchester whose constituents have been living alongside 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish for nearly a year.

In Bickershaw, Wigan, criminals dumped the waste in a residential street adjacent to a primary school. During the summer heatwave the rubbish caught fire and burned for nine days, forcing the school to close and residents to stay indoors.

Important and well-loved tree species and Britain’s only remaining native cat are under critical threat without their conservation being prioritised according to a ‘genetic scorecard’ developed by scientists across Scotland.

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, University of Edinburgh and NatureScot have led the development of the most comprehensive analysis of the genetic health of Scotland’s native wild species - the key to all species being able to adapt and change in response to threats in the natural world. The Genetic Scorecard Indicator looks at the genetic diversity which underpins all living things’ ability to adapt to the effects of disease and climate change. Healthy, resilient native species provide society with food, medicine, and maintain carbon-storing ecosystems. When their genetic diversity is at risk, nature and biodiversity are also threatened.

NatureScot Biodiversity Evidence and Reporting Manager, David O’Brien said: “The state of Scotland’s native species relies on a healthy genetic diversity within many of the public’s favourite plants, animals and fungi. Without the conservation efforts to protect genetic diversity in species like wildcats and ash trees, they will be unable to adapt to threats from non-native species, disease, climate change and pollution. This groundbreaking research is a world-leading example of scientific collaboration in Scotland informing global conservation.”

Environment charities have reacted with fury after the Scottish government announced yesterday that fisheries restrictions in marine protected areas, originally due to be implemented in 2016, are to be delayed for the fourth time.

Yesterday Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, said a promised consultation on fisheries management measures for inshore marine protected areas – those within 12 nautical miles from the shore – would not happen before the May 2026 Holyrood election.

The charities, members of Scottish Environment LINK, say repeated delays are allowing the destruction of marine life to continue, including vital seabed habitats like flame shell beds and maerl which are being torn up by bottom trawling and dredging.

A sighting of frog spawn in puddles in west Cornwall on 2nd December 2025 is the first record to be added to an annual national survey led by Freshwater Habitats Trust.

The PondNet Spawn Survey maps sightings of Common Frog and Common Toad spawn across the country to monitor how amphibians use different types of waterbodies to breed. The records are inputted to a national database, which is made available for research and conservation purposes. The survey is also a way for adults and children to get outdoors and connect with nature.

This record was added three weeks earlier than last year’s first entry, when frog spawn was recorded in a garden pond on the Isles of Scilly on 21st December 2024.

A new report from researchers at the University of Derby has highlighted the positive impact that a city park’s urban rewilding project is having on both people and nature.

Spearheaded by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and Derby City Council, the rewilding initiative at Allestree Park aims to restore wildlife and habitats to a natural state across the 320-acre park.

The evaluation of the project, led by the University of Derby’s Nature Connectedness Research Group, brings together community voices through open survey responses, community conversations and interviews held between November 2024 and June 2025.

On a quiet Friday evening, an otter and a fox trot through Lincoln city centre. The pair scurry past charity shops and through deserted streets, the encounter lit by the security lamps of shuttered takeaways. Each animal inspects the nooks and crannies of the high street before disappearing into the night, ending the unlikely scene captured by CCTV last month.

Unlike the fox, the otter has been a rare visitor in towns and cities across the UK. But after decades of intense conservation work, that is changing. In the past year alone, the aquatic mammal has been spotted on a river-boat dock in London’s Canary Wharf, dragging an enormous fish along a riverbank in Stratford-upon-Avon, and plundering garden ponds near York. One otter was even filmed causing chaos in a Shetland family’s kitchen in March.

Janice Bradley, head of nature recovery for the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, says: “Twenty years ago, they were almost nonexistent. Then we saw them coming up the River Trent from other areas. Now, we’ve got records of otters in virtually every river and watercourse in the county. It’s remarkable.”

A concerning trend from this year’s NatureScot-BTO report shows that, although pastoral and woodland bird numbers are higher than 1994 levels, all farmland bird levels have decreased over the past 10 years, with arable and wet farmland bird numbers now lower than a decade ago. Farmland birds need diversity, nesting sites and food sources to sustain them, and these long-term changes in their numbers are caused by intensified agriculture, climate change, reduced diversity of crop types and spring-sown crops.

As Scotland works towards halting biodiversity loss by 2030 and restoring nature by 2045, a collaborative project that is making a difference to farmland species in its local area is Clyde Valley Waders. Consisting of 20 farmers focused on the lapwing (also known as peewit), the project’s field trials have seen 80 percent nesting success compared to the typical 20 percent. The Corn Bunting Recovery Project run by RSPB in partnerships with farmers, land managers and the East Neuk Estates Group has also seen improvements in corn bunting populations in North East Scotland. Agri-environment climate schemes such as these have been in place in Scotland for more than 20 years and were introduced to tackle the negative environmental impacts of industrialised farming by financially supporting management options that provide food for farmland birds. While these projects are clearly benefitting local populations, the recovery is not yet showing signs of happening at scale. This is due to other factors such as our changing climate.

Despite the results for farmland birds, over the past decade, 39 of the 66 terrestrial breeding birds included in the annual report have increased in abundance and 27 have decreased. Overall, most of the 66 bird species saw a major increase from 1994 to the mid-2000s before stabilising or decreasing over the past 15-20 years.

MP calls for ban on ‘biobeads’ at sewage works after devastating Camber Sands spillage

Exclusive: Use of toxic plastic beads in treatment works is unnecessary and outdated, say conservationists Helena Horton Environment reporter Thu 11 Dec 2025 09.16 GMT

The use of tiny, toxic plastic beads at sewage works should be banned nationwide, an MP and wildlife experts have said after a devastating spill at an internationally important nature reserve.

Hundreds of millions of “biobeads” washed up on Camber Sands beach in East Sussex last month, after a failure at a Southern Water sewage treatment works caused a catastrophic spill. It has distressed and alarmed local people and conservationists, as not only are the beads unsightly but they pose a deadly threat to wildlife.

Scientists at King’s College London tested the beads and found they contained heavy metals including lead and arsenic.

Communities around the River Esk and nearby coastline are set to play a key role in shaping response to climate change, thanks to a new initiative led by the North York Moors National Park Authority in partnership with York St John University.

Voices for Nature combines hands-on environmental activities with meaningful policy engagement, ensuring that local knowledge and experience is heard in the national conversation on climate action.

Through a series of walking events and go-along workshops, members of the public will be invited to share their invaluable insights directly with researchers and policy partners, translating local knowledge into practical outcomes. By combining academic research with hands-on environmental engagement, the initiative will empower local people to drive meaningful, nature-based responses to the climate crisis, from tree planting and habitat restoration to sustainable land management practices.

A new eel pass has been created in the New Forest to help one of the UK’s most enigmatic and endangered species.

The work, carried out by Freshwater Habitats Trust (FHT), has transformed what was previously an impassable ditch into a vital migration route for eels and other aquatic life.

The eel pass, which is on an estate in the east of the Forest, consists of two, six-metre long pipes under an access track, creating a safe pathway for young eels (elvers) to move upstream.

We’d like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to everyone who signed and raised their voice for nature. The overwhelming response, led to the proposal being debated by the Senedd on 1 October 2025 (watch the debate here).

We were pleased to see many Senedd members show their support for this fast-declining species. Swift numbers have tumbled by 76% in Wales since 1995, so it’s imperative that action is taken for them. Yet, despite the urgency and the support, Welsh Government rejected the proposal on the grounds that mandating Swift bricks could mean that developers would see installing Swift bricks alone as enough to satisfy existing National Planning Policy requirements that contribute towards current Net Benefit for Biodiversity (NBB) targets.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is pleased to announce the results of this year’s Great Scottish Squirrel Survey:

• 1,107 people took part
• 1,563 squirrels were recorded
• 407 confirmed grey squirrel sightings
• 1,020 confirmed red squirrel sightings

The partnership project encouraged people all across Scotland to keep an eye out for both red and grey squirrels between the 6 – 12 October, for its seventh annual survey.

Coinciding with Red Squirrel Appreciation Week and supported by survey partner, Trees for Life, the survey aims to provide a snapshot of squirrel populations up and down the country.