Tag Archives: biodiversity

Biodiversity Net Gain moves a step closer with more funding

Organisations are also encouraged to apply if they would like to be ‘responsible bodies’ for new conservation legal agreements. New nature positive developments moved a step closer today with additional government support announced to enable the rollout of Biodiversity Net Gain. Read more via Gov.uk here

Green farming policies may be speeding up biodiversity loss

Farming to help preserve nature, such as rewilding and organic schemes, may be worsening the biodiversity crisis, according to leading academics. In an article published on 21 June, Professor Ian Bateman of the University of Exeter and Professor Andrew Balmford of the University of Cambridge said that rewilding and organic and ‘nature-friendly farming’ measures included […]

Honeybees found to be less effective pollinators than native species

A pair of ecologists with the University of California has found that honeybees are not as good at pollinating flowers as native pollinators. In their study, reported in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Dillon Travis and Joshua Kohn obtained samples of pollinated flowers in the wild and compared them to see how well they […]

Into the unknown: NASA space laser provides answers to a rainforest canopy mystery

We know less about the rainforest canopy, where most of the world’s species live than we do about the surface of Mars or the bottom of the ocean. However, that is about to change thanks to GEDI—a NASA space laser that has provided a detailed structure of the world’s rainforests for the first time ever. […]

Government planting less than half its target of trees, say MPs

The Government is planting less than half of its annual target of trees, raising concerns about how it will meet its nature recovery and timber construction goals, MPs have said. The Environmental Audit Committee said it welcomes the Government’s targets but that it is “very unlikely” it will meet them, with only two autumn-spring planting seasons left before a […]

New wildflower meadow created to boost nature habitats

Hundreds of wildflowers have been planted in Worcester in a bid to enhance the natural habitat. The project saw 2.6kg (5.73lb) of seeds sowed by hand over an area the size of two-and-a-half tennis courts at the University of Worcester’s St John’s Campus. It is hoped the meadow will help tackle the biodiversity crisis, the […]

Sustainable Development, Water and Biodiversity

The world has a number of tools at its disposal to achieve action on Water. In 2016, the Strategic Plan was agreed by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, in 2022, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity agreed on the historic Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. These frameworks will contribute to achievement of the Sustainable Development […]

Contaminated river contains toxic ‘forever chemicals’ says Environment Agency

A river was found to contain all combinations of toxic chemicals tested for by the Environment Agency (EA) in a recent study. Officials discovered a “cocktail” of PFAS – the collective name for the group of nearly 10,000 industrial and household substances including PFOS and PFOA – in the River Ouse, which runs from near […]

Engineering options that can prevent sewer overflows

WITH the water industry in England apologising for its ongoing release of sewage into the environment, what engineering options do we have to help put a stop to it? The industry is facing significant pressure to fix the issue, with data showing it spilled sewage into the environment on average 825 times every day in […]