UK Nature and Environment

A conservation charity has acquired 100 acres of ancient woodland to expand an existing nature reserve.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said that the new land would increase the size of its reserve at Foxley Wood, in North Norfolk, by more than a third.

Parts of the woodland are known to have been there for 6,000 years, and it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its value for wildlife.

Perthshire’s Loch of the Lowes top osprey pair are now incubating an egg.

Male LM24 and female LF25 have fought off competitors for the nesting spot - at least for the time being.

The female LF25, also known as Dark Female, laid her first egg just before 2pm on Sunday May 4.

A river habitat restoration scheme has been completed on the River Usk to renaturalise the river and reconnect it to its natural floodplain.

The scheme focussed on a stretch of the River Tarell, an important tributary of the River Usk SAC (Special Area of Conservation), and aimed to restore the river’s natural processes by re-introducing wood into the river channel.

Led by the Natural Resources Wales (NRW) Four Rivers for LIFE project and the River Restoration Centre (RRC) – the scheme is part of a wider nature restoration project by the National Trust at their site.

Today, Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) announce a new project to restore a rainforest at Glen Auldyn thanks to The Wildlife Trusts’ long-term partnership with Aviva. At 1,124 acres – with 750 acres suitable for rainforest habitat – it is the largest plantable area to enter The Wildlife Trusts’ rainforest recovery programme so far and will be the biggest nature reserve in the Island.

Rainforests of Britain & Ireland have been largely destroyed over hundreds of years and now cover less than 1% of Great Britain. The restoration of this precious habitat is part of a wider programme of nature-based projects funded by Aviva to remove carbon from the atmosphere and to help nature recover.

Local communities in and around Ramsey in the north of the Isle of Man will be closely involved in the project and will benefit from increased access to nature, volunteering, educational and employment opportunities. Rainforest restoration will also provide cleaner air and water, and reduced risk from flooding in an area of high flood risk.

A mosquito-borne disease freshly arrived in Britain has spread large distances, with scientists racing to understand the risks to wild birds.

Infected insects can spread the deadly Usutu virus to blackbirds, raising fears for the famous songsters.

New data shows Usutu has spread across much of southern England in five years, and has been linked to declines in some blackbird populations.

The Farne Islands are set for a boom in virtual visitors as webcams launch for wildlife lovers to observe thousands of seabirds gathering at the nature haven.

The National Trust has set up two webcams to mark the centenary of it taking ownership of the islands, around 1.5 miles off the Northumberland coast. The first webcam will be trained on puffin burrows, whilst the second will focus on the cliffs where around 200,000 seabirds gather each year to breed.

Ranger Sophia Jackson said: "In this significant year we want more people to become ‘watchers’ of this annual spectacle to have a window into this unique world. We hope by seeing the birds, people will be inspired to visit in person one day, but also to realise just how special these wild isles are, and how we must do all we can to ensure these islands and bird species have a long and healthy future ahead."

Our UK coastline is under threat, and now the Marine Biological Association (MBA) is calling on ocean lovers of all ages to take part in the Big Rock Pool Challenge: National BioBlitz 2025, a nationwide citizen science effort to monitor the health of the UK’s coastline and track the spread of invasive (non-native) species.

Since the 1960s, new non-native marine species have continued to arrive on UK shores, with over 20 invasive species now established – and there is growing concern about further introductions in the years ahead.

Members of the public are invited to take part in exploring their local rock pools to collect information on the species living in and around our rocky shore from 17 to 25 May and beyond, following UK Invasive Species Week. If you spot any marine life you can submit your sightings via the iNaturalist app. By having fun exploring the many marine creatures on our aquatic doorstep you’ll also be helping to build a crucially important scientific dataset which will be used to protect our native marine biodiversity.

A university is rolling out new plans to help provide more safe spaces for hedgehogs across its campuses.

The University of Brighton said it wanted to help protect hedgehogs across its sites to try to combat rapidly falling population numbers across the UK.

Staff and students from the institution began a survey on Monday to track the number of hedgehogs across the university's three campuses ahead of plans to turn green spaces into hedgehog havens.

Ecologists and primary schoolchildren are taking part in a "bioblitz" this week, where they record as many living things as possible within a 24-hour period.

Organised by the Nature Commission in partnership with La Société Guernesiaise, the event aimed to measure how the presence of different species changed over time, organisers said.

Bioblitz 2025 was taking place at L'Ancresse East, which was last surveyed in 2019, they added.

The sweeping landscapes of the Pennines inspired the Brontë sisters, and now those lands are being protected as one of England’s biggest nature reserves.

A huge new national nature reserve, to be called the Bradford Pennine Gateway, is being announced by the government on Tuesday. It will give Bradford, one of Britain’s largest and most nature-deprived cities, easier and more protected access to green space

The Brontë family lived in nearby Haworth, and the surrounding hills and moors inspired the scenery for novels including Wuthering Heights.

A legal campaign group is planning a judicial review against the UK government’s new planning bill, arguing it will result in a weakening of environmental protections which were fought for and created over decades.

Wild Justice is calling on the housing minister, Angela Rayner, to correct a parliamentary statement in which she told MPs the bill, which applies mainly to England and Wales, would not reduce the level of protection. Her words were echoed in a letter to the Guardian from the nature minister, Mary Creagh, who stated it did not repeal habitat or species protections or give a licence to do harm.

The group sent Rayner a pre-action protocol letter on Monday calling on her to “correct the parliamentary record” to make clear that her statement about environmental protection in the bill was not correct. If this does not take place, they will apply for a judicial review.

People are being asked for their views on a draft document outlining measures to support nature recovery.

The Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) aims to restore and connect habitats so that important species across the county can thrive.

A six-week public consultation will close on 22 June, with a goal to agree the best places to plant trees, restore peatland, improve grassland condition and mitigate flood risk.

You’ll likely have heard of No Mow May – conservation charity Plantlife’s campaign to get people to put their mower away throughout the month of May and let their lawns grow long to benefit wildlife. However, did you know that butterflies and moths need long grass throughout the spring and summer? This year, we are asking people to take No Mow May to the next level and join more than 3,000 people who have already pledged to grow their grass long from April to September.

Butterfly Conservation research shows that long grass can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%. Long grass is important for butterflies and moths throughout their lifecycle, with adult butterflies and moths nectaring on wildflowers which pop up in long lawns and several species laying their eggs on grasses. Many caterpillars also rely on long grass throughout the spring and summer months for food. Because of this, it’s important to leave parts of your grass to grow long all the way from April to September. In fact, it’s even better if, when you do mow the lawn, you don't cut all your grass at once. Leaving 20% uncut all year long will also provide refuges for overwintering eggs and caterpillars, supporting the next generation of butterflies and moths.

With gardens making up more than 728,000 hectares in Great Britain – that’s the equivalent of over a million football pitches – the small step of leaving a patch of grass to grow long in each of these gardens could make a huge difference for butterflies and moths. Some grass-loving species to look out for in your new butterfly- and moth-friendly lawn:

Tests to determine the quality of Jersey's seawater will begin on Tuesday.

The Government of Jersey said sampling would take place weekly at 16 bays on Mondays and Tuesdays until 23 September, as required by the EU Bathing Water Directive.

The government said the results would be updated automatically on the interactive map, external on its website.

Every year, from April to July, thousands of puffins fly across the Atlantic and return to the same spot in Yorkshire.

At RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the east coast, 3,000 of the distinctive seabirds settle in the crags to breed.

The nature reserve welcomes visitors from across the region and as far afield as Australia and America.

Less than 1% of UK biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, figures show

Conservationists call for more funding and warn of danger to ‘cherished’ native species, from water voles to ladybirds Joe Coughlan Mon 12 May 2025 00.01 BST

Less than 1% of the government’s biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, despite the danger they pose to British wildlife, figures suggest.

Conservationists warned the funding to address non-native plants and animals was failing to match the risk they posed to “cherished” native species, from water voles to ladybirds, as well as to waterways, homes, businesses and local green spaces.

They have called for more resources for border checks to stop non-native species arriving here, and funding for local groups to tackle the problem on the ground.

England’s peatlands have been mapped for the first time to aid their recovery as the data reveals 80% to be dry and degraded.

Scientists have used satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and in-depth data analysis to create the most complete map of England’s peatland and peaty soils to date, the Environment Department (Defra) said.

As vital carbon sinks, healthy peatlands can help tackle climate change, reduce flood risk, improve water quality and support rare wildlife, including the golden plover, curlews and 25 species of dragonflies.

The Great Bustard Group is using drones to help find Great Bustard nests at Salisbury Plain.

The devices are searching more than 64,750 ha of the Wiltshire countryside to seek out nesting bustards.

The species, which is globally threatened and listed as Endangered by the IUCN, was first reintroduced to Salisbury Plain by the Great Bustard Group in 1998. A population has established, but nesting birds are at risk of being mown down by farm machinery – hence the implementation of drones to help find them.

The UK’s loudest amphibian – the natterjack toad – has made a “remarkable comeback” in the South Downs National Park following a conservation project to provide suitable habitats for the noisy creature.

A total of 28 toadlets have been counted at Blackmoor, Hampshire, following the reintroduction programme which started in 2021.

This is the first time that natterjack toads have been recorded breeding at the site in 50 years.

Water quality monitors near England's largest lake which were deemed ineffective by campaigners have now been moved.

The Environment Agency (EA) installed the monitors at Cunsey Beck, which feeds into Windermere in the Lake District, after a fish kill in June 2022 in which "100% of life" within the river was suspected to have died.

Earlier this year, Save Windermere campaigners claimed a test using non-toxic dye showed the equipment was wrongly placed and could not pick up flow coming from a nearby sewage pipe.

According to the RSPB, there is a surge in bird migration during the spring, when summer visitors like swifts and cuckoos arrive to eat and breed.

From Flamborough to Frampton Marsh near Boston, there are thousands of different species to spot, and the global bird movement is being highlighted as part of World Migratory Bird Day on 10 May.

RSPB volunteer Gill Reid said last week a bee-eater, which is rarely seen in the UK, flew through Flamborough, went out to Spurn and carried on south.

Thousands of tyres have been pulled from a river in a major clean-up to help the environment and wildlife.

Over the past five days 6,000 tyres, which could have been there for decades, were removed by six excavators from the River Ogmore, in Bridgend.

Organisers have described it as Wales' largest community river clean, with hundreds of volunteers taking part.

Midsummer butterflies are on the wing in early May after a sunny spring prompted one of the most advanced seasons for Britain’s Lepidoptera on record.

The Lulworth skipper – usually found in June and July – is flying at Lulworth Cove in Dorset, the chequered skipper emerged in April rather than mid-May in Scotland and the first swallowtail, which is most common in mid-June, was spotted in Norfolk on 1 May.

“The chequered skipper is a butterfly you can set your calendar by – it typically comes out 13-15 May,” said Tom Prescott, the head of Butterfly Conservation Scotland. “I was absolutely staggered when it was seen on 26 April.”

A new survey carried out for The Wildlife Trusts has revealed that more than half of those responding said connecting to nature by listening to bird song, hearing bees buzz, and seeing and smelling wildflowers was beneficial to their health and wellbeing.

The Savanta poll1 was carried out ahead of The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild challenge, which takes place in June and calls on people to soak up the joy of the natural world throughout the month, this year through a weekly series of fun, themed activities.

In the last ten years, 30 Days Wild has attracted more than three million participants and helped people to get outside, to enjoy and connect with nature as part of their everyday lives.