GreyShuck

Hundreds of turtle doves are being released this summer as conservationists race against the clock to save the species from extinction in England.

The cooing doves, which mate for life, are the fastest-declining bird species in the country. Just 2,000 pairs are left, a decline of 98% since the 1970s. This is because their habitats in scrubby areas have been destroyed and thousands are shot on their migratory route across Europe.

But their distinctive purr can now be heard on estates in Somerset, Exeter, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Norfolk as an audacious plan to breed and release hundreds of birds gets off the ground.

The amount of water being sucked from England’s rivers has surged to record levels, with potentially disastrous consequences for people and wildlife, it can be revealed.

An investigation into licensing data by Watershed Investigations and the Guardian found that the volume of water taken from rivers and lakes for industrial or public consumption has jumped 76% in two decades: 11.6m cubic metres (410 cu ft) were abstracted in the five years to 2023, up from 6.6m in the early 2000s.

Abstraction – the removal of water from rivers, lakes, underground aquifers or tidal waters – is permitted for farming, industry or public supply. Anyone using more than 20 cubic metres a day needs a licence from the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales, setting limits on how much water they can take. Similar rules apply in Scotland.

A survey of ground nesting birds on around 3,000 hectares of moorland in north Northumberland has shown dramatic declines of iconic threatened species 10 years after predation management ceased as part of a controlled experiment spanning two decades.

A recently published scientific paper based on the study found golden plover dropped by 81%, snipe by 76%, red grouse by 71%, lapwing by 49%, curlew by 24%, while black grouse and grey partridge went locally extinct.

Ground-nesting birds are particularly susceptible to predators and their populations can recover when predation pressure is relieved during the breeding season. Experimental legal removal of predators between 2001 and 2008 on the same experimental plots demonstrated a three-fold improvement in breeding success amongst ground-nesting birds, with subsequent increases in their abundance.

Researchers have warned kayakers and paddleboarders may be unknowingly disturbing whales, dolphins and seals in Scottish waters.

Heriot-Watt University, with support from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, has documented hundreds of interactions between vessels and marine mammals.

The study, external included more than 400 hours of land-based observations across five marine regions, including protected areas.

The Government will invest water company fines into local projects across the country to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas.

Over £100m in fines and penalties levied against water companies since October 2023, as well as future fines and penalties, will be reinvested into projects to clean up our waters which could include local programmes to address pollution and improve water quality.

When water companies breach their environmental permits – for example by releasing excessive pollution into a river – that is a criminal offence. The most serious cases, like illegal sewage spills, see water company fines issued and criminal prosecutions for water bosses.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust is celebrating the return of one of the UK’s most cherished and threatened woodland mammals, the hazel dormouse, to Swanpond Copse Nature Reserve near Ryde.

This marks the first confirmed sighting of this iconic species since 2018.

During a recent dormouse survey, Trust ecologists were thrilled to discover a fresh dormouse nest – and inside, 2 sleepy dormice nestled together, with a third recorded later that day. With no confirmed dormice seen at the reserve for the past 6 years, this rediscovery is a major conservation milestone.

The Government has said it will not be extending the badger cull and retains its commitment to end the practice before the next election.

Culling is used to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle by reducing badger populations.

However, critics argue that bTB often spreads cattle to cattle and that other methods of controlling the disease can be more effective.

An area of farmland in Co Fermanagh has been preserved as a nature reserve. The 90-acre area at Fedian has been described as brimming with wildflower meadows, bird-friendly hedgerows and ancient woodland.

It has now been purchased by nature conservation charity Ulster Wildlife as its newest nature reserve thanks to funding support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Wildlife Trusts, and gifts in wills from Ulster Wildlife supporters.

Fedian Nature Reserve, located close to Derrygonnelly is termed as a living example of traditional, pre-war farmland, previously owned by the Nixon family and sympathetically managed by local grazier George Ferguson.

Nightjars are nocturnal birds, that migrate to breed in the UK each summer from their wintering grounds in Central Africa, arriving in late April and May before leaving by August and September. 

Exceptionally well-camouflaged, Nightjars are notoriously difficult to see. Their grey-brown mottled plumage creates the illusion of bark, helping them blend into the ground where they nest. These unique-looking birds feed on the wing, flying with their mouths open to catch insects which they find with their excellent eyesight.

Work to restore the heathland habitat that Nightjars need is helping to turn around their fortunes. Lowland heathland supports a wide range of wildlife but is one of the UK’s most threatened homes for nature, with 80% of this habitat lost in the UK since the 1800s. 

A common crane chick has hatched for the first time in three years at a wetland centre.

It is just the second to hatch to its parents, who have been at WWT Washington Wetland Centre, near Sunderland, since 2008.

The adult pair were originally hatched in the Netherlands and moved to Washington in the early stages of the Great Crane Project, which has seen the bird successfully integrated to the UK.

The Great Stag Hunt, run by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), has been running for over 25 years. Native stag beetles – with the males’ iconic antler-like jaws – have sadly become extinct in parts of in Britain and Europe, where they used to live. Data from the Great Stag Hunt, collected since 1998, is vital for conservationists to understand where stag beetles remain, where they’re no longer living and what the impact of climate change might be on populations.

Taking part is easy: people in all corners of England, Scotland and Wales are asked to simply look out for these impressive insects and record any sightings online. Whether you’re out on a walk, commuting, on the school run, walking your dog or heading to the pub – anyone can take part!

Stag beetles are often found in urban and suburban gardens and parks, as well as woodland edges and the wider countryside. They’re also often spotted basking on sunlit walls and warm tarmac surfaces, while their larvae (large white grubs) are found underground, among the roots of old tree stumps. Males are instantly recognisable with their antler-like jaws and are often seen flying on warm sunny evenings in search of females, which are slightly smaller and more conker-coloured.

More than half of people think they know what a “temperate rainforest” is, but far fewer realise the rare habitat is found on Britain’s shores, polling suggests.

Nature charity Plantlife is calling for greater protection of Britain’s hidden and largely vanished rainforests, including government funding, full legal protection and long-term support for forest managers, and point to polling that finds support for the habitat is strongly backed by the public.

The poll of more than 2,000 people by Opinion Matters for Plantlife found that 58% thought they understood what a temperate rainforest was.