Tag Archives: uk
Sir Simon ‘two house’ Jenkins finally goes into denial over housing need
It appears that Sir Simon Jenkins, chairman of the National Trust and owner of at least 2 homes, has finally gone into denial over the housing crisis that is impacting the UK. In an interview on Channel 4′s news series Green and Pleasant Land he said that just because new households – or more accurately [...]
When you need housing who do you vote for? (Editorial Blog)
It’s a big election day tomorrow in the UK with many people going to the polls to vote for local representatives in local authorities. While housing is a national policy any election time is a good time to look at policies from the major political parties where housing is concerned. For many people under the [...]
Court decision threatens urban green space
Last weeks decision by the UK Court of Appeal against a community group in London trying to save their local park from development could threaten urban green space across the country. The courts decision to back a £67 million development of luxury flats on the Crystal Palace Park could mean that developers throughout London and [...]
Why the rural environment must take its fair share of housing
More and more studies are looking at the green infrastructure of cities and towns and inevitably concluding that green space in the urban environment is not just good for wildlife but beneficial for health and well-being of the city human population. Ensuring that people have access to parks, gardens and green space makes life in [...]
Its time to break the stranglehold of greenbelt on cities
Yet more evidence has just been published about the value of green space within the cities and town in regard to residents health and well-being. More green space in the urban area is also beneficial for wildlife. The time has come for the UK to really consider the value of preserving vast swathes of barren [...]
Badger crimes surges in England and Wales over last 5 years
The number of people prosecuted for wildlife crimes against badgers has surged in the last 5 years. Back in 2007 just 30 prosecutions took place while in 2011, the last year figures are available for, the number had increased to 58. The figures were released following a written parliamentary question by Diane Abbott MP. While [...]
Researchers call for parasite to be monitored to protect UK freshwater fish
Researchers from Bournemouth University are calling on the Environment Agency to include the parasite Rosette Agent on the Novel and Category 2 lists. This will mean that when fish are moved around between fisheries and rivers the is a legal requirement for the parasite to be checked for. The Rosette Agent, Sphaerothecum destruens, is a [...]
Who says housing and wildlife can not co-exist, just the NIMBYs
Bit by bit and step by step there appears to be movement in getting homes built both within the towns and also in rural environments. More and more well planned and wildlife friendly housing estates are being built and developed and shows that only those with vested interests and NIMBY attitudes use wildlife as an [...]
With 3 months to start of badger cull Gloucestershire could be pulled
Update: It is of course less than 2 months to go to the start of the badger cull and not 3. Apologises for the lack of maths ability. The RSPCA and the Team Badger group have welcomed unconfirmed rumours that Gloucestershire could be pulled from the badger cull programme that starts in less than 3 [...]
Natural England boosts citizen science wildlife studies
Natural England has joined with the Field Studies Council (FSC) to try and address a rising shortage of volunteer wildlife surveyors. With support from Defra’s Fund for Biodiversity in the Voluntary Sector, FSC and Natural England have created ‘Biodiversity Fellows’, a new programme to train and retain wildlife recorders as volunteer experts. The new scheme has [...]
Are planning laws killing our wildlife?
Gardens are essential for many British wildlife species. The green spaces attached to many homes are emergency sanctuaries for birds and other animals during extreme weather. The multitude of micro-habitats in a normal garden together with positive help and action to attract wildlife that many gardenersundertake means that urban gardens are some of the most biodiverse [...]
Is rhino poaching about to hit the UK?
Two of the world’s leading breeding centres for the black rhino run by the Aspinall Foundation in the UK have been given specific warnings this weekend that their breeding centres at Port Lympne and Howletts Wild Animal Parks in Kent are being targeted by rhino poachers. The parks are now appealing for volunteers to help the centres maintain security [...]
Puffins to cope with worst start to year for 50 years
One of Britain’s most lovable seabirds, the puffin, is having one of the worst starts to the year for over 50 years according to the RSPB. When they should be getting ready for the breeding season the birds are having to cope with the worst storms for half a century. The RSPB in Scotland have been receiving reports of hundreds of seabirds being [...]
Will fisheries discard ban force birds to relearn old tricks?
There is no doubt that the recent ban on fisheries discards will be good for the environment and the seas in the long-term. But in an intriguing study by scientists at Plymouth University it appears that some species of seabirds at least will need to relearn their old tricks of foraging for food rather than [...]
UK launches ‘If they’re gone’ campaign
Four iconic wildlife species are spearheading a new year-long campaign in the UK to help protect and conserve endangered species. The tiger, rhino, elephant and orangutan are the key species being used in the campaign called ‘If They’re Gone…’. the campaign has been launched to coincide with the start of the CITES meeting in Bangkok. [...]
Families living in Bed and Breakfast surge 800% under coalition
Housing policy has gone from bad under the Labour government to appalling under the Conservative – Liberal Democrat coalition. Not only has house building dropped to levels last seen in the 1920′s but families forced to live long-term in bed and breakfast accommodation has surged 800% in the two years that the coalition has been [...]
Carbofuran the weapon of choice against birds of prey in UK
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have today published maps to show the incidents of illegal poisonings of birds of prey in England and Wales. One map covers incidents during 2007-2011 and a separate map shows the poisonings that were committed in 2011. The accompanying report also highlights that carbofuran is the weapon [...]
Newts, Police and wildlife conservation gone mad
Has the time come to take a close look at the wildlife laws and organisations in the UK? There’s little doubt that something has gone wrong with either the law or the interpretation of the law by Natural England when you take a look at the case of the solitary newt and the new police [...]
As EU votes on fisheries reforms, no take zones prove their worth – again
As the EU votes on fisheries reforms in order to try and put together a plan to make the fisheries industry sustainable into the long term, a new study of a no take zone shows both nature and humans benefiting in as little as 10 years. Around the world no take zones – marine parks [...]
The housing crisis is costing UK economy billions each year
The last 15 years has seen a substantial failure in building enough homes to keep pace with the growth of the population. We all know young people – and not so young – who are still living with parents into their 20′s 30′s and even 40′s. But it’s not just the misery of having no [...]