Budget Announcement & Montane Willows

National news

Budget | The budget announcement by chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday has been met with mixed reactions from the environmental sphere. In her maiden budget, Reeves announced that England’s farming budget would remain largely the same, with £5bn over the next two years. The amount earmarked for ELMs will rise to £1.8bn, while there is also £400m for tree planting and peatland restoration schemes, which analysts say is broadly in line with funding under the previous government. Martin Lines of the Nature Friendly Farming Network said the decision to maintain funding was better news ‘than we could have hoped for’ in the lead-up, with widespread rumours of severe cuts, but others have criticised the decision not to increase funding. Elliot Chapman-Jones of the Wildlife Trusts said that there was ‘a monumental gap’ between current funding and what is needed to reverse nature declines; you can read further analysis from the Wildlife Trusts’ senior land use policy manager Barnaby Coupe here. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that farmers feel ‘betrayed’ by the decision to limit inheritance tax relief to £1m. The news has been widely covered by national outlets. 

COP | At the COP16 conference in Colombia, environment secretary Steve Reed has set out criteria to deliver England’s target of protecting 30% of land by 2030. The criteria confirms that Sites of Special Scientific Interest will only count toward the 30x30 target if they are in favourable or recovering condition. This revision means that only 7% of England’s land currently counts toward the target. The government also said it will work with partners to develop a 30x30 delivery strategy in 2025. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, said that the UK is showing ‘real rigour’ in its approach to the target, and that ‘high-standard accounting must be matched by high-speed delivery’. The Independent and ENDS reported the news. In other COP-related news, the Guardian reports that concern is growing over the ‘disturbing’ lack of progress toward any of the major targets agreed at COP15, while biodiversity writer Phoebe Weston analyses the reported $700bn gap needed to fund the global restoration of nature.

Hedgehogs | Hedgehogs have been classified as ‘near-threatened’ in the latest release of the IUCN’s red list after rapid decline over the last decade. They were previously listed as being of ‘least concern’, but the union said that the species is thought to have declined in more than half of its native countries, including the UK, by as much as 30%. Experts listed threats including road traffic, urban development and intensive farming, which fragment their habitat. Following the news, the Mammal Society is calling on people to help hedgehogs by gardening in a wildlife-friendly way, including leaving small gaps in fences to allow movement, and avoiding using pesticides. The news was widely covered. In other news, four UK shorebirds have been moved to higher threat categories on the red list, while 38% of the world’s tree species are now threatened with extinction. 

In other news: 

• The Climate Change Committee has called on the government to cut its emissions to 81% below 1990 levels by 2035. Carbon Brief, the Guardian and the Financial Times reported the news. 
• More than 60 leading climate scientists have signed a pledge claiming that ‘ineffectual’ carbon offsets, particularly from forest-related projects, are hindering efforts to reduce emissions, reports the Guardian.
• Green organisations have condemned the EU’s request for an independent tribunal on the UK’s sandeel fishing ban, reports ENDS. 
• A strategy by the Department for Transport could see up to 1.5m lamp posts removed from the UK countryside, reports the Times. 
• Almost two-thirds of Welsh farms inspected last year were in breach of environmental regulations, according to an internal report by Natural Resources Wales. ENDS reported the news. 
• The UK is currently experiencing a significant influx of hawfinch, reports BirdGuides.
• More than 350 wealthy landowners in England – including grouse moor estates – are benefitting from an obscure tax break worth at least £68m, according to data obtained by Guy Shrubsole. The Guardian reported the news. 
• Thirty-two environmental organisations have written to the chair of the water commission Sir Jon Cunliffe outlining the reforms needed to ensure the sector delivers for nature.

Across the country

Northumberland | The Wildlife Trusts have purchased part of the Rothbury Estate, owned by the Duke of Northumberland's son. The estate was previously used for intensive sheep farming and shooting, but the charities plan to turn the land into a flagship site for nature recovery. The entire 3,850 hectare estate – the largest piece of land to be on the market in England in the last 30 years – was originally put up with a price tag of £35m. Having bought a ‘significant’ slice, the Trusts have been given two years to purchase the rest, for which they have launched a £30m funding appeal. Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Trusts, said the total area would be ‘around two-and-a-half times the size of the Knepp estate’, and that the charities want to create ‘something really spectacular at much bigger scale than has ever been done before in England’. The Guardian and Independent covered the news.   

Dartmoor | A campaign group has been launched to fight for nature restoration on Dartmoor. The Dartmoor Nature Alliance has been founded by local ecologists, environmental campaigners and land managers who are increasingly concerned about the condition of Dartmoor’s natural environment and the lack of progress on reversing its decline. On Tuesday, the group published a ‘vision for Dartmoor’ on X, a work-in-progress document which outlines the changes it would like to see. The vision describes a landscape with restored blanket bogs and heathlands, wild and clean rivers, regenerative farmland and areas of connected rainforest. The authors write: ‘If this healing is to happen, Dartmoor will need to be a place of tolerance and cooperation; where communities listen, learn from each other and collectively find the courage to face up to common challenges.’ The Plymouth Herald and the Moorlander reported the news, while group member Tony Whitehead wrote in West Country Voices. 

Stonehaven | Butterfly Conservation has teamed up with Buglife and a team of firefighters to launch an education campaign after a fire near Aberdeen destroyed the habitat of a rare butterfly. The blaze, which started in an act of vandalism, scorched an area of wildflower-rich grassland at Stonehaven, which is an important and rare breeding ground for the northern brown argus. This butterfly used to be widespread, but its UK distribution plummeted by 56% between 1990 and 2018, largely due to the loss of habitat for its sole food plant, the common rock rose. Butterfly Conservation said that the fire highlights the fragility of such habitats and populations, but also the broader need for better education on the importance of protecting these ecosystems from unnecessary harm.

Elsewhere: 

• A green prescribing programme in Devon is boosting hospital patients’ wellbeing through outdoor sessions restoring hedges, reports the BBC.
• The developer transforming a former power station in St Modwen into a business park is planning to create ten ponds for newts and other wildlife, reports the Stoke Sentinel. 
• Volunteers for the North East Community Forest have planted almost 300,000 trees over the last 12 months, reports the BBC. 
• Experts have criticised Worcester city councillors for suggesting the introduction of bird contraceptives to deal with seagull issues, reports the Guardian. 
• Volunteers removed two tonnes of abandoned fishing gear from the sea between Hartlepool and Saltburn last year, which they say is endangering marine life. The BBC reported the news. 
• An initiative to make churches in the Durham diocese more environmentally-friendly is making good progress, reports the Northern Echo. 
• A two-year project has discovered 14 bat species living at Longleat Estate in Wiltshire, reports the BBC. 
• The gatekeeper butterfly has been recorded in several locations in southern Scotland for the first time due to the warming climate, reports the Guardian. 
• South West Water has funded a ‘pesticide amnesty’ across Devon and Cornwall, during which more than 840 litres of harmful chemicals were collected from farms, reports the BBC. 
• Butterfly Conservation is celebrating completing an £8,000 fence in the Mendip Hills to protect an area of habitat for vulnerable butterfly species. 
• A library scheme by Manchester City Council will see residents receive free seed packets and be encouraged to join guided nature walks, reports the BBC.  

Reports

Stoats | A project to remove invasive stoats from Orkney is boosting local populations of endangered birds and an endemic species of vole, according to a report by the RSPB. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is the largest stoat removal from an inhabited landscape anywhere in the world, with over 6,000 stoats already removed. Four years since it began, a monitoring report has revealed significant increases in successful nesting attempts of threatened bird species, including curlew and oystercatcher. In particular, the success of hen harrier nests has risen from 36% in 2019 to 82% in 2023. Meanwhile, signs of the elusive Orkney vole – namely droppings – have increased year on year since 2019, with an overall estimated 200% increase by 2023. Anne McCall, director of RSPB Scotland, said the project is a ‘success story for conservation’ against the backdrop of a nature crisis in Scotland. The Herald covered the research. 

Data | It is generally accepted that conservation actions should be based on evidence of what works – but this is not always the case. With the goal of becoming more evidence-led and data-driven, the Wildlife Trusts has published its first collective review of the charities’ data, research and evidence work. The report features case studies of projects when ‘good data and solid analysis’ have provided the ‘foundation for increased impact’, according to Nigel Doar, the Trusts’ Head of Science and Research. These include a constantly updating map of healthland and chalk grassland distribution in Surrey; data collection on the reintroduction of pine martens to the Forest of Dean; and how beavers living on the River Otter are affecting its landscape, people and economy, among others. 

Protection | A report by the UN’s Environment Programme has found that countries have made some progress toward the pledge to protect 30% of the Earth by 2030 – but progress must accelerate to reach the target in time. Across both land and waters, protected areas have expanded since 2020 by an area more than twice the size of Colombia. However, this equates to a rise of less than 0.5% in both realms, leaving a land area roughly the size of Brazil and Australia combined, and a marine area larger than the Indian Ocean, to be designated by 2030. The report, which is the first official assessment of international efforts toward 30x30, also points out that protected areas are not always established in the places that most need conserving, and that designations do not guarantee the effectiveness of protection. The Independent covered the research.

Science

Montane | Endangered mountain trees called montane willows are making a comeback in Scotland thanks to sustained conservation efforts. Overgrazing by deer and sheep from the 18th century led to a rapid decline in this high-altitude woodland; by the 1990s, only around 10 hectares of native montane willows were left in Scotland. Now, researcher Sarah Watts of the University of Stirling has published a paper in Restoration Ecology reviewing and celebrating the last 30 years of progress to restore the habitat. Watts details examples of innovative action across Scotland, which have collectively resulted in the planting of almost 400,000 montane willows – bringing the trees back from the brink of extinction. She also outlines the myriad benefits of montane habitat, which supports a vibrant community of insects and upland birds, and helps to stabilise steep slopes amid increasingly volatile weather. The Herald covered the research, and Watts summarised her findings on X. 

Connection | A study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology has found that adults in the UK experience less of a connection to nature than adults from most other countries. The research team analysed data for 57,000 adults from 65 nations, and found that the UK ranked 59th on the Connectedness to Nature Scale, which asked participants to rate statements such as ‘I often feel part of the web of life’. It scored slightly better on the Nature Exposure Scale – coming 31st – which measures participant’s regular contact with nature. The study also revealed that, across all nations, women reported higher scores on both measures, while high scores were also significantly associated with socioeconomic factors such as greater financial security, a higher level of education, and being in a racial majority of that country. Phys.org covered the findings. 

Aurochs | An international team of geneticists have decoded the ancient DNA of aurochs: the giant ox which frequently appears in cave paintings, and whose domestication gave rise to cattle.The extinction of the species around 400 years ago ‘left much of their evolutionary history a mystery’, according to first author Dr. Conor Rossi. Now, researchers have analysed 38 genomes harvested from bones stretching from Britain to Siberia. They discovered a greater genetic diversity in wild aurochs than previously suspected, but only a fraction of this was passed on during domestication. This is thought to be because the size and strength of aurochs would have made capturing and breeding them difficult, and likely only occurred a few times – supporting the idea that domestication was a deliberate process of selection. The paper is published in Nature, which also has a commentary. Phys.org covered the findings. 

Driftwood

Oak | The Skipinnish Oak in the Scottish Highlands has been named as the UK Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust’s annual competition. The ethereal-looking tree was not known to conservationists until the ceilidh band Skipinnish brought attention to it while playing for the Native Woodland Discussion Group in 2009. Band member Andrew Stevenson grew up in Lochaber and his father had described the tree, which is thought to be between 400 and 1,000 years old. Rather poetically, George Anderson of Woodland Trust Scotland said: ‘It is the tree that time forgot but the piper remembered.’ The band is now composing a new song in honour of the winner, which will go on to compete in the European Tree of the Year competition. Read more in the BBC, the Times and the Scotsman. 

Spleenwort | A feature in the Times describes a 12-year mission to save a rare species of plant: the forked spleenwort. This unassuming rock-dwelling fern came under fire during the Victorian fern craze, and is now found in two tiny locations in southern England and one small cluster in the north. Dominic Price, director of The Species Recovery Trust, had been fruitlessly trying to expand the southern populations for almost a decade when he stumbled across a dying specimen in the Lake District. Price enlisted the help of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh to germinate its spores, and now, almost two years later, he and his team are planting more than 50 young spleenworts at secret locations on Dartmoor. The group is using several planting techniques to spread their bets, since ‘this is new territory for rare plant conservation,’ according to Price. 

Alcohol | We might think that the ability to drink copious amounts of alcohol is a uniquely human trait, but a study by a research team at the University of Exeter has shown this is not entirely the case. Their review of published evidence shows that alcohol occurs naturally in nearly every ecosystem on Earth, and therefore a ‘diverse coterie’ of species have adapted to ethanol in their diets, usually ingested through fermented fruits, sap and nectar. This naturally occurring alcohol is typically low in content, around 1% or 2% by volume, but in over-ripe palm fruit this can reach up to 10%. Researcher Anna Bowland explained: ‘We’re moving away from this anthropocentric view that alcohol is used by just humans and that actually ethanol is quite abundant in the natural world.’ Whether these animals actually become inebriated is another question altogether: read more in this Guardian feature. 

Further reading: 

• In East Yorkshire, more than 100 competitors are testing their skills at the national hedgelaying championships. Find out more in the BBC. 
• Analysis by DeSmog has revealed that columnists at the Telegraph repeatedly attacked the Labour government’s environmental policies during its first 100 days in office. 
• In a blog for NatureScot, writer Roddy (Ruairidh) Maclean explores the long and complicated relationship between humans and foxes in Gaelic Scotland. 
• The Herald has a series of articles on the Clyde river, including the ‘cod tragedy’ and on wild swimming.
• A BBC In-depth article looks at the crisis surrounding the water industry, and whether it can be fixed. 
• In the Guardian, Patrick Barkham writes about the return of polar bears to British zoos, and whether there are any benefits of keeping them in captivity. 
• A column in the Times argues that it’s time to fall back in love with pigeons as their reputation rebounds. 
• For the Guardian, scientist Dr. Joe Roman describes how his research career was inspired after witnessing a whale poop in the wild. 
• A feature in the Conversation explores the Miyawaki concept: the Japanese-style ‘tiny forests’ which are appearing in British cities. 
• In Country Living, this article extolls the benefits of ‘nature journaling’ on walks rather than snapping yet more photos on our phones. 

Happy days 

Badgers | The team behind TV series Autumnwatch has observed what is thought to be the ‘highest population of badgers anywhere ever recorded’, according to presenter Chris Packham. The animals were tracked in the dark using thermal cameras during Tuesday night’s episode, broadcast from Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire. Packham said there are around 250 adults in about 20 social groups, with 1,000 holes to emerge from spread across the wood. He added that a thermal camera ‘quite literally sees heat in the dark and that allows us to watch their natural behaviours without disturbing them in any way, shape or form.’ You can watch the fascinating footage here on the One Show.