Latest news with #natureconservation
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
Redcar nature reserve 'devastated' by large fire
A large fire has caused "devastating" damage to areas of grassland and breeding birds, a nature charity has Fire Brigade was called to what it believes was a deliberate fire at Coatham Marsh Nature Reserve, near the Redcar trunk road on Thursday evening at about 18:00 blaze was put out by two fire engine crews at 22:00 after causing significant damage to a reedbed habitat and affecting train services in the Harman, CEO for the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, said the impact on animals would "be extensive, with ground-nesting birds and their young unable to escape the flames". It is not an isolated case and the trust said there had already been more fires on their nature reserves so far this year than the entirety of last year. MP Anna Turley is speaking with landowners and conservation groups to stop similar blazes in said: "It's absolutely heartbreaking to see the damage caused at Coatham Marsh."This is such an important spot for our local wildlife - especially at this time of year with so many birds nesting."The trust is urging anyone who has information about the fire to contact the Harman said: "Deliberate fires on nature reserves need be treated as the wildlife crimes they are. "We welcome any support from local leaders and encourage them to step forward and help tackle these issues together." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Irish Times
21-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
How yellow rattle can inject new life into Ireland's green spaces
'Gliográn' means 'little rattler' – a clattery, tinkling thing – and it describes well the sound rippling across a field full of yellow rattle in late summer, around August, carried best on a dry day with a light breeze. The soft rattling noise comes from the dried seeds inside their papery bladder-like pods, which shake like tiny maracas. Years ago, a tinkling field told farmers it was time to make hay; they'd listen for the sound as their cue to take out the scythe and start cutting. Finding a large field full of yellow rattle isn't easy these days – it's often considered a weed , especially by farmers on high-yield grassland systems. But just last week I stood in a gently sloping Co Meath field filled with this yellow flower, with clover growing beneath, at the new 552-acre Brú na Bóinne National Park in Dowth, in the Boyne Valley. The park, which the State bought for €11 million in 2023, isn't yet open to the public (it will take a few more years). But the process of turning the high-nutrient grasslands into spaces for nature has already begun, led by the new park manager, Maurice Eakin. Dr Eakin has one goal: to bring life back to these lands. To begin the process, he sowed yellow rattle seeds in parts of the park last November. Often called 'the meadow maker' or 'nature's lawnmower', the yellow rattle is a handsome, striking plant with slender, toothed green leaves and sunlit yellow flowers shaped like snapdragon-style tubular bells clustered at the top of its stem. Above ground, the plant is all charm – a beautiful burst of yellow flowers swaying in the fields, as if butter wouldn't melt. Underground, though, it's quite the vampire and thief. As a seedling, yellow rattle sends out roots that latch on to those of neighbouring plants, especially grasses, and siphon off their water, minerals and nutrients. This parasitic habit weakens the grasses and slows their growth, and it's particularly effective against dominant grass species such as ryegrass. (This is why many farmers understandably dislike it since ryegrass is rich in energy and protein and is fed to livestock.) READ MORE By winning a war against dominant grasses, yellow rattle opens space for less competitive wildflowers to grow, such as oxeye daisy, buttercup, sweet vernal grass and common knapweed. The result is a diverse meadow with flowers that bloom at different times through the spring and summer, offering a steady supply of nectar and pollen for insects and somewhere to shelter and breed. As the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife says, yellow rattle is the 'single most important plant you need when creating a wildflower meadow'. Although it was cold and damp when I stood in the field with Dr Eakin, the hoverflies and bumblebees were out in numbers, landing on the yellow flowers in search of sweet nectar. As they moved from plant to plant, the bees brushed against the flowers' male parts and picked up dustings of fine, powdery pollen, each grain carrying the plant's sperm cells. When the bees visited the next flower, some of that pollen rubbed off on to the female part of the plant, fertilising it and allowing it to produce seeds. Just as the yellow rattle gets up to mischief beneath the soil, some bee species get up to tricks while feeding on its nectar. This sugar-rich liquid is buried deep inside the yellow flower, favouring long-tongued bees such as the garden bee, whose tongue can reach 20mm long. Shorter-tongued bees that arrive on the flower can't reach it, but that doesn't put them off. Instead of entering through the floral opening, they land on the side of the flower where the nectar collects, bite a small hole, and drink their fill. These 'nectar robbers' bypass the flower's reproductive parts, so while they get the sweet stuff, the plant gains nothing in return apart from a dose of its own medicine from one thief to another. [ Butterflies in free fall: 'It's really alarming because it shows that something significant is happening in the wider countryside' Opens in new window ] Dr Eakin says he is delighted with how the yellow rattle transforms the field from ryegrass-dominated grassland into a richer, more diverse meadow. His aim over the next few years is to restore life to this part of Meath, and his use of yellow rattle as a key tool in this process could inspire and guide urban park managers across Ireland. Injecting life into public green spaces – transitioning from mown grass to wildflower meadows – can help reverse insect decline and create healthier, more vibrant spaces for local communities. The impact of urban meadows can be significant. A study published last year by scientists at Warsaw University found that replacing regularly mowed lawns with wildflower meadows in cities leads to a high concentration of pollinating insects, making these urban meadows as valuable as natural meadows in rural areas. The outlook for pollinators in Ireland is bleak. Our butterflies are in free fall. Recent data from the National Biodiversity Data Centre reveals staggering, catastrophic declines in their populations between 2008 and 2021: the meadow brown down 86 per cent, the ringlet down 88 per cent, the green-veined white down 87.2 per cent. Like bumblebees, butterflies are homeless and starving, with little hope of recovery unless we urgently restore wildflowers to our landscape. [ Irish wildflowers: Growing your own mini-meadow isn't always easy but the results are magical Opens in new window ] In this battle, an gliográn – the yellow rattle – could be one of our most loyal and effective allies.
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Plan to protect habitats under 'intense pressure'
A plan to encourage and rebuild wildlife habitats in a nature-depleted county under "intense pressure" is set to be put to the public. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which brings together the mayor and local councils, is set to approve a draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy at its meeting on Wednesday. There will be a consultation in July before it becomes one of 48 similar documents published across England setting out priorities and actions for that region. According to the draft strategy, Cambridgeshire has one of the lowest proportions of land designated for nature in the UK, at 3.3%, and the second-lowest woodland cover at 4.8%. But it said Cambridgeshire was home to many "internationally important" nature sites, with the Fens supporting populations of European eel and spined loach. It pointed to invasive species in the county, such as muntjac deer and American mink, and tree diseases that have impacted the Cambridgeshire landscape by killing elm and ash trees. The county's population had increased by 20% since 2000, the strategy said, putting "intense pressure" on local habitats such as Wicken Fen. The report said: "The rapidly growing population of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough does not have national parks, national landscapes or large areas of open access downland, forest, moorland or coast on its doorsteps." Cambridgeshire was also said to have lost 88% of its marsh habitat, 84% of its semi-natural grassland but gained 85% of its woodland between 1930 and 2018. Part two of the draft plan talked about protecting Cambridgeshire's chalk streams and historic orchards, and for the county's grasslands, woodlands and wetland habitats to be "cherished and managed". The strategy discussed differences anyone can make, such as gardeners leaving some of their lawn unmown for part of the year, or for farmers to crop less land at the edges of fields. Each of the 48 strategies will map out areas important for biodiversity, and those with the potential to be important, and produce a local habitat map. If approved, an eight-week public consultation on the draft strategy will begin on 18 July. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk. Station project plants trees at expanded reserve Rare birds appear on restored wetland 'in hours' Nature reserve sees first crane chick take flight Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
BBC News
16-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire plan to restore under-pressure natural habitats
A plan to encourage and rebuild wildlife habitats in a nature-depleted county under "intense pressure" is set to be put to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which brings together the mayor and local councils, is set to approve a draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy at its meeting on will be a consultation in July before it becomes one of 48 similar documents published across England setting out priorities and actions for that to the draft strategy, Cambridgeshire has one of the lowest proportions of land designated for nature in the UK, at 3.3%, and the second-lowest woodland cover at 4.8%. But it said Cambridgeshire was home to many "internationally important" nature sites, with the Fens supporting populations of European eel and spined pointed to invasive species in the county, such as muntjac deer and American mink, and tree diseases that have impacted the Cambridgeshire landscape by killing elm and ash county's population had increased by 20% since 2000, the strategy said, putting "intense pressure" on local habitats such as Wicken report said: "The rapidly growing population of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough does not have national parks, national landscapes or large areas of open access downland, forest, moorland or coast on its doorsteps."Cambridgeshire was also said to have lost 88% of its marsh habitat, 84% of its semi-natural grassland but gained 85% of its woodland between 1930 and 2018. Part two of the draft plan talked about protecting Cambridgeshire's chalk streams and historic orchards, and for the county's grasslands, woodlands and wetland habitats to be "cherished and managed".The strategy discussed differences anyone can make, such as gardeners leaving some of their lawn unmown for part of the year, or for farmers to crop less land at the edges of of the 48 strategies will map out areas important for biodiversity, and those with the potential to be important, and produce a local habitat approved, an eight-week public consultation on the draft strategy will begin on 18 July. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.
Times
13-06-2025
- Times
The saviour of Cap Ferret wages war with the sea — and developers
A dmirers view Benoît Bartherotte as a hero who has fought against the vicissitudes of nature and the avarice of humanity to preserve one of the finest beauty spots in France. Detractors see him as a self-serving landowner who has helped to turn Cap Ferret, a headland on the Atlantic coast, into an enclave for the super-rich. In the mid-1980s, Bartherotte, then a celebrated Parisian fashion designer, decided to change career. He got rid of his Rolls-Royce, moved out of his mansion and took his wife and seven children to live in a wooden hut by the sea in the southwest of the country. Bartherotte's new home was on Cap Ferret, where he had spent his childhood holidays. Over the past 40 years he has fought to ensure the area remains as he remembered it as a boy.
