News stories from 2008

Last updated: 12 January 2009.

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December 2008

Wed, 31 Dec 2008: Salmon and Trout dead in the Crana: There's been a small fish kill (40 dead salmon and trout) at one of County Donegal's premier fishing rivers, near Buncrana.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Beaver trouble in Devon: An escaped beaver is felling riverside trees around Dartmoor!

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Derbyshire farmers: help prevent nitrate pollution on 7 Jan: Farmers and land managers in Derbyshire are being invited to sign up to a free seminar in the New Year which aims to help them better prepare for preventing nitrate pollution. The event will take place on Wednesday 7 January 2009 at the Agricultural Business Centre in Bakewell.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Native crayfish claws its way back from the brink of extinction: The white-clawed crayfish, one of England’s most endangered species, is clawing its way back from the brink of extinction, thanks to a pincer movement by Natural England and the Environment Agency in the Yorkshire Dales. The five year pioneering project bred 300 juveniles this year, making it the UK's most successful breeding programme for the native white-clawed crayfish.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Early Christmas stocking for River Churnet: Environment Agency officers have given the River Churnet a Christmas present of 2,000 baby fish. The young fish, all one year old dace, were raised at the Environment Agency's fish farm at Calverton near Nottingham.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Grayling return to the River Erewash: The Environment Agency Fisheries Team, based in Nottingham, has introduced 500 one year old Grayling into the River Erewash at Toton and Long Eaton as part of a rehabilitation scheme in partnership with the River Erewash Foundation.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008: Silt-busting in Lincolnshire rivers: The Environment Agency is tackling silted up waterways in Horncastle and Louth.

Wed, 24 Dec 2008: 200 polluted rivers in Northern Ireland: The Rivers Agency claims it's working hard to improve Northern Ireland's lamentable record on river quality.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: River Wandle cleanup begins: A major two-month cleanup of the River Wandle is going to involve removing huge clumps of floating pennywort by hand.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: What's been happening at Surfers Against Sewage in 2008?: Andy Cummins gives a roundup of a sterling year of water pollution campaigning.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: River protesters criminalized as "terrorists": Polite protesters against nPower's nasty plans for Oxfordshire lakes have been surprised to find themselves on a national list of "domestic extremists". George Monbiot blows the whistle on politicized policing.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: Big boost for salmon in the Wye: Great news! The number of salmon caught in the River Wye has exceeded 1000 for the first time in over a decade. Well done to the Wye and Usk Foundation and everyone else working to improve the river.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: Government buildings pump out more CO2 than Kenya: More government double-standards on climate change: it turns out public buildings in England and Wales are emitting more greenhouse gases than Kenya.

Tue, 23 Dec 2008: Don't be a turkey: bag your fat!: Don't wash your turkey fat down the drain this Christmas: bag and bin it instead.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Have your say on the nation's plans for water: Water in rivers, estuaries and other wetlands across England and Wales will improve under measures set out in draft River Basin Management Plans and the Environment Agency is asking the public to give their views on plans to improve waters.

Mon, 22 Dec 2008: Persecution is prime cause of hen harrier disappearance: Hen harriers in England continue to be persecuted and their recovery as a species hangs in the balance as a result, said Natural England, as it published the results from the first phase of its national Hen Harrier Recovery Project.

Fri, 19 Dec 2008: Keep recycling: prices are recovering!: Ignore misguided press publicity about what's happening to materials collected for recycling: prices are improving and stored materials will be recycled.

Wed, 17 Dec 2008: Face up to the flood risk: New figures from the Environment Agency show that over four in ten of the five million people living in areas vulnerable to river and sea flooding in England and Wales are unaware that they are at risk.

Wed, 17 Dec 2008: New alert centre to improve response to flooding: Environment Secretary Hilary Benn has announced a new GBP7.7 million flood forecasting centre to help protect people and businesses from flooding. The centre, run by the Met Office and Environment Agency, will improve the country's ability to predict and respond to flooding by providing a single national forecasting and alert service.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: 2008 is the tenth warmest year on record: The global mean temperature for 2008 is the tenth warmest since records began in 1850.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Natural Treasures Discovered in the Greater Mekong: According to a new report by WWF and partners, over 1,000 species have been newly discovered in the Greater Mekong over the last ten years. That’s an average of two per week, making this one of the most prolific rates of discovery in the world. The Mekong River flows almost 3,000 miles through six countries: China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Over 500 fish killed by fertilizer: More than 500 fish were killed when ammonia fertilizer ended up in a ditch that runs into the River Dove near Eye, Suffolk.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Private sewers and drains transferred to water companies: Approximately 200,000 kilometres of privately owned sewers and lateral drains in England will be transferred to water and sewerage companies from 2011, removing millions of householders from the risk of expensive repair bills, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn confirmed today.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: National holiday: National Trail: Bored with shopping, tired of turkey? What better way to celebrate the festive season than a life-enhancing walk in the glorious English countryside? National Trails are designed for just such a purpose, providing opportunities for a long or short walk through some of the country's most outstanding scenery. There are more than 2000 miles of National Trails in England used by millions of people each year.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Anglian farmers slow on the (pollution) uptake: Farmers and land managers in East Anglia are missing the chance to be better prepared for new Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations, with the various seminars across the region only partly booked up.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: Oil industry has hidden impacts on Canadian environment: This BBC news report looks at the price Canadians pay for their oil boom.

Mon, 15 Dec 2008: New lobbying tool for Irish campaigners: Contact.ie, a website for contacting politicians in Ireland, went live today. Indymedia.ie caught up with Mark Conroy, the site's owner.

Sun, 14 Dec 2008: Nature words purged from children's dictionary: Henry Porter mourns the demise of words to describe the outdoors.

Fri, 12 Dec 2008: Environment Agency announces future changes for Cuckmere estuary: Environment Agency announces its decision to restore the Cuckmere estuary to a tidal floodplain, allowing this popular landmark to adapt to the impacts of climate change and providing great benefits to both visitors and wildlife.

Fri, 12 Dec 2008: Ban Ki-Moon calls for global solidarity on climate change: Another passionate appeal from the head of the UN, but are the right people listening... and will they act?

Fri, 12 Dec 2008: Offset, schmoffset?: How sensible is carbon offsetting? The Guardian's resident greenwash buster, Fred Pearce, looks at "baffling" discrepancies between carbon offset companies and asks whether they're taking us for a ride.

Thu, 11 Dec 2008: Wake up to climate "emergency", says Porritt: Jonathon Porritt highlights a major drawback in current climate thinking at the Poznan conference.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008: 30% Of British Seas Must Become No Take Marine Reserves By 2020: 30 per cent of the seas around the UK must become no take Marine Reserves by 2020 if the marine environment is to recover from decades of overfishing and habitat destruction. That is the view of The Co-operative, which has just launched its "Marine Reserves Now" campaign in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Tue, 9 Dec 2008: Scientists and lawyers eye up carbon lawsuits: Science will soon be good enough to sue over climate change, according to Oxford University's Myles Allen.

Tue, 9 Dec 2008: Agency refuses to dredge flooding Severn: Locals in Gloucestershire are insisting the Severn should be dredged again to reduce flooding, but the Environment Agency disagrees.

Mon, 8 Dec 2008: Environment Agency backtracks on lock houses: Victory for campaign group Save our Service, which campaigned against Environment Agency proposals to sell off lock houses along the River Thames.

Mon, 8 Dec 2008: National Trust warns on invasive plants: Fungal diseases must be tackled to avoid devastation of British gardens in the next 20 years.

Mon, 8 Dec 2008: Plane Stupid closes Stansted: About 50 activists from pressure group Plane Stupid have closed Stansted airport in a protest against expansion plans that will worsen climate change.

Sat, 6 Dec 2008: Skokholm to become national nature reserve: According to its owner, the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales: ""Its designation as a national nature reserve will seal its place as one of the UK's most important havens for wildlife."

Fri, 5 Dec 2008: Climate campaigners take on old king coal: Protesters claim to have switched off 2% of total UK electricity capacity in a climate action at Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent.

Fri, 5 Dec 2008: Marine and Coastal Access Bill published: The Marine and Coastal Access Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 15 December.

Thu, 4 Dec 2008: UNEP Atlas Shows How Biodiversity Hotspots Are Also Major Carbon Sinks: Maps pinpointing overlaps of high carbon and high biodiversity areas were launched today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) with its Carbon and Biodiversity demonstration atlas. The research gives shows how reducing emissions from deforestation can not only assist in combating climate change but can also help the conservation of biodiversity, from amphibians and birds to primates.

Thu, 4 Dec 2008: Saltwater crops could be the future: Growing crops in saltwater may be a necessity as water shortages bite around the world.

Wed, 3 Dec 2008: Ant invaders head for UK: An invasive species of ant may be heading to the UK, scientists suggest in a report today. The Lasius neglectus ant has colonies up to 100 times bigger than the common UK garden ant and seems to prefer urban gardens and parks rather than rural areas.

Wed, 3 Dec 2008: Royal wave for UK Marine Bill: Protection for UK seas moved a step closer today as the Queen’s Speech committed the government to introducing a full UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill in the new parliamentary session. WWF-UK, one of the first organisations to call for a marine act, is delighted that marine species and habitats could finally be given effective protection from damaging activities.

Wed, 3 Dec 2008: Wetter winters cancel out river recovery: A 25-year study of Welsh rivers shows long-term recovery from acid rain is being hampered by wetter conditions and climate change.

Tue, 2 Dec 2008: India: The mystery of the disappearing crocs: Scientists are probing reasons behind the disappearance of gharials, crocodiles with elongated narrow snouts, now found in much smaller numbers in the rivers of India and Nepal.

Tue, 2 Dec 2008: "Long, detailed, impressive - futile" response to climate change: George Monbiot explains why Lord Turner's latest thoughts on climate change simply won't wash.

Tue, 2 Dec 2008: Once in a lifetime opportunity to save our seas: With the Marine and Coastal Access Bill expected to be included in the new Queen's Speech, Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, called on Parliament to seize the "once in a lifetime opportunity" that is being provided to protect England's marine environment.

Tue, 2 Dec 2008: Wales towns and villages could be abandoned to flooding: Coastal parts of Wales could be abandoned to flooding as climate change bites.

Tue, 2 Dec 2008: Venice: Worst floods for 20 years: The historic city is struggling under water again, despite ever more sophisticated flood defences.

Mon, 1 Dec 2008: Biofuel Plantations on Tropical Forestlands Are Bad for the Climate and Biodiversity: Keeping tropical rain forests intact is a better way to combat climate change than replacing them with biofuel plantations, a study in the journal Conservation Biology finds.

November 2008

Sat, 29 Nov 2008: Goodbye to the bluefin tuna?: Michael McCarthy asks if European quotas have finally signed the death knell for one of the world's most impressive (and expensive) fish.

Thu, 27 Nov 2008: Cornish pilot plant returns to nature: The Environment Agency is returning its redundant Wheal Jane pilot treatment plant to nature in a special four month long project in the Carnon Valley, near Truro in Cornwall.

Wed, 26 Nov 2008: Buxton lake provides new home for fish: The Environment Agency has released four hundred fish into an onsite fishing lake at Country Care, an Ofsted registered children's residential care home near Buxton in Derbyshire.

Tue, 25 Nov 2008: Sewage is a Guernsey today issue, not one for Guernsey tomorrow!: Clean water campaigners, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are renewing calls for a full sewage treatment policy to be agreed by Deputies at this week's States of Guernsey meeting.

Tue, 25 Nov 2008: Warming acid seas threaten coral: Ocean acidity is increasing at 10 times the rate previously supposed due to global warming.

Tue, 25 Nov 2008: The planet is now so vandalised that only total energy renewal can save us: George Monbiot reflects on the slash and burn policies of George Bush as he finally leaves office.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008: 'Environment as vital to future society as education, health, economy': The Environment Agency's Chairman, Lord Chris Smith, today urged the Government to follow Barack Obama's example and launch a 'Green New Deal' for the UK economy to drive investment in clean energy and create jobs.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008: New wildlife habitat on the River Severn at Powick: The Environment Agency, as part of the Severn and Avon Vales Wetlands Partnership, is leading a project to improve wet grassland habitat at Beauchamp Farm, near Powick. The new habitat will provide a home for breeding waders and wintering wildfowl.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008: New weir boost for Brown Trout on River Lee: A new Environment Agency weir on the River Lee at Amwell, near Ware, has been helping to boost brown trout populations and improve the wildlife of an internationally important nature reserve. The weir has been placed at the southern end of Great Hardmead Lake, a former flooded gravel pit which forms part of Amwell Nature Reserve, which is renowned internationally for the number of wintering water birds which visit it.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008: Barbel: dying to survive: 750 fish are being dyed to help monitor their habits as they swim around the River Great Ouse in Bedfordshire.

Mon, 24 Nov 2008: Rubbish a welcome site on the Avon: Environmental artist Pete Dalby has built a floating sculpture from 10,000 bottles and cans recovered from a community river cleanup in Bristol.

Sat, 22 Nov 2008: Sea Eagles in Norfolk?: The magnificent sea eagle, missing from England for more than 200 years, could be soaring along the Norfolk coast next summer if a proposed re-introduction scheme gets the go ahead. Natural England, the RSPB and Anglian Water, have been investigating the feasibility of re-introducing the sea eagle, also known as the white-tailed eagle, to East Anglia.

Fri, 21 Nov 2008: Looking back on climate lobbying: In early October, Surfers Against Sewage (along side other members of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, groups as diverse as Greenpeace to the Women's Institute) lobbied all of the UK's MPs, urgently calling on their support for a strong Climate Change Law. This action was to counter the UK Government who were actively lobbying to weaken the EU Renewables Directive at the time.

Fri, 21 Nov 2008: Otters conquer Farne islands: Otter tracks have been found on Brownsman Island, confirming the animals have successfully swum three miles from the Northumberland coast.

Tue, 18 Nov 2008: WWF praises Obama for climate summit remarks: According to WWF's Carter Roberts: "Today President-elect Obama gave us his first official statements on climate and without a doubt he nailed it. He sees clearly the huge risk that climate change poses to our economy and our future, and he understands that solving climate change is a foundation for a global economic recovery. The right climate legislation and the right investments will create jobs and economic opportunities across the US and around the world. office." But, hey, remember Al Gore? Why not wait to see if Obama actually delivers?

Mon, 17 Nov 2008: Migratory birds shun warmer British winters: Global warming is blamed as migratory birds spend their winters closer to home instead of flying to Britain.

Sun, 16 Nov 2008: Water mills make green energy resurgence: Britain's old water mills are being fitted with turbines to generate clean, green power once again.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008: Why insecticides are an ecological disaster: The Independent's Michael McCarthy explains why the chemical war on insects will have enormous impacts in future.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008: River Tamar hit by Navy radioactive leak: The Royal Navy has confirmed the leak of 280 litres (62 gallons) of radioactive water into a river near Plymouth.

Sat, 15 Nov 2008: What do you think of the Thames tunnel?: West London residents are given a chance to comment on a new sewage Tideway Tunnel proposed for the River Thames.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008: Cardigan gives thumbs down to river art: Over 2000 people have signed a petition panning "Turbulence", an expensive piece of river artwork.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008: Natural England highlights climate change challenge for English uplands: Understanding the impacts of climate change is critical to the future management of the uplands says Natural England as it hosts a major national conference looking at the environmental future of the English uplands.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008: 38,000 fish looking for new homes: The first part of a River Trent Restocking Scheme is getting underway at Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. 4000 fish are being released into the river, which include barbel, dace and roach. Following on from the release at Trentham Gardens, thousands of fish are to be released into the River Trent at Stone.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008: Future Water Quality Results Threatened by Climate Change, say Surfers: Almost a third (32.3%) of designated beaches in England and Wales have failed to meet the UK's guideline standard for water quality during the 2008 bathing season.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008: Environment Agency calls for action to improve bathing water quality: The Environment Agency has called on the farming community, local authorities and the water industry to help to do more to tackle the pollution of bathing waters around the coast of England and Wales. It plans to meet relevant organisations to address the issue of water pollution caused by livestock manure and slurry, and sewage, particularly during bad weather.

Fri, 14 Nov 2008: Georgina wins pesticide victory: Three cheers for campaigner Georgina Downs, who has won a lengthy battle to draw attention to the dangers of pesticides: "The UK government's relentless and extraordinary attempts to protect industry, as opposed to people's health, has been one of the most outrageous things to behold in the last seven years of my fight."

Tue, 11 Nov 2008: Norway needs to drive a fair deal for North Sea cod: WWF today welcomes proposals by the European Commission to reduce fishing effort in 2009 for North Sea sole and nephrops (prawn) but is disappointed that there is no clear recommendation from the Commission on recovering North Sea cod stocks.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: Quarter of sharks and rays face extinction in Atlantic: More grim news about the potential devastation of sharks and related species in the north-east Atlantic.

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: Step change needed to halt biodiversity loss: Natural England has welcomed the publication of the Environmental Audit Committee's report on biodiversity, with its call for a new approach to halt loss of species and habitats: "All the evidence points to the fact that the quality and extent of our natural environment will continue to decline unless current policies and land management practices are changed."

Mon, 10 Nov 2008: Manx fisherman fined £7,000 for catching scallops: A trawler operator from the Isle of Man has been fined for catching scallops under the permitted size.

Fri, 7 Nov 2008: Environment Agency says East Devon flood was "remarkable" and action is well underway: The Environment Agency's initial investigation into the flooding in East Devon last week has found that its scale and extent is much bigger than first thought.

Thu, 6 Nov 2008: Mayor's decision to scrap Thames Gateway road bridge welcomed: Responding to today's announcement that London Mayor Boris Johnson will scrap proposals to build a new six-lane road bridge across the Thames between Greenwich and Beckton in East London, Friends of the Earth London Campaigner Jenny Bates said: "We're delighted that the Mayor has stuck to his manifesto pledge to scrap plans for the Thames Gateway road bridge. This is a tremendous victory for local communities who will be spared the blight of more congestion, noise and air pollution.

Wed, 5 Nov 2008: New Aberystwyth bridge closed: The Pontyrodyn bridge, built only five years ago, has closed for safety reasons after its wooden slats rotted away.

Wed, 5 Nov 2008: Ganga will be national river: Twenty years after the Ganga Action Plan, it's been announced that the river will become a "national" river and the focus of a major cleanup.

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: Bid for some new boots: From 13th November, bid on eBay for your chance to get hold of a pair of Hunter wellies exclusively designed by top celebs including Kate Moss and KT Tunstall! To celebrate the collaboration between Hunter Boot and WaterAid a number of high profile celebrities were invited to customise and sign the limited edition WaterAid welly at this year's Glastonbury Festival. The wellies were designed exclusively for WaterAid to raise much need funds for WaterAid's work in Madagascar.

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: Urbanization threatens water crisis in slums: WaterAid has warned that too-rapid urbanization is creating even more problems of sanitation and water supply in developing country slums. It's still the case that 2.5 billion of the world's people lack proper sanitation (a statistic that stubbornly refuses to change).

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: Environment Agency boosts fish numbers on River Yeo: More than 30,000 young fish will be released into the River Yeo in Somerset this week in a major re-stocking exercise. The fish, including roach, bream, chub and dace, will help replace stocks lost earlier this year when abnormal weather conditions caused a deterioration in water quality on the River Yeo near Langport.

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: New flood risk map for Northern Ireland: A new online map highlights the risk of flooding in Northern Ireland. The Strategic Flood Map illustrates the areas throughout Northern Ireland that have flooded from rivers and the sea in the past and those which are estimated to be prone to flooding now and in the future. It also provides additional information on the location of existing flood defences and highlights the areas that benefit from these defences.

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: Cumbria explores more hydro power: A part of the world renowned for nuclear power is turning its attention to hydroelectricity, with news that plans for a hydro station in the Longsleddale valley, near Kendal in the Lake District, have been approved.

Tue, 4 Nov 2008: Ed Miliband to give keynote speech at Environment Agency climate change conference: The UK's lead policy-maker on climate change, Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, Secretary of State at the new Department of Energy and Climate Change, has joined the impressive line-up of speakers at the Environment Agency's annual conference. He will make the keynote address on the second morning of the conference on 25 November.

Mon, 3 Nov 2008: From Siberia to Slimbridge: Swans have arrived later than usual in Gloucestershire, allaying fears they would over-winter in Siberia.

Mon, 3 Nov 2008: Scale back eco-towns programme, urge countryside campaigners: The eco-towns programme should be scaled back, with a focus on one or two truly exemplary schemes, and tired, failed proposals dropped. This was the reaction of countryside campaigners, CPRE, to the publication by the Government of a draft policy statement and impact assessment on eco-towns.

Sun, 2 Nov 2008: The war over water: Photographer Matilde Gattoni travelled to Jordan to discover the effects of water scarcity in this photo essay for The Guardian/Observer.

Sun, 2 Nov 2008: Is water the new oil?: Forget "peak oil" for a moment: Juliette Jowit examines the coming age of water scarcity.

October 2008

Fri, 31 Oct 2008: Autumn clean for the River Wandle: A recent clean up of the River Wandle organised by the Environment Agency uncovered a mountain of junk more suited to a car boot sale. The clean up was done as part of a project to improve this unique South London chalk stream, which flows north from Croydon and Carshalton, joining the Thames at Wandsworth in London.

Thu, 30 Oct 2008: Beach litter: return to offender!: Surfers Against Sewage say: "We are encouraging all our supporters to take action and be an active part of SAS's award winning anti beach litter campaign Return To Offender." Great idea! Send your beach litter back where it came from.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008: Rainbow Warriors highlight climate chaos at Kingsnorth: A coalition of groups fighting climate change sailed to Kent to propose against plans for a new coal-fired plant at Kingsnorth. Representatives from Greenpeace, Oxfam, the Women's Institute, Tearfund, RSPB, Friends of the Earth, WWF and Christian Aid were involved.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008: Major flood recovery exercise in West Wales: If a major flood devastated a county what would the local authority, emergency services and utilities do? More specifically, how would Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys react?This was the question asked at Exercise FEAR, which was a Flood Evacuation and Recovery desk top exercise held recently in Carmarthen.

Tue, 28 Oct 2008: Environment Agency announces Head of Fisheries: The Environment Agency has named Mathew Crocker as its new Head of Fisheries. Mathew, a keen angler who has worked for the Environment Agency since it was formed in 1996, takes over from current Head of Fisheries Dafydd Evans.

Sat, 25 Oct 2008: More rescues this summer, RNLI notes: Lifeboat crews rescued lots more people this summer due to poor weather and inexperience among sailors.

Sat, 25 Oct 2008: New River Sow walkway plan proceeds: Plans for Waterscape, an improved riverside path next to Staffordshire's River Sow, are advancing well.

Fri, 24 Oct 2008: Water companies must take the lead in tackling waste: Following the Water 2008 conference, Natural England has called on government to tighten the regulation of water companies, whose resource management plans are flying in the face of government policies to reduce water consumption and extraction.

Fri, 24 Oct 2008: Stocking the Severn with salmon: This year a total of 126,000 young Atlantic salmon have been introduced to the River Severn as part of the Severn Salmon Restoration Programme. These fish have been stocked into ten rivers in the Severn catchment as part of programme to restore salmon stocks.

Fri, 24 Oct 2008: Surfboard Art Auction Raises £29,350 for Surfers Against Sewage: Surfers Against Sewage's Drawing Boards auction has reached its thrilling climax at Bonhams' auction rooms in central-London. After months of planning and preparation, the outstanding collection of 14 surfboard artworks was on display throughout the week at Bonhams' as part of its world-renowned Urban Art Auction, with bidding taking place on Thursday, 23rd October.

Thu, 23 Oct 2008: Help spread the word about bugs!: Buglife is seeking to fill the new position of Outreach Officer and involve more people in conserving brilliant bugs! More details on their website. Note the closing date for applications: 17 November 2008.

Thu, 23 Oct 2008: Trout Aquaculture Dialogue Kicks Off in November: The process of creating the world's first set of credible standards for minimizing the key environmental and social impacts of the trout aquaculture industry will begin in November, when the inaugural meeting of the Trout Aquaculture Dialogue is held.

Tue, 21 Oct 2008: UK's ancient woodland being lost 'faster than Amazon': The Guardian's John Vidal comments on a new report by the Woodland Trust that suggests ancient woodland is disappearing faster than the Amazon rainforest. More than 600 ancient woods are threatened by roads, housing, airport expansion, and other planned developments.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008: Hope fades for whale trapped in Loch Eil: A bottlenose whale that strayed into a loch near Fort William has died.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008: Northumbrian Water tidies up the Tyne: The north-east water company is spending £850,000 and six months upgrading sewage pipes and outlows and boost water quality in the River Tyne and Cockshaw Burn.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008: Rare hawkmoth collection appeal success: The Natural History Museum's appeal for a rare collection of more than 200,000 hawkmoths has been a great success. Almost £150,000 was raised from more than 350 generous donations from the public since the appeal began this summer.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008: Norwegians teach Scottish a lesson in protecting salmon: Scottish river professionals are studying the response of their Norwegian counterparts to a deadly parasite called Gyrodactylus Salaris (Gs) that could decimate some of the UK's finest rivers.

Mon, 20 Oct 2008: Barbel head for the River Nene: One and a half thousand barbel are to be released into the River Nene on Wednesday to help boost stocks of the fish. Environment Agency fisheries staff will be releasing the fish at four separate spots along the course of the river to introduce some younger stock into the barbel community.

Sat, 18 Oct 2008: What would the bank-bail out money buy for the environment?: Jon Vidal, writing in The Guardian, asks a timely question about priorities.

Fri, 17 Oct 2008: Better riverbanks at Lemsford Springs: The Environment Agency has been reinforcing the river banks at Lemsford Springs nature reserve, helping to restore this part of the River Lee, encourage biodiversity and support local birdlife.

Thu, 16 Oct 2008: Hope for red squirrels: Scientists have discovered that some red squirrels are becoming immune to a disease spread by their grey, imported cousins.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008: Water companies' pricing review must deliver environmental gain: Natural England, the government's independent advisor on wildlife, today called on water companies to sharpen up their draft business plans to ensure that the Review of Water Pricing for the next five years (the PR09 Review) delivers on its potential to benefit the environment.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008: "There's no business like no business": Anti-capitalism protesters have taken to the streets of the City to protest against government bailout plans for banks.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008: Now wash your hands!: It's UN world handwashing day, an attempt to draw attention to better hygiene and a simple way of saving lives in developing countries. A great idea, but what if you don't have clean water to do it? Let's not forget that 2.5 billion people still lack good sanitation and 1 billion have no safe, clean drinking water.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008: Battle of the aliens: Alien invasive species are much in the news at the moment. This article by the BBC's Rebecca Morelle considers what will happen when two of the better known aliens, Chinese mitten crab and non-native crayfish, extend their range enough to overlap and meet. Potential meeting spots include the River Lee, in the South, and the River Ouse and the Aire in Yorkshire.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008: Aliens flood into British waters: A BBC news slideshow with Jack Sewell and Philine zu Ermgassen looks at the impact of alien invaders.

Mon, 13 Oct 2008: New bug could tackle knotweed: Scientists are seeking permission to release a plant-eating predator that could tackle the invasive plant Japanese knotweed.

Sun, 12 Oct 2008: Pullman calls for rethink on Oxford's Jericho boatyard: A planning inspector has thrown out controversial plans to replace the charming Castle Mill boatyard in Oxford with a monstrous block of flats. Now bestselling Oxford author Philip Pullman has called on the developers to think again.

Fri, 10 Oct 2008: Anglers unite in 2009: Leading angling organizations are going to merge to make a powerful new voice for the sport called The Angling Trust. Mark Lloyd Chief Executive elect of the Angling Trust said: "The formation of the Angling Trust is a very exciting development because it will at long last offer a professional, high-profile and powerful voice for everyone who fishes with rod and line. Anglers must now stand up and be counted--and make it their New Year's resolution to join the new organisation."

Fri, 10 Oct 2008: Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis': BBC correspondent Richard Black reports on a new EU study that prices the annual value of forest loss at $2-$5 trillion, far in excess of the current financial fallout. So, politicians, how about some constructive "panic for the planet"?

Tue, 7 Oct 2008: New safety system to help boaters through Relief Channel: A new Safe Access System is being trialled on the Relief Channel, near Denver, to make it safer for boaters to use the channel. The system was installed as part of the Environment Agency's Waterways improvement project.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: Agency saves hundreds of fish in Cambridgeshire rescue: Officers from the Environment Agency managed to save hundreds of fish in distress at Moreton's Leam Watercourse in Whittlesey. They were able to respond quickly to the situation following phone calls from an Environment Agency lock keeper doing his routine flood work, and from a member of the public.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: River water quality improves for 18th consecutive year: Data released today by the Environment Agency shows that the quality of water in rivers in England and Wales continues to improve.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: What do sharks, butterflies and toads have in common?: Sharks, butterflies, toads, wetlands and woodlands are among the habitats and species due to benefit from major funding as Natural England announces the key conservation projects to receive £5.5m under its Countdown 2010 biodiversity action fund which aims to help some of England's most threatened biodiversity.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: Starbucks accused of water waste: The giant global coffee chain has been accused of leaving taps on all day at its stores.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: New Teignmouth tidal defences revealed: New plans have been drawn up by the Environment Agency to protect the South Devon town of Teignmouth from tidal flooding.

Mon, 6 Oct 2008: A quarter of all mammals face extinction: More bad news in the latest Red List of Threatened Species: populations of half of all mammals are in decline, with Asian primates at serious risk.

Fri, 3 Oct 2008: Water firms defend huge bill hikes: Ofwater, the water regulator, is going to probe planned water bill rises that will exceed the rate of inflation by nine percent.

Fri, 3 Oct 2008: Government tests new schemes to cope with greater surface water flooding: Defra has announced it's making available £300,000 for pilot schemes which will develop new guidance on surface water management plans to cope with anticipated extreme rainfall in the future: "We are seeking expressions of interest from pilot organisations which will need to demonstrate a specific and significant surface water flooding issue and provide evidence that they can test a good proportion of the guidance this financial year."

Fri, 3 Oct 2008: Rossport: Solitare leaves Irish waters with no pipeline laid!: The Shell to Sea campaign, opposing a new Shell pipeline in Ireland, have claimed a major victory following the departure of the pipe laying ship, the Solitaire. During the ship's time in Ireland, doggedly determined protesters ensured Shell failed to lay any part of the offshore pipe line.

Thu, 2 Oct 2008: Rainham Marshes wildlife benefits from rubbish taxes: Money which comes from tax on the waste we throw away will be responsible for an extra £1 million being spent on RSPB conservation efforts. Some of this money will pay for improving around 950 hectares of dwindling historic grazing marshes, an area almost three and a half times the size of the city of London, 150 hectares of this is to be found at Rainham Marshes.

Thu, 2 Oct 2008: Somerset swimmers fight for better river access: The UK's oldest river swimming club wants better access to inland waterways, but landowners represented by the Country Landowners Association (CLA) strongly oppose any change to the status quo.

Wed, 1 Oct 2008: New equipment crucial in North East flood rescues: New rescue equipment purchased only weeks before the Morpeth floods, helped firefighters from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service rescue more than 100 people earlier this month, including many elderly and disabled residents, two babies and domestic pets.

September 2008

Tue, 30 Sep 2008: Water Primrose nipped in the bud: An invasive plant species with the potential to choke UK waterways and increase the risk of flooding is being eradicated by the Environment Agency. Water primrose, or Ludwigia grandiflora, is a native of South America and can spread rapidly in ponds and rivers, threatening other aquatic species. Once established, the plant forms dense mats above and below the water, clogging up waterways, obstructing boats and increasing the risk of flooding.

Tue, 30 Sep 2008: Bag that fat!: Yorkshire Water is the latest to complain about the problem of fat choking sewers, a problem, that cost the company £3 million last year. Like other water companies, it advises people to bag and bin fat instead of washing it down the drain.

Mon, 29 Sep 2008: Cambodian dam threatens rare wildlife: The critically endangered Siamese crocodile is among wildlife threatened by the Chay Areng dam in the Cardamom mountains of Cambodia. Fauna and Flora International (FFI) is one of the groups fighting the scheme.

Mon, 29 Sep 2008: Wildlife photographer of the year 2008: 83 stunning new images have been picked from a record 32,351 entries from 82 countries.

Mon, 29 Sep 2008: New salmon stocks for Staffordshire rivers: The Environment Agency is releasing almost 200,000 young salmon into the Churnet and Dove rivers in Staffordshire (tributaries of the Trent).

Fri, 26 Sep 2008: Surfers say goodbye to Rich Hardy: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are saying goodbye to Campaigns Director Rich Hardy this week. After 6 years of superbly successful campaigning on water pollution, Rich leaves to start working on a range of environmental campaigns for several non-profit organizations.

Fri, 26 Sep 2008: Make every day an FSC day!: WWF has launched the first annual event to encourage consumers to buy wood or paper products with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo. The wildlife group is encouraging everyone to look out for the FSC tick tree logo, which guarantees that products come from well-managed forests with due respect for the environment, the wildlife and the people who live and work in them.

Wed, 24 Sep 2008: New hydro power for Perthshire: A new 2 megawatt hydroelectric station at Keltney Burn near Aberfeldy could make enough power for 1,300 homes.

Mon, 29 Sep 2008: How's your local council doing on the environment?: Defra (the environment ministry) has launched a new website that lets people see how their councils are performing on issues such as litter, detritus, fly-tipping, flyposting and graffiti.

Wed, 24 Sep 2008: Back to the drawing board for SAS surfers: There's only a month to go now until a very special collection of surfboard art goes under the auction hammer at Bonhams to raise money for the water pollution campaign group.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008: Research sheds light on impacts of flood on fish: Rivers disconnected from their floodplains could be having serious consequences for fish and other river life according to a new Environment Agency report. Using state-of-the-art telemetric tagging systems the Environment Agency has investigated what happens to coarse fish like roach, chub and dace in floods and high river flows and found that the disconnection of rivers from their natural floodplains has serious consequences for aquatic life.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008: Research sheds light on impacts of flood on fish: Rivers disconnected from their floodplains could be having serious consequences for fish and other river life according to a new Environment Agency report. Using state-of-the-art telemetric tagging systems the Environment Agency has investigated what happens to coarse fish like roach, chub and dace in floods and high river flows and found that the disconnection of rivers from their natural floodplains has serious consequences for aquatic life.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008: River Maine polluted with diesel: Twenty liters of red diesel have polluted a river in County Antrim.

Tue, 23 Sep 2008: Northumbrian Water fined for river sewage: A spill from the northern-England water company polluted almost four miles of river last autumn.

Fri, 19 Sep 2008: Ownership could save fisheries: Giving fishers ownership rights over the territories they fish is the key to saving stocks, experts now conclude.

Thu, 18 Sep 2008: EU promises full overhaul of fisheries policy: With too many boats and too few fish, the EU has acknowledged it must radically review the Common Fisheries Policy.

Tue, 16 Sep 2008: All the fun of the fayre at RSPB Rainham Marshes: This Saturday 20 September, staff at RSPB Rainham Marshes are inviting you to join them for their biggest event of the year: the Country Fayre. There will be fun for all ages at their nature reserve located off New Tank Hill Road, Purfleet. There'll be something for everyone so it is a day not to missed!

Wed, 10 Sep 2008: Can we hoover CO2 from the atmosphere to save the climate?: One of the world's top climate scientists argues that merely cutting carbon dioxide emissions isn't anything like enough to stop dramatic climate change.

Mon, 15 Sep 2008: MPs urged to commit to environment: The 2008 'Green Standard' review of the three main political parties' performance over the past year has been published by nine leading UK environmental organizations, with over five million supporters.

Mon, 15 Sep 2008: Tap water is better than ever: Latest tap water measurements show 99% of all tests meet the standard, which is the best result since records began 17 years ago.

Sun, 14 Sep 2008: How the Mersey beame the Holy River: Hindus have worshipped at the River Mersey, which they venerate like the Ganges.

Sat, 13 Sep 2008: River Thames festival a big success: Thanks to good weather, this year's London mayor's Thames Festival was another stunning success.

Fri, 12 Sep 2008: CPRE Welcomes Testing of Eco-Towns in the High Court: Countryside campaigners CPRE welcome a judge's decision to carry out a judicial review of the Government’s eco-towns programme.

Thu, 11 Sep 2008: Remembering the floods of 1968: Forty years ago heavy thunderstorms were sweeping across South East England, flooding more than 14,000 properties, washing away bridges and shutting down roads and phone lines. The Environment Agency looks back.

Thu, 11 Sep 2008: Where are all the hen harriers?: Numbers of hen harriers (England's most threatened bird of prey) are flat lining with no sign of a recovery. Latest figures from the RSPB and Natural England show the English population bumping along the bottom, with just 10 successful nests from 19 attempts in 2008.

Wed, 10 Sep 2008: Did negligence cause devastating Indian floods?: An inquiry has been ordered to find the cause of floods in the Indian state of Bihar last month.

Wed, 10 Sep 2008: Seahorses on the rise: Good news in the latest report on seahorses, but still some cause for concern.

Tue, 9 Sep 2008: Water voles win the lottery in Cambridgeshire: A grant of £50,000 will help to improve water vole habitat and control mink.

Tue, 9 Sep 2008: Climate Wrongs and Human Rights: In failing to tackle climate change with urgency, rich countries are effectively violating the human rights of millions of the world’s poorest people, according to Oxfam.

Tue, 9 Sep 2008: A great kite-flying day: This winter, the RSPB is offering the public a unique chance to see dozens of scarce red kites in the air at once over the East Midlands. In an entirely natural spectacle, visitors on a series of guided winter walks will witness up to 100 of the impressive birds of prey at a local evening roosting site. Red kites were persecuted to extinction in England by the end of the 19th century but were reintroduced to Rockingham Forest thirteen years ago by the RSPB, English Nature and Forestry Commission.

Tue, 9 Sep 2008: New spring water treatment for eczema: Rivers never cease to surprise. According to the British Journal of Dermatology, bacteria in spring water could help people suffering from the irritating skin disease.

Mon, 8 Sep 2008: Rossport: The Time is Now: The week ending 31st August saw Rossport Solidarity camp reborn and the week of action against offshore pipeline work extended.

Mon, 8 Sep 2008: Alaska: Gold or fish?: Which will win: the vast new deposit of gold and copper or one of the world's last great runs of Pacific salmon?

Mon, 8 Sep 2008: Why the West should plant trees to slow climate change: In an interesting article for BBC News, Ghana's President Bharrat Jagdeo sets out his vision of reducing climate change by cutting tropical deforestation.

Mon, 8 Sep 2008: New plans to cut farm nitrates entering rivers: Farm "Nitrate vulnerable zones" in England will be extended from 55% to around 70% under new regulations published by Defra. From January 2009, farmers in NVZs will have to step up action to cut the amount of nitrates from fertiliser and manures that get into rivers. The revised Action Programme will include restricting the times of year that fertiliser can be spread on land and storing excess manure.

Fri, 5 Sep 2008: Pollution prevention boom to be tested on Thames: A large boom, which stops the spread of pollution, will be used on the River Thames on Thursday 18 September 2008 as part of an Environment Agency training exercise. The Environment Agency regularly practices its response to incidents and this exercise will be testing its staff and equipment in responding to a major pollution incident. The Thames Boom will be deployed between 10am-12pm near Sunbury Lock on the River Thames.

Thu, 4 Sep 2008: Quit those anchovies, NOW!: The Marine Conservation Society has added anchovies to its list of fish to avoid eating.

Wed, 3 Sep 2008: Trail-blazing patrol boat on the crest of a wave!: Its a lean, mean, hi-tech fisheries enforcement machine! A year after entering service, the Environment Agency's new patrol vessel, "Proteus", has already proved its worth and is living up to its name.

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Northern Ireland Water fined for polluting river: Another river company has been fined for a sewage spill. This one hit a tributary of Belfast's River Lagan.

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Clean water campaigners welcome teachers back to school with free schools pollution resource: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) are hoping to make the new school year a little easier with a free Key Stage 2 (KS2) resource. Designed with cool, animated characters, it's called Save Our Seas (SOS).

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Sewage spill kills protected fish in the New Forest: Bartley Water at Ashurst has turned milky following a sewage pumping spill, killing hundreds of fish, including protected bullhead and brook lamprey.

Tue, 2 Sep 2008: Thames Water rapped over Abingdon Reservoir: The Environment Agency has told Thames to it must revise its plans and properly demonstrate need for a huge new reservoir in Oxfordshire.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Kayaking for the climate: WWF Ambassador and Lewis Gordon Pugh, was the first person to swim 1km at the North Pole last summer: he is now extreme kayaking in the Arctic to raise awareness about climate change.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: India: millions in flood misery: Around 2.5 million people have been displaced after the floods that ravaged eastern India.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Australia: tales of woe from the Murray: Some first-hand accounts of how people who depend on the Murray-Darling river system are suffering as Australia experiences its worst drought in 100 years.

Mon, 1 Sep 2008: Rod licence money funds new Forest of Dean angling facilities: The Environment Agency has invested £8,000 of rod licence money in new facilities for disabled anglers on the bottom lake at Cannop Ponds, near Lydney in the Forest of Dean.

August 2008

Fri, 29 Aug 2008: Budding canoeists take to the water: The official opening of the new slipway and canoe launching point on the River Glen at Surfleet was a big success, with about 30 children and adults having a go at canoeing.

Fri, 29 Aug 2008: Tranquillity: action on roads needed for healthy lives: Tranquillity is vital if we want to live healthy lives. This is the verdict of a key report on road noise in the countryside.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008: Fishing Technology That's Letting Turtles Off the Hook: Alternative fishing technology has been shown to save turtles while not affecting fish catches, according to a report released today by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC). The report demonstrates how changing from the classic J hook to circular hooks, providing adequate training and tools to release turtles accidentally hooked and enhancing sustainable fishing practices, can dramatically reduce incidental catch (bycatch) of marine turtles without impacting fishing activity.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008: Bills on the rise call for acting water wise: With water companies bidding to increase customer bills by up to 25%, more must be done to guarantee supplies that meet our region's needs, says the South East England Regional Assembly's Planning Committee.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008: The Rhone: France's poisoned river: Chemical plants have a toxic legacy in the Rhone, the river that flows through Lyon, Avignon and the Camargue nature reserve.

Sat, 23 Aug 2008: Water on tap: There's a good, meaty article about the ups and downs of bottled water versus tapwater from Elizabeth Royte in The Guardian.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Knives are out for the American crayfish: The aggressive American crayfish is threatening native crayfish on the Afon Llwyd in Torfaen, Wales.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Register your boat and keep rivers afloat!: The Environment Agency reminds boaters that paying their license fee is vital to maintaining our waterways for their pleasure and its future. "As the money from navigation fees is ploughed back into our waterways and facilities for boaters, those who benefit from them need to contribute," says Stuart Taylor, Policy Manager for Recreation and Navigation at the Environment Agency. "We use the licensing money to improve and maintain the navigation and lock structures as well as providing facilities such as sewage disposal, water points and electricity charging points. Boaters' contributions are crucial to do so."

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Finding better timbers for water projects: New research into the properties of alternative timbers will help those in the marine and freshwater construction industry make their work more sustainable, according to the Environment Agency.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Have bridges, will thrive: BBC News Magazine looks at the economic and social benefits of building new bridges.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Anaerobic digestion is a load of rubbish: An anaerobic digestion plant in Ludlow, which takes food waste from the town and turns it into electricity and compost, was described as "the way forward" by Minister for Waste, Joan Ruddock when she visited the site last week.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: Stemming the tide of cotton bud sticks: Clean water campaigners Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) and the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) are delighted with the news that six major retailers have agreed to implement new labelling on cotton bud packaging following persuasive action by both groups. The new measures will encourage customers to 'Think Before They Flush', and help prevent these items from washing up on the nation's beaches. There are now 10 major retailers currently using or about to phase-in the clearer labelling across the UK.

Thu, 21 Aug 2008: River management and climate change adaptation must go hand in hand: Managers and stakeholders in freshwater systems need to stop talking about adaptation to climate change and start taking action, WWF, the conservation organisation, told World Water Week in Stockholm today. Launching WWF's report, "Water for life: Lessons for climate change adaptation from better management of rivers for people and nature", WWF freshwater researcher Jamie Pittock said climate adaptation strategies that neglected freshwater systems were asking for trouble.

Fri, 22 Aug 2008: UK people use 4645 litres of water a day EACH!: Factor in "hidden" sources, like the water needed for food and clothing, and we're each using a huge and totally unsustainable amount of water.

Wed, 20 Aug 2008: Why growers need more water: Colin Chartres, director-general of the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI), argues that freshwater is being overlooked as a cause of food scarcity and environmental degradation.

Tue, 19 Aug 2008: Dolphins teach tail-walking: A wild dolphin is teaching her friends how to tail-walk (an activity normal only seen in captive dolphins).

Tue, 19 Aug 2008: Free fly fishing for the family in Wales: Dating back to the time of the ancient Romans, fly fishing has become one of the most popular and enjoyable forms of fishing enjoyed by anglers throughout Britain. For those who fancy learning the ropes, or rather how to cast a line, taster sessions are being offered on the 20 and 21 August. The Environment Agency has teamed up with the Get Hooked on Fishing Charity to offer a fantastic free fly fishing session for the whole family at Llyn Clywedog in mid Wales.

Tue, 19 Aug 2008: Urban wastewater threatens world's farms: Polluted wastewater is causing urgent problems for irrigation, especially in developing countries, according to a new report.

Mon, 18 Aug 2008: Legal protection for rare pool frog: From 1 October 2008, the pool frog together with the lesser whirlpool ram's-horn snail and the Fisher's estuarine moth will be legally protected through the Habitats Regulations from being killed, taken, injured, disturbed, owned or sold, or having their resting or breeding places destroyed.

Mon, 18 Aug 2008: Otter drowned in illegal trap in Devon: The Environment Agency has warned of the dangers of illegal fish traps after an adult otter was found dead in a trap on the River Tamar.

Mon, 18 Aug 2008: Thank Madonna for new Thames bridge: Visitors to this year's Reading Festival will be able to cross the River Thames on a bridge made from one of Madonna's old stages.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008: Wild trout fishing on the River Ebble: Do you want it?: There are just a few weeks to go for people who live in the Salisbury area to let the Environment Agency know what they think about plans to turn the river Ebble into a wild trout fishing river (one of the few in England).

Fri, 15 Aug 2008: Climate Change Affects UK's Birds, says report: Climate change is causing a number of widespread British birds to lay their eggs much earlier than 40 years ago, that's just one of the trends revealed in the latest State of the UK's Birds report, an annual publication produced by a coalition of conservation organisations looking at the fortunes of the UK's bird populations.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008: Olympic swimsuit mimics shark skin: Olympic star Michael Phelps can thank sharks for some of his success. The Speedo LZR Racer suit, worn by the eight-times gold medal winner is the result of many years of research, including the study of preserved sharks at the Natural History Museum.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008: Dead zones spread across the oceans: According to a new report, there are now more than 400 dead zones suffocating coastal waters and posing as great a threat to marine life as overfishing and climate change.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008: How big should a water strider's feet be?: Science magazine has an interesting article explaining how a French physicist has calculated the optimum size for keeping a water strider's feet balanced by surface tension.

Wed, 13 Aug 2008: On a planet 4C hotter, all we can prepare for is extinction: Wise words from wise old bird Oliver Tickell, writing in The Guardian, who argues that it's high time we went beyond Kyoto.

Wed, 13 Aug 2008: Shell's oil sands greenwash won't wash with the ASA: The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld WWF's complaint against an advert placed by Shell in the Financial Times earlier this year, which suggested that oil sands were a sustainable energy source. The ASA (the independent body responsible for regulating UK advertising) branded the advert 'misleading', due to its ambiguous use of the word 'sustainable'.

Tue, 12 Aug 2008: Environment Agency calls for partnership work to protect salmon and sea trout: A new strategy through to 2021 to help protect the iconic salmon and sea trout from the complex environmental challenges they face has just been launched by the new Environment Agency Chairman Lord Chris Smith.

Tue, 12 Aug 2008: Have a go at canoeing: The opening of a new slipway at Surfleet on the River Glen is being celebrated with an opportunity to try free canoe taster sessions being run by a British Canoe Union (BCU) coach.

Tue, 12 Aug 2008: New Hope for Threatened Thurrock Marshes: Royal Mail has confirmed to Buglife that it has formally abandoned plans to build on West Thurrock Marshes the fantastic haven for endangered bugs near the Thames crossing at Dartford. This follows Buglife's high profile campaign to 'Stop them stamping out our wildlife' earlier this year when Buglife produced their own versions of invertebrate-themed stamps, and asked the public to write to Royal Mail to ask them not to build on the site.

Tue, 12 Aug 2008: Good and bad news for world's whales: Some large whale species, including the humpback, are now less threatened with extinction, according to the cetacean update of the 2008 IUCN Red List. Most small coastal and freshwater cetaceans, however, are moving closer to extinction. River dolphins are among the most threatened cetaceans.

Mon, 11 Aug 2008: How mating fish throw rivals off the scent: Humans aren't the only devious creatures when it comes to sexual behaviour. There's a fascinating experiment reported in the latest issue of Current Biology. When male fish are put together in a tank, they pretend to be attracted to less appealing females to distract their rivals.

Mon, 11 Aug 2008: Natural England calls for water companies to clean up their act as part of pricing review: According to Natural England: "The review of water company prices presents a real opportunity for water companies to deliver environmental improvements to benefit people and wildlife. They need to do more to provide sustainable, high quality water supplies that are more resilient to drought and that safeguard wildlife and the natural environment."

Mon, 11 Aug 2008: How would a flea compare against a bushbaby in an Animal Olympics?: Olympic fever has begun. But have you ever wondered how different animals would do if they competed against each other? An event at the Natural History Museum this week aims to find out.

Sun, 10 Aug 2008: Motorboaters oppose tax with Medway protest: A dozen digruntled motorboaters held a protest this Sunday over fuel tax plans.

Sun, 10 Aug 2008: Australia: Seawater flooding may be only hope for Murray lakes: A highly controversial injection of seawater (something like 1000 Olympic swimming pools full) may be the only hope for the Murray's dying ecosystem.

Fri, 8 Aug 2008: Volunteers tackle Pennwort on east of England rivers: A brigade of eager volunteers are laying waste to invasive floating pennywort on rivers in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Thu, 7 Aug 2008: Prepare for the four degrees: It's not a new pop group: it's a warning from UK government scientific adviser (and former IPCC chair) Bob Watson that climate change could enter the danger zone.

Wed, 6 Aug 2008: Your chance to help shape the future of water-based sport and recreation in the East of England: Are you interested in outdoor activities such as canoeing, sailing, rowing, diving, angling or even wakeboarding? If the answer is yes, you now have a golden opportunity to comment on a special study being carried out by the Environment Agency into the future of water-based sports and recreation in the region.

Wed, 6 Aug 2008: More twittering about litter: CPRE President Bill Bryson is having another public crack at the problem of lazy littering.

Wed, 6 Aug 2008: Discover wildlife on the Mersey this summer: When you mention Liverpool, most people would probably think of its football teams or lively music scene. But Liverpool has a less well-known gem: its spectacular marine wildlife. According to RSPB: "The Liverbird Wildlife Discovery Cruises aboard the Mersey Ferries will excite even the most experienced wildlife explorer."

Tue, 5 Aug 2008: Try fishing in High Wycombe: On Thursday 7 August 2008, the Environment Agency will be holding a free summer angling event at the Rye Dyke in High Wycombe. The day will run from 9:30am-4:30pm and is aimed at local people interested in trying out one of England's most popular pastimes.

Tue, 5 Aug 2008: Staffordshire crayfish colony wiped out: A colony of crayfish living in the River Manifold near Wetton Mill, Staffordshire has been destroyed. According to the Environment Agency, crayfish plague is to blame.

Mon, 4 Aug 2008: Everything hinges on stopping coal, says Monbiot: Guardian writer and campaigner George Monbiot makes the climate case against so-called "clean coal".

Mon, 4 Aug 2008: Filthy Welsh beaches reopen: Beaches at Rhyl and Prestatyn have reopened after an accidental sewage spill.

Mon, 4 Aug 2008: Dead zones: How Agricultural Fertilizers Kill our Rivers, Lakes and Oceans: Dr Reyes Tirado of the Greenpeace Laboratories in Exeter has produced a glossy 25-page summary report into agricultural water pollution, which includes case studies from around the world and explores some mitigation options. The full report is a 14MB PDF file so it could take time to download with a slow connection.

Sun, 3 Aug 2008: "Licensed to pollute" our rivers: An article in The Sunday Times reveals how the Environment Agency licenses water companies to pump and dump "unlimited amounts of raw sewage" into coastal waters and rivers through 3500 overflow pipes. According to the Marine Conservation Society, it's a "licence to pollute".

Fri, 1 Aug 2008: UK in denial over emissions: Two new reports point out the shakiness of Kyoto climate figures: UK emissions have actually risen by 13%, not fallen by 13% as the "official" Kyoto position claims.

Fri, 1 Aug 2008: Underwater paradise discovered in London: Tropical lagoons teeming with unusual sea life covered London and northwest Europe 50 million years ago, according to an international team, including Natural History Museum scientists.

Fri, 1 Aug 2008: Renewables and energy efficiency could plug the 'energy gap': If the Government is serious about renewables and energy efficiency, Britain doesn't need to build major new power stations to keep the lights on. That is the conclusion of a new report by independent energy experts Pöyry for WWF and Greenpeace.

July 2008

Thu, 31 Jul 2008: River Slea: a great place to fish: An Environment Agency survey has shown that the number and variety of fish in the River Slea has returned to normal, five years after a pollution incident decimated populations.

Thu, 31 Jul 2008: Support for flood risk households: Defra has today set out plans to contribute at least £5 million to a scheme to support households in England which face a particularly high risk of flooding but which are not protected by traditional community level defences. The funding comes on top of any help already provided by local authorities, the insurance industry and households themselves.

Wed, 30 Jul 2008: Northern Ireland must "punish river polluters more severely": SDLP South Antrim MLA Thomas Burns has urged Northern Ireland's Minister of the Environment to do more to punish offenders after it emerged that the Glenavy River has been polluted 76 times in the last ten years.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Dead fish in a River Wye tributary being investigated: Environment Agency Wales are investigating the cause of death of nearly 1000 young salmon and trout (fry) in the Rhyd Hir brook, a tributary of the River Wye in Rhayader.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Russians dive deep in Lake Baikal: Russian scientists have reached the bottom of the world's deepest freshwater lake in Siberia.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Unconventional oil could cost us the earth: With oil prices soaring, investing in unconventional fuel sources (such as oil sands or oil shale) could appear to be an attractive option, but according to a new report by WWF and the Co-operative Financial Services (CFS), such investments are both environmentally and economically unsustainable and can only serve to undermine international efforts to combat climate change.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Punters get police protection on the River Cam: Whatever next: the police are helping to protect punters from young river hooligans in Cambridge.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Stranded whale safely freed from Forth Estuary: Volunteers have helped to free a minke whale that became stranded on mudflats two miles up the River Forth.

Tue, 29 Jul 2008: Alien seaweed strikes Loch Sunart: Yes, those pesky aliens are back. This time attention is focused on a Japanese seaweed (Heterosiphonia japonica) spotted off the Isle of Oronsay, near Loch Sunart.

Mon, 28 Jul 2008: Dolphins at risk in Broadhaven Bay: Shell's controversial pipeline project continues to cause consternation for campaigners at Glengad.

Mon, 28 Jul 2008: New ways to tackle illegal wildlife poisoning: A renewed campaign to protect wild animals from illegal poisoning by pesticides has been launched by Farming Minister, Jeff Rooker. Over the next three years the Campaign Against Illegal Poisoning will focus on preventing poisoning, educating people against accidental poisoning, and improved detection of poisoning cases. The Campaign is a joint partnership by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Natural England, the Countryside Alliance, British Association for Shooting and Conservation, and the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Mon, 28 Jul 2008: Report shows water efficiency can help save money and the environment: Saving water in the home can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lead to lower energy and water bills, according to a new report from the Environment Agency. It shows how the water industry and householders can significantly reduce emissions through smarter energy and water use.

Mon, 28 Jul 2008: River volunteers go searching for aliens: Volunteers are working alongside the Environment Agency, Bristol City and South Gloucestershire councils to stop the non-native invasive weeds (including Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed) which are threatening to choke Bristol waterways.

Sun, 27 Jul 2008: Otter watching on the River Blyth: Forget cheap weekend flights to foreign cities: the real treasures are on your doorstep, as Jessica Aldred discovers on a nature-watching weekend in Northumberland.

Thu, 24 Jul 2008: Cooking the climate books: As we've reported here once or twice (or fifty times), the UK government continues to fiddle the figures on climate change. George Monbiot's latest exposé in The Guardian is well worth a read.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008: Have a go at fishing this week: The Environment Agency will be supporting events taking place in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire this week to try and encourage more people to have a go at fishing. The events are being held as part of National Fishing Week, a week dedicated to the sport of angling, with hundreds of events being organised across the country. The week runs from Saturday 19 to Sunday 27 July and aims to encourage newcomers to the sport to have a go, and invites those who have not fished for years a chance to take up the sport again.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008: Comprehensive audit of natural resources announced: A wide-ranging review of England's wildlife, habitats and ecosystems has been launched by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. The two year project will result in the most comprehensive picture ever of our natural environment, the benefits it provides to society, and how it is changing.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008: Four cheers for Tony Juniper: As Andy Atkins takes over the helm at Friends of the Earth, we send cheers, thanks, and best wishes to outgoing chief Tony Juniper, whose accessible, indefatigable campaigning has helped to keep the environment near the top of the political agenda over the last few years.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008: River Tees seal colony breaks record: A colony of about 70 seals on the River Tees has produced 12 pups this year.

Sun, 20 July 2008: Thousands flock to Glasgow river festival: Good weather helped the huge river festival on the Clyyde this weekend.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008: Watersports boost for Tees: Stockton Council wants to boost water sports on a 13-mile stretch of the Tees.

Sat, 19 Jul 2008: River Ellen chemical spill identified: The Environment Agency has located the source of a spill that killed 4000 fish, including salmon and trout.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008: Thank fish you can talk: New research reported in Science suggests how the basic structures involved in speaking first appeared in fish 400 million years ago.

Thu, 17 Jul 2008: Development Pressures Risk Changing the Face of the South East: CPRE has criticized new development plans for southern England: "Disappointingly the Government has stuck to its targets for very high rates of growth and development in the South East region. This is despite the clearly expressed views of residents, that development pressures must be moderated. Such rates of growth will change the face of the region and damage the environment, countryside and quality of life."

Wed, 16 Jul 2008: Natural England sets its 'green test' for new developments: Wildlife rich green spaces must be at the heart of all new development for the benefit of the natural environment and people's health and wellbeing, Natural England has saud, as 20 new Growth Points around the country are announced by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008: Thames faces floods and droughts: People living within the Thames basin face increased risk of floods and droughts as the landscape changes as a result of climate change, according to a new WWF-UK report. The Thames Vulnerability Assessment Report shows that changes in weather patterns will lead to a decline in the number of plants, fish and other animals.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008: Seas come to life around Lundy: The UK's only no-fishing zone around Lundy has been a major boon for marine wildlife.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008: SAS beach cleaners go on tour: Fancy Cleaning up your Beach? The first week of the school holidays sees Surfers Against Sewage on the road and coming to a beach near you, along with the nice people from Barefoot Wine. The tour dates are: Porthtowan, Cornwall (28th July), Porthcawl, Wales (29th July), Bournemouth (30th July), Brighton (31st July), Cromer (1st August), Tynemouth (2nd August).

Tue, 15 Jul 2008: Diary of Colorado River drought: BBC correspondent Matthew Price is travelling down the Colorado River this week, posting a diary about the river's troubles.

Tue, 15 Jul 2008: Alien mussel invaders defeated by 'Wanted' poster: The Countryside Council for Wales has tackled an invasive species in the Menai Strait with tactics straight out of a Hollywood western!

Tue, 15 Jul 2008: Mystery insect found in Museum garden: An insect, not seen in the UK before, has been discovered living in the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Garden.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008: Watch the waters this summer: The usual safety warnings this summer: "The Environment Agency is urging youngsters planning to go fishing, cycle or simply hang out with friends down by their local river over the summer holidays to be aware of the dangers posed by fast-currents, weirs and locks, cold water, and unstable riverbanks." Fair enough, but how about some decent labelling of rivers and inland waters where it is safe to swim? How about greater designation of inland bathing waters in the UK?

Mon, 14 Jul 2008: Agency investigates Somerset trout kill: Hundreds of trout have died in a pollution incident on the Pill River in West Somerset. A mystery pollutant has wiped out the entire fish population on a four mile stretch of river between the village of Withycombe and Blue Anchor near Minehead.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008: Swan uppers raise fears of high Thames: The annual swan upping takes place this week, with the Queen's Swan Marker expressing fears that high water levels in the Thames could be affecting the birds' breeding.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008: Prepare yourselves for flooding: On Monday 14th July, the Environment Agency advised a conference in Gloucester how they could be prepared to cope with the risks of flooding in the future. Paul Tullett, Area Manager West, told the conference that as the impacts of flooding cannot be stopped, people at risk need to take some responsibility for preparing themselves, especially with the likelihood of more frequent flooding as climate change occurs.

Sun, 13 Jul 2008: Two books on overfishing reviewed: The Observer's Alex Renton "compares and contrasts" two books on the fish crisis: "The Last Fish Tale: The Fate of the Atlantic and Our Disappearing Fisheries" by Mark Kurlansky and "Bottomfeeder: How the Fish on our Plates Is Killing the Planet" by Taras Grescoe. In Renton's view, Grescoe wins by a whisker.

Sat, 12 Jul 2008: Shakeup of water abstraction will protect rivers and hit consumers: A somewhat mistitled piece in The Guardian ("Water bills rise to save wildlife") reveals major changes in how water companies plunder our rivers.

Thu, 11 Jul 2008: Agreement on flood insurance is good news for customers, says government: Millions of householders and businesses will continue to receive long term flood cover after an agreement was reached between insurers and the Government. Defra and Treasury ministers met with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) yesterday to finalise a deal which will ensure flood insurance remains widely available for homes and small businesses..

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Overfishing is even worse than we thought: According to a report at the International Coral Reef Symposium this week, subsistence and recreational fishing is almost completely unreported in official catch statistics.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Cambodian dolphin fights for survival: BBC reporter Guy Delauney reports on efforts to save another threatened species.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: New Darlington water sculpture: Darlington Arts Centre has an impressive new sculpture using stainless steel and falling water.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008: Daleks triumph over blackbirds: The Daily Mail bemoans a TV generation more likely to recognize daleks than garden birds.

Tue, 8 Jul 2008: Trawlermen cling on as oceans empty of fish... and the ecosystem is gasping: George Monbiot writes: "The oil price now seems to be all that stands between us and runaway climate change, it is also the only factor which offers a glimmer of hope to the world's marine ecosystems."

Tue, 8 Jul 2008: G8 leaders fail on climate goals says WWF: Enough hot air from world leaders. WWF has criticised the Group of Eight (G8) leaders on their failure to boost international climate negotiations at their summit in the city of Toyako in Japan. WWF is concerned at their lack of commitment to mid-term targets to control climate change and judges the goal to reduce global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 50% by 2050 to be insufficient.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008: Sheffield tackles river litter: The Environment Agency and Sheffield City Council are working to blitz dirty bits of the city's rivers and brooks.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008: Wetlands hold the key to protecting our past and future: Large areas of wetland need to be created, protected and restored across England in the next 50 years if the country is to meet the challenges of the future. The call comes from the Wetland Vision Partnership, an alliance of conservationists and government agencies, including the RSPB, The Wildlife Trusts, Natural England, the Environment Agency and English Heritage.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008: Bedford River Festival will be "best yet": The Bedford River Festival on 12-13 July 2008 will be the biggest and best yet, say the organisers.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008: Construction resumes on the River Frome fish pass project: A partnership project by the Environment Agency and the Frome, Piddle and West Dorset Fisheries Association to help salmon migrate up the River Frome is back on track. The project will construct a fish pass on a weir at Louds Mill in Dorchester. At the moment fish have extreme difficulty in leaping over the weir to reach better spawning grounds upstream. This is important for their survival in the Frome.

Sat, 5 Jul 2008: Campaigners Celebrate Victory On EU Seal Ban: Good news for campaigners on the proposed EU ban on the import on seal products from Canada. The EU's Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas has just announced to EU ministers that legislation for a trade ban on all seal products from Canada will come into force in a matter of weeks.

Wed, 2 Jul 2008: What's involved in extreme kayaking?: A quick look at what you need to consider before taking the plunge.

Wed, 2 Jul 2008: Another hefty fine for Severn Trent: The beleagured Midlands water company has just been hit with another huge fine for providing false information about leaks.

Wed, 2 Jul 2008: Battle to save lock-keepers' cottagers: Campaigners are fighting Environment Agency plans to close some lock-keepers cottages, claiming safety will be put at risk in pursuit of profit.

Wed, 2 Jul 2008: Carbon Capture and Storage policy: WWF responds: The Government has opened a new public consultation on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) policy, seeking views on the proposed EU legislation on regulation of CCS and on what the term 'CCS Ready' might mean in practice.

Tue, 1 Jul 2008: Living by Ethiopia's sewage canal: BBC News looks at the realities of poor sanitation in Addis Ababa.

Tue, 1 Jul 2008: Local areas will tackle environmental challenges: According to Defra, local authorities are increasingly taking on the burden of tackling eco problems at the local level.

Tue, 1 Jul 2008: Tesco Blight Threat Battle Begins: The ability of communities to prevent damaging supermarket development will be tested in a key public inquiry which starts this week near the Norfolk town of Sheringham. The result could have implications for the future of supermarket development right across the country says the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE).

Mon, 30 Jun 2008: First study into greenhouse gas emissions from farms: The first study of its kind to provide detailed measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from farms in England has revealed big differences from one agricultural sector to another.

Fri, 27 Jun 2008: Sea Shepherd announces new whale defense campaign: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has officially announced plans to return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to once again oppose illegal Japanese whaling activities.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008: Bug forum launches at Museum: Coinciding with National Insect Week , the Bug forum will help the National History Insect Identification Service to answer some of the thousands of enquires it gets each year.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008: A third of world "fish" are demoted!: The new World Register of Marine Species contains about 122,500 validated marine species names, with experts having recognized and tidied up some 56,400 aliases (32% of all names reviewed). It also contains some 5,600 images, hyperlinks to taxonomic literature and other information. The project is half way to its goal of realizing a complete inventory of marine species by October 2010.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008: Remembering the 2007 floods: The BBC looks back on the wettest summer on record (so far!) with charts, videos, and news archive material.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008: SAS Makes Beaches Barefoot Friendly: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) have teamed up with Barefoot wine to launch a nationwide beach clean-up tour this summer. The week-long anti beach litter tour will encourage people to get down to their local beach and do their bit to make it clean and safe for all to enjoy.

Wed, 25 June 2008: Hope fading for Clyde dolphin: Conservationists are trying to help a dolphin that swam up the River Clyde this weekend.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008: Invent an insect!: Are you under 13 years old? Do you love drawing and colouring? Do you think you could invent your very own insect? If so, then Buglife and National Insect Week have the perfect competition for you!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008: CCTV aims at Ribble poachers: Poachers on the River Ribble in Lancashire are being targetted with CCTV surveillance. Whatever next...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008: South west rivers: your chance to ask the experts about flood defences: Members of the public will have a chance to find out more about flood defences in Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset at a meeting organised by the Environment Agency.

Mon, 23 Jun 2008: May 2008 rod licence proscutions: Over 200 anglers were brought in front of the courts by the Environment Agency in May for fishing without a valid rod licence, resulting in more than £35,000 in fines and costs. Guilty defendants had to fork out an average of £150 each, which is the equivalent of buying a coarse rod licence six times over.

Sat, 21 Jun 2008: Plant the seed of outdoor enjoyment: get your kids into the garden!: Gardens across England, large or small, can be havens for wildlife and are great places to get children interested in the natural environment, Natural England has said, as it hosts the 2008 Wildlife Gardening Conference at the Zoological Society in London.

Fri, 20 Jun 2008: Flood protection measures for homes and businesses: The Government has outlined plans to assist individuals and businesses to better protect their property from the impacts of flooding. Environment Secretary Hilary Benn visited a flood affected neighbourhood in Leeds to see first-hand how the impacts of flooding on homes and businesses can be reduced.

Fri, 20 Jun 2008: Lyme Bay to become haven for underwater wildlife: Damaging fishing practices using trawls and dredges will be banned in 60 sq nautical miles of Lyme Bay from early July. Recreational sea angling and diving, as well as traditional methods of harvesting scallops by hand and collecting lobsters and crabs in pots will remain, and could thrive as a result.

Wed, 18 Jun 2008: Australia: Murray-Darling river basin faces disaster: A chronic lack of rainfall is threatening parts of the Murray-Darling basin beyond recovery.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008: New swing bridge for River Hull: A spanking new £6.6 million swing footbridge has been approved by the government.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008: Government announces draft floods and water bill: According to Defra: "The country will be better prepared to deal with surface water flooding in the future, under new plans to be set out in the Draft Floods and Water Bill. The Environment Agency will take a new strategic overview role for all forms of flood risk management throughout the country, while local authorities will take the lead for surface water flooding in their own communities, supported by the Agency."

Mon, 16 June 2008: Environment Agency Wales launches new water recreation strategy: Environment Agency Wales is encouraging people to take to the waters this Summer with the launch of a new water recreation strategy. It explains how to use the waters safely and responsibly in a way that won't damage the environment and recognises the rights of fellow users. Going fishing, sailing, canoeing, gorge walking or simply paddling with the children are all included in the strategy, which promotes water recreation as a great way of getting fit whilst enjoying some amazing outdoor scenery.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008: Mark Lynas' climate book wins prestigious science prize: Six Degrees, a book about the mounting impacts of climate change, has won the Royal Society Prize for Science Books 2008.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008: Maidstone River Festival refuses to die!: A massive "Well done!" to the organisers of the long-standing Kent festival who have refused to cancel this year's festival following a dispute over police charges. Maidstone River Festival returns on Saturday 26 July 2008 and long may it continue.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008: Pond-dipping still a firm favourite: Children got the chance to discover the creatures lurking in the depths of a South Tyneside pond on Sunday 15 June, when they went pond dipping at Monkton Pond. The event involved the children using nets to sweep the pond and collect the small organisms in trays. They then looked at the creatures and identified them with the help of experts and ID charts, before returning them to their home.

Mon, 16 Jun 2008: China: flooded Yellow River could burst its banks: The risk of another natural disaster looms large, following heavy rain in north China.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008: Reducing flooding naturally: one year on from 2007 summer floods: The key to long-term, cost effective flood prevention could be held in England's National Parks and farmland landscapes. Thriving wetlands, restored peat bogs and free-flowing rivers are recommended by Natural England to reduce the harmful effects of flooding. By increasing the natural capacity of the countryside to absorb and hold excess water, we can help to slow run-off and dramatically decrease the risk of flooding.

Fri, 13 Jun 2008: Coal is unlucky for everyone: Friday 13th proved unlucky for Drax. Climate protestors halted a coal train carrying fuel for Drax power station in Yorkshire, the single biggest source of CO2 in the UK. Dressed in white overalls and canary outfits, the protestors used safety signals to stop the train on a bridge overlooking the power station, before climbing on board and dumping coal off onto the tracks.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008: Tidal options on the Severn: The BBC's Mark Kinver looks at tidal barrages and tidal lagoons and reviews the arguments for and against.

Wed, 11 June 2008: New initiative to boost Atlantic salmon: A new project is aiming to address threats to Atlantic salmon in Scottish rivers including the Tay, Tweed, Dee, Spey and South Esk.

Wed, 11 June 2008: Strathclyde Loch open for business again: Strathclyde Loch has been declared safe again after a recent algal bloom.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008: Dolphins may have been "scared to death": The dolphins that died after becoming trapped in Cornish rivers this weekend may have been scared ashore, experts believe.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008: Another wash-out for Ouse Washes breeding birds: Floods over the meadows of the Ouse Washes have wiped out the nesting season for wading birds for a second successive year. Several hundred pairs of ground-nesting waders (lapwings, redshanks and snipe) have lost eggs or recently hatched chicks.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008: Ban balloon races, conservationists say again: The Marine Conservation Society is renewing its campaign against balloon races, which can kill wildlife. We've been supporting this campaign for a decade. See our education pages for more.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008: Kids get creative for World Environment Day: On 7 June, the Environment Agency got creative with Ishango Science and Technology after School Club in Birmingham. Children had the task of creating award winning art that was also environmentally friendly to celebrate World Environment Day.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008: Environment Agency reports 12 months on since the summer floods: Nearly 12 months on since unprecedented rainfall led to widespread flooding in England and parts of Wales, the Environment Agency has completed 34 flood defences to increase protection to more than 30,000 homes and signed up 73,000 more people to its free flood warning service.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008: Rod licence blitz brings positive results: More than 8,200 anglers were checked for a valid rod licence by Environment Agency officers over the May Bank Holiday, with the evasion rate continuing to fall for the fourth year in a row.

Tue, 10 Jun 2008: Surfers' covert film exposes plastic pellet's route from factory to beach litter: To mark World Environment Day, Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) investigators have released a film that exposes poor industry practice from plastic injection moulding factories, which is leading to a pollution epidemic of the nation's waterways and coastline.

Mon, 9 Jun 2008: New protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon: The Brazilian government has announced the creation of three new protected areas in the Amazon to mark World Environment Day. This comes just a month after the creation of four other protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon. Together, these seven protected areas will protect 5.8 million hectares of Amazonian forests.

Tue, 3 Jun 2008: UK businesses warn Government against climate law blunder: Top UK businesses believe the government may be about to get it wrong again on landmark green legislation due to go through the Commons this summer. Two thirds of FTSE 100 and 250 firms surveyed for Friends of the Earth believe it will be a mistake for the Government to exclude international aviation and shipping emissions from the new Climate Change Law.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: National Insect Week: 23-29 June: The Royal Entomological Society is delighted to announce that National Insect Week is back, giving people of all ages the opportunity to learn more about the most fascinating creatures on our planet.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: New flood scheme for Ripon: New anti-flooding measures costing £11.7 million have been revealed.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: Learn fly fishing, for free, in the East of England: Free fly fishing taster sessions are being offered over the summer months by the Environment Agency in the Bishop Auckland, Seaham and Ponteland areas. All sessions are suitable for 12 year olds and upwards, and run from 10am to 4pm. All equipment is provided, and people should bring a packed lunch and wrap up warmly, in case the weather isn't good.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: Uplands need to adapt to threat of climate change: A more concerted effort is needed to tackle the threats of climate change facing the uplands, the Environment Agency has said.Covering about 40% of our landscape, uplands provide many benefits to us and are some of our best national assets. They produce clean water and store huge amounts of carbon. They provide a home to some of our best wildlife and protect lowland from flooding by having the capacity to store water.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: British Waterways cracks down on unlicensed boats in the Midlands: The waterways watchdog has warned illicit boaters it will seize unlicensed craft in Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: What do you think of new Kent and Sussex reservoirs?: Opinions are being sought on plans for new reservoirs in the South East.

Mon, 2 Jun 2008: Watch Out For Dragons And Damsels In Distress: This is the fifth year that British Waterways has conducted it's annual survey and last year, despite the wet weather, there were almost 4000 sightings of over 60 different species. For 2008, British Waterways has joined forces with the British Dragonfly Society (BDS) to focus on dragonflies and damselflies.

Sun, 1 Jun 2008: Oldest live birth in fossil fish: Nature has reported the discovery of a 380-million-year-old fossil fish.

May 2008

Fri, 30 May 2008: Safeguarding the Amazon is vital for global climate: Protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon have the potential to reduce total carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation by 1.1 billion tonnes by 2050, a new report from WWF-Brazil has revealed.

Thu, 29 May 2008: Biodiversity loss: world's poor lose out again: World leaders at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Bonn will hear that damage to forests, rivers, marine life, and other ecosystems could halve incomes for the world's poor.

Wed, 28 May 2008: Spuds you don't like: On May 6th around 30 protesters shut down the BASF UK headquarters at Cheadle Hulme near Manchester. BASF is planning to run the UK's only trial of GM crops this year, a trial of blight resistant potatoes.

Tue, 27 May 2008: U.S. study finds climate change impacting water, agriculture, and wildlife: Climate change is fueling forest fires, creating water scarcity, harming animal habitats, and causing other significant changes throughout the United States that will only worsen as global temperatures increase, concludes a new federal government assessment of current and future climate change impacts.

Tue, 27 May 2008: Guernsey beaches still blighted by sewage: Guernsey tourism continues to suffer from antediluvian sewage treatment practices that leave beaches failing minimum standards.

Tue, 27 May 2008: WWF honours global conservation work: A number of prestigious WWF awards for outstanding contributions to conservation have been announced at our annual conference in Turkey.

Mon, 26 May 2008: Greater access to nature as Lottery programme opens doors on the natural world: Natural England has announced a £25 million Lottery funded grant programme Access to Nature is now open for business.

Fri, 23 May 2008: River Towy festival cancelled by sewage: Organisers have cancelled a major river festival in Wales after sewage and waste was discovered in the river.

Thu, 22 May 2008: SAS Grassroots tour comes to an end in Portrush: Each year Surfers Against Sewage plans a weeklong tour that visits key watersport sites up and down the country: "Over the last few years we've been the length and breadth of the country and met some great people that are passionate about protecting and improving their coastal environment for all to enjoy."

Thu, 22 May 2008: Time to end our oil addiction: The increasing cost of fuel, rising carbon dioxide emissions and fears about where our energy comes from highlight the urgent need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, Friends of the Earth has said.

Thu, 22 May 2008: Monster chub on the Tyne: Environment Agency officers working on the River Tyne had a big surprise recently when they caught an impressive specimen of chub in their fish trap at Riding Mill, near Hexham. Measuring 54cm in length and weighing in at an impressive 6lbs, the fish is one of the largest recorded from the River Tyne.

Thu, 22 May 2008: Encouraging fishing at 'have a go' day in Norwich: Novice and lapsed anglers are being invited to an angling open day at Bawburgh Lakes Fishery (Bawburgh, Nr Norwich) where the special guest will be four times world champion Bob Nudd.

Fri, 23 May 2008: Beaches getting worse again: The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has announced a 10% drop in the number of bathing beaches recommended for excellent water quality in its annual Good Beach Guide, compared to last year.

Fri, 23 May 2008: Acidifying oceans are new threat from climate change: Oceans along the north west coast of America are becoming more acidic, potentially putting ecosystems at risk.

Thu, 22 May 2008: You can swim but you can't hide: more oceanic sharks on the IUCN Red List: The first study to determine the global status of 21 species of oceanic pelagic sharks and rays reveals that 11 of them are threatened with extinction, says IUCN on International Biodiversity Day.

Thu, 22 May 2008: Fishing in Connemara: There's a lovely photo slideshow of May's Connemara fishing frenzy on The Guardian website. If you've ever wondered what fishing in Ireland might be like, look no further.

Wed, 21 May 2008: Carbon capture and storage: is the UK ready?: The government must act to ensure that no new coal-fired power stations are built in the UK until carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has been proven to work on a large scale and can be installed from the outset, a new report by WWF has warned.

Tue, 20 May 2008: Don't fish without a licence: Bailiffs from the Environment Agency will be out in force next weekend, visiting waters in the Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire area and making sure that all anglers have valid rod licences and are using legal methods.

Tue, 20 May 2008: Manx warns swimmers and boaters: As the summer season moves forward, Manx authorities are warning swimmers and boaters to keep clear of each other.

Mon, 19 May 2008: New flood defences for River Mole: The Environment Agency has finished work on new flood defences to protect about 10,000 homes in Esher, Surrey.

Mon, 19 May 2008: 'State of the Natural Environment' report published: Natural England's 'State of the Natural Environment' report published today brings together for the first time the evidence we have about the current state of our natural environment. It shows the natural environment in England is much less rich than 50 years ago and remains under pressure from a significant range of threats: more intense use of the land and sea; continuing economic development and climate change.

Mon, 19 May 2008: England needs a new approach to conservation, says Natural England: Natural England has called for a new approach to managing our natural environment if it is to stand any chance of adapting to the next 50 years of unavoidable climate change and the modern pressures of development.

Mon, 19 May 2008: England's Wildlife in a State: Commenting on the Natural England report 'State of the Natural Environment', Buglife (The Invertebrate Conservation Trust) said: "British bugs, snails, butterflies, bees, wasps, ants, starfish, spiders, beetles and other animals without backbones are the most sensitive indicators of the health of the natural environment and have never been in so much trouble. Riverflies have declined by over 66%; more than three quarters of our butterfly species are in decline, including on SSSIs; two thirds of our bumblebees are disappearing; around 250 species of beetle have 'gone missing."

Sun, 18 May 2008: How did Cardiff fish die?: An investigation is under way to find out how rudd, roach and chub died in the River Ely and Cardiff Bay.

Fri, 16 May 2008: Wildlife vanishing fast: The Living Planet Index (LPI), which tracks nearly 4,000 populations of wildlife, shows that overall, numbers of species on land, in the sea and in fresh water fell by 27% between 1970 and 2005. Marine species such as swordfish and scalloped hammerhead were particularly hard hit, falling by 28% alone between 1995 and 2005. Seabirds have suffered a rapid decline of about 30% since the mid-1990s.

Thu, 15 May 2008: Serious pollution case for Northumbrian Water: Northumbrian Water were fined £4,000 in Sunderland Magistrates Court today (May 15) for seriously polluting a stream in County Durham with raw sewage.

Tue, 13 May 2008: New River Thames bridge will be "swan friendly": The ivory-coloured Walton Bridge in Surrey will have built-in protection for swans who crash into it accidentally.

Tue, 13 May 2008: Sticky problem for farmers: The Environment Agency is asking farmers to take great care when handling molasses because of the environmental damage it can cause.

Tue, 13 May 2008: New booklet helps irrigators who are thinking about building a storage reservoir: The Environment Agency has published a guide for farmers, golf course managers and others who are considering building a storage reservoir for irrigation.

Tue, 13 May 2008: Surfers launch new primary school water education pack: Another well done for Surfers Against Sewage, who have just launched a new online and free Key Stage 2 (KS2) school's resource covering English, Science, Geography and Citizenship. The resource, designed with cool, animated characters is called Save Our Seas (SOS).

Tue, 13 May 2008: WWF highlights ways to reduce human-wildlife conflicts: Better planning by governments could save lives and prevent millions of dollars in crop and income losses among the rural poor, according to a new WWF study on the conflict between humans and wild elephants in Africa and Asia.

Tue, 13 May 2008: Tankers bring water to thirsty Barcelona: BBC correspondent David Shukman reports on why the Spanish city is bringing in emergency water supplies by ship.

Mon, 12 May 2008: Pollution-hit River Stour re-stocked with fish: The Environment Agency has teamed up with a Hampshire trout fishery to re-stock a section of the River Stour in Dorset after the local fish population was virtually wiped out by pollution.

Thu, 8 May 2008: Environment Agency clears 'everything but the kitchen sink' out of the River Cherwell: Televisions, fridges and cookers were just some of the discarded rubbish the Environment Agency removed from the River Cherwell to reduce the risk of flooding in Banbury.

Thu, 8 May 2008: Water lillies on the Clyde will make solar power: A firm of architects has proposed building solar panels shaped like artificial lily pads to generate electricity.

Thu, 8 May 2008: First-ever comprehensive global map of freshwater systems: Over a decade of work and contributions by more than 200 leading conservation scientists have produced a first-ever comprehensive map and database of the diversity of life in the world's freshwater ecosystems. The map and associated fish data are a collaborative project between World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy.

Thu, 8 May 2008: Surfers celebrate Tintagel sewage victory: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners have today welcomed Hilary Benn, Secretary Of State for the Environment decision to refuse South West Water permission to carry on dumping raw sewage at Tintagel and Bossiney.

Wed, 7 May 2008: Hundreds of UK power stations and treatment plants at flood risk: BBC News has seen a confidential government report detailing infrastructure sites at risk from floods.

Wed, 7 May 2008: Green Belt loss a daily reality despite government pledges: There has been significant loss of Green Belt land since 1997 and more is planned, despite the stated commitment of the Prime Minister to robustly protect it, according to CPRE.

Tue, 6 May 2008: Recreational boat owners urged to protect wildlife: A new WWF-backed DVD will help recreational boat owners to reduce the number of injuries and deaths of animals from boat collision. "The vast majority of boat owners take to the water to enjoy the natural world, and would never wish to cause harm to its wildlife. Yet by being too eager to get a good view, this can be the end result," said Colin Speedie, director of Wildlife Safe (WiSe), the training and accreditation scheme for UK tour boat owners that organise trips to see marine wildlife.

Tue, 6 May 2008: Early warning could have saved Welsh fish: Earlier contact from the public could have limited the number of fish killed in a pollution incident at a river in St David's last week, as Environment Agency Wales launches a full investigation into the incident.

Tue, 6 May 2008: Mangrove loss may have worsened Burma cyclone toll: Removal of coastal mangroves may have exposed Burma's coastline to the force of last weekend's cyclone.

Sun, 4 May 2008: Mayfly making a comeback in Scottish rivers: But elsewhere, mayfly are declining. The Highlands could become a stronghold for the species in future according to Buglife.

Fri, 2 May 2008: Sheffield stream gets new lease of life: Wyming Brook near Sheffield is being given an environmental boost on Tuesday May 6 when the Environment Agency stocks it with small fish called bullhead. The bullhead will help to restore the natural ecology of the stream as they are an important food species for a wide range of predators, particularly brown trout, herons, kingfishers and dippers.

Thu, 1 May 2008: Helping our salmon and sewin to come home: Salmon and sea trout (sewin) are entering our Welsh rivers as they begin their Spring "run". This year many will find new stretches of river open to them for spawning as a result of new fish passes constructed from sustainable Welsh Oak.

Thu, 1 May 2008: Invading mitten crabs could be exported: The Natural History Museum suggests Chinese mitten crabs could be "sent back" to China as food.

April 2008

Wed, 30 Apr 2008: New summit to save Africa's Niger river: Nine west-African nations meet this week to consider a 20-year plan for rescue the Niger, one of the world's greatest rivers, on whom the lives of 110 million people depend.

Wed, 30 Apr 2008: Fighting climate change in homes and communities: More noisy initiatives to help us tackle climate change from the government that keeps on giving us more airports, roads, and other drivers of climate change.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008: Making a noise about peace and quiet: Countyside campaigners CPRE are making a noise today about the need for peace and tranquillity to protect our health and well being. Since the 1960s the area of England affected by noise and visual intrusion has doubled. Parts of our cities are now 10 times noisier than a decade ago.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008: Slurry: come and get it!: Environment Agency Wales is offering Welsh farmers free advice about slurry storage and spreading. Slurry is an important fertiliser source, and good storage and spreading can increase the profitability on any farm.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008: Pollution in County Tyrone river kills 870 fish: A major spill of farm effluent into the Fardross river, a tributary of the Blackwater, has killed hundreds of fish including brown trout and salmon.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008: Diving for clues to climate change: Daniel Schweimler of the BBC reports on how scientists are studying climate change impacts on the oceans.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008: Environment Agency gives rare water beetle a helping hand: When it comes to choosing a home, the brown diving beetle is fussier than most. First he needs water, but it has to be swift flowing. It also needs to be shallow with no over-hanging vegetation. And as if that isn't enough, the river bed must be made of flint or gravel.

Thu, 24 Apr 2008: SAS go 'Turdabout' in Guernsey: It's election day in Guernsey and SAS are urging the electorate to vote for those candidates that support a move away from the raw sewage 'pump and dump' philosophy currently used on the island.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008: Climate change: Arctic impact accelerates: A new study by WWF warns that climate change is having a greater and faster impact on the Arctic than previously thought. The report shows that the melting of arctic sea ice and the Greenland Ice Sheet is severely accelerated, prompting concerns that both may be close to their 'tipping point'; the point where, because of climate change, natural systems may experience sudden, rapid and perhaps irreversible change.

Wed, 23 Apr 2008: New approach to stocking to boost native trout: Protecting native brown trout is at the heart of a new Environment Agency approach that will benefit both anglers and the native trout population in rivers and lakes throughout England and Wales.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008: "Accidental river improvements" lead to huge watersports boost in Oklahoma: Improve your river and everything else will surely follow, as politicians and civic leaders have discovered in Oklahoma City.

Mon, 21 Apr 2008: Environment Agency successfully eradicates Top Mouth Gudgeon: An alien fish that threatened to wipe out the local fish population in two East Devon lakes and the River Otter has been successfully removed by the Environment Agency.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Byelaw reminder for Sea Trout and Salmon Anglers on Eden and Border Esk: Sea trout and salmon anglers on the Rivers Eden and Border Esk, and their tributaries, are being reminded that new byelaws are now in place to help conserve these species. Anglers are now only allowed to kill a maximum of two sea trout per day within the River Eden and Border Esk, and all their tributaries, from 1 April to 30 September.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Pollution kills 5,000 fish in River Gipping: Local malt manufacturing company, Muntons, has been prosecuted for causing a major pollution of the River Gipping at Stowmarket in July 2007 killing thousands of fish.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Habitat improvements breathe new life into the River Avon: Sluices, ditches and weirs. No, not a firm of solicitors, but some of the vital structures on one of England's best-loved rivers benefiting from a multi-million pound makeover pioneered by the Environment Agency with Natural England.

Tue, 22 Apr 2008: Development of Standards for Shrimp Farming in East Africa and Central America/Mexico Moving Forward: According to WWF, there's encouraging progress in developing responsible shrimp farming.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008: Sewage spilled into River Dee: Scottish Water and SEPA are trying to find out how four wastewater pipelines became blocked.

Thu, 17 Apr 2008: Over Half Of Guernsey's Election Candidates Want Sewage Treatment Improvements: Surfers Against Sewage continue to press Guernsey to clean up its act. 55% of Guernsey's election candidates believe the current system of dumping the island's raw sewage at sea each day to be unsatisfactory and support raising the level of sewage treatment applied. 44% of the island's election candidates go further by supporting a full (tertiary level) sewage treatment policy.

Wed, 16 Apr 2008: River Tweed on alert for parasites: Anglers and others who use the Tweed are being asked to help fight a parasite that could lead to the wipeout of the river's entire fish stocks.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008: Bill Bryson says: "Stop the Drop": Litter is getting worse and authorities not doing enough: tough anti-litter and fly-tipping campaign takes to the streets and the countryside. The President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), author Bill Bryson, has launched Stop the Drop, the charity's major campaign against the growing blight of litter and fly-tipping in England's countryside.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008: Illegal fishers plunder Arctic waters: WWF-UK warns in a new report that Alaska pollock, a species increasingly being promoted in the UK as an alternative to overfished cod, is at threat from illegal fishing.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008: Make way JR, river cleaners are heading for Dallas: This coming Saturday, volunteers will pick up trash on the banks of the Trinity river in Dallas. Read how American cleanups differ from British ones.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008: Oh Moeritherium! Elephants came from the water: Scientists have traced the ancient amphibious relative of modern elephants.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008: Scottish Water boost for bonnie banks: A stretch of the western banks of Loch Lomond (one of Scotland's most iconic tourist attractions) is set to benefit from a GBP2m project which is due to start in the next few days.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008: Is it time for fish rations?: The Guardian's Leo Hickman asks if it really is time to stop eating fish.

Tue, 15 Apr 2008: River Soar oil spill is "worst for decades": Cleanup officers in Leicestershire say a heating oil spill will have major effects on the river.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008: Really Wild time for Thames Barrier garden visitors: TV presenter and naturalist Nick Baker will lead a bug hunt near the Thames Barrier on Thursday 17 April 2008, at 2pm, to officially open the Thames Barrier Learning Centre's new wildlife garden.

Sat, 12 Apr 2008: "No Catch" organic cod farm collapses in £40m disaster: A high-profile venture to farm organic cod ethically in Scotland has collapsed after three years.

Fri, 11 Apr 2008: Southern Water pleads guilty to sewage pollution of River Medway: Are we back in the 19th century? Another water company is fined for an unnecessary sewage spill.

Wed, 9 Apr 2008: Huge increase in flood defence spending for Yorkshire: The Environment Agency today announced a 20% increase in flood funding for the Yorkshire region, rising from £35 million last year to over £42 million for 2008/09.

Wed, 9 Apr 2008: Rush to beat paving legislation could prove disastrous for wildlife: Homeowners must spare a thought for wildlife before rushing into paving over front gardens ahead of new planning regulations, urges the RSPB. Numbers of song thrushes, house sparrows and starlings have all plummeted over the last 30 years, and the RSPB fears people who rush into paving over front gardens ahead of the permission scheme may make matters worse.

Wed, 9 Apr 2008: Northern Ireland Water under investigation: The NI Water company faces a probe over how it handled water charges.

Tue, 8 Apr 2008: Huge fine for Severn Trent Water: The Midlands water company is fined £35 million for poor service.

Tue, 8 Apr 2008: Bob Nudd at Coaching Day for Young People: The Environment Agency, with Cottenham Village College, has organised a fishing coaching day with four times World Champion Bob Nudd on 18th April at Leyland Water, Waterbeach, Cambridge.

Tue, 8 Apr 2008: Biowaste challenges and opportunities in the coming decade: Facing up to the challenges of dealing with biowastes over the next decade will need the right balance of controls and incentives to encourage the reuse of waste while protecting the environment and human health, according to the Environment Agency.

Tue, 8 Mar 2008: Forth Wars Success: Good news and a campaign victory from Scotland! Following pressure from several environmental groups, including Surfers Against Sewage, Forth Ports have made the decision not to allow Russian tankers to transfer oil in the Firth of Forth.

Mon, 7 Apr 2008: Plans for major offshore wind farm welcomed: Friends of the Earth has welcomed plans for a new wind farm off the Yorkshire Coast. The Humber Gateway wind farm will help tap into the abundant clean green energy resources we have in the UK.

Thu, 3 Apr 2008: "Eco-towns: right idea, wrong place", say CPRE: Countryside campaigners CPRE expressed deep disappointment at the Government's shortlist of proposed eco town schemes. CPRE senior planner Kate Gordon said: "Our main worry is the proposed location of many of these schemes. We fully support the Government’s aspirations for achieving the highest standards in terms of sustainability and affordability. But achieving high environmental standards on site is not enough if the development is in the wrong place to begin with."

Thu, 3 Apr 2008: Marine Bill needed for all of UK: The draft Marine Bill published today by the Government includes encouraging measures to protect our marine environment, but its effectiveness will be limited unless it is implemented throughout the UK, said experts at WWF-UK.

Tue, 1 Apr 2008: £400 fine for dumping six rubbish bags: Fly-tipping just six bags of household waste cost one Ashington resident over £400 at South East Northumberland Magistrates Court on Monday 31 March.

Tue, 1 Apr 2008: Health benefits of green spaces and tree-lined streets: Great inroads could be made into urban ill health if just a fraction of the NHS annual budget for preventative health was spent on the natural environment in our towns and cities, says Natural England.

March 2008

Mon, 31 Mar 2008: Public says Britain not yet prepared for climate change impacts: Nearly 70% of people think the UK is not prepared to deal with the potential impacts of climate change, a survey by the Environment Agency revealed today.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008: Action needed to reduce democratic deficit in regional planning: Regional planning suffers from a serious democratic deficit. If Regional Development Agencies are to have planning responsibilities from 2010 new arrangements must ensure that decisions are not left to unelected quangos. The Agencies must also evolve beyond their current focus on economic growth.

Mon, 31 Mar 2008: Sustainable homes: not just DIY: The UK's poorly insulated, energy inefficient housing stock could be easily transformed into cheaper to run, low carbon homes by the end of the next decade. But a new report by WWF-UK shows that without a radical shift in Government policy the UK is set to miss out on the biggest opportunity to cut household energy bills, and reduce CO2 emissions.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008: Fined for turning river orange: A mineral extraction company and its director have been fined for allowing a high level of sediment to enter Tongwell Brook at Newport Pagnell, turning it orange and potentially having a serious effect on the spawning ground of Dace and Barbel.

Fri, 28 Mar 2008: Otters return to Bristol city centre: Otters make a welcome return to one of Britain's busiest river cities after being driven out by pollution more than half a century ago.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008: Astraction reporting changes will 'streamline system': New rules for recording and reporting how much water is taken from rivers or underground sources by water companies and other abstractors will help better manage water resources, protect the environment and cut red tape, according to the Environment Agency.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008: Fall in UK carbon dioxide emissions welcomed: Commenting on provisional 2007 estimates of UK greenhouse gas emissions published today by the Government, Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Robin Webster, said; "It's good news that carbon dioxide emissions were lower in 2007 than 2006, although the suspicion is that this is down to good luck rather than good judgement. But Labour still isn't delivering the kind of climate action we need - on energy, on transport, or on housing."

Thu, 27 Mar 2008: Save River Severn boat graveyard: A marine archaeologist has launched a petition to save wrecked wooden boats along the banks of the Severn.

Thu, 27 Mar 2008: Oceans face new plastic peril: BBC reporter David Shukman describes new research showing how plastics concentrate toxins.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008: Environment Agency launches flood awareness guides: With climate change likely to increase the risk of extreme weather events and floods, the Environment Agency has launched three simple flooding guides that offer crucial advice on how to protect your home and family - before, during and after flooding.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008: New nuclear stations are "a distraction": According to Friends of the Earth's nuclear campaigner, Neil Crumpton: "The Government is misleading the public about nuclear power. A replacement nuclear programme is not an effective solution to climate change as it would only generate between 4 and 5% of our energy needs."

Wed, 26 Mar 2008: Big decline in garden birds say RSPB: The RSPB's 2008 Big Garden Birdwatch results show the average number of birds seen in each garden has declined by a fifth since 2004, however four species of finch, which spend the winter in the UK, have increased.

Wed, 26 Mar 2008: Dolphins use branches and weeds to charm opposite sex: The South American river dolphin has some unlikely courtship rituals, according to a new report in Biology Letters.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008: Ipswich flood defences get go ahead: A £40 million-plus solution to Ipswich's flood fears has moved a big step closer with the announcement by the Environment Agency that the first phase of funding is secure. A tidal surge barrier across the River Orwell is the main part of the proposals put forward by partners behind the Ipswich Flood Defence Management Strategy, including Ipswich Borough Council.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008: Water: Mexico will clean up its act: Mexico will invest in water projects to try to guarantee that at least 95% of the population has access to clean drinking water by 2012.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008: Government helps farmers who want to go organic: Defra today launched a free national information and advice service for farmers thinking of converting to organic production methods. The new advisory service will provide conventional farmers with free and impartial information and advice on the principles and mechanics of organic production to help them decide whether conversion is appropriate for their enterprise.

Sun, 23 Mar 2008: River Severn tourism bid launched: Advantage West Midlands is trying to restore tourism to areas hit by flooding in Shropshire last year.

Sat, 22 Mar 2008: Scientists find giant sea life in Antarctica: Some big new creatures have turned up in the chilly southern waters!

Fri, 21 Mar 2008: Stanley Mill to be preserved on banks of River Tay: A historic mill on the River Tay is to be preserved under new plans.

Thu, 20 Mar 2008: Fish are key to reef survival: Coral reef communities are developing strategies for coping with climate change.

Thu, 20 Mar 2008: It's World Water Day!: World Water Day 2008 will be celebrated by the UN on Thursday, 20 March. In 2008 the day will highlight issues on sanitation in accordance with the International Year of Sanitation 2008. People around the world are encouraged to celebrate the day to draw attention to the world's sanitation challenge.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: Five miles of trees to be cut along the Thames: Campaigners are trying to stop what they say will be a hugely destructive tree felling.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: UN Secretary General speaks about World Water Day: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reminds us of our disgraceful progress in tackling the world water crisis: "Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of the abysmal sanitation conditions endured by some 2.6 billion people globally. That adds up to an unconscionable 1.5 million young lives cut short by a cause we know well how to prevent. Leaders who adopted the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 envisioned halving the proportion of people living without access to basic sanitation by the year 2015, but we are nowhere near on pace to achieve that Goal. Experts predict that, by 2015, 2.1 billion people will still lack basic sanitation. At the present rate, sub-Saharan Africa will not reach the target until 2076."

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: Don't be an an Angling April Fool: remember your rod licence: Although the coarse fishing on rivers closed season started on March 15, there are still plenty of canals, stillwaters and fisheries where anglers can try their luck. But one place not to try your luck is the local magistrates court, just because you forgot to buy a new rod licence. The Environment Agency is reminding anglers licences expire on March 31.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: New nuclear power stations move a step nearer: Nuclear regulators, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA), today announced that the first step of "Generic Design Assessment" (GDA) carried out on four designs submitted for new nuclear power stations had found no shortfalls at this stage - in terms of safety, security or the environment - that would prevent any of them from ultimately being constructed on licensed sites in the UK. But we still oppose the plan with our No New Nukes campaign.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: Think, don't sink: advice for driving in a flood: Just six inches of fast-moving flood water can knock you off your feet and two feet of water can sweep a vehicle off a road. The Environment Agency has teamed up with Devon County Council and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service to raise awareness of the dangers of driving through flood water and fords.

Wed, 19 Mar 2008: Thames Barrier: good for many years yet: The Thames Barrier will still be protecting London till at least 2030, according to experts.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: City councillors give River Ness hydro-scheme the green light: A feasibility study to investigate re-instating a 32-year-old hydro-scheme on the River Ness, Inverness has been given the go-ahead from members of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee. A site on the River Ness near Whin Park is the location that will be investigated for the re-instatement of a mini hydro-scheme which was decommissioned in 1976.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: Anyone can be a green volunter: Environmental volunteering is for everyone, not just the knowledgeable few, says Natural England.

Tue, 18 Mar 2008: New Heathrow terminal is bad news, say Friends of the Earth: Green group FoE remind us of why expanding so many airports is such a bad idea.

Fri, 14 Mar 2008: Oil and gas threat to dolphins: WWF-UK is urging the government not to grant licenses for oil and gas activities in Scotland and Wales, near Britain's two main protected areas for bottlenose dolphins. "Bottlenose dolphins are a national treasure, adored by many and vital to our oceans. But their ability to feed, breed and communicate could now be seriously disturbed by sounds from oil and gas activities," said Emily Lewis-Brown, Marine Climate Change Officer at WWF-UK.

Sun, 16 Mar 2008: Melting glaciers start countdown to climate chaos: The average rate of melting and thinning of glaciers has more than doubled. Find the full report and data at the World Glacier Monitoring Service.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008: It'll be owlright on the night: An Environment Agency partnership project is proving hugely successful in increasing barn owl numbers on Yorkshire rivers. Working in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Partnership the project has so far involved putting 44 nest boxes on poles and cutting the amount of mowing on river banks to improve the habitat for the small mammals that owls prey on.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008: So much for bottled water!: A government department charged with supplying Northern Ireland's tap water spent almost GBP180,000 on bottled water in three years. Amazing.

Wed, 12 Mar 2008: Act local on climate change: A new GBP4 million programme to help local authorities tackle climate change has been announced by Environment Minister, Phil Woolas and Local Government Minister, John Healey. The programme will spread existing best practice on climate change among local authorities, and provide training and mentoring to help them reduce emissions and adapt to the already unavoidable effects of climate change.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008: Lessons to be learnt from the best of British salmon rivers: Visitors from one of Norway's top salmon rivers are visiting north east England and the Scottish borders for four days to learn why the area has the best salmon rivers in the UK.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008: Trout in the classroom comes to North Yorkshire school: Schoolchildren at Kettlewell Primary School in North Yorkshire are getting a first hand experience of wildlife, as part of the Environment Agency's Trout in the Classroom project.

Wed, 5 Mar 2008: Children give brown trout a boost: Primary school children from Clackmannanshire and Falkirk have released trout they reared themselves into local rivers. What a great project!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008: Thousands of fish killed in Ballymartin river: There's been a major fish kill on a 12-mile stretch of the Ballymartin River and Six Mile Water in County Antrim.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008: Five nation census to save dolphins: A milestone in the protection of the world's engangered river dolphins has been achieved with the successful completion of an ambitious 13 river, five nation census of South America's river dolphins.

Tue, 11 Mar 2008: Hope for whales: WWF has welcomed signs of a willingness between pro and anti whaling nations to work together to find a way forward at an international meeting in Heathrow, London. "I'm detecting a willingness for governments at least to talk," said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of the Global Species Programme at WWF.

Mon, 10 Mar 2008: Natural England welcomes consultation to protect marine life and scallop stocks in Falmouth Bay: Damaging fishing methods used to collect scallops has to stop in areas where they might harm habitats and species, says Natural England, at the start of Defra's consultation into closing the Fal and Helford Special Area of Conservation (SAC) to trawls and dredges

Wed, 5 Mar 2008: Antarctic cod "hibernates" for the winter: Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the University of Birmingham have discovered an Antarctic fish species that adopts a winter survival strategy similar to hibernation.

Wed, 5 Mar 2008: A new spin on whisky and water: A secret byproduct of whisky manufacture is being used to clean up contaminated water and land.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Canoeist dies on the River Calder: A 37-year-old has died after becoming trapped in a weir on the Calder in West Yorkshire.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Environment Agency speeding boater prosecution makes waves: A speeding boater was brought to justice thanks to a partnership between the Environment Agency and Surrey Police Force, after the wash from his boat caused damage to property and potential danger to life in Summer 2007.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Environment Agency turns to willow spilling to protect river banks: Environment Agency teams are going back to basics and employing a traditional method known as Willow spilling, where a living screen of willow is interwoven into a lattice of soft wooden stakes along the riverbank, forming a solid mass of roots which protects the bank soil being eroded.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Time to clean up our act on litter: "Litter is a major environmental problem, and one that is getting worse, not better. Today's figures are a message to those bodies charged with enforcing litter laws that they need to do more to clean up their act." This was the response of Ben Stafford, Head of Campaigns at CPRE to the results of the Local Environmental Quality Survey of England for 2006/07, which shows litter getting worse.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Surfers Against Sewage Win 'Best Environmental Campaign' Award: Congratulations to SAS, who have won the first ever Best Environmental Campaign for their anti-marine litter campaigns (Return To Offender and No Butts on The Beach).

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Controversial Russian oil pipeline defeated: WWF-UK is celebrating the successful culmination of four years of campaigning today, after Sakhalin Energy announced the withdrawal of its request for government backing for its controversial oil and gas project in the Russian Far East, which threatened the critically endangered Western Gray Whale with extinction.

Tue, 4 Mar 2008: Pay as you go motorway lanes will increase traffic: Commenting on Ruth Kelly's plans for extra motorway lanes, Friends of the Earth Transport Campaigner, Tony Bosworth, said: "The additional capacity will encourage more traffic, which may lead to more climate-changing pollution.It's time that UK transport policy went in a different direction."

Sun, 2 Mar 2008: The Prime Minister's green credentials are not in the bag: If the Prime Minister won't even get tough on an issue as trivial as plastic bags, what hope does he have when it comes to infinitely bigger planet-saving challenges like climate change. A thoughtful article from Andrew Rawnsley in The Observer.

Sat, 1 Mar 2008: "Enjoy life while you can": Maverick climate sage James Lovelock says it's much too late for feel-good environmentalism. But there's still much to play for in the longer term.

February 2008

Wed, 27 Feb 2008: Fishy mystery at Abbey Hulton: On Thursday 28 February 2008 Environment Agency Fisheries Officers will be helping anglers from Stoke on Trent Disabled Angling Club, Moorside Fisheries, Abbey Hulton, to solve the mystery of why they are not catching as many fish as they used to.

Wed, 27 Feb 2008: Pollution turns Chinese rivers red: China's Xinglong, Tianguan and Dongjing rivers have turned red after high levels of chemicals leaked into the water.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008: The changing face of Tomorrow's England: The face of the South East of England could change forever within 50 years if opportunities to lessen the impacts of climate change are not taken now, according to a new booklet released by green NGOs. Buckled rail lines, parched golf courses, disappearing wildlife and freak weather delivering alternating flood and drought could be part of a dramatically changed way of life illustrated in the booklet which delivers a stark but simple message: If you love England, act now to save what makes it special.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008: Farming-friendly award for wildlife-friendly farming: The RSPB has a new competition for farmers, the "Nature of Farming Award", which replaces the very successful Operation Lapwing competition that ran in previous years; the difference being, you don't have to have lapwings on your land to enter!

Tue, 26 Feb 2008: Police fees cancel Maidstone river festival: One of the country's most popular and largest free river events, Maidstone River Festival, has been cancelled. In what would have been its 29th year, the event's voluntary committee have been forced into the cancellation following a new directive that the Police now charge for attending Public Events.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008: Tidal wave of interest in London's flood defences: There's a press conference at the Thames Barrier on Tuesday 18 March 2008, between 1:30-4:30pm. This is a rare opportunity to talk to the experts at the Environment Agency and Met Office, and take a tour of the Thames Barrier. You will find out what needs to be done to protect London from flooding over the next 100 years, examining both best and worst case scenarios.

Tue, 26Feb 2008: Record salmon catch on River Tweed welcomed with caution: Over 16,000 fish were landed by rods along the river Tweed in 2007, the most since records began in 1952.

Fri, 22 Feb 2008: Environment Agency entices Brown Trout back to Witham: Volunteers from the Environment Agency and Grantham Angling Association have been improving stretches of the Upper River Witham in a bid to encourage brown trout to thrive.

Fri, 22 Feb 2008: Buglife in court to protect West Thurrock Marshes: Today will see the first legal challenge under recent wildlife protection laws. In the dock at the High Court in London will be Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation, whose decision to allow the development of West Thurrock Marshes threatens to cause irrevocable damage to populations of endangered bees, spiders and beetles.

Thu, 21 Feb 2008: Government promises "£400 million for low-carbon Britain": According to Defra: "Setting out details of Defra's 2008/09 budget settlement, Hilary Benn has announced an increase in funding for clean energy technologies, investments and enterprises to over £400 million over the next three years." So there's the usual spin: that's an increase to £400 million, not an increase of £400 million.

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: Northern Ireland water fined for sewage spill: Another water company dumps poop in our rivers. This time it was the turn of Colin Glen River and the River Lagan in Dunmurry.

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: Baby mussels disrupt Tyne ferry: Shellfish caused the cancellation of the Tyne Ferry this week.

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: Diverted river will keep its course: The Rea Brook in Shewsbury will continue to follow a new course after the Environment Agency found it improved the area.

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: Bulb growers protect River Fal estuary: A new partnership has "blossomed" between one of Cornwall's largest daffodil growers and the Environment Agency.

Tue, 19 Feb 2008: Impacts of Salmon Aquaculture Top Agenda at Dialogue Meeting in Barcelona: The Salmon Aquaculture Dialogue met in Barcelona, Spain this week to discuss new reports about escapes, siting and benthic impacts related to salmon farming.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: Nine more shark species face extinction: More spark species are on the endangered list due to overfishing and finning.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008: Fish moved from Wedgwoods Main Lake: Environment Agency Fisheries Officers have been overseeing the successful movement of a hundred pounds of roach and bream from Wedgwoods Main Lake to restock the Top Lake in Stoke on Trent, in freezing conditions.

Fri, 15 Feb 2008: SAS's Spring Beach Cleaning At Porthtowan: Arh, spring is in the air. The sun has been doing its best and the beach is back on the list of places to go to. However, since you were last there, winter storms, big waves and strong South Westerly winds have driven millions more pieces of marine litter onto our beaches.

Thu, 14 Feb 2008: Volunteer frog detectives help to track frightful fungus: To help save England's frogs, toads and newts, amateur amphibian aficionados from across the country are being trained to track a potentially deadly disease that could have a devastating effect on amphibians.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008: True scale of shipping emissions revealed: A leaked UN report shows that international shipping accounts for 4.5 percent of global emissions of carbon dioxide.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008: Ocean Map Charts Path of Human Destruction: A stark warning published at today's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science: "Human activity has left a mark on nearly every square kilometer of sea, severely compromising ecosystems in over 40 percent of waters."

Wed, 13 Feb 2008: Scotland in the grip of flooding misery: Are new flood defence plans too little and too late? BBC News explores above the border.

Wed, 13 Feb 2008: USA: Colorado River crisis looming: Reservoirs fed by the Colorado River could run dry within 13 years, according to a new US study.

Tue, 12 Feb 2008: New Thames River tunnel for Kent?: A business consortium called Metrotidal has submitted plans for a multi-billion pound tunnel under the Thames between Medway and Canvey Island.

Tue, 12 Feb 2008: Venetians urged to give up bottled water for Lent: The patriarch of Venice has asked Catholics to give up bottled water for Lent and give their money to water supply projects in developing countries instead.

Mon, 11 Feb 2008: Hot planet seeks solid relationship with tough Climate Change Law: Surfers Against Sewage are asking for your help this Valentine's Day: "It's your planet that's getting hotter. But you can play Cupid and cool it down before it's too late by sending a Valentines card to your local MP. We've even made the card for you."

Mon, 11 Feb 2008: Why construction work doesn't have to wreck rivers: Construction and maintenance companies who work in or near watercourses are being reminded today that pollution incidents are avoidable by careful planning.

Mon, 11 Feb 2008: Environment Agency seeks committee members in the South West: The Environment Agency is looking for new members to join two Regional Committees in the South West. Both committees are statutory and provide advice and direction, linking the Environment Agency with people affected by its work.

Fri, 8 Feb 2008: New hope for warming coral: An "ocean thermostat" could protect coral threatened by climate change, according to new research in the western Pacific Ocean.

Thu, 7 Feb 2008: Water metering needed 'sooner rather than later': The Environment Agency has welcomed publication of the Government's Water Strategy for England but said that compulsory water metering is needed sooner rather than later.

Thu, 7 Feb 2008: US Arctic oil plans threat to polar bear: WWF warns that the US government's plan to auction nearly 30 million acres of prime polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea in Alaska for the extraction of oil and gas is a serious threat to the lives of polar bears in the region.

Wed, 6 Feb 2008: Northern farmers invited to help save rare river species: Farmers are being asked to get involved and help to save rare species in Northumbrian rivers. As part of the process they're invited to an event on Wednesday 13 February at Wallington Hall, Cambo, Morpeth.

Wed, 6 Feb 2008: Cain Valley celebrates its community river: Llanfyllin, Llanfechain and surrounding communities of the Cain Valley in Mid Wales are embracing a new initiative to raise awareness about their local river, the Afon Cain. To help celebrate the project local children are helping to hatch Atlantic Salmon in the Llanfyllin community centre.

Wed, 6 Feb 2008: London's Low Emission Zone Welcomed: London Mayor Ken Livingstone's introduction of a capital-wide Low Emission Zone (LEZ) has been welcomed today by Friends of the Earth.

Tue, 5 Feb 2008: Living it up at the East River Spa: If luxury's your thing, you might enjoy a visit to one of London's newest riverside attractions, reviewed here in The Times.

Tue, 5 Feb 2008: WWF in Tanzania: reefs, banks and pearls: The Tanzanian president, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete has praised WWF's coastal resources management and sustainable livelihoods programmes in the country, during his official visit to fishing villages in Kilwa to donate internationally-donated equipment.

Mon, 4 Feb 2008: Bangladeshi divers pioneer low-tech scuba: Amateur divers in Bangladesh are exploring with incredibly basic technology.

Wed, 6 Feb 2008: Government urged to help bottlenose dolphins: Cornish dolphin numbers have fallen by almost two thirds in 20 years.

Sat, 2 Feb 2008: Turning the tide for wetland in the Wash: The most important wetland site in the UK, home to waterbirds such as redshank, oystercatcher and avocet, is back in good condition for the first time in a decade marking a major environmental achievement for World Wetland Day 2008, Natural England, Eastern Sea Fisheries Joint Committee (ESFJC) and Wash fishermen have announced.

Fri, 1 Feb 2008: Hugh F-W opens salmon season on the Dee: The TV chef was first to cast off this year.

January 2008

Thu, 31 Jan 2007: Send a quick email to improve the new Bathing Water Legislation in England, Wales and Scotland: After a decade of campaigning, Surfers Against Sewage welcomed the EU's revision of the Bathing Water Directive in 2006 and now look forward to a strengthened Directive that should better protect the health of recreational water users in the UK. They need your help urgently with a special email action.

Thu, 31 Jan 2008: Caversham Lock Island to Get New Lease of Life: Caversham Lock Island will be given a new lease of life over the next few years, and Reading Borough Council and the Environment Agency are looking for a partner to help achieve this.

Thu, 31 Jan 2008: UK still cooking emissions books: The British government continues to insist emissions are falling and even goes so far as to claim: "The economy grew another 2.9 per cent in 2006, meaning that the UK is continuing to break the historic link between economic growth and growth in emissions." Maybe the fact that we're exporting more and more manufacturing to China could have something to do with it? A report late last year by Dieter Helm found more unreported emissions.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008: Special project aims to put the sparkle back into the River Clyst: Its name means 'clear', but in recent years the River Clyst has been anything but clean and clear. Monitoring by the Environment Agency has revealed a disturbing loss of wildlife and decline in fish numbers in this important Devon river.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008: Why has the River Deer turned orange?: The Environment Agency is investigating a mystery colouring of the Devon river.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008: Rare fish are good news for Cornish rivers: Some rare fish have turned up in Cornish estuaries.

Mon, 28 Jan 2008: Greenpeace whale protest runs out of steam: The BBC's aptly named Jonah Fisher has been posting a month-long diary of his voyage with the whale watchers.

Tue, 29 Jan 2008: We must avoid sacrificing our countryside to fuel our cars: We must do what we can to address climate change responsibly. But rigid targets for biofuels could put the car before the harvest. This was CPRE's reaction to Government announcement on the proposed targets the UK has been set for biofuels as part of the EU's plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Thu, 24 Jan 2008: Greenpeace whale protest runs out of steam: WWF applauds the Cuban government's decision to ban the hunting of all marine turtle species and products from its beaches and seas for an indefinite period.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008: WWF critical of EU's draft law on climate change: WWF is critical of the European Commission draft laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Europe by only 20% per cent by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. WWF believes that the target could have been more ambitious and should have aimed at a 30% reduction, in line with what was decided at the European Council of March 2007 and with the EU's objective of keeping global average temperature from rising by more than two degrees.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008: Pond weed threat to broads: The Broads Authority and Environment Agency need the public's help in reporting invasive garden pond plants which are threatening to choke the Broads waterways.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008: Natural England says it's time to sink or swim to save our seas: On the fifth anniversary of Lundy (England's only Marine Nature Reserve and "No Take Zone") Natural England has published the views of national and international marine experts and scientists who believe that political will and leadership is key to safeguarding life beneath our waves through a network of sites like Lundy.

Wed, 23 Jan 2008: Fingers pointed over Manx scallops: A Manx minister who pointed out a superabundance of scallops defends his actions now the bed has been plundered by fishing boats.

Mon, 21 Jan 2008: England's neglected heathlands: The poor condition of lowland heathland across England is putting stone curlews, nightjars and sand lizards and other endangered species of animals and plants in even greater danger of extinction, warns Natural England.

Mon, 21 Jan 2008: Beach Litter returned to source in Holland by SAS: A Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigner has returned to Cornwall from the Netherlands having shown a Dutch Shipping Company the medical bags that SAS believe were lost from their boat the MV Endeavor and which have been washing up on Cornish and Devon beaches throughout January.

Mon, 21 Jan 2008: 4shores project to create more wildlife habitat: Almost 100 metres of floodbank is about to removed from the coastal defences at Alnmouth as work begins on Phase 2 of the 4shores project. From 28 January, the defences one mile north of Alnmouth, upstream of Duchess bridge will be taken down. This will allow high tides to flood into six fields covering some 40 hectares which nature will reclaim to create natural flood defences such as saltmarsh.

Thu, 17 Jan 2008: China: Drought hits the Yangtze: Parts of the River Yangtze are at their lowest level for 142 years.

Wed, 16 Jan 2008: Fears of new floods in Oxford: The university city is just one of the places in the UK braced for a possible repeat of last year's flooding.

Wed, 16 Jan 2008: Fishing boats win new access to Helford River: Fishing boats will have a new jetty and access road on the Lizard Peninsula after a 20-year battle with conservationists.

Mon, 14 Jan 2008: Sea Shepherd Crew Remain Hostages On The Japanese Whaling Ship: Two anti-whaling activists, Sea Shepherd crew members Giles Lane from the U.K. and Benjamin Potts from Australia, remain hostages on a Japanese whaling vessel they boarded as part of a protest.

Wed, 16 Jan 2008: Climate change has growing impact on UK coasts: The latest findings of the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (governing the transfer of cargos at sea, including oil. Importantly, the Private Member's Bill also specifies that ship-to-ship transfers must meet environmental protection standards, and be treated in the same way as ship-to-shore operations.

Tue, 15 Jan 2008: Anglers urged to help River Tay salmon: Release theif" id="uk" ALT="UK">Mon, 14 Jan 2008: Defra publishes public attitudes research: Defra has today published a framework to encourage environmentally friendly behaviour among individuals and communities. The report pulls together evidence on public understanding, attitudes and behaviours and draws conclusions on the potential for behaviour change among members of the public.

="uk.gif" id="uk" ALT="UK">Thu, 10 Jan 2008: Watch out for wind-blown turtles: The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is urging British beach walkers to look out for stranded marine turtles after three of the endangered reptiles washed up on beaches in Wales and Scotland since the end of December. Strong south-westerly winds forecast for Scotland, Wales and the South West this week may bring in mf the controversial (and unnecessary) bypass across the River Kennet floodplain in the mid-1990s.

Wed, 9 Jan 2008: What do you think of the proposed new marine havens?: Government advisers have started a public consultation about seven new proposed marine special areas of conservation (SACs). Note how tiny they are.

Wed, 9 Jan 2008: Ship to shore: SAS return beach litter: Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners spent yesterday afternoon recovering 80 Baxters medical bags that have been washing up at Sennen Cove, Cornwall.

Tue, 8 Jan 2008: Online survey to look at future of North East salmon stocks: As the start of the new salmon fishing season approaches on 1 February fisheries experts are asking anglers to go online and tell them about the main issues affecting salmon in Northumberland and County Durham rivers.

Tue 8 Jan 2008: Have your say on coastal flood and erosion risk: People who live along the North Devon and Somerset coastline between Hartland Point and Weston-super-Mare are invited to take part as stakeholders in a public consultation on the future of shoreline management in the area. The Environment Agency is running the consultation on behalf of the North Devon and Somerset Coastal Authorities Group (NDASCAG).

Sun, 6 Jan 2008: 1.8 million hits, 310,000 pages, 151,163 people: The numbers are in. Almost a decade old now, our website gets a little bit more popular each year. By the end of 2007, we were knocking on the door of 2 million hits a year from over 150,000 "unique arden recycles its organic waste by creating compost and appeals to other people to do the same. This plea came from The Duchess of Northumberland, who has given her support to the Environment Agency's long-running "Dump-it and Leg-it" anti fly-tipping campaign.