Climate change is causing plants in the UK to flower a month earlier on average, which could have profound consequences for wildlife, agriculture and gardeners. Using a citizen science database with records going back to the mid-18th century, a research team led by the University of Cambridge has found that the effects of climate change […]
UK plants flowering a month earlier due to climate change Read More »
This year began very positively with the uplifting and inspiring experience of attending the first ever ‘Wilding Gardens’ conference in January at Manchester University. The ‘Gardening for Nature, Ourselves and the Planet’ event was organised by a group of well-known gardeners and environmentalists including Isabella Tree from the Knepp Rewilding Project, the garden designer Tom
Wilding Gardens Conference Read More »
The Fens for the Future Partnership is a group of public, private and voluntary sector organisations including local authorities, nature conservation bodies, farmers and landowners and academic institutions with a vision for the Fens. Their broad aim is to further the development of a partnership approach to the landscape-scale nature conservation in the Fens. Aims:
Fens for the Future Partnership Read More »
Getting started with recording If you are new to recording, the incredible diversity of the UK’s wildlife can be a bit daunting, especially when it comes to trying to identify what you’ve seen. But there are lots of ways that you can get help. There are hundreds of natural history societies and recording groups that
How to record wildlife: an action you can take to protect nature Read More »
A new national forest in the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor has moved a step closer on Monday 12 January with the announcement that the search for official delivery partners has begun. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has opened an Expression of Interest process with interested parties needing to demonstrate they have the capacity, experience, and knowledge
New national forest in the OxCam Corridor moves a step closer Read More »
Multiple parishes have taken conducted their own nature recovery plans to conserve and enhance biodiversity in their area. East Cambrigeshire District council has now published four of nature recovery plans on their website which can be read here: Community based Nature Recovery Plans | East Cambridgeshire District Council You will find four reports – Fordham,
Biodiversity Audits for East Cambridgeshire Parishes Read More »
The Environment Agency’s Fisheries and Biodiversity Team has a fund available for small biodiversity projects, normally up to £5k per project related to rivers, wetlands, wet habitats and species. The fund needs to be spent by March 2026, and preference is given to projects that enhance riparian habitats and species. If you think you have
EA’s Small Biodiversity Fund – Projects Wanted! Read More »
A century ago, Britain’s landscapes were speckled with ponds. Today, more than half have vanished, notes geographer Lucy Clarke. Though small, these waterbodies have an outsized ecological impact. As Clarke puts it, they “punch far above their weight in ecological value,” and their importance is only increasing as the climate warms. Clarke, of Nottingham Trent
Hidden Power of Ponds Read More »
From summer heatwaves to winter downpours, Britain’s climate is becoming more extreme and unpredictable. Experts at Cambridge University Botanic Garden are busy working out which plants are most likely to survive. Their 5 tips: Know the site – what is the climate of the garden and what plants suit this climate? Change the mindset – A
Can British gardens survive climate chaos? Read More »
Awareness has been growing around the distressing state of one of our region’s most important freshwater habitats – the chalk streams. With around 85% of the global habitat occurring in the UK, and most in the south of England, these amazing waterways have been garnering a lot of attention due to very low flows, and
Save Our Chalk Streams Read More »