Seagrass planted in River Tees estuary to revive lost meadow
Volunteers have planted hundreds of seagrass plants in the Tees Estuary after two failed attempts in recent years.The Tees River Trust is using more mature plants this year after a previous effort was ruined by a storm and another by suspected human interference.The process began last August with volunteers collecting seeds which were then planted in January. They have now been placed in the estuary at Greatham Creek.Programme manager Judy Power said the team hopes it will be third time lucky trying to get seagrass to grow in the Tees.
The estuary is designated as a European Marine Site (EMS) and is home to seals, salmons and herons.Seagrass meadows have been declining globally at a rate of about 7% every year since 1990.
The planting process took several days but was completed last week and an initial survey looks promising.Ms Power said: "The nursery is the only one of its kind in the North East."This is the third year of growing the plants and the team have already achieved one of the highest rates of germination in the UK."The trust has also installed two native oyster nurseries around Hartlepool and built a native oyster breeding pond.
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Leeds researchers hail leukaemia treatment 'milestone'
A chemotherapy-free approach for some patients suffering from leukaemia could lead to better outcomes, scientists behind a five-year medical trial have findings of the UK-wide study, led by researchers from Leeds, could reshape the way the most common form of leukaemia in adults was treated, according to those behind the trial looked at whether using two targeted cancer drugs could prove to be more effective than standard chemotherapy among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common form of leukaemia in Talha Munir, consultant haematologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, who led the study, called its results a "milestone". CLL is a rare blood cancer that affects about 3,800 people in the UK each year, most of whom are over the age of 40. Symptoms can include persistent illness, weight loss, swelling, fatigue and anaemia, where there are not enough red blood cells in the blood. The half-decade-long trial involved researchers from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and the University of Leeds and focused on 786 patients across 96 cancer results showed that the treatment, using two drugs, ibrutinib and venetoclax, led to better survival rates, fewer long-term side effects, and the possibility of life without chemotherapy for many to the results of the study, which have now been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers also found the alternative treatment regime was tolerated better than traditional Munir said: "We have shown a chemotherapy-free approach can be not only more effective but also more tolerable for patients."By tailoring individualised treatment based on how well the cancer responds, we're moving into an era of truly personalised medicine." One of the patients benefiting from the trial was Catherine Whitfield, from Farnley, Leeds, who was diagnosed with CLL in 2018 and who now has no cancer cells after three years of Whitfield, 63, said the trial had "felt right" to her. "The way this trial was explained, it just made sense," she explained. "Also, the thought of chemotherapy was scary to me. The trial felt right. And it was."Ms Whitfield said she had previously lost her husband to cancer: "I have seen how hard it could be.""My first thought after my diagnosis was, I will never see my grandchildren being born and growing up," she said."Now I have two grandchildren, Drew and Alaia, and they are a delight and highlight the joys of a healthy life".Dr Munir said: "This isn't just about data. It's about people like Catherine, and thousands of others, who trusted us with their care. "Thanks to them, we're changing the future of cancer treatment." Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Singing Cicadas return to the UK after 30 years!
Known for its loud, musical singing sounds, this creature hasn't been spotted in the UK for 30 years... but what is it? It is a special kind of bug, called the New Forest cicada. These insects haven't been found since the 1990's in the UK, but now scientists have brought them week eleven New Forest cicadas were released into a specially-created habitat. What is a cicada? Cicadas are amazing, big bugs known for their loud humming sounds and see-through wings and do not bite or sting. Male cicadas produce their buzzing song to attract females and when there a lots in one place these sounds turn into an overpowering humming sound. The cicadas being rehomed in the UK live underground for at least four years before emerging as adults. Some types of cicada can live up to 17 years - though most of this time will be underground!Cicadas are a valuable food for birds and other predators. How are conservationists bringing cicadas back? Scientists transported 11 female cicadas from France over to the team then placed them in a safe, special home in Hampshire, near the New Forest where UK cicadas once used to are hoping these new cicadas will lay eggs so their babies can grow underground. But they won't know if it worked until 2029!In the meantime, the team say it hopes to bring in more cicadas from France to continue the Carne, Species Recovery Trust project officer, said: "This has been a really challenging project so it's amazing to see New Forest cicadas in England after all this time."If all goes well, the cicadas might be released into secret locations in the New Forest again, and one day we might hear them sing in the wild once more.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Slow loris: Zoo welcomes rare pygmy loris twins
Have you heard of a slow loris? You might have seen them on the internet because their big eyes make them look very a UK zoo is celebrating the birth of not just one, but two of the rare and endangered tiny twins were born at Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight, and are pygmy slow were born as part of a breeding programme to help the species and are the fourth pair of loris to be born at the zoo since December 2020.A spokesperson from the zoo said the team were "so excited" and "proud" to be part of the breeding programme. Pygmy slow lorises belong to a family of animals called primates, which means they are closely related to animals like lemurs, monkeys and the wild they come from the rainforests and bamboo thickets of Vietnam, Laos, eastern Cambodia and southern are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list, as the species is estimated to have undergone a decline in its population of more than 50% over the last 24 years.A Zoo spokesperson said: "Breeding endangered species like these loris are what zoos like ours are all about, ensuring that there is a captive population whilst numbers struggle in the wild."According to the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) they are the only ones to be born in the UK in the last 12 months, during which period only seven other zoos in Europe have bred facts about slow lorises:Slow lorises are noctural animalsThey have a venoumous bite which is harmful to humansThey use their wee to mark their territoryWhat do you think of these cute creatures? Let us know in the comments...
