Latest news with #NatureRestorationFund
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Officials take drastic action to wipe out fast-spreading species threatening key region: 'Total removal is feasible'
An initiative to remove the invasive American mink from Scotland's Outer Hebrides is giving native birds a better chance to thrive, NatureScot reported. The newly funded effort, called Saving Nature Outer Hebrides, has secured £94,000 from the Scottish government's Nature Restoration Fund to create a plan for complete mink removal. This work builds on the successful Hebridean Mink Project, which has lowered mink numbers since it began in 2001. When American mink got loose from fur farms set up in the 1950s, they started appearing throughout the island chain. These nonnative hunters often kill more prey than they need, harming ground-nesting bird populations in a region internationally known for its wildlife. The area includes five Special Protection Areas covering about 150 square kilometers. Since trapping began, tern colonies throughout the area have grown beyond expectations. Various birds, including water birds, shore birds, and waterfowl, have increased in population, creating richer biodiversity and more opportunities for wildlife tourism. Fewer mink means young salmon and sea trout face less danger, keeping waterways healthier. Local farmers can raise chickens and ducks with less worry, and fish farms experience less damage to their stocks. "Thanks to the prolonged efforts of the Hebridean Mink Project, the mink population in the Outer Hebrides has been reduced to extremely low levels with significant positive consequences for ground nesting birds," said David Maclennan, NatureScot's head of operations for West Scotland. If you want to make a difference in your area and create habitat friendly to native birds and other animals, try installing native plants. Native vegetation provides food and shelter for local wildlife and requires less watering and maintenance than exotic species. By replacing even a portion of your yard with native wildflowers, grasses, or shrubs, you help create corridors that allow birds and pollinators to thrive in urban and suburban landscapes. Despite bringing mink numbers down dramatically — from being common to just seven animals caught in Lewis and Harris in 2016 — total elimination remains challenging. The new project unites NatureScot, the local government of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, and community land groups to finish the task. "We believe that while it will be challenging, total removal is feasible and in the long term offers both the most effective protection for our native wildlife and the most cost-effective solution to the problem," Maclennan added. Kevin Adams of Community Land Outer Hebrides expressed his organization's support: "We are delighted to be partnering on this vital programme. The protection of our unique landscape in the Outer Hebrides is one of the top priorities for our members." Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Absolutely It depends on the species I don't know No — leave nature alone Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chris Packham's charity to sue Angela Rayner over planning blitz
The charity co-founded by naturalist and BBC presenter Chris Packham has threatened legal action against Angela Rayner after she claimed her planning reforms would not water down environmental protections. Wild Justice, the conservationist charity, has demanded that Ms Rayner, the Housing Secretary, correct a statement made to MPs in March when she described the new planning and infrastructure Bill as a 'win-win for development and for nature'. Ms Rayner told the Commons that the Bill, which applies to projects in England and Wales, would not reduce the existing protections safeguarding the environment from construction projects. However, the charity has issued a 'pre-action protocol' to Ms Rayner urging her to 'correct the parliamentary record', claiming that her statement was inaccurate, and that it will apply for a judicial review if she does not. Ruth Tingay, a co-director of Wild Justice, said: 'It's important that the secretary of state corrects her statement on the environmental ramifications of this Bill because to continue to portray it as a 'win win' for nature and people is inaccurate and will mislead MPs into voting for something that is likely to have catastrophic consequences for protected species and habitats.' As part of the planning shake-up, developers will be able to proceed without having to prove that there will be no negative environmental impact on the site. Instead, they will be required to pay into a fund intended to offset potential damage elsewhere. Wild Justice commissioned planning lawyers to draw up a legal opinion, which states the Bill will weaken existing levels of environment protection. Mr Packham told The Guardian, which first reported the news: 'Good people fought long and hard to put proper wildlife protection into law. And it helped, but hasn't stopped the relentless decline of the UK's biodiversity. And now, in a time of absolute crisis, we need to save every last tree, bird, butterfly or bug.' 'So how do the Government think it's going to if they smash those laws up? I really hope they rein it in and bow to the love, passion and determination of a nation of animal lovers.' Earlier this month, the Office of Environmental Protection (OEP), the watchdog for environmental protection, warned that the changes would be a 'regression' of existing measures. Dame Glenys Stacey, the OEP chairman, said the Bill 'would have the effect of reducing the level of environmental protection provided for by existing environmental law'. A spokesman for Ms Rayner's Housing Department said: 'We are introducing the Nature Restoration Fund to unblock the delivery of much-needed homes and infrastructure, funding large-scale environmental improvements across whole communities and introducing robust protections that will create only positive outcomes for the environment.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
11-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
BBOWT says government plan is threat to counties' nature
A charity says a key government plan poses "one of the biggest threats to nature laws in over a generation".The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has asked people to write to their MPs over concerns it has about the Planning and Infrastructure government says that should speed up building and improve infrastructure but the charity says it would allow developers to sidestep environment regulations, provided they pay into a new fund.A government spokesperson said the bill, currently at the Committee stage in the House of Commons, would "deliver a win-win for the economy and nature". BBOWT says the government's plan for the Nature Restoration Fund, managed by Natural England, is an "attempt to cover its tracks" over potential nature damage."Our natural world underpins every element of our economy, and if we want long-term sustainable growth, we must invest in nature," Estelle Bailey, its chief executive, said."We know that a thriving economy depends on a thriving natural world, but Keir Starmer is bizarrely pushing a false choice between protecting nature and building homes. This is an unnecessary and divisive rhetoric – the two can and must be considered together."Labour has promised to build 1.5 million new homes in England over the next five years, with the pledge key to boosting economic growth. Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said in February that there would be "no excuses" to not hit that target in England by government spokesperson said: "We have inherited a failing system that has held up the building of homes and infrastructure, blocking economic growth but doing nothing for nature's recovery. Communities and the environment deserve better than this broken status-quo."Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature – introducing the Nature Restoration Fund to unblock the building of much-needed homes and infrastructure, funding large scale environmental improvements across whole communities, and introducing robust protections so that our new approach can only be used where it will create positive outcomes for the environment." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Minister rejects claim that planning reforms designed to penalise farmers
Good morning. The government's planning and infrastructure bill is being published later today, and in an article for the Times Angela Rayner, the deputy PM and housing secretary, claims it will be 'a major step forward in getting Britain building again'. The measures in the legislation have already been well publicised and Rayner sums them up like this. A new road for Norwich was set to make life easier for 44,000 homeowners, speeding up journeys to East Anglia's biggest hospital and creating 33,000 new jobs. But it was delayed by spurious legal challenges for two years until the case was dismissed as having no logical basis. This government gave it the green light last week. The many organisations that must be consulted in the planning process are also putting up unnecessary obstacles. A row over balls hit from a cricket club has delayed 139 new flats in Bradford. The wait for a development consent order increased by 65 per cent between 2012 and 2021. It now takes around four years to get a decision on major infrastructure. That will change, thanks to our new planning and infrastructure bill. As part of our Plan for Change, we're fast-tracking decisions for more than 150 major infrastructure projects this parliament … We will streamline consultation requirements for projects such as roads and railway lines while keeping them robust. Wind and solar projects will be prioritised for grid connections, helping us achieve clean power by 2030, with those living within 500 metres of new pylons given up to £250 a year off their electricity bills. And we're fixing a system that both stops development going ahead and fails to protect our habitats and species. Developers will pay into a Nature Restoration Fund which Natural England experts can use to achieve better outcomes. The bill itself will be published later today. Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, has been giving interviews this morning to promote it, and he has had to respond to a fresh line of attack from opponents of the legislation that has made the Telegraph splash. The government has been saying for some time that it wants to give councils in England the powers to acquire land for housebuilding via compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) at market prices without having to pay 'hope value' – what the land would be worth assuming planning permission for housing were granted. The Telegraph story presents this as a fresh Labour attack on farmers. It quotes Tim Bonner from the Countryside Alliance as saying: We have been supportive of many of the Government's changes to planning policy, but giving councils more power to reduce the value of land is a step too far, especially in the context of such a challenging outlook for farmers and the inheritance tax fiasco. This is not about people blocking development, it's about the state paying the market price for land. We need more houses and more economic development, but not at the cost of basic principles. In his interviews Pennycook did not challenge the facts of the story. He told LBC the government was giving councils the power to disapply 'hope value' in a compulsory purchase acquisition 'where there's a site with a significant public interest involved, higher affordable levels of housing, for example, or health and education facilities'. But he said this was not aimed at farmers. We are obviously and very clearly not setting out to target agricultural land. The land use framework we're consulting on currently will ensure that prime agricultural land is protected, and food security is protected. I see this power being used in particular, to much greater effect – and that's where I want to see it come forward – specifically in urban areas, on previously developed brownfield land where regeneration projects with a significant public interest can be unlocked more easily. When he was asked to admit that the Telegraph was right to say farmers could be affected, Pennycook said he did not think the Telegraph was right – 'and it's not often right, I must say' – because the final decision would rest with the local authority. Ministers would not be saying that prime agricultural land should be sold, he said. Asked about the same issue on the Today programme, Pennycook said that he was 'somewhat mystified that the Telegraph have looked through our CPO powers through the lens of farmers and prime agricultural land' when he expected them to be used mostly 'for regeneration projects on previously developed brownfield land in urban centres'. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.30am: Keir Starmer to chair cabinet. 11.30am: Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, takes questions in the Commons. 11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. After 12.30pm: MPs start debating the remaining stages of the employment rights bill. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog. Share
