Latest news with #habitats
BBC News
5 days ago
- Science
- BBC News
AI to be used to map habitats in Surrey conservation project
Artificial intelligence (AI) is to be deployed in a conservation project to protect Surrey's natural landscapes. Space4Nature, led by Surrey Wildlife Trust and University of Surrey, will see volunteer teams map habitats by recording plant species thriving on acid grassland. What the volunteers document at places like Puttenham Common will be used to help train an AI model, which will be able to match specific types of habitat with similar ones close by using satellite Banks, Space4Nature project citizen science officer, said: "Conservation is increasingly reliant on new technologies to develop solutions that can be implemented at scale." "But that doesn't mean that old fashioned ground truthing isn't needed too."As the Artificial Intelligence capabilities being developed by our colleagues at University of Surrey become more sophisticated, we need more complex data to help them keep learning and evolving."With the climate and nature crisis becoming more severe, local people with an interest in nature can make a real difference by getting involved in local projects." Space4Nature said over the last two years it has deployed more than 200 volunteers to some of the county's most important chalk grassland, wetland and heathland habitats, including Chobham Common, Unstead wetland reserve, Sheepleas and Puttenham Common.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Labour MPs poised to rebel over planning bill amid concerns for nature
Labour MPs are planning to rebel over the planning and infrastructure bill after constituents raised concern that it threatens protected habitats and wildlife. The Guardian understands that about two dozen Labour MPs are calling for ministers to force developers to build more than a million homes for which they already have planning permission before pushing through legislation that rolls back environmental protections for the most protected habitats in England. Ministers are understood to be drawing up amendments to the most controversial part of the bill, part three, in an apparent scramble to head off a rebellion and quell the anger of respected wildlife groups, whose membership is many millions strong. Sources close to the discussions said there were red lines that could not be crossed to make sure nature was protected. Alexa Culver, an environmental lawyer with RSK Wilding, said ministers were expected soon to present 'appeasement' amendments on part three so they could claim the legislation was not regressive. She said: 'We should assume that ministers won't have sought the advice of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) on these amendments. I urge us all to call for a further legal opinion from the OEP so that misleading ministerial statements aren't allowed to stay in circulation for too long.' The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that three separate legal opinions – including the OEP's – say the bill rolls back environmental protections, including for more than 5,000 of the most sensitive, rare and protected habitats in England, leaving them vulnerable to destruction. Wildlife charities are calling on the government to scrap part three and redraw the bill when it returns to parliament on Monday. Beccy Speight, the chief executive of the RSPB, said: 'The government must stop portraying this planning bill as a win-win for nature and economic growth. It is not. A thriving natural world is essential to underpin both growth and a resilient future. It's not too late for the government to address the issues with part three of the bill, and put forward legislation that can actually deliver economic growth and restore nature at scale.' Property developers have yet to build 1.4m homes for which they have planning permission. In a tactic known as landbanking, developers hold land with planning permission to secure higher values, according to recent research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Chris Hinchliff, the Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, said that rather than pushing through a bill that allowed developers to pay to sidestep environmental protections, ministers should force developers to start building the homes they already had permission for. Hinchliff has submitted a number of amendments to the bill aiming to strengthen protections for nature. He said: 'This legislation strips back environmental protections and local democracy but does nothing to stop developers drip-feeding developments to inflate prices. The planning system consistently approves more homes than get built. The bottleneck isn't simply process, it's profit.' The rebel backbenchers are working with the Green party and the Liberal Democrats to form a large group that hopes to scupper part three of the bill, which they say is the most damaging, when the legislation comes to parliament next week. Part three allows developers to sidestep environmental obligations by paying into a nature restoration fund, for environmental improvements elsewhere at a later date. The planning and infrastructure bill is central to the government's growth strategy, with a target to build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament to address the UK's housing affordability crisis and drive economic growth. Ministers announced recently that they were consulting on a range of measures to get developers building, including considering a use-it-or-lose-it policy, which was recommended by the IPPR in its report in February. IPPR research shows that planning rules have been loosened over the past two decades but building rates have decreased during that time. Hinchliff said there should a fresh approach to deal with underperforming developers. 'I've proposed financial penalties for developers who don't build as promised, and new powers for councils to block developments from firms which repeatedly land bank,' he said. Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, said: 'Ensuring that homes with planning permission get built in a timely manner is part of the solution to our housing needs. There's a housing shortage in the country, which is costing local councils and the government huge sums of money in emergency and temporary accommodation, and the dream of home ownership remains out of reach for many. Tackling landbanking needs to form part of the government's focus to bring about the change needed.' Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at IPPR, said: 'Developers are not deliberately building slowly to stymie housebuilding, but they are not going to build at a rate that will reduce house prices – it's not in their interest to do this, and indeed they have legal obligations to shareholders that would prevent this. There might be a case to explore whether giving local authorities the power to apply a 'use it or lose it' approach to planning permission would speed up delivery.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
England's planning bill has many naysayers. I'm not one of them
In recent weeks, various nature groups and newspaper columnists have promoted claims that the government's flagship planning and infrastructure bill is a 'nature sellout'. The argument goes that the government is conspiring with malign developers to destroy irreplaceable habitats as a first resort. This sounds alarming, if only it were true. The truth is that our current framework for protecting habitats has been in place for decades but has failed to prevent nature loss. This is because we approach conservation in the least effective way possible, with tens of thousands of individual site-by-site protections. Ecological science is clear that this is outdated. Modern conservation strategies recognise the necessity of interconnectivity and scale for supporting complex ecosystems. As well as failing nature, this system adds yet more costs and barriers to the new homes and infrastructure our country needs, because builders are distracted by cooking up well-meaning but ultimately piecemeal mitigation schemes with questionable impact, such as the now infamous HS2 bat tunnel, which is ridiculed by environmentalists and industrialists alike. Without more homes, wealth will continue to concentrate and homelessness will grow. Without better infrastructure, we cannot build more prosperous communities across the Midlands and north. And without getting smarter, habitat decline is inevitable. The status quo will see more young people robbed of the joy of nature, the security and socioeconomic mobility that previous generations enjoyed, and it will hinder our efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Something needs to change. The government has proposed a solution. The bill will establish a nature restoration fund, which will support a number of strategic nature restoration schemes across the country at a scale that is genuinely impactful. Natural England will produce a series of 'environmental delivery plans', underpinned by ecological science, explaining how it will deliver an 'overall improvement in conservation status' for a given environmental feature. This test is set out in the legislation. Unlike now, performance will be regularly measured against what was promised and the approach in the plans must be amended if they are not delivering. This will mean results are easier to evaluate and scrutinise, as well as making enforcement simpler. Crucially these schemes will operate across council boundaries, because nature does. Instead of creating their own bespoke schemes, developers will financially contribute to much greater environmental outcomes nationally. This is what is meant by a 'win-win'. Noise about the legislation misses the point that nothing changes until the delivery plans are in place. That is where the action is. Until they are in place, the existing safeguards persists. And until draft plans are published, there is a vacuum in which alarm can thrive. So let's debunk some myths. Green spaces will not vanish. Amenity green space is vital for healthy, fulfilling lives, which is why it is a core principle and given protected designation by the government's new national planning policy framework, and new green spaces created with funds already levied on development. However, local parks and ponds are not great banks of biodiversity, and are no substitute for the woods and wetlands we need at scale. The creation of those habitats will be made possible with the funds levied. Rare habitats such as chalk streams will not be destroyed under the promise of new habitats elsewhere. This is an obviously ridiculous caricature; any such proposal would not pass the hurdles set out in the legislation and Natural England would never claim it can create a new chalk stream. This has not been cooked up in a smoke-filled room with the volume housebuilders. On the contrary, I know first-hand that environmental leaders were intimately involved in its development, which is why organisations like RSPB, Wildlife Trust and Green Alliance were supportive when the Bill was published. . Regretfully, some have changed their tune, and now prefer to defend regulations over defending nature. The proposal is not perfect, but it isn't intended to be. It will take years to be fully implemented and even that is subject to Natural England securing Treasury support in the forthcoming spending review. But it is a serious reform and it must be viewed within the wider context of what this government is doing. The government's land use framework proposes to support farmers to deliver nature and climate benefits across 1.6 million hectares of land – more than the total developed for housing – by 2050. Meanwhile, it has banned bee-killing pesticides and the burning of peatlands, and its farming roadmap supports a shift towards regenerative farming methods. By comparison, just 30,000 hectares of land will be developed to deliver 1.5m homes this parliament, and, over the same period, if current rates of tree planting are sustained, more than double will be used to create new forests. John Cunliffe's review looks set to recommend a shift to nature-based solutions to flooding and water pollution. Replacing concrete with more reed- and tree-lined banks will benefit billpayers and the environment. While the government has walked into a fight with environmental groups, it is also quietly getting on with radical change to enhance our green and pleasant land. Nick Williams was an economic policy adviser to Keir Starmer between 2023 and 2025, having previously worked in HM Treasury
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill
More than 5,000 of the rarest and most precious natural habitats in England are at risk of being destroyed under Labour's new planning bill, according to legal analysis of the legislation. Here are just 10 irreplaceable wild places currently or recently imperilled by development that are likely to face renewed threats if the current wildlife protections are torn up by the government's bill. The best site in Britain for the endangered nightingale, Lodge Hill was made a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in 2013. But the following year it was earmarked for 5,000 new homes – the biggest attempt to build on an SSSI in England since the wildlife laws of 1981 came into force. After widespread protests from ecologists and nature charities, Homes England withdrew its plans and said it would develop just 500 houses on the former MoD land, outside the SSSI. The scrubby, song-filled paradise of dense woodland and grassland is renowned for its bat roosts, exceptional reptile population, rare butterflies, flowers and three species of owl. But in an area under huge housing pressure, the site that was once used for bomb disposal training and is classified as 'brownfield' is likely to be targeted for development once more. The mudflats and coastal meadows of Tipner West are an internationally important place for waders such as black-tailed godwit and dunlin, as well as a wealth of intertidal marine life. As part of Portsmouth harbour and the wider Solent, it is home to 30% of Britain's overwintering population of brent geese. The area is protected not only as a SSSI but also a special protection area (SPA) and Ramsar site – the highest tier of protection. However, in 2019, Portsmouth city council proposed a 'super peninsula' on the site – a large-scale land reclamation project for housing that would have destroyed vast swathes of habitat. After 24,000 people objected, the council withdrew that plan but has continued to push for land reclamation and housebuilding that jeopardises vital intertidal habitats. Under current laws, SPAs and Ramsar sites can be built on only if there are 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest' and no feasible alternatives. If building went ahead, the council would also have to create new mudflats and coastal meadows on a significantly greater scale than the area damaged. Such a high bar has never been hurdled by mere housing, and this spring the government rejected the council's request. The council is now exploring how it can continue its development plans. Sources say housing minister Matthew Pennycook is interested in Tipner West being one of the first developments to happen if the planning bill goes through, when the council will be able to pay into a nature restoration fund and no longer obliged to provide alternative habitats nearby. The Humber estuary has almost every conservation protection going – SPA, SAC, SSSI – while also being a major shipping channel. Remarkably, it's also responsible for 20% of all surface drainage in the UK. The habitats regulations have helped protect its natural functioning for decades, ensuring that docks expansions and sea defence projects don't destroy vital mudflats, sand flats and salt marsh for overwintering birds and declining breeding species such as little terns. Spurn Point, Yorkshire's own Land's End, is a hugely popular national nature reserve whose visitors contribute to the local economy. Planning reforms could disrupt the partnership between port, business and housing interests that has enabled economic development alongside wildlife protection. Further south, the similarly important Wash estuary is threatened by a tidal barrage proposal which says it has funding to pursue a development consent order. Thetford, a rapidly growing town of 25,000 with a 5,000-home urban extension under way, is surrounded by SSSIs, special areas of conservation (SACs) and the Brecks SPA. This unique region of sandy heaths and dry grassland is home to 72 species found nowhere else in Britain. It is of European-wide importance for rare plants, invertebrates and birds including curlew, nightjar, woodlark and stone curlew. Rare and declining species here include turtle dove, goshawk, long-eared owl and lesser spotted woodpecker. Birds such as nightjar and woodlark occur at lower densities in areas surrounded by housing, while heaths close to urban areas suffer from increased fire risk, trampling, disturbance by dog walkers, water pollution from dog fouling, and air pollution from road traffic. At the moment, there are protection zones for the stone curlews with no development permitted within 1,500m of a nesting site. Thanks partly to this protection, populations have increased. Under the new planning bill, however, developers can disregard such protections if they pay into a new nature restoration fund. An ecological assessment of Thetford's local plan said 'the proximity of the Breckland European site's boundary to the edge of the town in most directions remains a fundamental issue to overcome' before further homes can be built. A vulnerable wetland SSSI, the Wolborough Fen nature reserve is home to emperor dragonfly, sphagnum moss and 30 species of bird. It sits beside a major development of 1,200 new homes on the edge of Newton Abbot, which is earmarked to take a huge chunk of new homes planned for the region. Devon Wildlife Trust has warned a new road could jeopardise the wetland. A tranche of the development, for 150 homes, was rejected by planners in December because of concerns about damage to the wetland. Police were called in April when residents accused developer Vistry Homes of breaching the restrictions on its planning approvals. Local people blocked the bulldozers digging close to the nature reserve and the council issued a stop notice to halt the work. Richard Daws, an independent councillor on Teignbridge council, and one of those who faced down the bulldozers, said: 'There was no feeling of trespass, just a united sense of [people] having the courage of their convictions. 'The residents will continue to highlight unlawful acts by developers and call out any abdication of responsibility from the local planning authority who have a fundamental duty to protect an ancient and precious woodland, a hidden gem that is rare in the UK, with some species that can be found in only a few other sites in Europe.' Just 2.5% of Britain's ancient woodland – land continuously wooded since 1600 – survives. It represents an irreplaceable combination of veteran trees, undisturbed soils, fungal networks and rare flora. Two separate applications by Quinn Estates for 8,400 new homes, a hotel, rubbish tip, relief road and primary and secondary schools are subject to a planning hearing after Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 'called in' proposals hours before they were set to be rejected by Swale borough council last November. According to Kent Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, the plans entail the direct loss of ancient woodland, local wildlife sites and priority habitats including species-rich hedgerows and traditional Kentish orchards. The developments will also place indirect pressure – from pollution and people – on nearby Cromers Wood and Tonge Mill country park. Vulnerable species that would be directly affected include water vole, otter, yellowhammer, corn bunting, grey partridge and the critically endangered turtle dove. More than 700 local people have objected to the plans, which could sail through under the new legislation. Vast swathes of nature-rich heathland have been lost to housing over recent decades, because it is relatively cheap land and easy to build on. The surviving fragments of the Surrey Heaths – including Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath, Ash to Brookwood Heaths and Chobham Common – have historically been protected as SSSIs. They are part of the Thames Basin SPA, protected by the habitats regulations, which seeks to maintain internationally important bird populations of nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler. All of these species nest on or close to the ground and so are highly vulnerable to people-pressure, especially from dog – walkers. Under current planning laws, new homes close to vulnerable wildlife sites must provide suitable natural green space nearby so new residents don't disturb those sites. Under the new bill, developers will be able to pay to create such green spaces further away – potentially in other counties. Even if wildlife sites are not built on, this risks creating more disturbance leading to local extinctions of vulnerable species. Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at the Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Places like the New Forest and the Surrey Heaths could be threatened by development that no longer has to avoid harm to those specific sites. On the Surrey Heaths, the clear impact the development can have is more people walking their dogs which can impact on birds in the area. Plans to hugely expand Southampton's container port and reclaim land on the New Forest side of Southampton Water were first rejected back in 2004. Doubling the capacity of the port would destroy grazing marshes and mudflats that provide nesting for lapwing and winter homes for 50,000 birds such as wigeon and pintail. The area is an SPA and contains several SSSIs, with Dibden Bay designated for its nationally important collection of invertebrates including 21 nationally rare species. The plans for a 1.85km-long deep quay would have destroyed 76 hectares (188 acres) of tidal foreshore designated as of international importance for birds. Associated roads would also threaten the New Forest national park. After being called in by the government, the then transport minister, Tony McNulty, accepted the planning inspector's recommendation to reject the proposals after a 13-month inquiry. In 2023, owners Associated British Ports refused to rule out another attempt to develop the 500-acre site but said any new planning application was 'many years away'. Under the new bill, mitigating for irreparable damage to protected sites caused by major infrastructure would become much simpler, making schemes such as Dibden Bay much more viable. A mosaic of woodlands that is home to a super-colony of rare barbastelle bats, the Wensum Woodlands has long been threatened by a 3.8-mile dual carriageway that would complete a third ring-road around Norwich. A series of connected colonies, including one of more than 105 barbastelles, live either on the route or close to the proposed road. The area is being considered for designation as a SSSI by Natural England, which has previously designated sites with just 20 or 30 colonies. In 2023, the government committed to paying for 80% of the road scheme, but cash-strapped Norfolk county council announced this year that Natural England's advice on the wildlife impacts meant it could not proceed with the £274m road, and withdrew its application. Landowners and developers have strongly pushed for the road, which they say will 'unlock' land for businesses and housing. The planning and infrastructure bill is likely to revive many such 'zombie' road projects. Earlier this year, Keir Starmer claimed that plans for 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet had been stymied by the discovery of the rare distinguished jumping spider, and blocked by Natural England. 'It's nonsense, and we'll stop it,' said the prime minister. In fact, the prime minister was talking nonsense: the vast majority of the 15,000 homes are being built, but 1,300 homes planned for Swanscombe Peninsula have been blocked. The peninsula – a portion of land on the fringe of the Ebbsfleet garden city project – was designated a SSSI by Natural England in 2021 because of its globally important collection of rare invertebrates. Nearly 2,000 species have been found at Swanscombe, making it one of the most biodiverse places in Britain. The existing planning regime has enabled a compromise, with thousands of new homes being built and the relatively modest SSSI protected. Under the planning bill, even SSSIs could be built upon in exchange for developers paying into the nature restoration fund, administered by Natural England which is both the executor and beneficiary of such schemes.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Wildlife habitats destroyed in Silloth sand dunes fire
Sand dunes badly damaged in a fire could take years to recover, experts have Kay, manager of Solway Coast National Landscape, said the damage caused to an area of Silloth Dunes at the weekend - roughly the size of two football pitches - was "horrifying" and had destroyed wildlife Fire and Rescue Service said it was still investigating the cause of the blaze but warned people of the risk of barbecues and camping stoves in the Kay said the area was "blackened and horrible to look at" and, while it was hoped new growth would be seen in the area within a year, it could take up to 20 years to recover completely. "We are in the season where everything is growing, birds are nesting and plants are growing," she said. "The area at the moment is blackened and horrible but we should see growth, perhaps nettles dominating, within a year - nothing special. "But it will take five to 10 years for vegetation to come back and even longer for the food chain species to come back."We could be looking at 10 or 20 years."The fire service urged people who spot wildfires to ring 999 immediately. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
