Ministers must seize chance to protect our countryside

countryside M Ministers must seize chance to protect our countrysideConservationists are urging ministers to grasp the opportunity tomorrow (October 12) to clear up one of the most controversial aspects of the planning reform debate.

The Government has faced a public backlash against its proposed reforms of the planning system. Although they claim the changes will maintain sustainable development as the

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Thousands of caterpillars released into Lake District valley

insectMarsh Fritillary by Jim S Thousands of caterpillars released into Lake District valleyThousands of caterpillars have been released in a Lake District valley as part of ongoing attempts to re-establish colonies of one of Europe’s most endangered butterflies.

Almost 4,000 Marsh Fritillary caterpillars were distributed on suitable habitat by Wild Ennerdale Volunteers, Forestry Commission staff and Butterfly Conservation under a

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Grizedale Forest’s red kite chicks survive their first winter

1250540066 Vyk4m S Grizedale Forest’s red kite chicks survive their first winterMost of the red kite chicks released by the Forestry Commission in the Lake District’s Grizedale Forest last summer have survived the harsh winter.

Wildlife rangers believe that around 20 of the 30 birds that were released in the first year of a three-year reintroduction programme made it

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Rangers’ high rise match making

1239360682 P5ksq S Rangers’ high rise match makingWildlife rangers went up in the world to help a frisky osprey bachelor entice a mate. The first of three new artificial osprey platforms was erected by the Forestry Commission in Kielder Water & Forest Park, Northumberland.

Wildlife rangers donned their harnesses and scaled a 20 metre spruce to lop the top of the tree with

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Mouth swabs to probe rare blood lines

1182395927 28fNK S Mouth swabs to probe rare blood linesGoshawk chicks in Kielder Water & Forest Park are having their mouths swabbed in a bid to discover more about the creature’s blood lines in the 62,000 hectare (155,000 acre) Northumberland wilderness.

The bird, once persecuted to extinction and which reappeared in Kielder in the 1960s, is one of the rarest in

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We love our garden birds

1154634069 T45zp S We love our garden birdsValentine’s Day is the perfect launch pad to celebrate our love affair with garden birds.

For February 14 marks the start of National Nest Box Week, an initiative that encourages people to put up nest boxes to protect wild birds and replace sites that continue to dimish and disappearing.

Nature’s Feast, one of the UK’s

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A star turn for rare bat colony

1044552150 3ypK7 S A star turn for rare bat colonyThe Forestry Commission has announced that the rare Barbastelle bat has established a maternity colony in Lincolnshire woodland – a first for the county and one of the very few such sites identified in Britain.

The bat is generally regarded as a southern English species, but research has revealed that it is

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Environmental project boosts rare butterfly numbers

1044552744 iXHvy S Environmental project boosts rare butterfly numbersAn environmental project led by the Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation in the Wyre Forest has been hugely successful in boosting the numbers of rare butterflies living in the West Midlands.

Back to Orange, a three-year project, largely funded by SITA Trust, which aimed to conserve the fritillary butterflies of the Wyre Forest, has

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New conservation heart for County Durham

A major new conservation project is proposed for the heart of County Durham. The idea is to be explored in a local, national and European context at a conference and exhibition to be held from October 18-22 at County Hall, Durham.

The England Biodiversity Group has recommended that central Durham should be one of the country’s first Integrated Biodiversity Delivery Areas, where priority will be given to conserving wildlife and creating new habitats.

The free

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Forestry Commission records Cumbrian red squirrel numbers

1028502798 fGTKe S Forestry Commission records Cumbrian red squirrel numbersThe Forestry Commission has carried out the first ever full survey of the Red Squirrels Reserve at Whinlatter Forest, Dodd Wood, Wythop and Setmurthy near Keswick as part of efforts to help conservation.

Numbers of red squirrels were counted using 75 traps located within the reserve.

A total of 416 red squirrels

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