GreyShuck

Up to 90% of the ocean floor around Britain is covered with sand and gravel, derived from the erosion of shell and rocks. Other, more unusual habitats include maerl beds, seagrass meadows and kelp forests. These biodiverse landscapes are home to 330 species of fish, as well as seals, seahorses and thousands of lesser‑known species – which share them with the offshore energy, fishing and shipping industries.

Heightened awareness of pollution from sewage and plastics means that the public knows more about marine conservation than it used to. For his 99th birthday this year, the broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough made a film, Ocean, in which he described the seas as the planet’s “greatest life support system”, and urged people to get behind efforts to protect and renew marine nature.

But despite an energetic campaign against sewage discharges by water companies, an issue that featured in last year’s general election, and valiant local volunteer efforts such as the seahorse survey in Dorset’s Studland Bay, increased concern about the state of the seas has not delivered a robust, clearly understood national framework for underwater conservation. The government this week rejected a recommendation from parliament’s environmental audit committee that bottom-trawling by fishing boats should be banned in marine protected areas (MPAs). That was a mistake and a sign of how far there is still to go.

Steve the Beaver became so adept at absconding from his "secure" enclosure that he was named after a star of the classic film The Great Escape. While sightings of him on his apparent hunt for a Mrs Steve captured many hearts, the regularity of beaver breakouts has led people to question why it took so long to allow wild releases of these once-extinct animals in England.

Chef Rachael Cowens was used to seeing wildlife around Otterburn Mill, so when she spotted a furry mammal actually inside the building she thought at first it was - as she put it - "just an otter".

The Northumberland textile mill had been converted into a shop and cafe where visitors could see the old waterwheel behind a glass panel.

A trio of rare ladybirds have been recorded in the New Forest this summer, with one new to Britain and one not seen in the area for more than 15 years.

Ladybirds are key indicators of ecological change and the presence of these species in the New Forest is linked to habitat quality and the changing climate.

It comes during a particularly good year for ladybirds generally in the UK, with the warm weather this spring and summer resulting in very high numbers.

A barn owl conservationist from East Yorkshire says this year has been the second best breeding season in the area for decades.

Robert Salter, 56, from Camerton, near Hedon, has been conserving the birds for 35 years as part of East Yorkshire Barn Owl Conservation.

Over three decades, he has put up more than 350 bird boxes which he regularly monitors.

A national park has called for a united response to a report that has found waterways across the South of England are failing to support wildlife.

The "Water In The Park" report, external from South Downs National Park looked at all bodies of water across Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey and found only 10% were in "good" ecological status under UK regulation.

It said there were multiple reasons for this, including sewage discharges, pesticides and pollution from roads.

Should we be organising mass culls of foxes and crows in the UK in order to save the plummeting numbers of curlews? That is the argument put forward by certain bird conservation groups.

The curlew, one of Britain’s most charismatic birds, with its curved beaks and distinctive call, has been disappearing from the countryside, declining by 60% in 25 years. It is just one of a number of ground-nesting birds that is vanishing – research has found that ground nesters are 86% more likely to decline than birds with other nesting strategies.

The root of the problem is complex. Farming practices such as running heavy machinery down fields to cut grass for silage are partly to blame for the decline. The machines chop up the eggs and chicks hidden in the grass.

An oyster reef being built off the Norfolk coast has been hailed as a pioneering project that could help increase biodiversity.

At least four million oysters will be placed into the North Sea just off Blakeney Point by the end of 2026, with work starting this month.

The juvenile oysters, called spats, will be spread across 40,000 specially designed clay bricks known as mother reefs.

A rare bird of prey that was once close to extinction in the UK has been spotted breeding in Leicestershire for the first time.

The goshawk, a protected bird similar to the sparrowhawk, but much larger, was persecuted in the UK in the late 19th century but there was a population recovery in the late 1960s following deliberate releases.

Leicestershire and Rutland bird recorder Carl Baggot said: "It is the first documented record of this species breeding, although they are likely to have bred here in the distant past."

Hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass could become requirements for all new buildings as members of the House of Lords push through amendments to the government’s planning bill.

This may cause a headache for ministers, who have tried to avoid burdening developers with laws on nature measures such as “swift bricks”. The new Lords amendments include mandated provision for these nesting boxes, which campaigners say are crucial for the survival of the threatened species.

A cross-bench group of peers has tabled amendments to ensure new buildings must have wild animal-friendly design and architecture, including hedgehog highways and bird nesting boxes.

Today, The Wildlife Trusts and RSA Insurance, an Intact company, announce a new 18-month project to map and analyse the economic, environmental and societal benefits of restoring nature along the Trent, England’s longest river from source to sea. The opportunities for nature-based solutions along its 223.5 miles will be examined allowing the partners to create a transformational vision for the Trent’s future, and a blueprint for restoring all rivers in England for the first time.

At a time when flood, drought, polluted water and lack of access to nature are major threats, the Rivers 2040 project aims seize the opportunity for change presented by the closure of power stations and gravel pits, changes in farming and a post-industrial future for people living along the Trent.

A new approach to restoring rivers chimes with the independent Cunliffe Review of water management which called for integrated action to tackle pressures from the water industry and other sectors. UK Government is expected to progress new legislation to enact this.

New "floating ecosystems" have been installed along a section of the Nottingham and Beeston Canal.

The artificial reed beds which are made of coir rolls - cylinders of recycled plastic and coconut fibre - were filled with a variety of plants popular with pollinators before being placed in the water on Tuesday.

The Canal & River Trust said the beds will give the canal a more "natural feel" and attract more wildlife to the city centre.

Burning on England’s deep peat will be banned in order to restore habitats for rare wildlife and reduce air pollution and flooding, the government has said.

England’s peatlands are in poor shape due to having been burned, intensively drained and used as grouse moors. They naturally act like a sponge, with layers of moss and other vegetation, and store vast amounts of carbon: an estimated 3.2bn tonnes in the UK alone.

When they are in a dried-out state, they do not hold water, which can contribute to flooding of communities downstream. They also release carbon into the atmosphere, rather than storing it.