The Government has launched a consultation on the subject of ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture. Please take a few minutes to have your say on this important issue. There is no need for peat-based compost to be used when perfectly good alternatives exist. Peatlands are biodiverse habitats that support rare species like…

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has conducted its first ever global Red List assessment of Odonata (dragonflies). The study concluded that 16% of 6,016 species assessed are at risk of extinction. The species’ decline correlates to the deterioration and destruction of their wetland breeding habitats. Habitat loss, in many countries, is linked to…

We hope you all enjoyed our Annual meeting on 27 November. Attendees had lots of questions for speaker Dr Matt Geary on his talk about White-faced Darter genetics. Here are his answers. . .   Caroline: Re low recapture rate – could they have just flown elsewhere/dispersed rather than not survived? Or do they tend…

While the impacts of neonicotinoids on pollinators have been widely publicised and condemned, evidence is growing that these agricultural chemicals are having similar consequences for aquatic invertebrates. In a recent study by the University of California, aquatic insect larvae populations were grown in outdoor pools and exposed to different levels of thiacloprid (insecticide) pollution. As…

A study by Buglife, published on 26 September 2021, found widespread contamination from pharmaceutical products in UK waterways. Medical drugs enter river systems through various routes including output from water treatment facilities, runoff from agricultural land, and discharge from septic tanks. Anti-Inflammatories, Ibuprofen and Diclofenac, were found in 84% and 34% of the study’s samples…