Help to End the Retail Sale of Peat in Horticulture

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…

Dragonflies disappear around the world as wetlands are lost

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…

Defra may approve controversial neonicotinoid

Under pressure from the sugar beet industry, emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB, thiamethoxam pesticide, is likely to be approved shortly, says sources inside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The sugar beet industry is calling for the pesticide’s use in order to protect seeds from yellows disease virus. However, the pesticide is…

The National Forest for Wales

National Forest for Wales is a unique project aiming to create a nationwide network of publically accessible woodlands and forests. This will including creating new woodlands, as well as restoring existing ones, for the benefit of wildlife and the wellbeing of communities. You can become part of the project and receive a free native tree…

Q&A with Dr Matt Geary

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…

We’ve won the John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award 2021!

The BDS has won the National Biodiversity Network Trust’s John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award 2021. The award is given to organisations that make a significant contribution to open biodiversity data in the UK and are committed to working towards the NBN’s vision of “collecting and sharing wildlife data openly to educate and inform”. Since…

Study shows neonicotinoid water pollution drives decline in dragonfly emergence

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…