A "disgraceful" mountain of illegal waste stretching 150 metres long is finally being cleared from a site near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, officials have confirmed.

The colossal clean-up operation, costing £7.3 million, is expected to last around six months.

The trail of rubbish caused widespread outrage, led to a criminal investigation and the Environment Agency declaring the situation a critical incident last November.

Marine experts say orca sightings are "definitely up" in one part of the UK's coast but it is not clear why.

On Wednesday, fishermen spotted a pod of up to 10 off the Northumberland coast, one of several visits orcas - or killer whales - have made to the area in recent years.

The North East Cetacean Project's coordinator, Martin Kitching, said there had been sporadic sightings from north of the Tees, past the Wear and Tyne estuaries to the Scottish border since 2000, but in 2025 there were "five verified sightings in Northumberland alone".

A new report has found that the Darwin Tree of Life project, which aims to sequence the genomes of all complex life in the UK and Ireland, could generate billions of pounds for the global economy.

It is estimated that there are as many as 70,000 species of animals, fungi and plants in the UK. These range from the red squirrel and oak tree to the haircap moss and orange-clubbed sea slug.

The Darwin Tree of Life is an ambitious project to sequence the genomes of all these species. Over the last decade scientists have been going out into the field to collect new, high-quality samples of these animals and plants so that their DNA can be extracted and sequenced using modern techniques.

Wildlife charity needs as many citizen scientists as possible to record mammal sightings in gardens, parks, riverbanks and churchyards.

Hundreds of volunteers across the UK will be looking in their gardens, local green spaces or riverbanks over the next few months and recording their sightings of mammals in a bid to help endangered wildlife.

Leading wildlife conservation charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for nature enthusiasts, families and individuals to take part in two of their key annual surveys – Living with Mammals and the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme. These record wild mammals in gardens or other urban green spaces, and along riverbanks, in streams or canals. PTES is particularly keen for more records from more unusual green spaces such as churchyards, cemeteries and allotments which are often teeming with wildlife and making it possible for everyone to take part.

An extraordinary dataset of over 44 million records from 782,000 volunteer surveys has revealed what has happened to the UK's butterflies as the national landscape has changed over the past 50 years.

Half a century of data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) shows that many of the UK’s species are disappearing due to habitat loss, pollution and climate change.

Citizen scientists have walked more than 1.5 million kilometres since 1976 at more than 7,600 sites to produce the incredible dataset. That’s the equivalent of walking 40 times around the world – or to the moon and back twice.

The UK Centre for Seabed Mapping (UK CSM), a group of over 30 public sector organisations with a shared commitment to collect and share high-quality marine data, will undertake a seabed mapping survey – CSM2026 – to explore and map the seabed along the UK’s south-west coastline.

Throughout the four-week survey, using cutting‑edge survey technology deployed from the Research Vessel Cefas Endeavour, a team of 26 scientists from across the field of maritime research will collect vital hydrographic, geological and environmental data when they set sail from Lowestoft on 20 April.

Convening multiple government agencies, the survey represents an unprecedented level of collaboration within the maritime sector. By combining their skills and capabilities in a single survey, the team aim to secure data to deliver the UK government’s commitments and make advances in how our seabed is mapped, understood and managed.

A "vital" parcel of land has been secured for nature conservation after a community campaign raised more than £100,000 in two weeks.

The 110-acre privately-owned plot within Upton Heath in Poole, Dorset, had previously been part of the nature reserve, but the lease had been terminated by the landowner and it was put up for sale with planning permission for mineral extraction.

The land, designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, had been due to go up for auction on 29 April, sparking a fundraising appeal.

A countryside organisation has launched a campaign to crown the UK's 16th National Park to mark its 100th birthday.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) in Somerset wants to have the Somerset Levels recognised with the honour - the UK's largest wetland. The levels are the UK's biggest lowland wetlands, and are used as flood plains during the winter to protect urban areas of Somerset.

The UK has 15 national parks. The first one was the Peak District in 1951 and the most recent was the South Downs, which was designated in 2010.

UK populations of puffins have fallen by 25% since 2000 despite continued attempts to protect them, the RSPB said.

World Puffin Day, on 14 April, coincides with the time of year when puffins and other seabirds return to Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire, home to the UK's largest mainland seabird colony.

Dave O'Hara, reserve manager at Bempton Cliffs, said the main issue was the availability of sandeels in the North Sea.

The blue tit was the most common bird spotted in Surrey - bucking a national trend in a new survey which saw the house sparrow as the most frequently recorded bird across the country.

The study from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) found the house sparrow, blue tit and starling were the the top three birds seen across the UK, while the wood pigeon and house sparrow were number two and three in Surrey.

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch annual study was released alongside a plea from the charity not to feed birds during the summer months, as it could spread disease.

Work has begun to clear up a “disgraceful” mountain of illegal waste at a site near the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, officials have said.

The 150-metre long trail of rubbish in a field alongside the A34 in Kidlington prompted widespread outrage, a criminal investigation and was declared a critical incident by the Environment Agency last November.

Now 15 to 30 lorry loads of rubbish will be removed each day in a £7.3 million operation expected to last around six months.

Local communities, water quality and wildlife will benefit from a record £8.5 million paid by water companies into environmental restoration projects as part of a strengthened crackdown on pollution and poor performance across the sector.

This compares to £5.8 million the year before, a 47% increase, and just under £2 million in the 2023/24 financial year.

The Environment Agency ensures this record funding goes directly to charities and projects that restore the harm done to waterways and improve water quality, working to leave them in a better position than before any incident.

Amphibian and reptile conservation is asking residents of the Scottish Solway coast to listen out for the iconic call of Scotland’s rarest amphibian, the natterjack toad.

The natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) can only be found at a handful of locations in Scotland, all on the Solway coast.

Natterjack numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, largely due to habitat loss caused by sea level rise, coastal erosion, agricultural intensification, urban expansion and commercial forestry. Natterjack breeding habitat – shallow, seasonal pools found near the coast - is especially susceptible to extreme weather events such as prolonged periods of drought or severe winter storms, which are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

On Wednesday 15th April a group of MPs will gather in Parliament, following a Lords debate about the impact of bottom-trawling on marine wildlife, to support calls on the UK Government to expand and accelerate policies for nature recovery.

The event comes after months of growing public and political disquiet about the severe and continuing degradation of the UK's nature. It will be hosted by Chris Hinchliff MP and will see The Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, Woodland Trust and Friends of the Earth speakers set out evidence of ongoing species and habitat declines and the escalating impacts on people. UK Government will be urged to reset environmental policy to address the crisis.

A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told.

The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least £100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year.

Scottish government ministers did not disclose that when the Highlands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant tabled a question at Holyrood asking for an update on what was known as the nature investment partnership.

They are seen as "a little bit unusual" and "unknown" to many due to their slimy disposition, but eels are having something of a rebrand in Britain's waterways.

Their numbers dwindled by 94% in the 1980s due to pollution, parasites and several other barriers faced on the riverways.

But they are now being reintroduced across the country in a bid to boost numbers and restore balance to ecosystems.

Conservationists say pine martens are "doing well" after being being reintroduced to parts of south-west England.

Dozens of the mammals, which are related to weasels, have been released into secret locations across Dartmoor and Exmoor since autumn 2024 as part of the Devon Wildlife Trust Two Moors Pine Marten project.

In July, it was confirmed the animals - which had disappeared from the region more than 100 years ago after being hunted and trapped to extinction - had successfully bred.

A new project will "transform" degraded coastal environments through the installation of "pioneering" floating wetlands.

The project, led by the University of Portsmouth in partnership with Southern Water, external, will see specially designed floating rafts deployed in coastal waters.

Their purpose will be to recreate crucial lost "green" habitats in areas dominated by concrete infrastructure, such as seawalls and flood defences.

Up to 50 wild beavers could be released into Dorset rivers under plans announced by a nature conservation charity.

Dorset Wildlife Trust has submitted an expression of interest to Natural England for the proposed project in the River Hooke and wider River Frome catchment.

The trust said a phased approach was preferable, with the semi-aquatic mammals released at about 10 suitable sites over several years.

People in South Yorkshire are being encouraged to create their own home-made ponds in a bid to raise awareness about the importance of looking after rivers and wetlands.

Launching the campaign, Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust warned that local waterways were in "poor ecological and chemical health", meaning river catchments and neighbouring aquatic habitats had lower biodiversity than they should.

However, "mini ponds" created in as little as an hour could help boost biodiversity, a charity spokesperson said.

When Jane and Hugh Kemp started planting Christmas trees in their woodland in the Yorkshire Dales in the 1960s, they had no idea what would take up residence in the conifers 25 years later.

At first, they were in disbelief. But the newcomers' striking orange-red colour and bushy tails were unmistakable.

Red squirrels had moved into Mirk Pot Woods, near Snaizeholme, and they remain there today on a reserve where they can live wild while the land is managed to protect them.

Should the apocalypse arrive, Wales as we know it may depend on conservationists Ellyn Baker and Kevin McGinn and their cotton bags full of seeds.

The duo are in charge of carefully collecting and storing native wild seeds to create a living genetic library that could restore the country's ecosystem after a disaster.

Ellyn, 25, and Kevin, 38, meticulously plan their summer so they can be in the right place at the right time when plants release their seed - a window of just days in some cases - that, if missed, can take several years to happen again.

Scotland’s publicly-funded forestry bodies have spent more than £134m controlling deer over the last decade, The Ferret can reveal.

The country’s’s deer population is estimated to have reached more than one million, having doubled since the 1990s. In high concentrations, deer can cause numerous issues.

They include the deaths of an estimated 700 people in vehicle collisions in the UK every year, the environmental harm caused by trampling and overgrazing, poor animal welfare due to insufficient food and shelter for deer in winter, and steep economic costs.

“The world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.” So wrote Shakespeare in Richard III, in a line of social commentary that feels ever more relevant with age.

A note of good news then, in a world of so much bad, that the eagles the Bard was probably referring to could finally be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years.

The golden eagle, which was common in Shakespearean England – and which he mentioned more than 40 times, according to some scholars – has been largely absent from the country’s skies, with only a handful of pairs seen in the past 150 years.

It looks like there will be more drama at Glaslyn again this season, with the ospreys returning to the nest but seemingly going their separate ways...

Glaslyn duo Aran and Elen have returned from their winter migration but they have not been reunited on their nest in the Glaslyn Valley.

Aran returned on Saturday, 4 April, two weeks after the arrival of his partner Elen, whose fourth year it is in the Glaslyn Valley. They have raised five chicks together since 2023.