Calls have been made for Surrey's "most delicate and biodiverse" grassland habitats to be better protected by planning authorities from future developments.

The Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) has recently led a team of organisations on a project to collect field data from some of the county's most biodiverse habits with the aim of ensuring that the region's most important habitats are identified and recorded to be protected.

According to the SWT, these grasslands are the "last remaining habitats left" for a diverse range of colourful wildflowers such as Bee Orchids, Sneezewort, Hoary Cinquefoil, Harebell, Common Cudweed and Horseshoe Vetch.

In autumn 2024 around 100 of the endangered native species were found dead in the River Wansbeck catchment – a nationally significant population.

The subsequent investigation determined crayfish with similar symptoms - unusual orange patches on their shell displaying as ulcers or lesions – were widespread across the Wansbeck catchment as well as areas of the neighbouring rivers Tyne and Blyth catchments.

A series of summer surveys during 2025 took place to try to identify the cause of the symptoms as well as understand the impact on current populations and mortality rates.

Thousands of gannets have begun returning to Alderney's seabird colonies, with the first birds landing earlier than expected this year.

The Alderney Wildlife Trust said the first gannets touched down on Les Etacs on 6 February, about a week earlier than in 2025. The seabirds usually return to the island's gannetries closer to Valentine's Day (14 February).

The trust said the returning adult birds were likely to be the same individuals seen year after year, as gannets were known to show strong loyalty to their breeding sites once established.

Nature campaigners have called for "important" grassland habitats to be protected after a project recorded hundreds of sites in Surrey.

Organisations and volunteers including Surrey Wildlife Trust and the Surrey Nature Partnership said they had recorded 460 grassland sites in the county, covering about 15 sq miles (39 sq km).

Sites in the Surrey Important Grasslands Inventory include downs, village greens, parks and churchyards.

A walrus has been spotted off the coast of Fife in a "rare sighting".

It was seen resting on rocks near Elie and was reported to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).

The walrus was spotted on 31 January but the marine wildlife charity decided not to make the sighting public to protect the animal.

Conservation efforts along the 153 miles of the River Thames have delivered mixed results for wildlife, according to a new report that finds improvements in some species and habitats alongside emerging threats from climate change and pollution.

Researchers recorded increases in several wading bird species, marine mammals and restored natural habitats, including intertidal areas that act as nurseries for many fish. The river continues to support a surprising range of wildlife, with seahorses, eels, seals and even sharks – including tope, starry smoothhound and spurdog – now documented in the Thames.

However, the number of fish species found in the tidal stretch of the river has shown a slight decline since the early 1990s. Conservation scientists say more research is needed to understand the reasons behind the trend.

Shivering and rain-drenched at the side of a pond in Cornwall, a huddle of people watched in hushed silence as a beaver took its first tentative steps into its new habitat. As it dived into the water with a determined “plop” and began swimming laps, the suspense broke and everyone looked around, grinning.

The soggy but momentous occasion marks the first time in English history that beavers have been legally released into a river system, almost one year after the government finally agreed to grant licences for releases.

“It’s a beaver blind date,” said Cheryl Marriott, the director of nature and people for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, as another made its way into the water.

Plans for the Isle of Axholme to join a biosphere reserve network have been backed by councillors.

North Lincolnshire Council's cabinet agreed to support participation in the proposed Humberhead Unesco Biosphere at a meeting on Monday 2 February.

If approved, officials said the move would protect the area's unique landscape, improve flood resilience, restore nature and support farming and local livelihoods.

"It's just a happy thing to see - we should be hanging our heads in shame if we let the red squirrel fail," says nature enthusiast Pete Muldoon.

As a volunteer in Formby's woodlands on Merseyside, he is part of efforts to stop the decline of the endangered native creature following the introduction of grey squirrels from North America in the late 19th Century.

While England is thought to have about 2.7 million greys, there are only about an estimated 39,000 red squirrels left.

A misty, rainy day in the uplands of Somerset and the mud was thick and sticky. In some patches, just putting one foot in front of the other without plunging into the mire felt like a win.

But Jon Barrett, a community engagement officer for the Quantock Hills national landscape, had a broad grin on his face as he negotiated the ooze.

“I know for some, mud may be their nemesis at this time of year but we’re trying to celebrate it, get people to embrace it,” Barrett said.

Extinct moss is being reintroduced across Yorkshire's moors in the fight against climate change.

Sphagnum moss can hold 20 times its weight in water and helps create peat bogs, where dead vegetation accumulates rather than decays, capturing carbon in the ground.

Two projects – one in the Yorkshire Dales and another on Marsden Moor near Huddersfield – are reintroducing mosses to the uplands, which it is hoped will also create diverse habitats for wildlife.

Chris Packham filmed a West Country fox hunt to challenge what he describes as a "shocking lack of accountability" for those who take part in the sport.

The TV wildlife presenter followed the Blackmore & Sparkford Vale Hunt with a camera crew through the Dorset countryside this afternoon (Saturday, February 7).

In a five-hour live stream on Facebook, Chris and his team traced the large group of hounds and horses using thermal tracking, at one point locating "15 hounds all focused on one little area in a wood".