Category: News and events

The Local Nature Recovery Strategy is something that MWN have been keeping an eye on for a while. If you haven’t come across LNRS yet, then there’s a great BBC News article here about activity in our local area.

The consultation is still open and East Riding of Yorkshire Council are consulting on the Hull and East Yorkshire local nature recovery strategy (LNRS). Currently the response rate to the survey is well below other regions, and the survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

MWN would encourate all residents of Molescroft Parish and the local area to review the proposals and comment on them. View the map survey of the ERYC region at this link. View the general survey for the ERYC region at this link.

There is also a webinar from ERYC that you can register to learn more about LNRS.

There’s plenty of shopping days till Christmas, so why not support biodiversity charities and organisations in the run up to the 25th?

Our friends at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have a range of Christmas goods from cards to wrapping solutions, crackers, baubles, 2024 calendars and more.

Plantlife have a wide variety of Christmas merchandise, with every purchase you make, you’re supporting vital work to restore and protect beautiful landscapes and the special wild plants and fungi they’re home to.

If you would prefer to support the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) their Christmas selection is found here. The have species-themed gift guide for unique homeware, books, toys and stocking-fillers and 100% of the profits go directly to help wildlife both in the UK and overseas.

All this month we have been hearing in the media about COP 28 in Dubai. But what is COP? What happens there? And is there anything we can meaningfully do to contribute whilst it is running?

MWN have had a little look for useful resources on understanding COP 28, and how it is organised and run, and what positive actions we can take to support its goals.

The Nature Conservancy has a really good primer and refresher on the paricipants and goals of COP28. Read their take on the meeting here.

Rainforest Alliance has an interview style piece that covers the main themes in a conversational format here.

The policy insitute Chatham House (of the “Chatham House Rule”) has a bit of a deeper dive into the questions that COP28 is going to try to solve here.

But what can you do?

The Church of England has some guidance (that is equally useful to those who are more secular!) that has some really great points. Check out their article here. There are two great solid actions you can take though. A summary of them is shown below:

You can write to your MP

The UK delegation will have a stronger platform to negotiate from if they know that people back in the UK want to see radical change and bold decision making.

You can raise awareness

Try to find a way to talk about this big issue in a way that makes it relatable for the person you are speaking to. For example, if they love beach holidays you could explain about how sea level rise will impact our coasts or if they care about their food, maybe discuss how food production and supply chains are being disrupted by unreliable and more extreme weather.

The Yorkshire Rewilding Network have a page listing a number of books that would make great reading for anyone interested in rewiliding and biodiversity (and these would be great Christmas presents too!). The selection covers books for all ages and all wildlife interests.

This extensive collection of curated books that starts with the pivotal rewilding text “Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life” by George Monbiot to the incredibly beautiful 2023 coffee table classic “The Book of Wilding – A practical guide to rewilding big and small” by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell.

There is also a separate selection of books specifically targeted at younger readers.

As the Guardian headline says this is both “Fascinating and saddening“, because these new species are migrants due to climate change/global heating.

This data was generated in a city farm in Bath, and shows the value of long term monitoring of small spaces by citizen scientists where the sites are harbouring biodiversity at local scales. Added to a bigger picture of species observations collected on e.g. iNaturalist, shows how citizen science can engage with climate change challenges, and have an impact on research.

One of the most heavily mapped areas in Beverley by density of observations is St Mary’s Graveyard, mostly thanks to the effort of Hull Natural History Society and MWN. If you’re ever in St Mary’s Graveyard, or at the other sites we are monitoring, don’t forget to add your observations to iNaturalist, as they will help us continue to monitor change (both improved biodiversity, and sadly the effects of climate change too) over time.

Discover how nature-friendly farming is helping many endangered farmland birds and other wildlife, at this online talk with farming and wildlife expert Nicholas Watts.

Farms provide a fantastic and essential habitat for birds and other wildlife. Ambassador for nature-friendly farming Nicholas Watts, will talk us through the reasons why farmland birds have declined dramatically over the last 30 years and how he has successfully increased numbers of some species on his farm. For example, grey partridge, corn bunting and tree sparrows have decreased nationally by around 90%, due primarily to loss of habitat and insects to eat.

The event is hosted by CRT – The Countryside Regeneration Trust which protects, promotes, and regenerates land and all life on it.

Sign up for the online event here.

Learn more about the CRT and their aims here.

The Eden Project has announced a plan to help tackle the biodiversity crisis felt throughout the United Kingdom by unveiling a new company, the Eden Project Wildflower Bank.

The Eden Project Wildflower Bank aims to create wildflower-rich grassland habitats across the UK through the creation of Biodiversity Net Gain Units.

Biodiversity Net Gain Units are a way of measuring an uplift or increase in biodiversity through either habitat creation or enhancement.

To learn more about the Wildflower Bank intiative, you can read more on the Eden Project website.

Some awesome news for younger nature lovers is shared by the RSPB here! The RSPB are launching in November, “Free youth access” to RSPB sites if you are aged 16-24.

From November 6, all you need to do is show a valid photo ID with your age on it when you arrive at the nature reserve. This could be a driving license, a proof of age card or your passport. And that’s it. Simple! And there are some beautiful sites to explore.