Farm soils in Wales have a richer variety and number of microbial species than in woodland, bogs and conservation land, new research has found.
The two-year study used advanced DNA techniques to identify the microscopic invertebrates, bacteria and fungi in soils that are essential to the survival of plants and animals and are also vital for food production.
The European Union has recognised sustainable urbanisation as a global challenge. EU research and innovation programmes are helping cities to become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable in Europe and other cities worldwide.
The UNaLab team are guest editing a special issue of the Open Access journal Resources on the topic 'Nature-based Solutions for Urban Global Climate Adaptation'. They now invite papers that address one or more of the following issues:
i) multiple impacts, costs, (co-)benefits and economic viability of NBS across spatial, temporal and social scales;
A new generation of infrastructure projects that harness the power of nature can help achieve development goals, including water security and climate resilience, according to a new report from the World Bank and World Resources Institute. Both organizations are calling for green infrastructure, such as mangroves and wetlands, to play a bigger role in traditional infrastructure planning.
Rewildling vs Climate Breakdown
Rewildling Britain have joined with a chorus of voices to demand support for rewildling in response to the breakdown of our climate.
A pilot project aimed at removing floating pennywort from a section of the River Colne Valley, could go some way to helping water companies reduce the significant costs associated with tackling invasive non-native species, according to the Environment Agency (EA).
Part of a joint venture between the agency and charity Groundwork South, the plan has been designed to unite local groups and organisations to “restore and enhance” the mid to lower reaches of the River Colne Valley, which crosses parts of greater London and Buckinghamshire.
Two Eurasian beavers have been released in Finchingfield, Essex, as part of an Environment Agency (EA) flood management programme
The pair will be contained in a four hectare woodland enclosure, part of the grade II listed Spains Hall Estate, 16km north-west of Braintree. Beavers have been absent from England for 400 years since they were hunted to extinction, although they have been reintroduced in other parts of the country, including Devon.
Oppla and Connecting Nature have developed a free software tool that will make it easier for organisations and projects to share case studies and other nature-based solutions (NBS) information.
The new API (Application Programming Interface) is freely available from Oppla and can be easily customised to display or share specific groups of case studies. Tom Butlin, the Oppla programmer leading the development, describes the API: “you can think of it as a series of pipes that allow data to flow between websites”.
Europe is blessed with a rich diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are unique. This natural wealth provides us with clean air and water, productive soils as well as energy and natural resources for economic and social development. Such healthy ecosystems help mitigate the impacts of climate change, while supporting a green economy, creating job opportunities and enhancing biodiversity.
River Mease Project Manager at Trent Rivers Trust
This is an exciting opportunity for a competent and enthusiastic individual to take the lead on the delivery of a major capital investment programme for the River Mease. Applicants will need to have experience in developing and delivering environmental projects coupled with strong financial and reporting acumen.
They must have excellent negotiation and communication skills and an impressive track record of working with water and rivers.
Starting salary £27,245 FTE