Wildlife and Countryside Link

UN plastics treaty chair to step down with process in turmoil Exclusive: Luis Vayas Valdivieso says he is quitting for personal and professional reasons after reports of pressure behind the scenes

.@eia-news.bsky.social calls for trust to be urgently restored if there is to be any hope of reaching a meaningful outcome in plastic treaty negotiations, following the resignation of chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso

Read more via @theguardian.com 👇

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Like our wildlife, rivers & more, our bodies are exposed to & polluted by harmful PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ ❗

Blood tests of EU policymakers show the growing threat from chemical pollution to public & environmental health🧪

We cannot allow inaction on chemicals to continue🛑

More via @eeb.org👇

The @eeb.org, together with DK and @chemsec.bsky.social has tested the blood for PFAS of 24 EU leaders from 19 countries

🩸More than half of the politicians tested have concerning levels of #PFAS their blood

Read our press release to learn more about the findings eeb.org/eu-leaders-c...

Climate Outreach are one of many major climate and nature organisations to express our grave and collective concern at Badenoch's threat to scrap the Climate Change Act.

📢 This is a threat we won’t accept: abolishing the Climate Change Act (CCA) would harm our natural world, damage a thriving net zero economy, reverse significant progress, and be out of step with public and political opinion.

We’ve written an open letter to Badenoch to express our profound concern.

Toby Perkins: 'Biodiversity net gain should be strengthened not scrapped' - LabourList Environmental Audit Committee Chair Toby Perkins argues that scrapping biodiversity net gain would be bad for nature, business and for good housebuilding.

@tobyperkinsmp.bsky.social is right to call for stronger Biodiversity Net Gain👇

labourlist.org/2025/10/biod...

We're calling for the scheme to be given increased ambition, loopholes to be closed & more monitoring & enforcement resources to ensure the scheme delivers for nature & building🏡

More than 170 employees leave Natural England under voluntary exit scheme <b>EXCLUSIVE:</b> At least 169 employees left Natural England at the end of August as the agency seeks to drop its headcount to meet savings targets, ENDS can reveal.

Last week @endsreport.com revealed 170 employees had left Natural England in August❗

Regulators are tasked with facilitating development & nature recovery without anywhere near the resources & clarity needed📉

Government must boost funding & support

Read more: www.endsreport.com/article/1934...

About Bats - Bat Conservation Trust Bats are fascinating animals – the only true flying mammal. There are 1,500 species of bats in the world (as of September 2025), and more are still bein...

Bats are often portrayed as scary and spooky, particularly in the lead up to #Halloween. Help us to fight misinformation, look at more factual information about #bats 🦇 here: www.bats.org.uk/about-bats

And don't forget to check out all our free resources too www.bats.org.uk/resources

#lovebats ❤️🦇

UK fifth-worst country in Europe for loss of green space to development Exclusive: 1,680 football pitches of protected natural land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland lost in five years

With the UK losing protected natural space equivalent to 1,680 football pitches in the past 5 years, it's clear that we need nature to be front & centre of planning reforms🏡

This means doubling down on safeguards, with more places designated for nature recovery🏞️

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ripping up Climate Change Act would be an act of national self-harm Ripping up Climate Change Act would be an act of national self-harm

Scrapping the Climate Change Act would be an act of national self-harm🚨

It inspired laws across the globe, billions in green investment, and a promise to protect future generations🌱

That promise must not be broken⛓️‍💥

Read more👇

www.wcl.org.uk/ripping-up-c...

#ClimateChangeAct

A new planning bill would likely be a ‘Nature Bill’, says former No.10 advisor <strong>Labour Party Conference:</strong> If the government brings forward a new planning bill it will most likely be a “Nature Bill” to replace the Habitats Regulations and EU-derived nature protecti...

To avoid a Nature Bill being a wolf in sheep's clothing, Government must come at it in good faith with something tangible in the basket for nature💚

We need stronger protections, redoubled safeguards for wildlife & more places designated for nature recovery👇

www.endsreport.com/article/1934...

Starmer asks Conservative peer to write planning bill to block judicial reviews Exclusive: One option could be to leave treaty that allows legal claims against projects such as Heathrow expansion

Pricing charities & communities out of justice is not the way to deliver nature-friendly development👩‍⚖️

Going to court is not something we undertake lightly, with costs already too high for some🪙

Ditching the commitment to affordable justice would mean unaccountable developers & more bad projects👇

A wild day - reflections on the Wild Summit Nick Hawkes, Campaigns Lead at Wildlife and Countryside Link, reflects on the first ever Wild Summit - the urgency for nature, uplifting atmosphere on the day, and what we need going into 2026

2 weeks on from #WildSummitUK, we're reflecting on the outcomes of the event

At a time when many politicians push a narrative that people are losing appetite for environmental action, the Summit showed how much a falsehood this is 🌱

People are united for nature 👇

www.wcl.org.uk/reflections-...

More good news on dealing with both the climate and PFAS pollution crises The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and a rapid transition to a green economy is vital. The EU has committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and transitioning to...

Tackling climate change must be done hand in hand with curbing chemical pollution🍃

Good news on this as @chemtrust.bsky.social has found more & more green companies innovating solutions from solar cells to heat pumps that reduce emissions without relying on chemicals💚

chemtrust.org/green_transi...

📢Big River Watch ends tomorrow!

Here's a glimpse at what you've spotted so far.

There's still time to get involved 👇

Download the free Big River Watch app & survey your local river by the end of Thurs 25th Sept to make your observations count.

theriverstrust.org/big-river-watch

🧵

A panel of six speakers sits on stage at the Wild Summit UK event, engaged in a discussion. The backdrop features nature-themed graphics.

Wild Summit 2025 – what an event! 🌱

On 11 September we brought rewilding to @wildsummituk.bsky.social, a new nature conference by @wclnews.bsky.social of over 1,200 people coming together to explore the solutions needed for the UK to meet its 2030 nature recovery targets. 

🧵1/3

YEARBOOK 2025: The great green battles Labour will win – and those that will best it Can an embattled government meet the environmental tests of its time? For part three of our new special report, top experts predict what the green policy victories – and failures – will be by the time...

Government must commit to delivering a planning system for people & nature instead of talking up deregulation🏘️

Our CEO @richardbenwell.bsky.social spoke to @endsreport.com about whether the Government can deliver a housing boom that doesn't cost nature👇

www.endsreport.com/article/1931...

The UK has fallen behind when it comes to regulating harmful PFAS (forever chemicals)🧪

New report from @healthandenv.bsky.social sets out how the UK must catch up with other nations to protect communities & our environment🏞️

It's also time to back proposed EU ban on all PFAS manufacture 💪

With Global Plastics Treaty talks ending without agreement, what role can the UK play in the next phase? One month on from the deadlock of Global Plastics Treaty Talks, Christina Dixon of Environmental Investigation Agency reflects on what can come next for the treaty and what role the UK must play

"The treaty is not dead but it is critically ill"

One month on from talks on the Global Plastics Treaty ending in deadlock, what can come next & what role can the UK play?

Read more in our blog from @eia-news.bsky.social👇

www.wcl.org.uk/global-plast...

Cut out images of a tower crane, swift in flight, and green-leaved tree

Deregulation of our planning system sets us on a road to poorly designed developments, more pollution in communities & less access to nature🚨

Read more via @theguardian.com on reports that The Environment Agency is being told to wave applications through👇

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A gull flies over a rocky beach as a wave splashes onto the sand

It's been nearly 5 years since the deadline for marine waters to be in good environmental status🐋

The Office for Environmental Protection is now holding the Government to account - we need to see a credible plan to restore our oceans🌊

Read more👇

www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/nationa...

White writing on a pink background, reading "Make Polluters Pay" and details of a national demonstration

Fern leaves viewed through a purple filter

@makethempay.bsky.social tomorrow!

Join the national demonstration to call for action to restore nature

📍 Portland Place
🗓️ 20 September

Polluters push our waterways, oceans, land & climate to the brink - it's time they're made to pay to clean up the damage they've caused 🪙

www.makethempay.org.uk

Protecting Harbour porpoises from fisheries bycatch in English waters More than 30 years ago, scientists first sounded the alarm about the deadly toll of fisheries entanglement (also known as bycatch) on dolphins and porpoises in UK waters. Tragically, the situation rem...

30 years on from scientists sounding the alarm on marine mammals being killed by fishing gear, what solutions do we need to reduce bycatch? 🪝

On our blog @eia-news.bsky.social sets our the need for alternative fishing gear, support for a just transition & more 👇

wcl.org.uk/protecting-h...

💧 Our #rivers are polluted, overheated, & stripped of their natural features

We’re calling on the government to make #SpaceForWater and support a network of nature-rich river corridors across England

✍️ Sign the petition to help restore our rivers: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...

📣 Yesterday, business, NGOs, academia & government came together to discuss a highly anticipated report on business and biodiversity

This was the first in an ambitious programme of events, leading up to a global biodiversity summit to be held in the UK next year #IPBES12 🧵

Rivers At Risk We’re demanding urgent action from Government in England and Wales to protect and prioritise National Park waterways.

National Park rivers are at risk ❌

📉57% of water bodies are failing to meet ‘good’ ecological status

🤢254,808 hours of sewage were spilled in National Park rivers in 2024

No more neglect or broken promises - We’re demanding action with @campaign4parks.bsky.social 👇

YouTube video by Wildlife and Countryside Link The Wild Summit - highlights

We’re still digesting all the announcements, ideas, challenges, solutions & love for nature from #WildSummitUK last week

We can’t wait to keep the momentum going & push for real change for nature

youtu.be/TncDDSeGuKw

🎥 Lizzie Goldsack

At #WildSummitUK @wclnews.bsky.social looking forward to having conversations with everyone coming to this inaugural event which is inspiring us all to work together to halt nature's decline.

Pie chart showing progress of 5.98% against a target of 30%

The UK has a target to protect 30% of land & sea for nature by 2030🏞️

But progress isn’t adding up - just 6% of land across the UK is protected, with 5 years to go🥀

New findings are launched as we prepare for #WildSummitUK tomorrow, where nature voices from across the country will push for action 🌱

How green is new DEFRA secretary Emma Reynolds? Labour MP Emma Reynolds has been appointed DEFRA secretary after a reshuffle triggered by the former deputy prime minister’s resignation. But who is she, and how green are her credentials?

Emma Reynolds takes on her new role at a critical time for Defra

We set out some of her priorities over the next year:

🧑‍🌾Turning plans into action on farming reform

🫧Delivering water reform

🏡Ensuring planning & levelling up work for nature & communities

Read more via @endsreport.com👇

Common Blue butterfly resting on heather against a dark pink background. Text overlay reads 'the results are in' with Butterfly Conservation's Big Butterfly Count logo. Photo credit Matt Berry

The #BigButterflyCount results are in and it's official...

2025 was an average year for butterflies.

See the full results and what can be done to help butterflies and moths 👇
https://butterfly-conservation.org/big-butterfly-count-results-2025