Chloë Edwards

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals Exclusive: Planning bill includes mechanism for developers to ‘pay to pollute’ valuable ecosystems, experts warn

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals

- Exclusive: Planning bill includes mechanism for developers to ‘pay to pollute’ valuable ecosystems, experts warn

By Sandra Laville, @patrickbarkham.bsky.social, Helena Horton

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www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour’s planning bill Across the country, irreplaceable and often internationally important sites could be lost as a result of cuts to habitat protections

From the Humber Estuary to Dibden Bay, cherished nature sites across England are at risk if the Planning Bill is not made #WilderByDesign🚨

Read full story via Helena Horton, Sandra Laville & @patrickbarkham.bsky.social 👇

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

⚠️ Nature at risk!

UK Government promised to protect nature. But it’s breaking that promise. Demand they scrap the part of the new Planning and Infrastructure Bill which threatens important wildlife protections.

Take action 👇 action.wildlifetrusts.org/page/171483/ac…

Third egg laid this afternoon! 🥚🥚🥚✨💚😍

The birds are all pictured in a domestic scene, either perched on a wall, on a washing line or flying overhead. It comes from the book ‘garden birds’

Swift, House Martin, Swallow

Artist: John Leigh-Pemberton (1967)

St Albans falcons lay two new eggs after first clutch destroyed - BBC News The wildlife trust says "it shows just how resilient nature can be".

It's been a 🎢 of emotions with our Peregrine pair at @stalbanscathedral.bsky.social this year, but nature is resilient and unexpectedly we have a second clutch! Our heartbreak turns to joy once more... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article.... Keep your eyes out for a third egg in the next couple of days 🥚🥚👀💚

UK government admits almost no evidence nature protections block development Whitehall analysis provides no data or research to support the government argument that environmental legislation holds up building

Important story by my Guardian colleague Sandra Laville www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Hello, March, so glad you're here ☀️🌱💚

At long last! 👏🏼🦫✨💚

A tree that a beaver has cut many branches off of that has lots of new sprouts coming out of it.

A beaver chewed stump surrounded by new shoots and branches.

A lot of folks think when #beavers cut trees down or clip off branches then the tree just dies.

But actually, many of the trees beavers like to cut have evolved to re-sprout from the stump and grow back even stronger.

Trying to channel my inner beaver-chewed-tree, today.

Government Scraps Construction Project After Beavers Finish The Job Themselves “The beavers beat [us] to it ..."

Lovin' the story from #Czechia

"The #beavers beat [us] to it, saving us CZK 30 million”

“They built the dams without any project documentation and for free."

www.thedodo.com/daily-dodo/g...

How wonderful! Look forward to reading in the summer 🌞

Country diary: An eruption of the most delightful, sociable ‘bumbarrels’ | Jim Perrin Llandrindod Wells, Powys: Moving in joyful groups through the copse, long-tailed tits are admirably cooperative, the perfect paradigm of a mutually helpful society

Ooo, bumbarrels! One of my favourite birds flitting through today's @theguardian.com country diary by Jim Perrin.

#naturewriting #countrydiary

The case for reintroducing beavers into the wild in England: The need for an immediate legal pathway A coalition of eNGO, farming, landowner and business leaders are calling for Defra to immediately progress a wild release licensing system and national reintroduction strategy for beavers across Engla...

Beavers can help tackle flooding, biodiversity loss & more, so why are we still waiting for a national strategy?

🌿 Today, 49 organisations have written to Defra urging action on wild beaver reintroductions.

Read more and share with your MP 👇

Sussex needs Beavers! These ecosystem engineers improve water systems and boost wildlife. @GOVUK, it's time to take action for wild releases. 🌿

Read The Wildlife Trusts' vision for a Beaver-friendly future: https://buff.ly/3Wk7CjL

📷 Eurasian Beaver, © The Wildlife Trusts

Thought I'd remind folk about the nature #writing starter packs and feed, now that @nicolawriting.bsky.social has joined the Bluesky crew. Please do like, 📌, repost & enjoy! Thank you 🙏🐸🐦‍⬛🌳🐌🐜

Starter Pack 1: go.bsky.app/NXoPc6D

Starter Pack 2: go.bsky.app/7opWxNV

Feed: bsky.app/profile/did:...

Please say hello to Nicola Chester @nicolawriting.bsky.social ... nature writer, campaigner, and all-round wonderful human being!

Welcome to Bluesky Nic 💙

Seals lying on a beach with wind turbines in the background. Text reads "planning to restore nature. we need a planning system that works for nature's recovery, not just to mitigate harm." The Wilder By Design logo is in the bottom right corner

Councils are key to nature recovery but with over half missing deadline on action to restore nature it’s clear that things aren’t working 🥀

With big reforms to planning coming soon we’re calling on Gov to support Councils to boost nature in our communities🏡

www.independent.co.uk/climate-chan...

A selection of different moths created with water colour and coloured pencils by Kerrie Ann Gardner.

Day 17 of #ArtAdventCalendar.

Today I’m sharing a page of moths from one of my old sketchbooks.

P.S. Is there really no moth emoji? That’s shocking. 😮

Title - Under the Changing Skies on pink, red and green cover with tree branches and a silhouette of a bird.

Title - Women on Nature, on a purple background of fritillaries with a green spine.

Grey cover with title - Going to Ground, a bird falling to earth over a bare field.

Title - Moving Mountains, a navy blue background, with colourful leaves, stones, feathers and berries.

Looking for #naturewriting Christmas presents? Here are four wonderful anthologies, each with a different slant. I may be a tad partial as I'm in them, but each collection includes so much diverse, inspiring writing. (And I guess posts like this are good practice for book self-promotion next year!😊)

Pictures like this are why Patagonia remains on my travel list. It's absolutely stunning. Oh so many places to go, so little time.

Warning issued to anyone with magpies in their garden Magpies can cause damage to gardens, particularly in the breeding season.

According to the Express, magpies are "hooligans" & "instinctive killers" best controlled by using pesticides to kill their insect prey. Against stiff competition, possibly the worst piece of journalism I've seen. www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1984...

The Serviceberry: An Economy of Gifts and Abundance is very much at the top of my Christmas book list. Robin Wall Kimmerer's words are such a gift 📚💚✨

Riverbank painted age 7, small tortoiseshell and peacock Butterflies and emperor moths, age 6, Swifts age 9, Kingfisher age 7, Autumn Lane age 7, Octopus age 5, Bison age 8, European BeeEater age 9 Benjamin Fallow loves to draw and paint from nature. He's passionate about protecting nature and wildlife, and hopes his artwork to encourage people to look after nature. He loves to draw out in the countryside and has been carrying paper and pens in his backpack since he was three!

‘When you really look at nature and see it, you love it and care for it too’ 💚 Benji wanted to share this message 🪶 He drew and painted these aged 5 to 9 years old.🙏 (Details in alt text) #River #Swifts #painting #watercolour #drawing #nature #art

Word of the day is ‘hibernacle’ (18th century): a hibernating animal’s winter retreat.

I believe it works on a human level too.

Kestrel about to go after her target. Oil painting

Kestrel hovered above it all.
She had learnt not to overreact or jump straight into situations before she was sure of her next step.
It wasn’t fear, just caution. With patience, she waited till she knew what she wanted.
The world was there for the taking when she was ready.

Etching of the silhouette of a bird seen from below flying in tbe sky surrounded by tree tops

Welcome to WA on Bluesky as requested by you xx

'Breathing Space'
by Janis Goodman

An Avocet stands poised in shallow water, its black-and-white plumage stark against the fragile stillness. Wings raised in a protective threat posture, it embodies a planet fighting for survival—a reminder of what’s at risk and why the fight for people and planet must go on.

#COP29 has failed to deliver.❌

Trust is broken as leaders leave glaring gaps in finance and ambition—putting people, planet, and the world’s poorest at risk.

We’ll keep fighting.

The climate and nature crisis can’t wait another year.

Early winter berry palette, for the possible dopamine it might trigger in your brain. The colour of spindle berries (bottom rightish) never seems quite real...