The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths has announced the opening of a new round of funding, worth over £18 million, for Glastir Advanced, the Welsh Government’s highly regarded sustainable land management scheme.

Scientists are expressing concern that even before the ocean deep has been properly studied it will already have been exploited by commercial deep-sea mining looking for rare metal and minerals on the ocean floor, leaving its unique ecosystems badly damaged.

The Natural Environment Research Council is set to invest £10 million in a major UK research programme will investigate the impact of diminishing sea ice on the fragile marine environment of the Arctic Ocean.

Conservation work on the River Hull funded by Yorkshire Water has been undertaken to create a better habitat for rare bird species and otters. 

A new DNA method that could revolutionise the way fish are monitored in lakes has been shown to detect 14 of 16 key fish species known to be present in Lake Windermere, compared to just four species found by conventional surveys.

Severn Trent Water is reopening its environmental scheme for farmers in the Midlands, offering them another opportunity to apply for a grant to help them to protect local watercourses from pollution.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has announced plans to create a ‘Blue Belt’ of marine protection around the United Kingdom and around its Overseas Territories.