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Ministry of Defence under fire for ‘inventing rules’ to sell wildlife haven

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The Guardian reports the Middlewick Ranges are an ecological marvel by the standards of 21st-century Britain. The army firing range near Colchester, Essex, has been untouched by a plough for nearly 200 years, allowing skylarks and nightingales to feast on the threatened invertebrates and insects that thrive in the rare acid grassland.

Yet a plan to sell off the ranges to build more than 1,000 homes has prompted accusations from campaigners that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has rewritten environmental protection rules to suit its case. 

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Nature belts aim to bring lost life back to edge of towns

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Roadside verge photo by Natural England under creative commons

The Times reports bees, butterflies and birds could return to the outskirts of towns and cities under plans being considered by ministers to create a “wild belt” to restore depleted natural habitats. Robert Jenrick, housing secretary, is understood to be keen on the idea of wildlife corridors as a way to encourage greater biodiversity across the country.

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Nature: Backyard moth spotting rises during lockdown

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Clifden Nonpareil moth photo by Bill Stanworth

BBC News reports lockdown sparked a surge in interest in moths, with a rise in rare species spotted last year. Sightings were up by about a third – and many counties across the UK recorded species new to their area.

Experts are heartened by a new found fascination for the insects, which they say are ecologically important but underappreciated and under threat. They say July is the perfect month to find moths – and are calling for the public to go in search of them.

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UK must lead the way by making ‘ecocide’ a criminal offence, Green Party peer urges

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The Independent reports ministers must lead the way by making “ecocide” a crime in the UK, a leading green figure has urged. Ecocide – which literally means “killing the environment” – refers to acts of serious and intentional harm against the natural world that cause either widespread or long-lasting damage.

A growing movement calling for ecocide to be treated as an international offence akin to genocide or crimes against humanity has been backed by senior figures ranging from Greta Thunberg to the Pope.

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UK’s climate targets will cost less than battling Covid, says OBR

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The Guardian reports the UK’s climate targets will cost the government less over the next 30 years than the price of battling the Covid-19 pandemic if it acts quickly, according to the UK’s fiscal watchdog.

Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) show that ending the UK’s contribution to the global climate crisis would add 21% of GDP to the national debt by 2050, or £469bn in today’s terms. But those costs could climb twice as high if the government delays action to cut emissions.

The independent spending forecasts found that taking early action to decarbonise the economy would have a smaller net impact on the UK’s finances than Covid or the 2008 financial crisis.

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Red squirrels and pine martens could lose protection in UK review, say experts

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The Guardian reports adders, slow worms, water voles, mountain hares, pine martens and red squirrels are among the species experts have warned could be affected, after unexpected changes to the government’s review process that will raise the bar on how rare and under threat an animal needs to be to gain legal safeguards.

The changes, which have not been widely heralded by the government, could benefit property developers and infrastructure projects such as road-building, which currently have to take account of rare species found within the proposed development areas, and sometimes have to be changed or moved as a result.

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Orchid thought to be extinct in UK found on roof of London bank

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THE GUARDIAN reports a rare species of orchid believed to have been extinct in the UK has been discovered on the roof of an office building in the City of London.

Serapias parviflora, also known as small-flowered tongue orchid, was found growing in the 11th-floor rooftop garden of the Japanese investment bank Nomura. It is usually found in the Mediterranean basin and the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal.