The Coalition Government is failing on its own commitments to Britain’s natural environment: that’s the public’s view from a survey organised by Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link), a coalition of 39 leading environmental charities.

Of those surveyed, less than a quarter (23%) think the Government is doing enough to protect our landscapes and wildlife – on land and at sea.

The poll also finds that 84% of people think that the natural environment boosts their quality of life, with 81% wanting to see the natural environment and its wildlife protected at all costs. Only 17 per cent of people agreed that this is the ‘greenest government ever.’

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The MPA and Bumblebee Conservation Trust have established an exciting new partnership to help conserve bees and help them thrive.  A new Memorandum of Understanding between the organisations will be the basis of partnership working that will include facilitating access to quarry sites for monitoring, advising and educating quarry staff on measures that help bees including creation of suitable habitat, and training quarry staff to recognise and survey their sites for bees.

Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive MPA, said:  “MPA members have a long legacy of high quality restoration and are uniquely placed to protect and enhance biodiversity and help arrest the decline of rare and threatened species and habitats. This partnership will enable the industry to help do what we can for bees which are under threat and play a crucial part in maintaining ecosystem services.” more...

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (the Trust) was pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) public consultation on the Risk Assessment of Plant Protection Products on bees (Apis mellifera, Bombus spp. and solitary bees).

The Trust welcomed the Terms of Reference which began to address previous serious inadequacies in risk assessment. Notably, the Terms of Reference required impacts on bumblebees and solitary bees to be assessed, in addition to impacts on honeybees. It was also a requirement that assessments determined long-term, sub-lethal and synergistic effects.