Environmental education? Why bother?

Environmental education and sustainability education are key rafts of ways to educate… Here are some examples. The National Association for Environmental Education UK : The purpose of NAEE is “to promote all forms of environmental education, and to support all those involved in its delivery, so that together we can understand and act on the need to live more sustainably in order to protect the future of our planet. We believe that young people have a right to first-hand educational experiences in...

Spotted from space – technology locate elephants. Are poachers next?

It feels like something straight out of “Minority Report” the movie – a computer searches the planet for ‘ grey elephants in green forest’ – and returns a positive result – ‘there’s a herd scattered at ### , ### coordinates’ . Yet it’s very real – and it’s helping to highlight the plight of these magnificent beasts, spread as they are the vast plains of Africa.   “Satellites allow large‐scale surveys to be conducted in short time periods with repeat...

Great wetlands resources

(Photo by WWT ) Wetlands are a vital ecosystem – many too often forgotten benefits including improving water quality, flood control, providing wildlife habitats, recreation and education opportunities. They are also places where families can often access during times of lockdown. In this vein, The Wetlands & Wildfowl Trust UK has refreshed their online education resources…   WWT home learning hub “With another lockdown in full swing, we know how hard teachers are working to provide high-quality remote learning whilst...

President Biden backs Paris (agreement)!

On Day One, President Joe Biden signed an executive order – to return the United States of America to full membership of the Paris Climate Agreement. ( That was wonderful to write ! ) The Guardian reported it so….. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/19/biden-environment-paris-climate-agreement-keystone-xl-pipeline?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other  This is VERY good news indeed – the United States is once again a strong leader and partner in the vital fight against climate change! A search for ‘US withdrawal of Paris Agreement’ – the following was a result …....

Stressed by lockdown? Turn to Nature

How do we remain healthy and well during particularly challenging times – such as pandemics? A number of studies show that being in or even near natural environments, can help a great deal regarding both our physical health and vital associated mental well-being. Science Daily…   A study published in Ecological Applications suggests that nature around one’s home may help mitigate some of the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey completed by 3,000 adults...

Celebrating penguins – hello New Zealand’s yellow-eyed!

It’s Penguin Awareness Day, so here we focus on the slightly unusual Yellow Eyed Penguin (YEP) and the important conservation and outreach  work of the YEP Trust… About the yellow-eyed penguin / hoiho Yellow-eyed penguins / hoiho are one of the rarest penguins in the world and are only found in New Zealand (endemic). The scientific name of the yellow-eyed penguin is Megadyptes antipodes which means big diver from the southern lands (mega = big, dyptes = diver, antipodes = southern...

Botanical beauties!

The Botanical Art Society of Australia is pleased to present the 2020 Flora exhibition online. Due to the COVID pandemic we are unable to present an in-person exhibition but we wanted to display our members’ works and give the public a chance to purchase these beautiful artworks. To see whose beautiful work is displayed here click here… https://flora.botanicalartsocietyaustralia.com/ LearnFromNature  Tweet  ...

Nature for new Ladybird readers

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, four slim volumes about the natural world, aimed at children, hit the bookshops. They bore the title What to Look for in… followed by each of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The books were an instant success and inspired a whole generation of naturalists. ( I still recall the delightful little books, as a staple of any young child’s library ). Now, more than 60 years later, Ladybird Books is publishing a new series under the same...

5 things schools can do to tackle climate change

From our friend Neil Kitching & TES The generation going through school just now is absolutely determined to do something about climate change – but how can schools best channel that energy? Helping students to tackle climate change Here are five ideas on where to start: 1. Start with the things that schools and local authorities control directly Invest in insulation and energy-efficiency improvements at school. Install solar panels and perhaps a wind turbine. Edinburgh Community Solar Cooperative is installing solar panels on schools, for example. Investigate if you can...

Lost: Species Declared Extinct in 2020

Dozens of frogs, fish, orchids and other species—many unseen for decades—may no longer exist because of humanity’s destructive effects on the planet . A few months ago a group of scientists warned about the rise of “extinction denial,” an effort much like climate denial to mischaracterize the extinction crisis and suggest that human activity isn’t really having a damaging effect on ecosystems and the whole planet.10 Sec That damaging effect is, in reality, impossible to deny. This past year scientists and conservation...

Indonesia cave art – new discovery

From The Guardian: Archaeologists have discovered the world’s oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia. The finding, described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region. Co-author Maxime Aubert, of Australia’s Griffith University, told AFP it was found on the island of Sulawesi in 2017 by doctoral student Basran Burhan, as part of surveys the team was carrying...

10 Nature Activities – Get Your Family Through Coronavirus Pandemic

This was written in March 2020 but us still ‘very, very relevant’ – by Richard Louv… If the coronavirus spreads at the rate that experts believe it will, schools, workplaces and businesses will continue to close. Here’s a thread of silver lining. We’ll have more time for each other and nature. And, at least so far, nature’s always open. Getting outside — but at a safe distance from other people — can be one way to boost your family’s resilience....

Banned pesticides – experts including Wildlife Trusts react

January 2021 The three most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides were banned entirely for agricultural use in 2018 by the EU, a decision that the UK government supported. This decision was the culmination of decades of scientific research showing beyond doubt that these insecticides were harming bees and other wild insects, and more generally were polluting soils, leaching in to freshwater systems, and contaminating wildflowers and hedgerow shrubs. Neonicotinoids are harmful to insect life in miniscule amounts; for example just one...

Wildflowers to be contaminated with banned insecticide!

We are very upset, this is an environmentally regressive decision by Defra, destroying wildflowers in the countryside…how will increased use of herbicides on field margins and hedgerows add to the onslaught being experienced by insect populations.” Said Matt Shardlow, Buglife CEO. Despite having been proven to be massively harmful to wildlife, Defra has capitulated to an NFU request to use neonicotinoid insecticides on Sugar beet seeds in 2021. Neonicotinoids are known to wash off seeds and are taken up by...

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