Mammals have long inspired us to observe and care for the world around us, even becoming symbols of conservation such as the WWF Panda. The last few decades have seen range reductions and population declines for many mammal species due to overexploitation, pollution and habitat loss, amongst other reasons. Figures suggest that at least one-fifth …

There were times this spring when it seemed not much was going on. One day blended into another and lockdown began to feel like a period of torpor or, perhaps even, hibernation. For the greater good, many of us had our movements restricted, and our favourite spots felt quite distant. As one of the fortunate …

The words we choose are important. Do we talk about ‘climate change’ or a ‘climate emergency’? Do we face a ‘loss of biodiversity’ or an ‘extinction crisis’ (or even an ‘insect apocalypse’)? It depends on our audience. So, as conservationists, who should we be talking to? Environmental change impacts us at a societal level—affecting human …

Travelling to the Great Gobi Whilst we’ve been staying close to home, life has begun to slowly return to normal in other countries. Our Conservation Partner, Bayara, has been in contact from her home in Mongolia, where the government reacted quickly with a strict lockdown. With fewer than 200 cases of Covid-19 reported and no …

1. Retain stumps The single most important action to help stag beetles is to keep stumps in place when trees or woody shrubs die or are cut down. This provides essential decaying wood underground for stag beetles to eat for years to come. 2. Build a log pyramid If you don’t already have stumps or …

1. They spend most of their life underground, looking like this! Striking stag beetles start their life as a larva (or grub) and it takes several YEARS- sometimes up to seven- for them to grow and develop into the adult beetles. During this time, they live underground. You might come across larvae whilst digging in …

Stag Weekend: You’re invited to Britain’s only Stag Weekend- celebrate and save threatened stag beetles Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for people volunteers across the UK to take part in their ‘Stag Weekend’ – a new national effort to help save – and celebrate – threatened stag beetles this summer. …

Arnaud Desbiez and his team are working in the Pantanal region, Brazil, to protect giant anteaters from habitat degradation and fragmentation as part of the Anteaters & Highways project. Giant anteaters are classified as vulnerable to extinction. Our colleague, Arnaud, sent us this recent wonderful and rarely seen footage. We’ve heard of many animal species …

Since spring 2016, 184 red squirrels have been released into the wilds of the Scottish Highlands. Becky Priestley and Alan McDonnell, from Trees for Life, have been spearheading a mission to return reds to the north and establish a stronghold for them. Further south, and in England and Wales, our native red squirrels are not …

Hedgehogs After DarkThis summer, discover and record the hidden lives of hedgehogs Hedgehog Street, a nationwide campaign set up by wildlife charities the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), to halt the ongoing decline in native hedgehogs, has today [Monday 11th May] launched ‘Hedgehogs After Dark’. This exciting new …

Creating a future for Siamese crocodiles In 2000, Siamese crocodiles, thought to be extinct, were rediscovered in the wild in Cambodia by a team from Fauna & Flora International (FFI). Found in the Cardamom Mountains, one of the last intact rainforests of Southeast Asia, there are estimated to be just 250 adults in the wild. …

Surveying the elusive mountain hares Having completed all his field work for his PhD researching a small population of mountain hares in the Peak District, we caught up with Carlos Bedson of Manchester Metropolitan University to find out how his work is progressing. Carlos has now gathered sightings of mountain hares over several years. This …