Devon Wildlife Trust

Credit: Adam Cormack Photographer: Adam Cormack Photographer contact details: acormack@wildlifetrusts.org 01636 670063 (This is a reupload of the original image (1944x2592 pixels) this is cropped to a 5:4 ratio (1280x1024 pixels)

Leading British wildlife conservation charity Wildwood Trust has released 80 endangered white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) into a protected Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve, creating a secure population of Britain's only native freshwater crayfish as part of urgent efforts to prevent the species' extinction in the South West.

New colonies This is the start of a new ant colony which may grow to 10,000 workers and their queen. Her eggs hatch into larvae, which then pupate to become adults. Most of these will be female worker ants and it is these which you see in your garden searching for food to sustain their colony. In time the queen will also produce male ants and a few queens, and it is these which will take to the air to begin the process of reproduction once more. Where and when to see flying ants?

The garden is the work of Project Unitea – a partnership initiative between Devon Wildlife Trust, Pickwell Foundation and Barnstaple Town Council. The project has been made possible thanks to £18,000 support from the National Lottery Community Fund through its Awards for All (England).

Our Director of Nature Recovery, Simon Stennett, reflects on the incredible journey of these migratory insects: “When conditions are right, these migrations become visible.

The new analysis from Wildlife and Countryside Link reveals the devastating toll bycatch is having on marine wildlife, with protected and endangered species among those dying in huge numbers. Animals such as humpback whales, razorbills, and seals are among the victims exposed, with case studies highlighting the plight of ‘Legs’ the seal who was tangled in a net for seven years, among others. Bycatch is the accidental capture and killing of non-target animals during commercial fishing.

Katy Bell, Bank of England wildlife panellist and senior conservation officer at Ulster Wildlife, says: “From marine, river and woodland nature to familiar farmland and urban wildlife, we’re delighted that the shortlist features a number of much-loved species from across the UK. It was no tall order deciding on which species to include, but it’s incredibly heartening to know that the public wish to see nature feature on our bank notes for years to come.

In recent years Dartmoor and Exmoor have demonstrated that even when species have been lost, they can be returned. Over the past two years, the Two Moors Pine Marten project has successfully reintroduced pine martens to the Westcountry after an absence of nearly 150 years.

In 2023 Devon Wildlife Trust took on the ownership of 30 hectares of sheep-grazed land close to the market town of Totnes. The charity then announced its ambition to create a new temperate rainforest on the site. Now it has finished the crucial first task of planting 17,000 native species trees and shrubs. As the decades pass these will mature to provide the vital ingredients needed by nature to become temperate rainforest.

On Wednesday 15th April a group of MPs will gather in Parliament, following a Lords debate about the impact of bottom-trawling on marine wildlife, to support calls on the UK Government to expand and accelerate policies for nature recovery. The event comes after months of growing public and political disquiet about the severe and continuing degradation of the UK's nature.