Breaking Waves: Ocean News

Campaigners crowdfund £26,000 to seek judicial review of move to construct pitches in wildlife-rich area Campaigners are mounting another legal challenge to the building of a women’s football academy by Tottenham Hotspur on wildlife-rich parkland in north London. The Guardians of Whitewebbs group has successfully crowdfunded £26,000 to seek a judicial review of Enfield council’s granting of planning permission for the Spurs academy, which will include all-weather pitches, floodlights and a turf academy built on 53 hectares (130 acres) of Whitewebbs Park. Enfield council’s planning committee approved the proposals in February, despite local protests, on greenbelt parkland rich in bats, newts and mature trees. Continue reading...

Viral videos have shifted public opinion about water monitors, long held in contempt in Thai culture, even as rising numbers of the reptiles pose problems for residents Shortly after dawn, Lumphini Park comes alive. Bangkok residents descend on the sprawling green oasis in the middle of the city, eager to squeeze in a workout before the heat of the day takes hold. Joggers trot along curving paths. Old men struggle under barbells at the outdoor gym. Spandex-clad women stretch into yoga poses on the grass. Just metres away, one of the park’s more infamous occupants strikes its own lizard pose. About 400 Asian water monitor lizards call Lumphini Park home, and this morning they are out in full force – scrambling up palm trees, swimming through the waterways and wrestling on the road. Continue reading...

Report from group of MPs calls for broader access to rivers, woodlands and fields to improve connection with nature Swimming and wild camping should be a right for all people to enjoy in the English countryside, Labour MPs have said. They are calling for access to nature to be increased and legal rights to enjoy the countryside in a report from the all-party parliamentary group for outdoor recreation and access to nature. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed Warning of climate breakdown and soaring heat deaths a ‘wake up call’ for Australia, PM says Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Scientists fear this ‘cute’ and ‘chonky’ flying fox could be one cyclone away from extinction It’s the last native mammal on the island, but the “incredibly cute and fluffy” Christmas Island flying fox is critically endangered with no recovery plan and severely outdated conservation advice. Continue reading...