Nature File

"Naturalist, broadcaster, humanist, and national treasure David Attenborough is 98 years old today. Happy Birthday! Thank you for a lifetime of inspirational broadcasting, and all your work to promote the understanding of evolution and the natural world."

Brace yourselves for an extraordinary voyage with Dr Jane Goodall! ‘Reasons for Hope’, isn’t just a movie. It’s a worldwide expedition that shines a light on stories meant to ignite transformation. We’re thrilled to announce that this cinematic treasure will soon grace UK screens. Together, let’s stir inspiration, effect change and discover our individual reasons for hope.Keep your eyes peeled for updates! #ReasonsforHopeMovie #JaneGoodall #ChangeMakers #UKCinema #ComingSoon

Carbon gardening/farming
If you could make a difference in climate change by gardening, would you? Of course! And as a bonus, it’ll make your garden more fertile, more beautiful, and easier to take care of.

Carbon gardening is the same as carbon farming but on a smaller scale. By using specific gardening techniques, we can remove excess CO2 from the air and store it in trees, plants, and soil. And, in the process, you’ll create a healthier, more vibrant backyard garden.

Along with trees, grasses, cover crops and forbs, there are other methods for carbon sequestration that are widely used. Wetlands are known to store carbon efficiently, so wetland restoration projects help boost these efforts. Additionally, a bioenergy product known as biochar can also be added to soil to sequester carbon, as well as provide a plethora of other benefits to the land.

Native plants are better at sequestering carbon than even the most efficient non-native plants.

Choose perennial rather than annual.

Cover crops are an important soil carbon sequestration strategy. The roots and shoots of cover crops feed bacteria, fungi, earthworms and other soil organisms, which increases soil carbon levels over time.

Ukraine war is killing wildlife
The Ukrainian environment minister told delegates at COP15 about the widespread damage to nature caused by Russia’s war.

The number of civilians killed has reached nearly 7,000, while more than 11,000 have been injured, since Russia invaded Ukraine almost a year ago. An estimated 10,000 soldiers have been killed and 30,000 injured, while more than 5,000 are missing. But alongside these grim human statistics, Ukraine is also counting the toll on its wildlife.

For starters, at least 700 Black Sea dolphins are known to have died, victims of acoustic trauma caused by sonar equipment on Russian submarines, and mines. This figure is likely to be an underestimate, with the reality being closer to several thousand, according to environment minister Ruslan Strilets, in an interview at UN biodiversity talks COP15, held in Montreal last month.

“We are afraid to even imagine the scale of the tragedy after the occupation of our territory and seas. Today, Ukraine is the country most contaminated with land mines in the world. Every mine is the death of an animal,” he said. “Almost every week, Russia launches massive missile strikes – already more than 4,700. These destroy a healthy living environment, and not only for humans,” he said.

Awareness
Ukraine is home to 74,000 species of animals, plants, and fungi – representing a third of Europe's biodiversity, despite Ukraine covering only six per cent of the continent. Around 600,000 hectares of Ukrainian forest has been damaged by the war, some 32 per cent of the country’s total, Strilets said. “A lot of territory has been burned, but we don’t know exactly how much because more than 30 per cent of the land is mined.”

Strilets’ mission at the UN biodiversity talks was to raise awareness of the damage being wrought by the conflict. “At COP15, the most important thing is to show the real picture for Ukrainian biodiversity - it’s very important to communicate every day with colleagues and countries that support Ukraine,” he said.

The government, aided by monitoring teams from the UN Environment Programme, has so far documented more than 2,200 cases of environmental damage caused by Russia, including pollution of soil, air and water by military equipment, toxic chemicals and emissions from fires.

“After occupation of some areas ends, we will record more cases. It’s a bad situation for all the world – biodiversity and pollution have no borders – other countries will feel it,” he said.

Occupied
Russia’s war against Ukraine has already affected 20 per cent of protected areas, according to the government. Many internationally important wildlife sites are threatened with destruction, including 2.9 million hectares of the Emerald Network - part of Europe’s nature protection network - are at risk.

More than 600,000 hectares of wetland are under threat. These 16 ecosystems are designated as Ramsar sites for the international importance of their unique biodiversity. The Russians have occupied eight nature reserves and ten national parks.

We are afraid to even imagine the scale of the tragedy after the occupation of our territory and seas.

The Ukrainian army has liberated several protected areas from Russian occupation, including the Great and Small Kuchugury Archipelago, which covers ​​7,740 hectares. However, it is at risk due to its proximity to the front line.

The Kamianska Sich National Park in the Kherson region was liberated in November after eight months of occupation by Russian forces. Over 90 species of rare animals call the grassland ecosystem home, but the land was mined by the Russians before they retreated, meaning the employees cannot access much of the park.

However, satellite data shows that 635 hectares containing rare plant species such as hairy feather grass and Ukrainian feather grass had been destroyed by fire.

Reparations
Ukraine’s Ministry for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources sends a weekly update of the latest reports. It is recording the cost of pollution, which has so far been estimated at €37.8 billion in total, including €11.9 billion for soil pollution. The government wants Russia to pay compensation for the damages it has caused, including to the environment.

“Reparations are a challenge for all our government, not just the environment ministry. We are developing new methodologies to record all the cases. I’m sure everything is possible, a lot of countries support us,” Strilets said.

Whatever comes of this ambition, Strilets acknowledges that much damage to nature will be long-term and will need more than cash to restore. “Trees grow for decades, but they burn them down in one day. I don’t understand what money can repair these trees,” he said.

Source: https://theecologist.org/2023/jan/12/ukraine-war-killing-wildlife

Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is a shade-tolerant fantastic and distinct wild plant that offers both culinary and medicinal uses.

This punchy springtime herb can be used in pestos, garlic butter, soups, marinades and more.

What a great! Asia is replacing plastic with banana leaf packaging.