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Public backs nature restoration to protect Britain from extreme weather, new polling reveals - Rewilding Britain

62% of Britons believe the UK Government should invest more in nature restoration to address future extreme weather, while 74% believe the government is not preparing the country well for such events

Almost two-thirds (62%) of the public want the UK Government to invest more in nature restoration as a way to address future extreme weather events, according to a new opinion poll.

The YouGov polling, commissioned for Rewilding Britain, also shows that 74% of people believe the UK Government is not preparing well for events such as flooding, droughts and heatwaves.

Meanwhile, just 15% of the public think enough is being done already when it comes to investment in nature to address future extreme weather, and only 3% want less to be done.

The findings come as Rewilding Britain urges people to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, calling for large-scale nature recovery to be at the heart of how Britain prepares for and prevents climate shocks.

The letter calls for a Climate Shock Fund to invest in nature-based solutions to help make communities and landscapes more resilient to floods, droughts, wildfires and extreme heat.

Britain's cities are getting hotter and trapping heat they can no longer release - Ordnance Survey

OS analysis reveals where urban heat islands could intensify most this century

After a summer of record temperatures and heatwaves, new analysis from Ordnance Survey has found more than eight in ten cities in Great Britain are already highly vulnerable to urban heat islands, and almost two thirds are set to reach severe heat vulnerability by the turn of the century. Not only is the urban heat island effect set to intensify in London, but cities like Portsmouth will be particularly vulnerable, and among those projected to warm most between present day and 2070 to 2100 are Leicester, Exeter, Nottingham, Brighton and Bristol.

Urban heat islands form where dense buildings, roads and hard surfaces absorb solar heat during the day, keeping cities significantly warmer than surrounding countryside. Unlike rural areas, which cool rapidly after sunset, cities retain the same heat overnight. Tall buildings and narrow streets reduce wind speeds that would otherwise carry heat away, while a lack of trees and water sources eliminate the natural cooling effects of shading and evaporation. Where cities lack sufficient green and blue space to moderate temperatures, this effect intensifies throughout both day and night.

Rare white-clawed crayfish thrown lifeline by ambitious national recovery programme - Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has a pivotal role in a new programme to restore England’s rare, white-clawed crayfish.

The Wildlife Trusts are leading the largest coordinated recovery effort ever undertaken for the species. The programme unites around 40 partner organisations. It brings together conservation organisations, researchers and environmental agencies. The aim is simple - to reverse the dramatic loss of the UK's only native freshwater crayfish.

Threats to the species include the deterioration of habitat and increased pollution. The spread of invasive non-native American signal crayfish has also destroyed native crayfish populations. The signal crayfish carry and spread crayfish plague, which is fatal to white-claws. White-claws are key river ecosystem engineers, recycling dead matter and improving water quality. They also play an important role in river ecosystems as a food source for otter, heron and eel, while young crayfish provide food for brown trout and salmon.

Dedicated conservation efforts are helping to safeguard populations in Staffordshire and neighbouring areas. However, a coordinated national response is needed to recover their population at scale. This programme is supported by funding from Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme and matched by substantial contributions from project partners. The initiative will scale up nature recovery efforts for the benefit of white-clawed crayfish and river systems alike.