Welcome to nature 2.0 for a new generation of Ladybird readers

The Guardian reports during the late 1950s and early 1960s, four slim volumes about the natural world, aimed at children, hit the bookshops. They bore the title What to Look for in… followed by each of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The books were an instant success and inspired a whole generation of naturalists. Now, more than 60 years later, Ladybird Books is publishing a new series under the same title, written by Elizabeth Jenner and illustrated by Natasha Durley. Like the originals, they aim to inspire budding young naturalists to learn more about the wild creatures they might see during the different seasons.

Rewilding is ‘polarising’ farmers, says RSPB chief as she reveals nature reserves will be joined to farmland

In an interview with the Telegraph, RSPB’s Beccy Speight said that nature campaigners often use “polarising” language around rewilding and mass tree planting, which can alienate farmers, and argued that conservationists should work with farmers, who own the largest amounts of Britain’s land. RSPB will join their land with neighbours and help them manage their field margins and unfarmed space for nature. 

Bellway housebuilders fined £600,000 for destroying bat roost in south London

Photo of pipistrelle bat by Bill Tyne under creative commons

The Guardian reports a building firm that carried out demolition work at a site known to be inhabited by bats has been handed a £600,000 fine, the largest ever issued by a court for a wildlife crime, according to police.

Bellway, the housebuilders, admitted damaging or destroying a breeding site or resting place in Artillery Place, Greenwich, south-east London, in 2018, where soprano pipistrelle bats had been documented the previous year.

Restore UK woodland by letting trees plant themselves, says report

The Guardian and The Independent report allowing trees and woodland to regenerate through the natural dispersal of seeds should become the default way to restore Britain’s forest cover, according to a new report. Natural regeneration brings the most benefits for biodiversity, is cost-effective and may sequester more carbon than previously thought, argues Rewilding Britain. 

Willow tit becomes Britain’s fastest declining resident bird, survey finds

Willow tit photo by yrjö jyske under creative commons

The Guardian reports the willow tit has become Britain’s fastest declining resident bird, and one of half a dozen imperilled woodland species, according to the definitive survey of the country’s birds. Numbers of the diminutive tit, a subspecies unique to the UK, have plummeted by 94% since 1970, and by a third since 2008.