Fightback starts against invasive species that threaten British plants and animals | Environment | The Observer. The pillwort fern is one of Britain's most unusual – and striking – native water plants. Its tiny fronds unfurl to create lush green underwater meadows in lakes and ponds. However, the pillwort is under threat, a victim of polluted waters and invasive species that are changing the watery habitats of Britain.
The fern is not alone. The tadpole shrimp is another rare species that finds its existence similarly threatened. Considered to be a living fossil, the shrimp – known as Triops cancriformis – has not changed in appearance since the Triassic period, 220 million years ago. Then there is the Southern Damselfly, which once thrived across rivers in Cornwall, Somerset and much of south-west England but which is now confined to two pockets, one in the New Forest and the other in the Preseli mountains, Pembrokeshire, a victim of the rise in water abstraction for new towns and factories, which is lowering water tables while draining land for agricultural use.
Africa's mines ditch polluting practices to produce its first Fairtrade gold | Environment. In a bustling area of Nyarugusu, in the heart of Tanzania's gold lands, a stocky man is fanning a dustbin lid of smouldering charcoal, gold ore and mercury on the pavement. Each waft sends a cloud of toxic vapour into the faces of children and adults as they gather to watch. The burning of mercury is a common sight in the streets, homes and cottage-industry mines throughout east Africa.
The liquid metal is used to extract the gold and then vaporised to leave behind flakes of the precious metal. But in this dangerous industry, seeds of a gold revolution are being sown: Fairtrade International announced this week that up to 12 mines in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are on course to sell Africa's first ethical gold within a year. There are no official figures for how many Tanzanians are poisoned by mercury fumes, but accounts of memory problems, sickness and impaired vision are common in the small mines that litter the countryside.
Tanzania is Africa's fourth largest gold producer. Trees for Zambia: taking an axe to deforestation – in pictures | Global development. Fightback starts against invasive species that threaten British plants and animals | Environment | The Observer. Travel to Langkawi, Malaysia. One of Malaysia's top beach and eco resorts has a pretty freaky back story, if you're the superstitious sort. Located near the border of Thailand on the Andaman Sea, the main island (called Langkawi, as is the whole district of 99 islands) was supposedly cursed in 1819, when a beautiful woman named Mahsuri was executed for alleged adultery. Seems her real "crime" was rejecting the advances of the village chieftain who ordered her death. Right before she died, she hissed with her last breath: “There shall be no peace and prosperity on this island for seven generations.”
Why only seven, when she could have cursed them for eternity? Who knows? But two years later Langkawi fell to the invading Thais and many locals died of starvation. Breaking the curse? Pantai Cenang, on the west coast, is Langkawi's most developed beach. Cheap booze and beautiful beaches? You'd think Mahathir was setting the island up for tourist ruin like many other regional beauties before it. Fertility-granting powers. Wildlife | Environment. Endangered habitats | Environment. Environment news, comment and analysis from the Guardian | Environment. Ancient woodland vs dual carriageway: A21 in Kent is the latest test of Government's development policy - Nature - Environment.
The public inquiry into the development wrapped up early this month with the ruling expected any time in the next few weeks. It will determine whether nine hectares of ancient woodland will survive or perish to make way for the road development. But the decision will also have implications for threatened ancient woodlands covering an area of 12,700 football pitches across the country, the largest area at risk since the Woodland Trust starting keeping score 15 years ago. It is being seen as a "second test case" of whether the government's recent policy planning overhaul will favour environmental concerns over commercial ones as vast areas of Britain's ancient woodland face destruction to make way for a massive government development drive that includes the HS2 high speed rail link and huge green belt building programmes.
“If you run the clock back six months I would have said things were pretty safe. Warming to his theme, Rickwood added: “It’s nice to step out of the Internet.