Welcome to Ground Cover, our roundup of news, science, reports and features.
Highlights this week include:
- An emergency moss translocation.
- An end to the Toby Carvery oak-felling row.
- More evidence that beavers are wonderful.
- New depths to microplastic pollution.
- Trees planted by one of the nation's favourite poets.
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National news
Farming | The government will provide £240m for nature-friendly farming through the Sustainable Farming Incentive – an announcement that brings much-needed clarity for farmers, many of whom were left in the lurch when the scheme closed abruptly to new applications last year. Small farms will be among those able to apply from 30 June, with applications opening more widely in September. Both charities and the National Farmers’ Union welcomed the certainty but raised concerns that the funding available was too low. The NFU has called for a £5.6bn agriculture budget, while analysis by the Wildlife Trusts and others suggests that £3.1bn must be directed towards nature-friendly farming every year if the government is to meet its own climate and nature targets. Sustain welcomed the priority given to smaller farms, but warned that holdings below the three-hectare eligibility threshold remain excluded. This includes market gardens, which are vital in local food systems and agroecological production.
Coal | The UK has ‘no live applications for new coal mines’ after Carmarthenshire Council rejected plans to extract 85,000 tonnes of coal at Glan Lash mine near Llandybie, according to the Coal Action Network – a milestone moment in the country’s move away from coal. Councillors rejected the proposed extension on environmental grounds, citing impacts on protected woodland, hedgerows and peatland, as well as concerns for the local population of Marsh Fritillary butterflies. Bryn Bach Coal Ltd, the company behind the proposal, has six months to appeal the decision. The BBC, the Canary and Nation.Cymru covered the news.
Education | A government consultation on the curriculum for the new Natural History GCSE will go live at 9.30AM today and run till 4 September. It proposes a minimum of 20 hours of outdoor learning for those taking the qualification, with students exploring ‘real habitats, from urban parks to coastal salt marshes,’ according to TES. More broadly, material will be divided into three core areas: UK habitats and wildlife; human influence on nature; and climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and conservation. The GCSE is expected to be taught in schools from September 2028. Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said it would help to prepare young people for ‘the jobs of tomorrow’. The Guardian also covered the news.
