Germanyโs old-school conservatism is well and truly over
Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.
Even if Merz stumbles across the finish line and secures a coalition government, the death knell for Christian democracy may well have been sounded.
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s probably being shot by Donald Trump Jr.
Les contrats confidentiels consultรฉs par POLITICO ne tendent pas ร confirmer les accusations adressรฉes ร lโexรฉcutif bruxellois par des eurodรฉputรฉs.
Green lawmakers claim the U.S. president’s son shot a rare duck in an EU conservation zone.
Open-net farms to continue despite numbers of wild fish halving as minister looks for โacceptableโ pollution levels Norwayโs environment minister has ruled out a ban on open-net fish farming at sea despite acknowledging that the wild North Atlantic sal…
When Arne Maynard and William Collinson acquired some of Britainโs most ancient breed, the novice farmers saw conservation grazing coax their pasture back to life
Hundreds of thousands of objects and dozens of buildings preserved by the museum dedicated to the former Nazi extermination camp are being readied to perpetuate the duty of remembrance.
Dolphin conservation and fishermen’s livelihoods in the Bay of Biscay: A difficult balance
Artisanal shellfish farmers face ruinous losses but money meant to help is going to the powerful fishing industry, say criticsEarly on a warm September morning in southern Italy, Giovanni Nicandro sets out from the port of Taranto in his small boat. Su…
Five entire families can be killed, totalling 30 wolves, in move campaigners say is illegal under EU lawSwedenโs wolf hunt starts on Thursday, with the country aiming to halve the population of the endangered predator.The Swedish government has given t…
Joe Biden has long expressed an admiration for Carter, a sentiment that was palpable in the presidentโs statement Sunday evening.
The nationโs 39th president left a long meaningful legacy after a difficult four years in the White House.
For ecologists restoring the vast bogs of remote Karelia, wild reindeer are not just part of the environment but entwined with the ancient culture of the boreal forestsThe Finnish folk musician Liisa Matveinen lives in a mustard-coloured house in Iloma…
US-Canadian founder of Sea Shepherd was arrested in Greenland after Japan issued international warrantDenmark has rejected a Japanese request to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson over criminal charges dating back more than a decade, a Danish …
As warmer winters melt the snow drifts that endangered Saimaa ringed seals use to raise their young, humans are giving them a helping handWords by Phoebe Weston. Photographs by Samuel BlochEight hours shovelling snow in -20C might not sound like the id…
WTO members are negotiating new rules that would limit damaging fisheries subsidies. Finalizing these is essential for protecting the health of the fish stocks on which many coastal communities rely.
A charismatic performance from Sandra Drzymalska and pacy direction from Adrian Panek makes for an unexpectedly appealing portrait of an unlikely heroโYou lack both beauty and talent. Your intellect is annoying. The only thing you have is your name.โ T…
Downgrading speciesโ protection status for political gain puts decades of conservation efforts at risk, says WWFEuropeโs wolves will lose their โstrict protectionโ status, alarming conservationists who fear for the survival of an animal brought back fr…
The decision by Bern Convention members is a major win for the EU and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Debt swaps have become increasingly popular ways for countries to free up cash to invest in nature conservation projects.
Cruises, fishing boats and even whale-watchers are adding to the din underwater, which biologist Heike Vester says not only masks cetaceansโ communication but can also stop them feeding From the moment that the biologist Dr Heike Vester presses play…
While NGOs claim that the decision to lower the protection of wolves is unlawful and led the EU Ombudsman to open an investigation, experts have been called to oppose the proposal by 30 November.
If confirmed, Zeldin would lead the Republican effort to roll back Bidenโs key climate change regulations โ including rules tightening the pollution from power plants and tailpipes.
The plan to transport millions of River Severn elvers to the pristine Vistula and Curonian lagoons is a viable way to conserve the species, says Peter WoodMillions of critically endangered eels have indeed been exported from Britain to Russia this year…
Greenhouse gases and pollutants from farms urgently need reducing but green policies have triggered furious protestsClimate crisis leaves European farmers vulnerable to far right, say campaignersThe EU urgently needs to staunch the greenhouse gases and…
At the COP16 negotiations in Cali, Colombia, countries failed to figure out how they would mobilize $200 billion annually in conservation funding by 2030, including $30 billion that would come directly from rich nations.
Advocacy groups said the pledges – which brings the total raised by the fund to about $400 million – fell far short of the billions of dollars envisioned for the fund.
The mammals were once common across Europe but urban development has pushed them towards extinctionHedgehogs are now listed as โnear threatenedโ on the International Union for Conservation of Natureโs red list after a decline in numbers of at least 30%…
Non-EU visitors could also have to pay extra to enter the Louvre Museum, under proposals made by Rachida Dati.
Keir Starmerโs environment secretary wants to turn DEFRA into a growth department. That means a fight with the green lobby.
Once a champion of initiatives to protect nature, the EU is now giving in to pressure from farmers and the far rightWhen diplomats struck a deal to save nature in 2022, pledging to halt biodiversity loss by the end of the decade, Europe was seen as a c…
Study uncovers vivid and poignant accounts of reefs as high as houses off countries including UK, France and IrelandOnly a handful of natural oyster reefs measuring at most a few square metres cling on precariously along European coasts after being wip…
Credibility โdamagedโ by proposed 12-month delay, which followed lobbying from governments and firms around the worldA former top environment official has said the EUโs credibility on its climate commitments has been damaged by plans for a one-year del…
The golden jackal has expanded its range as far as Norway and Spain, seemingly driven by climate breakdownThe golden jackal, Canis aureus, may seem an exotic creature from a far-off country but the species has suddenly expanded its range into western E…
A project on Spainโs Costa Brava is reviving dwindling populations of the prized seafood โ and keeping small-scale fishers in businessClinging to almost vertical cliffs on the Costa Brava in north-east Spain, the resort of lโEstartit has a dramatic loc…
A conservation biologist by training, Kadis has held several ministerial posts over the past 25 years.
LONDON โ The Conservative Party โgot trounced in the polls,โ ex-Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho admitted earlier this month. After 14 years controlling Westminsterโs levers of power, voters dumped the Tories unceremoniously from office overnight in July. And yet โ the party is already regrouping, jumping on energy bills and cost-of-living as one basis for a [โฆ]
The German vote was key to secure the adoption of a proposal to make it easier to kill threatening wolves in Europe.
A political win for von der Leyen.
Plan aimed to expand protection of endangered ecosystems but opponents say it posed risk to business developmentVoters in Switzerland have rejected a proposal to make authorities do more to protect natural habitats from pollution and development, preli…
Who to look out for in Liverpool this weekend.
In an attempt to justify a practice that has brought Malta before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) twice, Maltaโs Federation for Hunting and Conservation recently published passionate views that distort the reality of finch trapping, writes Nicholas…
Activities such as mining, dredging and bottom trawling in most MPAs mean conservation targets will be missed, say researchersMost of Europeโs marine protected areas, set up to safeguard species and habitats, will not meet conservation targets as they …
With Sweden issuing permits to kill a fifth of its bears, and Romanian MPs voting to double its quota, and the debate over hunting season has become a political issueThe forest was unnaturally still when Soลa Chovanovรก Supekovรก first picked up the bear…
A pioneering conservation project has reintroduced bison to a swathe of Romanian mountains โ but could it help Joy Lo Dico to rewild herself?
Activists says EU court ruling on transparency makes mockery of laws to protect the environmentCampaigners have said that the EU is failing to enforce rules on illegal fishing, and allowing member states to conceal information that could help uncover b…
Karin Kneissl, who danced at her wedding with the Russian leader, has a new role at the heart of one of Putin’s pet projects: defending Siberian tigers.
The partyโs leaders may soon have to decide whether to preserve at least parts of the Democratsโ climate law.
Environmental groups that put Joe Bidenโs climate initiatives under a microscope arenโt giving the Democratic nomineeโs positions the same scrutiny.
Campaigners denounce โpure slaughterโ, which could threaten survival of entire Scandinavian population More than 150 brown bears have been killed in the opening days of Swedenโs annual bear hunt, as controversy mounts over what conservationists have ca…
Britain’s decision to issue dozens of new oil and gas exploration licences is being challenged in court by a marine conservation organisation, which argues ministers unlawfully failed to consider the impact on marine life.
Anti-whaling activistโs detention to continue while Japanese extradition request is considered, court rulesThe anti-whaling activist Paul Watson is to remain in detention in Greenland while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, a court in …
After a series of mass mortality events, it is more common to find these huge Mediterranean clams dead. Which is why the speciesโ โbiggest fangirl of allโ, Susan Smillie, is thrilled to see a thriving population in Greece I swim and I stare as my shado…
Ursula von der Leyen faces pressure from the south over climate adaptation plans.
Thirty mothers take turns with their babies in front of Mujur, 19, to try to encourage her to bond with newbornWhen staff at Dublin zoo discovered an orangutan named Mujur was pregnant they decided to stage maternal workshops.The 19-year-old female had…
The Minnesota governor may bring rural appeal but his policies reflect a progressive agenda.
Audit of Environmental Improvement Plan finds it inadequate as government announces overhaul of goalsGoals to stop the decline of nature and clean up the air and water in England are slipping out of reach, a new report has warned.An audit of the Enviro…
Ursula von der Leyen’s furry nemesis strikes back.
Marking a pivotal moment for the fate of the barely known ecosystems on the ocean floor, 168 nations will decide this week who will head the International Seabed AuthorityLeticia Carvalho is clear what the problem is with the body she hopes to be elect…
Sixty-eight members of the French and European parliaments sent a letter to the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday (24 July) calling for the release of Paul Watson, the founder of the marine conservation NGO Sea Shepherd.
The EU has an obligation to pro-actively enhance climate change and biodiversity policies at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) by endorsing its Plan of Action & establishing a dedicated working group this f…
MPs approve cull of 481 bears this year, up from 220 last year, to control โoverpopulationโ of protected speciesRomaniaโs parliament has approved the culling of almost 500 bears this year in an effort to control the โoverpopulationโ of the protected sp…
The group is ditching some of its ambitions as it prepares to back conservative Ursula von der Leyen atop the EU executive.ย
We need to change how the EU packages food and beverages to transition to a low-carbon circular economy.
Across the globe, populists are rolling back efforts to save nature and the planet.
The country wants to cut 70 percent of its total emissions by 2030.
The Iberian lynx is now classed as “vulnerable” as numbers surge due to conservation efforts.
The Iberian lynx is now classed as “vulnerable” as numbers surge due to conservation efforts.
The animal, which is still categorised as โvulnerableโ, has been the subject of a 20-year conservation programmeLess than a quarter of a century after the Iberian lynx was feared to be only a whisker away from extinction, populations of the animal have…
โExtraordinary and uniqueโ ancient beach that was destroyed in AD79 disaster reinstated in southern Italy An ancient Roman beach that was buried by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius has reopened to the public at Herculaneum archaeological park in sou…
Austrian-German heiress Marlene Engelhorn allowed fifty members of the public to donate her inheritance to various organisations, including a homeless aid charity and a nature conservation association.
Cue the lawsuits, potential fines, dueling allegations โย and, for Leonore Gewessler, a great campaign ad.
Narrow vote causes fury in Vienna where climate minister is threatened with legal action by coalition partnersThe EU has passed a landmark law to protect nature after a knife-edge vote, ending a months-long deadlock among member states spooked by fierc…
Birth control is being trialled as a humane way to limit growing numbers of grey squirrels, pigeons and wild boarThe invention of the contraceptive pill heralded the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now scientists are looking to revolutionise wildli…
The Greens’ election manifesto is packed with policies designed to appeal to left-leaning voters disaffected with the Labour Party.
Conservationists criticise โdisappointingโ and โdangerousโ move to allow harpooning of fin whales after curbs last year Iceland has granted a licence to Europeโs last whaling company to kill more than 100 animals this year, despite hopes the practice m…
Seven Przewalskiโs horses, the only truly wild species of the animal in the world, flown to central Asian country from zoos in EuropeA group of the worldโs last wild horses have returned to their native Kazakhstan after an absence of about 200 years. T…
However well-intended, the EU’s directive has particularly rattled producers in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ever since the Commission presidentโs pony, Dolly, was killed by a wolf in 2022, the large carnivore has been in von der Leyen’s sights.
Forests across Europe, the US and Canada have been hard hit by drought, fires and bark beetles. Now scientists fear the northern hemisphereโs greatest carbon sink is nearing a tipping pointThe giant sequoia is so enormous that it was once believed to b…
Clรฉment Beaune’s comments suggest that Paris is open to extending the German Commission president’s time in Brussels.
Has the European Commission president given up on her green agenda going into a possible second term โ or is she just biding her time?
The capital is giddy about getting a new pair of zoo animals. Itโs a love affair that reveals a bunch about the city.
Vulnerable birds deviating from migratory routes by up to 155 miles, which could affect breedingEagles that have migratory routes through Ukraine have shifted their flight paths to avoid areas affected by the conflict, researchers have found.GPS data h…
The city has had enough of stag parties and red-light gawpers. But it will take more than an online quiz to curb over-tourismAn online quiz is the latest strategy with which Amsterdam hopes to deter nuisance tourists. The quiz is called Amsterdam Rules…
As the world faces record-high temperatures, experts call for implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) to help cities adapt to climate change and improve human health and well-being.
Representatives of 11 countries led by Ireland urge other states to help get legislation on rescuing habitats over the lineA last-ditch attempt to try to save the EUโs nature restoration laws from oblivion has been mounted by 11 member states, which ar…
Mayor of Alicudi appealed for homes for 600 feral goats which will be removed from tiny volcanic islandWhen the mayor of a remote Italian island grappling with an overpopulation of feral goats offered to give the animals away, he anticipated a smatteri…
For 30 years, Brian McNeill hunted the worldโs second-biggest fish from small boats off the wild west coast of Ireland. Now the species has made a recovery so rapid it has astounded scientistsThe ambush was simple. A spotter on a hill would scan the se…
Visiting such ancient places is a privilege that often makes living in them miserable โ itโs only fair that tourists pay for their upkeepVenice has had enough. It is sinking beneath the twin assaults of tourism and the sea and believes the answer lies …
Day-trippers will have to pay โฌ5 to visit Italian city under scheme designed to protect it from excess tourismAuthorities in Venice have been accused of transforming the famous lagoon city into a โtheme parkโ as a long-mooted entrance fee for day tripp…
The European Parliament adopted its position on Wednesday (24 April) on the overhaul of EU marketing legislation on seeds and other types of plant reproductive material (PRM), proposing to free seed exchanges between farmers and for conservation purpos…
From ancient olive groves to root vegetables, foreign pests introduced via the blocโs open import system are causing damage worth billions โ and outbreaks are on the riseThe plants slowly choke to death, wither and dry out. They die en masse, leaves dr…
The law will come into force in national parks within two years and in all of the countryโs marine protected areas by 2030Greece has become the first country in Europe to announce a ban on bottom trawling in all of its national marine parks and protect…
The ruling coalition has been fighting over legislation that sets out binding climate targets.
German liberal targets the Greens in making case to allow trophy-hunting imports.
Leaders need to persuade others of the need for environmental measures rather than capitulate in the face of political headwindsLast month, a survey of public opinion in Germany, France and Poland found that a majority in each country would support mor…
Farmers lay carcasses in front of government building in Lausanne to press for resumption of wolf cullFarmers in Switzerland dumped the carcasses of sheep that were killed by wolves in front of a regional government building on Saturday as part of a pr…
Botswana has an elephant problem. The director of Nuremberg zoo weighs in on whether Germany could adopt some and where they could live.
Germanโs appointment to head Convention on Biological Diversity follows global failure to meet any targets on protecting ecosystemsThe next UN biodiversity chief will be Astrid Schomaker, an EU civil servant who will be entrusted with helping the world…