Churches, schools and other faith groups are being asked to join in a mass ringing of bells on Wednesday 22 September to show their support for international biodiversity talks. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is calling for bells to ring out across the world to signal the urgent need for us to halt the loss of biodiversity.
Our actions have caused nearly 500 species of plants, animals and fungi to disappear from England, most in the last 200 years. These losses include nearly a quarter of our native butterflies and amphibians, 15 per cent of dolphins and whales and 12 per cent of land mammals.
Only around 20 Madagascan Pochard ducks still survive in the wild. Funding was awarded last week to help save them from extinction by releasing more in the wild and improving their habitat.
Marine life in all the world's oceans is at risk due to rapidly increasing acidity of the sea caused by rising CO2 levels, warn scientists on Oceans Day at the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
Red kites, Milvus milvus, have made a remarkable recovery from near extinction last century to become a familiar and well-loved species in several parts of the UK.
