Scientists are inviting gardeners interested in helping bees, butterflies and other pollinators to take part in a study to discover how grass mowing can be timed to maximise their impact.

Participants in the Optimow 2024 project, organised by the Brown Lab at Royal Holloway, University of London  will be asked to follow a mowing frequency plan, while submitting weekly counts of the key pollinators sighted in their gardens.

Bringing Eurasian Beavers to an estate in Essex has delivered improvements in biodiversity while helping prevent flooding in a nearby village.

The positive consequences of reintroducing a species that became extinct in Britain in the late 18th century were described by Sarah Brockless, ecologist at the Spains Hall Estate, when she gave the Gerald Salisbury Memorial Lecture in Welwyn Civic Centre on Wednesday 28 February.

Photo: Eurasian Beaver at Spains Hall Estate © Russell Savory

Reintroduction of Eurasian Beavers to Britain and their role creating diverse wetlands while helping to reduce flooding will feature in the annual Gerald Salisbury Memorial Lecture taking place on Wednesday 28 February (8pm, Welwyn Civic Centre)

Sarah Brockless, Ecologist on the Spains Hall Estate Natural Flood Management Beaver Project at Finchingfield in Essex will describe how she has developed an ecological landscape plan incorporating Beaver-created wetlands. It covers 380 hectares of farmland, woodland, agro-forestry and a diverse connecting mosaic of habitat for farm and woodland species.