Flashes of Wigan and Leigh NNR
A new nature reserve has been created in north-west England on the site of former coal mines. The Flashes of Wigan and Leigh will protect almost 750ha of woodland and wetland, which is home to threatened species including bitterns, great crested newts and willow tits. It’s among the first of a new breed of urban nature reserves.
Marmot massacre
A coalition of French conservation and wildlife groups are calling for an end to the hunting of marmots, the emblematic symbol of the French Alps. Over 400 marmots are killed every autumn despite there being uncertainty about how many remain. The marmot, a ground-dwelling squirrel similiar to the American groundhog, is protected by the Bern Convention, an international treaty ratified by France.