 POMS FIT Count
Join in the UK Polinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS) FIT Count - an annual insect recording season which runs from 1st April to 30th September each year.
FIT Counts take about 10–15 minutes, during which you are asked to count every insect that lands on the flowers of your chosen flower species, ideally from the UK PoMS list of 14 target flowers. FIT Counts can be done anywhere, including gardens and parks, in warm, dry weather during daylight hours from 1st April to 30th September.
National Biodiversity Network Awards
Nominations for the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025 have been extended to Sunday 18th May.
There are seven categories of awards but nominations in the Young Person, Verifier, Newcomer, Terrestrial and Marine categories are needed in particular.
For more information, please visit: Nominations for the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025 - National Biodiversity Network
Invasive Species Week
This year's Invasive Species Week is running from 12th - 18th May.
A series of events will be taking place, exploring the work of organisations and individuals tackling invasive non-native species which treaten the survival of native wildlife and ecosystems.
To record sightings of invasive non-native species, you can use the INNS Mapper app and website: INNS Mapper
Nature City Challenge 2025
The 2025 City Nature Challenge results have been announced: Hull came 7th in the UK for overall observations and 8th for species! Hull had more species, more observations, and more recorders than in 2023 or 2024. The UK leaderboard is here: https://uk.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2025-uk-leaderboard-umbrella-project
When adjusting for the size of Hull's area vs the size of other UK cities/regions, far more observations (86.5 per km2) and species (15.9 per km2) were recorded than any other participating city, by a very large margin, which is an amazing achievement.
You can access the Hull results write-up and photos on the North and East Yorkshire Ecological Data Centre (NEYEDC) website: Hull City Nature Challenge 2025 - the results are in! — neyedc
Festival of Natural Flood Management
The Thames RFCC Natural Flood Management (NFM) Working Group are currently hosting the Festival of Natural Flood Management, a virtual conference taking place throughout May.
This webinar series features 2-3 webinars a week, focusing on wide ranging examples of NFM approaches, delivery, research and funding opportunities at a Thames area level, across the country and at a national scale.
Webinar sessions are available to all, but some webinars will be aimed more towards certain audiences including Local Authorities, NFM researchers, practitioners, landowners and community representatives. All sessions, with the permission of the presenters, will be recorded and shared afterwards to enable attendees to re-watch or catch up if you have missed a session.
The main aim of the Festival of NFM is to hear from a whole host of stakeholders and experts in the field on their approaches, delivery, lessons learned and case studies, and to promote the mainstreaming of NFM as an approach to delivering flood protection benefits.
If you have any questions about The Festival of NFM, please contact ThamesRFCC@environment-agency.gov.uk.
Groundwork's Sustainable Business Membership Scheme
Groundwork have re-launched their Sustainable Business membership scheme, available to businesses across the UK.
The aim of the scheme is to empower organisations to embed sustainability into their operations and achieve measurable environmental and social impact.
Membership includes:
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Annual Sustainability Assessment – A structured review of business practices to identify areas for improvement across environmental impact, social responsibility, and governance.
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Tailored Sustainability Action Plans – Customised roadmaps to guide businesses through the steps needed to achieve their sustainability goals.
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Monthly Sustainability Surgeries – One-to-one expert sessions to discuss challenges, progress, and next steps.
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Continual Learning Resources – Access to webinars, workshops, and industry updates to stay informed on the latest sustainability trends and regulations.
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Dedicated Account Management – Ongoing support from sustainability experts to ensure members stay on track.
Job Opportunity - Coastal Change Research Fellow
As part of the Changing Coasts East Riding project, an opportunity for a Coastal Change Research Fellow position has come up in partnership with the University of Hull:
Job Title: Coastal Change Research Fellow
Organisation: University of Hull
Salary: £38,205 to £44,263
Post Length: Fixed Term - 36 Months
Post Type: Full Time
Closing Date: Wednesday 21st May 2025
Yorkshire Water Biodiversity Enhancement Programme
Yorkshire Water have announced the launch of their first AMP8 (2025-2030) call under their Biodiversity Enhancement Programme.
The YW Biodiversity Enhancement Programme is a programme of funding available to enable action to improve biodiversity across the region and across the function of our operations. Previous projects during the last business cycle have ranged from supporting training programmes, to small community group projects to large scale landscape restoration. During the last 5 years, through working across 28 main projects with 165 stakeholders, close to 700 ha of habitat has been conserved or enhanced, with over 400 public events run. An incredible 35,000 hours of volunteer time was committed, and close to £1.9m of match funding was unlocked.
YW are anticipating funding several projects up to a maximum value of £50,000, though encourage applications for any value below this and there is no minimum value. The application deadline is 5pm on 30th June 2025.
Any questions can be sent to biodiversity@yorkshirewater.co.uk
Farming Innovation Programme: Guidance now available for upcoming funding competitions
Defra have shared guidance for 2 upcoming funding competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP): Precision Breeding and Low Emissions Farming.
Both competitions open on 5th May, with a total of £25 million being made available to successful applicants.
These areas have been identified as priorities for support because of their potential to improve productivity and sustainability. Precision breeding can support farmers to be more productive, resilient and resource efficient. Investing in low emissions farming supports the sector’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining profitability.
Seed Sourcing Grant
The Seed Sourcing Grant (SSG) supports projects that enhance seed stands and orchards available for collection. You can apply for up to £75,000 per year for eligible species and associated activities.
Your proposal can include:
- identifying and registering additional seed stands
- making seed stands or orchards more productive or easier to collect from
- creating new seed stands or orchards
The application deadline is 11:55pm 19th August 2025.
Tree Production Capital Grant
The Tree Production Capital Grant (TPCG) supports tree nurseries and tree seed suppliers to improve the productivity and resilience of their operations, enabling a reliable supply of diverse, biosecure, and high-quality trees to England.
You can apply for up to 50% of the cost of investments up to a maximum grant value of £175,000.
The application deadline is 11.55pm 25th June 2025.
Attend the 'how to apply' webinar at 2pm on 4th June for more information:Tree Production Capital Grant (TPCG): How to Apply Webinar Tickets, Wed, Jun 4, 2025 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite
Tree Production Innovation Fund
The Tree Production Innovation Fund (TPIF) supports projects that will enhance or facilitate tree production methods used in the UK. You can apply for up to £200,000 per financial year to develop new technologies or techniques that enhance UK tree production methods.
The application deadline is 11:55pm on 9th July 2025.
Attend one of the following webinars for more information:
Knowledge transfer webinars - 20th and 22nd May 2025
The Forestry Commision are hosting 2 online ‘TPIF knowledge transfer’ events showcasing outputs from previously funded projects. To learn more about recent innovations in tree production, register for TPIF knowledge transfer webinars.
‘How to apply’ webinar - 28th May 2025 (2pm)
The Forestry Commision grants team will guide you through the TPIF application process. Register for the ‘how to apply’ webinar.
Email at tpif@forestrycommission.gov.uk for more information.
Stephen Lloyd Awards
The Stephen Lloyd Awards are an annual programme providing funding and support to early-stage projects that are forward-thinking, inspiring and creative in their solutions, with a particular focus on social and environmental change at a systemic level.
Funding of up to £2,500 will be awarded to ten shortlisted candidates, in addition to receiving practical free support provided by experts.
Ideas might include a new start-up enterprise or an extension of an organisation’s existing work; however, preference will be given to entries originating from a start-up or early stage project, rather than initiated within a larger charity organisation.
The deadline for this round of applications is 11:59pm on 14th May 2025.
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