News and events

Help Wanted!

Are you mad about bugs? Authors Peter Marren and Richard Mabey are looking for stories, sayings, songs and even recipes about bug life, for the upcoming publication Bugs Britannica. This is a great opportunity to contribute to an original book about our relationship with invertebrates. Full details are available on the project website at www.randomhouse.co.uk/bugsbritannica/.

The Woodland Trust have just launched a 5-year Ancient Tree Hunt, and are looking for help to find and map all the old, fat trees across the UK. To find out about the project and how you can take part, visit the project website at www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk.

The Game Conservancy Trust is looking for volunteers to help count grey partridge for their National Grey Partridge Count Scheme. This farmer-led bird monitoring scheme is one of the most successful of its kind in Europe. For more information visit www.gct.org.uk/partridge.

If you've got a pond on your land, Pond Conservation would like to hear from you! They are interested in finding out the locations of as many ponds as possible, what they are like and what lives in them, as part of their Local Pond Survey. For more information visit the Local Pond Survey webpage.

The National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) is looking for volunteers for several surveys. If you register your interest, you will be kept informed of developments, timetables, training programmes and other plans. You can find out more about NARRS and register your interest at www.narrs.org.uk.

The People's Trust for Endangered Species is looking for at least 10,000 people to help spot molehills as part of their new MoleWatch project. For information or to sign up as a mole spotter, check out the project website: www.ptes.org/molewatch.

July 8: 'Ecosystem approach', 'ecosystem services', 'ecosystem thinking': are these just a bunch of buzzwords? Or do they represent clearly defined and practical concepts that can help us achieve a more genuinely sustainable future? The Ecosystem Approach: What Does it Mean in Practice? is a one-day conference that will answer these questions. Registration fee and other details can be found at www.dialoguematters.co.uk.

July 9: The British Association for Nature Conservationists (BANC) is hosting Wild Ideas: Challenging Nature Conservation at Coin Street Centre, London. BANC has a 30-year reputation for being on the cutting edge. Join them at this conference to be inspired and challenged, and to hear about new thinking and new ideas in nature conservation. Find out more by contacting wildideas@dialoguematters.co.uk or visit www.dialoguematters.co.uk.

July 18: The British Ecological Society Agricultural Ecology Interest Group 2008 conference is taking place in Cambridge. Changes in land use: does this relate to CAP reform and what are the agro-ecology repercussion? will address some of the big questions about rural land management today. The booking form and details are available on the National Institute of Agricultural Botany website.

Sept 6-7: The Forest of Marston Vale are hosting Woodworks!, their annual festival of wood, woodlands and wood products. If you're interested in trees, woodland crafts and stories, Bedfordshire's countryside and woodlands, local and global forests and the health of the planet, then Woodworks! is for you! For full details visit www.marstonvale.org/woodworks.

Sept 8-10: Orchards and Groves: Their History, Ecology, Culture and Archaeology is a 3-day conference taking place at Sheffield Hallam University. This is a relatively poorly-documented area and the event will address topics fundamental to conservation of these wonderful and iconic landscape features. Pre-booking is essential; for details visit the conference website.

Sept 8-12: The Society for Ecological Restoration is hosting the 6th European Conference on Ecological Restoration in Ghent, Belgium. The aim of the conference is to present the state of the art in ecological restoration and to bring together scientists, policy makers, practitioners and stakeholders. To learn more about the conference programme and registration, visit the conference website.

Sept 17-18: The 2008 World Green Roof Congress is taking place in London. This is the first event of its kind to showcase green roofs in the UK. The event will feature the latest research, policy initiatives and practical case studies. Complete details are available on the event website: www.worldgreenroofcongress.com.

Oct 5-14: The IUCN World Conservation Congress is being held in Barcelona. This is the world's largest and most diverse environmental congress. Co-hosted by Spain and Catalonia, the Congress will welcome more than 8,000 people from around the globe. Themes include "a new climate for change", "healthy environments - healthy people" and "safeguarding the diversity of life". Check out the website for more information: www.iucn.org/congress.

Oct 14-16: The Welsh Biodiversity Partnership with the support of CCW are holding a course: The Biodiversity Duty - focus on local action. Aimed at biodiversity officers and other LBAP partnership members and/or those with biodiversity conservation responsibilities within the voluntary, local government or statutory sectors. The £233 fee includes accommodation and meals. For more information visit the conference website.