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Species remains UK’s fastest declining mammal despite large reintroduction programme

The number of areas where water voles are found across England and Wales has fallen by almost a third in 10 years, research has found.

The species, which provided the model for the much-loved character Ratty in The Wind of the Willows, has suffered catastrophic declines over several decades and is the UK’s fastest declining mammal.

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Australia's flagship climate policy, has spent more than $2 billion on emissions reductions, yet big businesses could wipe all this out. Time to resurrect the idea of a simple carbon tax. Ian A. MacKenzie, Senior Lecturer in Economics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Scientists are alarmed by a rise in mass mortality events – when species die in their thousands. Is it all down to climate change?

There was almost something biblical about the scene of devastation that lay before Richard Kock as he stood in the wilderness of the Kazakhstan steppe. Dotted across the grassy plain, as far as the eye could see, were the corpses of thousands upon thousands of saiga antelopes. All appeared to have fallen where they were feeding.

Some were mothers that had travelled to this remote wilderness for the annual calving season, while others were their offspring, just a few days old. Each had died in just a few hours from blood poisoning. In the 30C heat of a May day, the air around each of the rotting hulks was thick with flies.

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South-east Asian idylls – from Philippine islands to the Thai bay made famous in The Beach – plan to turn tourists away so that devastated coral reefs have some time to recover. Will it be enough?

Our Thai tour guide, Spicey, takes a drag on her cigarette and gestures sadly towards the beach. “The problem with people is that they are too greedy. They see a beautiful place and they want it. They take, take, take from nature. And then they destroy it.”

The golden sands of Maya Bay where Spicey stands are some of the most famous in the world. This once-idyllic cove, on the tiny Thai island of Koh Phi Phi Leh, was the paradise location of The Beach, Danny Boyle’s 2000 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It was then pushed by tourism officials in advertising campaigns to entice more wealthy visitors to Thailand.

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Conservationists sound alarm over unprecedented slaughter of rare and endangered species by hunters at three lagoons

A million wild birds a year are now being killed illegally at a single wildlife site in Iran. That is the stark warning from conservationists who say highly endangered migratory species face being wiped out in the near future there unless urgent action is taken.

In a letter last week to the journal Science, the conservationists pinpoint the Fereydunkenar wetlands in Iran as the site of this widespread wildlife slaughter.

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Anna Shurapey recovering in hospital after being bitten by a suspected juvenile great white off Little Congwong beach

Swimmers at a Sydney beach where a woman was bitten by a shark shouldn’t have reservations about venturing back into the water when it reopens on Sunday, experts say.

Anna Shurapey, 55, survived the first shark attack in Botany Bay in at least 25 years after she was bitten on the leg about 7pm Friday, prompting the Randwick City Council to close nearby beaches for 24 hours.

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US scientists develop sensors to allow doctors to follow their patients' progress away from the clinic.

The Asian amphibians arrived just 10 years ago. Now in their millions, they threaten the island’s unique wildlife

Rustling branches and a canopy cacophony – part howl, part screech, part snigger – proclaim the presence of black-and-white ruffed lemurs as visitors enter Ivoloina zoological park in eastern Madagascar.

The raucous primate is one of several critically endangered species in this biological refuge, which breeds and protects rare wildlife from the growing pressures on this island’s unique ecology.

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It’s polluting our oceans and killing our wildlife, but how easy is it to get by without it? Four writers find out

No man is an island. However, if I were an island, I’d probably be the best one ever. When the Guardian asked me to record all the single-use plastic I got through in a week, I scoffed. Piece of cake, I thought.

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Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: From the depths of dormant bramble thickets, tangled and moribund, robins called and chased defiantly as they reinforced their territories

In the last stages of its journey to the sea, the river Ystwyth curves in gentle meanders across a broad valley pasture grazed by a modest scattering of sheep. This close to the coast, the wind from the sea is a powerful force, carving the small riverside trees into forms that leave no doubt as to its direction and persistence.

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A new dam on the river Nile could trigger the world's first war about water, writes Alastair Leithead.

There were no models to help predict the behaviour of the released oil. It affected tens of thousands of fish and other marine creatures including turtles and marine grasses.

They begin a cascade of reactions which produce air pollutants harmful to humans and other animals.

Over a year since his inauguration and President Trump remains without a science advisor.

Investor Vinod Khosla has battled regulators for years over Martin’s Beach, which can only be reached by road on his property

A Silicon Valley billionaire who was ordered by California courts to restore public access to a popular surfing beach is seeking to take his case to the US supreme court.

The case could entirely upend public access to beaches in a state with more than 1,000 miles of shoreline.

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The environment secretary suggests outlawing plastic straws could be easier after Brexit.

Meet the catering brigade - the often forgotten volunteers of the RFS; the endangered Mary River cod is making a comeback; Sydney's Vietnamese community picks their own lychees; and the Darkan show is back after 60 years.

Minister in Twitter spat with Brussels after suggesting UK ban could be prevented by EU

Michael Gove has become embroiled in a Twitter row with the EU over his suggestion that Brussels could block the UK government from banning plastic straws.

The environment secretary and Frans Timmermans, a European commission vice-president, goaded each other on the social media platform over their rival claims to be the most advanced in clamping down on plastic waste.

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Satellite tracking shows fishing's footprint on Earth is now over four times that of agriculture.

The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox

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