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Sir William Worsley is tasked with stopping the unnecessary felling of trees and support plans to plant 11 million trees

The environment secretary, Michael Gove, has appointed a “tree champion” to stop the unnecessary felling of trees and boost planting rates.

Sir William Worsley, chairman of the National Forest Company which oversees the National Forest, has been appointed to support government promises to plant 11 million trees, plus a further 1 million in towns and cities. The move, part of the pledges in the government’s 25-year environment plan, comes after a controversial tree-felling programme in Sheffield.

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The poisoning of dozens of wedge-tailed hawks in Victoria could affect the entire wild population. Simon Cherriman, Ornithology, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Households that are most likely to go solar are those that can afford solar panels, but aren't so rich that they don't have to worry about their electricity bill at all, says a survey of 8,000 homes. Adam McHugh, Honorary Research Associate, Murdoch University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Species including the wildcat and black rat may be lost within a decade while others such as deer are thriving, analysis shows

The wildcat and mouse-eared bat are on the brink, but deer are spreading and otters bouncing back, according to a comprehensive analysis.

At least one in five wild mammals in Britain faces a high risk of extinction within a decade and overall populations are falling, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date.

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An increasingly change-averse political right wing is driving transport to the front line of Australia's climate wars. Can Labor get their policy act together and stop us from becoming another Cuba, a living museum for petrol and diesel cars?

Investors are about to get unparalleled access to the best clean technology start-ups in Australia thanks to a new angel investment group launched by EnergyLab.

Why electricity is more than just a means to various ends.

Falling costs of wind and solar in Indian auctions leaves big coal plant idle and inspires government to significantly lift its renewables targets.

Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: There were masses of southern marsh orchids, many of which were in the early stages of flower opening like a slow-motion firework display

The southern marsh orchids, Dactylorhiza praetermissa, are almost knee high, with apple-green leaves, thick hollow stems and a spearhead of extraordinary purple-pink, cryptically lined flowers. They have suddenly and ceremoniously materialised in the abandoned field like ambassadors from another planet. Despite their indolence, everything about them – their form, colour, identity, presence, future – is mysterious. They stand among us, splendidly alien, as if they’ve entered consciousness from a terra incognita outside our everyday experience. These are not just flowers but an event with a magenta aura.

Only last week I wandered into this field, really just a fenced-off patch of limestone quarry spoil, to check on what might be flowering. In some years there are dense colonies of common spotted orchids and one year there were dozens of bee orchids, but the larger groups of orchid never last long and some years they are few and far between. I was beginning to think this year would be a poor show until I came across a couple of big southern marsh orchids, opening from places that had been really wet all winter.

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Porsche made public their commitment to zero-emission vehicles last year, and have now officially christened their flagship electric vehicle.

First of 400 Tesla PowerPacks arrive at site of 25MW/50MWh Gannawarra Energy Storage System, to store power from 60MW solar farm.

Sydney artist Emily Parsons-Lord makes installations about the invisible: air. So how does she do it, and what can we see?

The Andrews Labor Government is backing a new energy policy centre to help drive reform, and ensure Victoria’s energy system remains reliable, affordable and increasingly sustainable.

Windlab has been awarded an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Certificate for the construction of the Miombo Hewani Wind Farm and Transmission line project.

The red squirrel, the wildcat, and the grey long-eared bat face severe threats, a study says.

The project’s objective is to strengthen the capacity of and provide policy options to China’s key institutions and all involved stakeholders for preparing and establishing ETS on local and national levels. This includes methodological, technical, and policy advice on ETS design, infrastructure and operation, as well as capacity building. The project focuses on the exchange of experiences between Germany and China and strengthens the bilateral dialogue.

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Brumbies have a devoted following among high country locals, despite the fact that they were despised by colonial settler farmers. Their mythical status today owes a lot to cultural figures such as Banjo Paterson. Pete Minard, Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for the Study of the Inland, La Trobe University., La Trobe University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Garden warblers in fact prefer thick scrub, which is dying out in our tidy countryside

Some birds are very well named: such as the cuckoo, treecreeper and song thrush. Others, including Kentish plover, grey wagtail and garden warbler, are almost wilfully misleading.

Garden warblers are, unlike their cousin the blackcap, hardly ever found in gardens. They prefer thick scrub, a transitory habitat that is becoming harder and harder to find in our increasingly tidy countryside.

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Andrew and Jane Clifford promise to match donations in bid to stop feral cats

A $1m donation to the fight against feral cats could help to double the size of the world’s largest cat-free sanctuary or help genetically neuter cats, conservationists say.

Sydney philanthropists Andrew and Jane Clifford have pledged to match every donation made to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy up to $1m before the end of the financial year, hoping to create a $2m fund to eradicate Australia’s cat plague.

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