The Environment Secretary Michael Gove will attend the launch of Bees’ Needs Week today on Carnaby Street, which has been renamed ‘Carnabee Street’ to raise awareness of the campaign.

Defra has partnered with Carnaby London, the leading West End shopping and dining destination to kick off the week of bee and pollinator action from government, conservation groups, industry and retailers to raise awareness of the campaign and the ways people can help save the bees.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

Bees and other pollinators are vital contributors to the beauty of our landscapes, our economy and our £100 billion food industry.

It is inspiring to see such a wide range of organisations celebrating these essential creatures for this unique Bees’ Needs campaign – showing us that all of us can play a part and help pollinators to thrive.

Recent actions Government has taken to protect bees include:

• The Government is developing a Nature Recovery Network in England to provide 500,000 hectares of additional wildlife habitat, more effectively linking existing protected sites and landscapes, thereby improving access to habitat for pollinating insects;
• In November 2017, the Environment Secretary announced that the Government supported further restrictions on the use of three neonicotinoids due to their harmful effects on bees and other pollinators, and the UK voted in favour of the EU Commission’s proposal in April 2018;
• Since 2015, nearly half (47%) of new Countryside Stewardship agreements included the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package. The package ensures that a minimum of 3% of the farm is converted to habitat for farm wildlife including pollinators;
• Defra has funded new research by the University of Exeter which has found a way to track the invasive Asian hornet back to the nest. The hornets prey on honeybees so tracking the predator back to the nest will enable inspectors to take swift action and destroy them;
• Defra has provided a home for the rare Black Bee to the hives on the roof of the department’s London building. This particular species was on the verge of extinction a few years ago.

Two schools, St Albans School in Hampshire and Trythall in Cornwall, will receive the Pollinator Champion Award from Lord Gardiner, which recognises their invaluable work in helping pollinators thrive.

Defra Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, Lord Gardiner, said:

It is my pleasure to award the Pollinator Champion Award to St Albans Primary School in Havant and the Trythall Community Primary School from Penzance. I would like to thank these young people and their teachers for their exceptional work in helping to protect these vital pollinators and their dedication in raising awareness of bees’ needs.

Bees’ Needs Week is about celebrating the fact that everyone can get involved by growing more flowers, leaving patches of garden to grow wild, cutting grass less, not disturbing insect nests, and thinking carefully about using pesticides.

The campaign also celebrates the efforts of a wide-range of organisations that will be present in The Hive – a discovery center dedicated to pollinators on Carnaby Street, London:

• The Royal Horticultural Society are handing out pollinator-friendly seed: Blooms for Bees;
• The London Honey Company are offering free honey tasting;
• Reading University are showcasing their leading research and a Bumblearium has been installed offering people a window into the secret lives of bees;
• Last year’s Pollinator Champion, Rebecca Twigg, will be in the Hive with her fascinating augmented reality bee trail;
• Wildflower Turf – the company behind creating the idyllic countryside landscape for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics – have stepped in to decorate the Hive and showcase some of the most beneficial native wildflower habitats for pollinators.

Simon Quayle, Director, Shaftesbury, said:

Shaftesbury is delighted to support the launch of Bees’ Needs Week, on our very own ‘Carnabee’ Street, which is also being backed by many of our occupants in the area. There has been an alarming decline in the pollinators across the UK, which play a vital role and are the unsung heroes in our ecosystem.

We can all play our part in helping to boost the population, even in urban environments. If you take a closer look around our areas of London’s West End you can see we’ve introduced pockets of pollinator friendly plants wherever possible. With hanging baskets and window boxes, green walls and roofs, and even the introduction of rooftop beehives adorning parts of the area, it offers a much-needed oasis for our pollinating friends.

A swarm of activity is taking place in the world-famous shopping destination to raise awareness of Bees’ Needs including:

• Carnaby Street has been renamed ‘Carnabee Street’ and the iconic arch has undergone a bee-themed makeover;
• A pop-up ‘Hive’ will open at 3 Carnaby Street which will host educational and fun games, installations and talks in partnership with Defra alongside charities, universities, businesses and landowners;
• Visitors to Carnaby will be able to follow an art trail around the area’s 14 streets, with illustrated bees by London based artist Lizzie King on the windows of participating shops and restaurants;
• Shops and restaurants located in the world-famous shopping destination have created bespoke bee themed products, menus, cocktails and offers to raise awareness of the Bees’ Needs campaign.

Land Information Search

The Land Information Search (LIS) is a map based tool that provides information about land designations or features such as National Nature Reserves and grant schemes in any chosen area.

The information generated by this LIS is only for England – a search in each country will be required for properties that cross borders.

Basic search – allows you to create a circle of a chosen size by clicking a point on the map
Advanced – allows you to draw a more detailed shape on the map.

Both options run the search against the same list of land designations. The main difference is that the advanced search gives control over the shape that can be drawn allowing the area of interest to be more accurately represented.

Free maps

Download the map request form for help from the Forestry Commission to develop a map of your woodland site.

Contact the Forestry Commission

If you cannot access the Land Information Search, or encounter any problems while using this system, you can contact the Support team gr.support.england@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.

For more information, you can contact your nearest local Forestry Commission office
or phone the Forestry Commission helpline on 0300 0674070.

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit and decision document for:

• Operator name: Kingsley Beverage Limited
• Installation name: Kingsley Beverage – Peterborough
• Permit number: EPR/DP3938YY/A001

Visits to city parks and green spaces in England were up by 25 per cent in 2016 as compared to 2010, new research published today (Friday, 6 July) by Natural England has revealed.

Natural England’s Urban Greenspaces report also found that more people are visiting the natural environment within towns and cities across England than ever before with an estimated 879 million visits to parks in towns and cities in 2015/16.

The report brings together findings from Natural England’s annual ‘Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment’ (MENE) public survey and explores how people living in urban areas engage with the natural environment and visit urban greenspaces.

The government’s 25 Year Environment Plan aims to connect more people with the environment by creating more green infrastructure in towns and cities, helping people improve their health and wellbeing by using green spaces and encouraging children to be close to nature, with particular focus on disadvantaged areas.

Data from March 2009 to February 2016 was analysed, and showed:

• Urban Greenspaces are increasingly utilised with an estimated 1.46 billion visits in 2015/16 compared with 1.16 billion visits in 2009/10
• 93 per cent of the urban population claimed to have taken visits to the natural environment for recreation in the last 12 months
• There has been a decrease in the use of cars and vans to reach urban greenspaces between 2010 and 2016 with around seven in ten visits taken on foot in 2015/16
• Public parks, recreation grounds and other greenspaces were the most common places visited within towns and cities (47 per cent, 9 per cent and 14 per cent of all visits respectively), but people also reported visiting urban woodlands (5 per cent), rivers and canals (7 per cent)
• For some urban residents visits to the natural environment may be the only opportunity to exercise

Principle Specialist for People and the Environment at Natural England, Rose O’Neill, said:

The MENE survey gives us a valuable insight into how people enjoy the great outdoors.

We know that lots of us love a visit to our local park or favourite green spot and it is great to see this is on the rise. Research has shown a clear and important link between urban greenspaces and mental health which underlines the important role the natural environment can have in all of our lives.

The MENE survey is funded by Natural England, with support from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

It was first commissioned in 2009 and has provided a wealth of evidence relating to outdoor recreation, behaviour and attitudes. With 81 per cent of England’s population reported as living in urban areas in 2015/16, this data provides a valuable insight into how people use and relate to the natural environment.

Natural England uses the research to understand how people use, enjoy and are motivated to protect the natural environment and to help monitor changes in use of the natural environment over time.

Across all seven years of the MENE survey, four in 10 urban residents (40 per cent) had taken at least one visit to the natural environment in the seven days prior to being interviewed

It also found that some people are more likely to visit urban greenspaces, than other natural places further afield, including:

• Those aged 16-34
• Those in the black and minority ethnic population
• Those who don’t have access to a car
• People with children

The Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) have found Koi herpesvirus (KHV) disease in fish at the following sites in England and Wales.

KHV is a serious viral disease of fish and is a listed disease in the United Kingdom. It affects all varieties of common and ornamental carp species (Cyprinus carpio) and can result in large scale mortalities.
Fish with KHV disease may show the following signs, especially when water temperatures are between 16 to 28 °C:

• necrotic (white or brown) patches on the gills
• rough patches on the skin and sloughing mucous
• sunken eyes

You must contact the FHI if you suspect an outbreak of KHV. This includes fish with the above signs, or deaths of carp or carp hybrids.

There is no risk to public health.

New outbreaks

When laboratory testing confirms KHV disease at a site, the FHI place statutory controls to limit the spread of the disease. These controls restrict movement of aquatic animals and ensure equipment is disinfected.

Disease controls have been applied at:

• 
  Church Lane Lake, Essex – 6 July
  (PDF, 416KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Newstead and Annesley Country Park, Nottingham – 6 July
  (PDF, 422KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Parkers Fishery Pools, West Midland – 6 July
  (PDF, 392KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Mawgan Porth Pools and Lake, Cornwall – 9 July
  (MS Word Document, 388KB)
  

• 
  Mill Farm Fishery, Hereford – 13 July
  (PDF, 403KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Holme Grange Fishery, Berkshire – 19 July
  (PDF, 402KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Clear Water Fisheries, Lancashire – 24 July
  (PDF, 632KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Trench Pool, Shropshire – 24 July
  (PDF, 746KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Old Hough Fishery, Cheshire – 25 July
  (PDF, 384KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Woodside Fishery, Hereford & Worcester – 31 July
  (PDF, 355KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Coopers Arms, Derby – 1 August
  (PDF, 443KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  K Lakes, Skegness – 2 August
  (PDF, 368KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Martham Pits, Norfolk – 3 August
  (PDF, 484KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Ashland Lakes, Buckinghamshire – 7 August
  (PDF, 648KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Shadwell Pool, Greater London – 8 August
  (PDF, 707KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Locklands Lake, Lincoln – 9 August
  (PDF, 451KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Acton Park Lake, Wrexham – 13 August
  (PDF, 499KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Canvey Lake, Essex – 14 August
  (PDF, 834KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Stoneham Lakes, Hampshire – 17 August
  (PDF, 449KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Lakewood Fisheries, Scunthorpe – 29 August
  (PDF, 374KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Middle Pool, Shropshire – 18 September
  (PDF, 674KB, 4 pages)
  

• 
  Kippax Park, Leeds – 26 September
  (PDF, 456KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Gatton Waters, Norfolk – 28 September
  (PDF, 375KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Watmore Farm Fishery, Hampshire – 2 October
  (PDF, 556KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Orchard Lakes, Hampshire – 3 October
  (PDF, 478KB, 3 pages)
  

• 
  Broadlands Lake Complex, Hampshire – 5 October
  (PDF, 375KB, 3 pages)
  

Controls lifted

Sites with KHV disease must undergo a formal monitoring programme for the duration of the calendar year immediately following the outbreak. The FHI visit these sites to look for evidence of disease and to inspect compliance with the conditions of the statutory controls in place. The controls are removed if the disease doesn’t reoccur during this period.

Some sites choose to cull and disinfect their stocks, rather than undergo monitoring.

Diseases controls lifted at:

• Swallow Aquatics, Rayleigh – 20 July
• J & K Aquatics Ltd Wholesale unit – Black Vat system and the Retail Unit, Somerset – 13 August
• Blagdon Water Gardens – Systems containing susceptible species, Somerset – 13 August
• Watermarque Yeovil – Systems containing susceptible species, Somerset – 13 August

Further information

You can:

• view all KHV disease outbreaks, their locations, and controls
• find out more about KHV disease
• take steps to prevent the introduction and spread of KHV disease

Background

Koi herpesvirus disease (KHV) is a listed disease under The Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009. KHV outbreaks have been subject to statutory controls in the UK since 2007. The UK maintains a surveillance programme for this disease.

When the FHI confirm an outbreak, they take steps to control and, wherever possible, remove the disease. This may involve movement controls on susceptible species in the affected area, enhanced biosecurity, culling of fish, and cleaning and disinfecting of the premises.

Once statutory controls are in place the site operators must write to the FHI to get permission to move live fish into, out of, or within the designated area, and to make material changes to the site or site activities. This also applies to fish eggs and gametes.