Amphibian and Reptile Conservation's consultancy arm ARCESL and University of Kent's DICE have teamed up to carry out research and development into predictive modelling of great crested newt (GCN) occurrence in England. The project, commissioned by Natural England, is a follow-up to the Evidence Enhancement Project which ran in 2013 and 2014, delivered by Hyder-Cresswell, CGO Ecology and other partners.

The EC has published a new set of regulations to tackle the dire problem of invasive alien species (IAS) across Europe. The spread of IAS is widely viewed as one of the biggest threats to global wildlife alongside climate change and habitat loss.

For the next three weeks, CGO Ecology's Director & Principal Ecologist Chris Gleed-Owen will be in Madagascar. The primary reason is to attend the ACSAM2 meeting, which will see a conference of amphibian conservation experts convene to discuss pressing issues in Malagasy amphibian conservation.

We came across this interesting European agricultural nugget on CIEEM's ePolicy update this week: "Communicating biodiversity to farmers: developing the right tools."

Sad news from Scotland about an unfortunate leatherback drowned in a creel rope in Sutherland, Northwest Scotland, last week. Pictures have been circulating on Twitter, and in the Aberdeen Press and Journal. The full story can be found here.