Disaster threatens England's nightingales, already down 90% in 40 years, if ministers fail to block a plan to build 5,000 homes on SSSI breeding site in Kent. But as Robin McKie writes, the government is showing no sign of intervening, as campaigners warn of an 'open season' for development on our most important wildlife sites.
Tonight sees the start of '60 years in the Wild' - a new BBC2 series charting the career of naturalist and presenter David Attenborough. Here, in a pre-broadcast interview with the Guardian, he reflects on how dramatically conservation has changed over the six decades since he first brought the full magnificence of Nature to our screens
The first great bustards born in the wild in the UK since 1832 hatched last week. The reintroduction of this and many other species is invigorating the countryside, but eradicating foreign invaders - animals and plants - is equally important
