More than £2.5m is to be invested in 12 projects as part of the Access to Nature programme, designed to encourage public access to the natural environment. Natural England are planning on opening up farms and community woodland and provide a range of water-based activities, including the Blue Sound projects which will allow people to explore Plymouth Sound and its estuaries.

Marwell Zoo Park has opened its new African Valley zone. The opening follows years of planning and a year to construct.
The 20 acre African Valley will have more than 35 Ellipsen waterbucks, Grevy’s zebras and ostriches. There is also a new restaurant, Café Graze, which overlooks the Valley and gives views of the animals.  The opening of the new zone also coincides with Marwell revealing its new brand identity. It will rename itself ‘Marwell Wildlife’.

Marwell Zoo Park has opened its new African Valley zone.  The 20 acre African Valley will have more than 35 Ellipsen waterbucks, Grevy’s zebras and ostriches. There is also a new restaurant, Café Graze, which overlooks the Valley and provides views of the animals.

Saltholme Wild Bird Discovery Centre, near Middlesbrough, has attracted more than 30,000 visitors since opening in January, and is on target to attract 100,000 by the end of the year.   The 1,000 acre reserve was developed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Teesside Environmental Trust. It has created around 20 jobs and will give a £1m boost to the local economy.

Dublin Zoo has revealed that it attracted a record number of visitors in 2008, making it one of the top 3 most visited attractions in the Republic of Ireland. There was an increase of 30,000 visitors compared to 2007, with approximately 932,000 people visiting the zoo.

Wildlife tourism is reporting healthy business and nature shows such as BBC’s Springwatch are thought to have played a part in raising interest in the outdoors, according to Wild Scotland.  Most of the members of Wild Scotland have had a good year.   There are 82 businesses which are now members of Wild Scotland, which was set up in 2004 to promote the industry and ensure good practice. The group had a total turnover of £9.3m in 2008.  83% of the members had as good a year as last year or a better year than last year.

Bristol Zoo have announced plans for a new £70m world wildlife reserve.  A 55hectare National Wildlife Conservation Parkwill be situated on the outskirts of the city. It is scheduled to open in 2012 and will be the first conservation-led visitor attraction of its kind in the UK. The park will be divided into individual areas based upon research into regions in the world with high conservation needs. Visitors will be able to view specific areas such as the Indian Ocean Coral Reef, and observe animals in such as brown bears in their natural habitat. The parks development has received a £1.5m grant from the South West of England Regional Development Agency.

There is a new pioneering 70-acre nature reserve that has been established at Bassenthwaite Lake, Lake District. Dubwath Silver Meadows was opened at the end of September and is the first Wetland reserve of its kind in the area.

A new 900m boardwalk made from recycled plastic has been installed, as well as 600m path that will enable visitors to go on a tour of the wetland on a route that will be accessible for all.

The Special Area of Conservation is already home to some of Britain’s most important wildlife.

It is part of the Bassenthwaite Reflections Programme, a HLF scheme, which is a partnership between a number of environmental organisations.

The Puro webcam which is located in the tropical forest of Buenaventura, Ecuador will go live on 1st of Fen. It will be streaming live for 12 hours per day. The webcam is over looking a feeder which attracts a wide range of bird including over 10 species of hummingbird, Tanangers and Fly-Catchers. You can watch a preview of screener here.