Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) image from a photo by Mathias Appel

 

(1) Nature websites (some also campaign to protect wildlife)

In alphabetical order. The biggest organisations and major websites for non-professionals are in bold type.

	Bat Life Europe	A European partnership of national bat conservation groups
	Biological Records Centre	For professionals and serious enthusiasts who want to identify or report species of animal and plant. Home of the Online Atlas of British & Irish Flora, which has lots of photos of flowers, trees, etc with maps and descriptions.
	British Divers Marine Life Rescue	BDMLR members rescue stranded and distressed whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals. They can train you to do it too. Click here for a OnePlanet article on helping stranded dolphins and porpoises.
	British Trust for Ornithology	Bird surveys, tagging, research, information
	Blue Planet Society	International volunteer pressure group against over-exploitation of the oceans.
	Buglife	"Saving the small things that run the planet". Publications, education, research, campaigning, mainly in Britain.
	Butterfly Conservation	Saving butterflies, moths and their habitats in Britain
	CoCoast: Capturing our Coast	Marine "citizen science" projects in Britain.
	Centre for Ecology & Hydrology	British government research centre that combines the old Institute of Hydrology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Institute of Virology and Environmental Microbiology
	Conservation Evidence	Free summaries of evidence from the scientific literature, for intelligent protection and restoration of biodiversity around the world
	Environmental Protection UK.	Protecting the human environment in Britain.
	EOL: Encyclopedia of Life	The project to document all the 1.9 million living species known to science. Lots of pictures.
	Field Studies Council	"Bringing environmental understanding to all," both adults and children. Some great publications, and 20 educational "field studies centres" in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	Forestry Commission	A government body that manages more land in England than any other landowner. Scotland and Wales now have their own forest management organisations, at Forestry and Land Scotland and Natural Resources Wales. The Forestry Commission has planted monocultures of non-native trees over huge areas of Britain, especially Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis). These trees do much better in Norway and Alaska than they do in Britain. For public contact with the Forestry Commission, including volunteering, see Forestry England. For publications, see Forest Research. They have some very good free downloads on subjects like the conservation of barn owls and red squirrels, and the creation and restoration of native woodland.
	Forestry and Land Scotland	A brand-new organisation in 2019.
	Freshwater Habitats Trust	Formerly The Ponds Conservation Trust. "A UK based charity working to conserve freshwater wildlife for everyone to enjoy." Publishes an excellent book about creating and managing ponds.
	Friends of the Earth	The world's largest grassroots environmental network, with 73 national groups including FOE UK, inspired by FOE International
	Froglife	British wildlife charity for the conservation of amphibians and reptiles – frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards – and saving their habitats.
	Greenpeace	Information, direct action and campaigning. Greenpeace has 3 ships, and national groups in 39 countries including the UK
	Grenier d'Images	Artisan film-making about wildlife and eco lifestyles. Website in French, films subtitled in English.
	Habitas	The web sites of the Natural Sciences Department of the Ulster Museum. Plant life, animal life, minerals, rocks and fossils
	HWDT: Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust	Educating the community about cetaceans, community-based research, and their own research vessel Silurian
	IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature	Home of the famous IUCN Red List of threatened species. The IUCN's members are governments and organisations. The global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
	Jake's Bones	You don't have to be over 18 to inspire readers
	The Mammal Society	Research, publications, equipment, training and surveys in Britain.
	Marine Conservation Society	"The Marine Conservation Society is the UK’s leading marine charity. We work to ensure our seas are healthy, pollution free and protected." Another great website with something for everybody, including the Good Beach Guide, beach cleaning events, a place to report your wildlife sightings, news articles and parliamentary campaigning.
	MarLIN: Marine Life Information Network	Information on the marine species and habitats of the British Isles to support conservation, management and planning
	Marine Biological Association (MBA)	Conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. A big website with a Learning Zone full of resources, (including lots for use by teachers: "Whether you are a teacher or an informal Marine Educator, if you're looking for lesson plans and resources to help you incorporate the sea in your teaching or to teach about marine topics, look no further!")
	Freshwater Biological Association (FBA)	"Advancing understanding and sustainable management of fresh waters." Since 1929, and still offering proper old-school biology, including training courses. No friendly little website you can understand, but if you want booklets like "Macroinvertebrates for Biotic Assessment" or "Microturbellarians", or you want to "meet like-minded freshwater scientists from across Europe", this is the place to come.
	National Biodiversity Network	Home of the NBN Atlas, "an online tool that educates and informs people about the natural world." It's fascinating! "Explore Your Area" lets you search by location (I just found 2,633 species recorded within a 5km radius of my postcode, including 30 species of mammal, 226 species of bird, 10 spiders and 1,311 insects). Or search by species, for a map of every record for Britain.
	Natural History Museum, London	Dinosaurs and more in central London. Also, some great news articles about the environment.
	Oceana	Oceana's online Marine Life Encyclopedia has "fun facts and more about your favorite marine animals".
	OPAL: Open Air Laboratories	Connecting people, science and nature, with "citizen science" projects at all levels
	Plantlife	Conserving wild flowers, plants and fungi in Britain. Surveys, research, publications, campaigning
	PTES: People's Trust for Endangered Species	"Bring the wild back to life; help stand up for animals & plants before they disappear." The PTES are the British experts on the hazel dormouse, the water vole and a number of other species.
	RSPB	The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has lots of expertise in science, publication and education, and has 1.15 million members in Britain
	Scottish Natural Heritage	The SNH is a public body in Scotland, responsible for natural, genetic and scenic diversity. "Connecting people and nature in Scotland."
	Scottish Wildcat Action	The Scottish wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) will be extinct by 2025 unless this plan works. "The first national conservation plan with a vision to restore viable populations of Scottish wildcats."
	Sea Change Project: Ocean literacy	Environmental awareness campaign coordinated by the European Union
	La Salamandre: la revue des curieux de nature	A family environmental magazine and website, in French
	Shark Trust	"Mission: To safeguard the future of sharks, skates and rays through science, education, influence and action."
	Sherkin Island Marine Station	A self-funded, family-run marine research organisation in Ireland. They publish some lovely books.
	TCV: The Conservation Volunteers	Formerly BTCV, the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. Training and work for environmental volunteers in Britain
	Vincent Wildlife Trust	Conservation of mammals (mainly bats, mustelids and the red squirrel) in Britain and Ireland. Surveys and research
	Wales Environment Link	Connecting the Welsh government with environmental NGOs (non-governmental organisations)
	WDC: Whale and Dolphin Conservation	Formerly WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. International and national organisations for cetacean conservation and research.
	WWT: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust	WWT is "one of the world's largest and most respected wetland conservation organisations working globally to safeguard and improve wetlands for wildlife and people."
	The Wildlife Trusts	A partnership of 47 British regional trusts. "The largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife and wild places everywhere." They run a lot of small nature reserves.
	Woodland Trust	"The UK's leading woodland conservation charity. Help us plant trees, protect woods and inspire people to enjoy the nature on their doorstep."
	WORMS: World Register of Marine Species	List of official names of marine life. Mainly for scientists, but has photo gallery too
	WWF: World Wide Fund for Nature	Mission: To conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth. Has the expertise to liaise with government bodies on equal terms
	Xeno-Canto	Online audio archive of bird songs and sounds from around the world

 

(2) Campaigning organisations (some also do lobbying)

	WWF: World Wide Fund for Nature	Mission: To conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth. Has the expertise to liaise with government bodies on equal terms
	RSPB: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds	Has 1.15 million members in Britain
	Friends of the Earth.	The world's largest grassroots environmental network, with 73 national groups including FOE UK, inspired by FOE International
	Greenpeace	Information, direct action and campaigning, with offices in 39 countries including the UK
	Marine Conservation Society	"The Marine Conservation Society is the UK’s leading marine charity. We work to ensure our seas are healthy, pollution free and protected."
	BLOOM	Mainly tackling overfishing and bad practice in sea fisheries, Bloom really is "a small, powerful expert NGO whose only satisfaction is results".
	Buglife	"Saving the small things that run the planet". Publications, education, research, campaigning, mainly in Britain.
	Froglife	British wildlife charity for the conservation of amphibians and reptiles – frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards – and saving their habitats.
	League Against Cruel Sports	Campaigning against fox-hunting, pheasant-shooting and other blood sports in Britain.
	Oceana	USA-based but campaigns worldwide to protect and restore the oceans. Set up by the Pew Charitable Trusts, Oak Foundation, Marisla Foundation (formerly Homeland Foundation), Sandler Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers, and now incorporates the Ocean Law Project and American Oceans Campaign.
	Plantlife	Conserving wild flowers, plants and fungi in Britain. Surveys, research, publications, campaigning
	Population Matters	Formerly the Optimum Population Trust. Having children? Stop at two.
	TRAFFIC	Investigating international trade in wildlife, especially where this is illegal under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)
	Transition Network	Making a smooth transition to a post-oil world, at local community level

 

(3) Environmental think-tanks and lobbyists

Campaigning organisations like the WWF inform the public and change public opinion, but think-tanks inform governments and change their opinions. This is lobbying.
The word "environmental" doesn't tell us whether a particular think tank wants to help the natural environment. Most "environmental" think tanks get their money from the energy industry or manufacturing. Their job is to protect industry or support new ways to make money. See Think Tank. Here are some environmental think tanks who seem to believe that the survival of the planet is quite important:

	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)	"The IPCC is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change."
	International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)	"IISD promotes human development and environmental sustainability. Our big-picture view allows us to address the root causes of some of the greatest challenges facing our planet today—ecological destruction, social exclusion, unfair laws and economic rules, a changing climate. Through research, analysis and knowledge sharing, we identify and champion sustainable solutions that make a difference."
	InfluenceMap	Amongst other things, InfluenceMap "accurately assesses, ranks and communicates the extent to which corporations are lobbying climate and energy policy worldwide. Corporate influence plays a major role, both positive and negative, in the creation, implementation, and effectiveness of policy - we have therefore created an interactive and open-source scoring table to capture this influence."
	Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy (CASSE)	"A steady state economy is an economy of stable or mildly fluctuating size. The term typically refers to a national economy, but it can also be applied to a local, regional, or global economy. An economy can reach a steady state after a period of growth or after a period of downsizing or degrowth. To be sustainable, a steady state economy may not exceed ecological limits. The mission of CASSE is to advance the steady state economy, with stabilized population and consumption, as a policy goal with widespread public support.".
	Population Matters	"All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people, and harder — and ultimately impossible — to solve with ever more people [David Attenborough]. We campaign, inform, undertake research and do all we can to encourage an open, fair-minded and constructive debate about population."
	Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research	"PIK addresses crucial scientific questions in the fields of global change, climate impacts and sustainable development. Researchers from the natural and social sciences work together to generate interdisciplinary insights and to provide society with sound information for decision making."
	Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment & Energy	"The Wuppertal Institute undertakes research and develops models, strategies and instruments for transitions to a sustainable development at local, national and international level. Sustainability research at the Wuppertal Institute focuses on the resources, climate and energy related challenges and their relation to economy and society. Special emphasis is put on analysing and stimulating innovations that decouple economic growth and wealth from natural resource use."
	Institut du Developpement Durable et Relations Internationales (IDDRI)	"IDDRI is an independent policy research institute and a multi-stakeholder dialogue platform which identifies the conditions and proposes tools to put sustainable development at the heart of international relations and public and private policies."

 

(4) Good free resources for learning English

	BBC Learning English	Good free lessons, including video
	British Council	Good free lessons, including video
	Oxford Learners' Dictionaries	Listen to those new words
	Test Your Vocab	Try the test every year, to see your progress in English
	See more in Linguetic's "Resources" section	Reading, watching, listening, lessons, articles

 

(5) Nicholas's other websites

	Kayarchy.co.uk	Sea kayaking, with western European tides, landmarks and nature
	Kayarchy.com	Sea kayaking, with north American tides, charts, landmarks and nature
	Linguetic	"Wild English" for English+environment. Residential language courses on the Atlantic coast of Europe.
	OnePlanet	Yes, this website. Environmental articles in clear English for international readers.
	Cent Pour Cent Anglais	Traduction français >anglais, relecture et correction d’épreuves en anglais, ma langue maternelle. French > English translation, proof-reading and correction of text in English, my native language.