The Firth of Clyde is home to populations of porpoises, seals and occasionally there are pods of dolphins and orcas that hunt far up into the Firth in the warmer months. The Firth of Clyde is also one of the last thriving ecosystems for migratory salmonids in the west of Scotland, however it is already in decline like everywhere else. Fish farms are a great danger to sea mammals as they are often caught up in pen nets or shot due to their predatory nature. Furthermore the excess feed and the fish faeces from the pens falls to the sea bed and these areas become a dead zone with great impact on reef, shellfish and inhabitants on the sea bed. Then we have the sea lice infestations, which we have already learned cannot be controlled by any means due to the ideal climatic conditions of our waters for their population densities to explode. These little pests can travel tens of miles to find a host, so they would certainly cause great impact to the smolts and adult migratory salmonids that run both the Lomond and Clyde systems and also the many smaller rivers along the North Ayrshire coast. Angling and Sea Mammal sight seeing in the Clyde and North Ayrshire catchments provides a permanent economy and a way of life for tens of thousands of people in the area. These two large, environmentally unfriendly fish farms will provide only 12 permanent jobs and will affect all of the people and wildlife mentioned above. Please take a stance and hopefully stop these plans from being approved. I would hope the beautiful people of Largs and Great Cumbrae will stand with me and the rest of the Firth of Clyde in saying no to fish farming in the Firth of Clyde. Our ecosystems have already suffered enough from the nearby Striven salmon farms. Save our waters please.

The Curlew (red listed for endangered species) population on the River Exe could be seriously affected if the RSPB do not object to a proposed Planning Application in Starcross. The Developer's Ecological Assessor identified Cirl Buntings on the planning application site. Initially the RSPB accepted the proposed mitigating grants of over £73,000 per Cirl Bunting pair, even though buried in the Assessors report were flocks of Curlews and Oystercatchers (amber list) were identified on site (see photo for December observations) . This is a lot of money for the RSPB which they use to try and develop isolated pockets of habitat for Cirl Buntings. Unfortunately it will encourage the RSPB to see the money and not the birds. The RSPB are consulted by the Local Authority Planning, Natural England, Wildlife Trust and many other organisations so their advice is crucial. Local people contacted the RSPB with photos and details of Wading Birds that use the field. Reluctantly the RSPB, via the Council, asked the Developer to conduct a winter survey. Unfortunately it is once a month and done by the Developer's Ecologist who can pick the weather conditions to suit his Client (not that he will). A local RSPB member has been doing his own survey which shows this site is a major feeding ground for Curlews and Oystercatchers (some days with flocks of over 50). In fact you stand a chance seeing more Curlews here than anywhere on the Exe Estuary. See his observations for December and January :- https://col659.wixsite.com/exe-estuary-lovers/brickyards-lane-starcross This must be happening on Proposed Planning Sites all over the Country. The RSPB advice needs to be totally independent and this will not be the case if the RSPB will lose funding if they object to planning. So sign this petition to ask the RSPB not to accept money for the loss of Habitat so there will be no conflict of interest for the RSPB.

The removal of the Animal Rescue Unit by Surrey Fire and Rescue will jeopardise their chance of survival if needing a specialist rescue. Looking at the unofficial fire rescue Facebook page it seems as though at least one animal a week is rescued by the unit. Without them horses and other farm animals will be left stuck in a ditch, leaving the owner no choice but to call a vet who has no equipment to perform a rescue. Animals live with us and work alongside us. Animals enrich our lives and provide us with resources. We need to nurture, protect and cherish the animals in our communities. We don't know when Surrey Fire & Rescue plan to close the unit down but we are calling all pet owners, horse riders, farmers, and animal lovers throughout Surrey to recognise the value of a highly-trained, specialist Animal Rescue team in Surrey!

Dartmoor zoo are selling tickets for £15 each to have a tug-of-war with a captive lion or a tiger. It's cruel and shows a total lack of respect for these beautiful majestic wild animals. It feels like we're going backwards, the zoo is acting more like a circus rather than somewhere that really cares about the health and safety of the endangered animals in their captivity. The zoo claims it's to give the animals intellectual exercise and fun, but it comes across as putting profits before the animal's welfare. There are plenty of ways that experienced professionals can care for the rare animals, without turning them in to a novelty play thing for tourists.

Many dog owners are unable to let their dogs off lead, a good example is my Labrador who is not yet great at recall. An enclosed space would allow for more exercise without the worry of them running off, eating things they shouldn't, getting injured/lost, as well as not bothering other park users such as fishermen or people who may have dog phobias. We have some great open spaces in the local area but few that provide this. The picture above shows two possible sites, though only suggestions!

Swifts numbers have declined across the UK by 53% between 1995 and 2016. By incorporating a Swift brick in all new houses we can save these beautiful birds. On fine summer evenings Swifts gather in "low flying screaming parties" as they chase each other around the buildings where they nest. Because they rely on eating insects, Swifts can only live in the UK for a short period in summer when insects are plentiful. Swifts migrate south to Africa in August and return to us in the following May. Let's make sure we continue to have Swifts every summer. Photo: Action for Swifts - Model S swift box

Antifreeze is a commonly used product in cars, especially in the winter; unfortunately it also has a very sweet smell that attracts cats, dogs and wildlife, if this is ingested it causes organ failure and certain death. I have in the past 5 years lost 6 cats to Ethylene Glycol which is a compound found in Antifreeze, coolant and windscreen wash. There needs to be some legislation put into place to have a Bitterant added so it will act as a deterrent to domestic and wild animals. Anyone who owns a cat or dog and has lost them to such a tragic and painful death will understand just how heartbreaking it is to watch happen, knowing there is nothing they can do beyond having their beloved pet humanely euthanized. In turn any wild animal such as foxes or badgers that ingest a carcass that has been infected with such a chemical, is also at risk of dying in the same way; which leads to a vicious cycle.

Hunting wild animals with dogs is a cruel blood sport and has no place in a civilized society. Terrified animals are chased for miles then ripped apart by a pack of dogs, this is regularly happening in Cheshire. Cheshire Constabulary has never successfully prosecuted anyone for illegal hunting. Cheshire Constabulary has passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service only once in the last three years.

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in our seas. But Scottish Premiership football clubs still give out thousands of single use plastic items every single matchday. Plastic cups, straws, stirrers, bags, they all end up clogging up our oceans and filling landfills. Football supporters shouldn't be forced to contribute to plastic pollution, just because they want a drink or some food at a match.

Every year hundreds of hunting trophies, including dismembered parts from elephants, rhinos, lions, hippos, and even baboons, are being imported into the UK. In total more than 5,000 trophies from threatened species have been imported by British hunters since the turn of the century. People pay huge sums to kill these magestic, threatened animals abroad - all so they can bring their bodyparts home and mount them on their wall or display them in their cabinets. But the Environment Minister Theresa Villiers has the power to stop this. She simply has to instruct her officials to stop issuing the permits that allow hunting trophies from threatened species to be brought to the UK. Stopping these imports would be a huge first step towards ending the hunting of these magnificent animals for sport but Theresa Villiers will only act if she knows the public want this cruel practice to end.

Every year vast swathes of rainforest that supports orangutans as well as thousands of other species are decimated by the palm oil industry. Palm oil is a hidden ingredient in many common household products and only one company so far has said enough is enough and pledged to remove it from their own brand products. If they are successful other brands WILL follow suit. People need to know the dangers and devastation that their eating habits are causing. The advert is not political it is 100% educational. I do not work for Iceland, nor do I have any links to the company. I am however passionate about the survival of the planet and the fate other species who share it with us.

Having seen my beautiful Bernese mountain dog collapse and shake with a heart beat pounding out his chest . No matter how much money I spend or what I do , i can not console my boy. It breaks my heart to see this, it’s for days on end because people can set them off whenever they want and what time they want , stress is not good for any human or animal, this affects us all.. Animals die from shock and fear . We are supposed to love and respect nature and our domestic pets not destroy them with fireworks . All I’m asking for is that we respect one another and come to a compromise to save our animals from the torture they go through around November . Please help !