Mediterranean monk seals, with their big, round eyes and gentle appearance, are more clever than they look. Known for their sneaky tactic of snatching the catch from fishing nets and sometimes ripping them in the process, they have not been popular with fishermen, with some deliberately killing seals in retaliation.
The mammal, which was once widespread across the Mediterranean, Black Sea, northwest Africa, and the Atlantic islands of the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, was also historically hunted for meat, oil and skins. As a result of these threats, populations suffered a dramatic decline in the 20th century, with the species becoming one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth.
But in recent years, the tide has turned. While Mediterranean monk seals remain at risk, thanks to conservation efforts and legal protections, populations have bounced back. Some estimate that earlier this century, the population was between 400 and 600; now there are up to 1,000 estimated globally.
In 2015, the species was reclassified from "critically endangered" to "endangered," and two years ago, it was listed as "vulnerable." Scientists hope that with continued care, the species will have a brighter future.
Read more at the link in our bio.
📸: Dendrinos/MOm; A. Bourikas/MOm; Ariel Schalit/AP; A. Karamanlidis/MOm; Thanassis Stavrakis/AP; Christian Charisius/Picture Alliance/DPA/AP; Dendrinos/MOm; Dendrinos/MOm
The UK’s latest commitment to decarbonising the built environment marks a pivotal moment for sustainable construction. With £90 million allocated through the Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition, ministers are reinforcing domestic manufacturing of renewable heating technologies that underpin low carbon building strategies. This initiative reflects the government’s drive to advance environmental sustainability in construction, steering the sector towards net zero whole life carbon performance benchmarks. By aligning production capacity with regulatory targets, the policy enhances both supply chain resilience and the carbon footprint reduction essential to achieving net zero carbon buildings across the nation.
The £420 million relief for energy-intensive industries such as steel, cement and glass adds industrial depth to the strategy. These sectors represent some of the highest embodied carbon contributors within material supply chains. Reducing their electricity costs incentivises investment in low embodied carbon materials and circular economy practices critical for sustainable building design. The provision of up to 90% discounts on network charges from 2026 will help accelerate lifecycle assessment adoption, enabling manufacturers to assess whole life carbon assessment more precisely across their products and infrastructure.
Growing momentum around regenerative and nature-based approaches reinforces broader environmental ambitions. The funding directed by Waitrose to promote nature-friendly livelihoods reveals how life cycle thinking in construction could mirror agricultural models of circular economy success. Sustainable material specification and end-of-life reuse in construction are increasingly aligned with this ecosystem logic, where eco-design for buildings prioritises renewable building materials and measurable reductions in embodied carbon in materials from design through demolition.
Grassroots forums such as Dorset COP add a vital regional dimension to decarbonising the built environment. Their emphasis on actionable climate frameworks resonates with the construction sector’s need for practical methods such as whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle performance evaluation using tools like BREEAM and its forthcoming BREEAM v7 standards. These systems help quantify the environmental impact of construction and embed sustainable building practices within local planning mechanisms, improving both energy-efficient buildings and sustainable urban development outcomes.
Across every layer of industry, from corporate governance to site operations, design thinkers are adopting circular construction strategies that merge carbon neutral construction with resource efficiency in construction. The intersection of whole life cost and sustainability increasingly defines quality in green construction, where eco-friendly construction solutions and green building products underscore design integrity and performance transparency. This new era of low carbon design is not aesthetic posturing but an operational shift toward verifiable decarbonisation and a built environment that authentically measures its sustainability footprint over its entire lifecycle.
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