Germany and the Netherlands are battling many infestations of oak processionary caterpillars, whose tiny toxic hairs can trigger allergic reactions and skin irritation.

The mild winter and warm spring this year boosted caterpillar numbers. In Louvain, Belgium, firefighters had to destroy nests of the invasive species before a rock concert. The caterpillars turn into pupae, then moths in late July, and the threat diminishes. Germany’s western Ruhr region is densely populated and among the worst affected by the caterpillars. Some schools and parks have been closed to allow specialists to attack the nests in oak trees.

The caterpillars – measuring 2-3cm (about one inch) – march in long processions to the treetops at night, and can wreak havoc in oak trees, as they feast on the young leaves. One mature caterpillar has up to 700,000 hairs, which can be spread by the wind. The Fredenbaumpark in Dortmund was closed for three weeks, as nearly 500 trees were found to be infested there, broadcaster Deutschlandfunk reported.

“The oak processionary infestation this year is very intensive – much more than last year,” said the park’s manager Frank Dartsch. Special teams there and elsewhere have donned protective gear and used firefighters’ lifts to reach the treetops, where they have attacked the caterpillar nests with blowtorches or big vacuum cleaners.(BBC)…[+]

The UK’s largest modern slavery ring, which forced more than 400 people to work for a pittance while their criminal masters earned £2m, has been smashed. A three-year police investigation uncovered an organised criminal gang led by the Brzezinski family, which preyed on homeless people, ex-prisoners and alcoholics from Poland.

The ring lured and then trafficked vulnerable people to the UK with the promise of good money, but instead housed them in squalor and used them as what a judge described as “commodities”. Victims were paid as little as 50p for a day’s labour and in one case a worker was given coffee and a chicken as payment for redecorating a house. Another man had to wash in a canal because he had no other access to water, while one house was so rundown that a leaking toilet had to be plugged with a duvet. One victim said: “I would say some homeless people here in the UK live better than I lived after I arrived over here.”

Hungry victims went to soup kitchens and food banks and many made their own cigarettes from butts off the street. Meanwhile, the gang’s bosses wore lavish clothes and drove luxury cars, including a Bentley.After the end of two trials, it can now be reported how five men and three women, all originally from Poland and all convicted of modern slavery offences and money-laundering, exploited their destitute victims for “greed”.(theguardian)…[+]

Ancient forests, vast marshlands and a natural park replete with glaciers, ice caves and volcanoes are among the sites that have been added to Unesco’s world heritage list. More than 1,000 sites around the world – some cultural, some natural, some both – are currently protected by listing. Landmarks or areas are chosen for their value to humanity.

On Friday the World Heritage Committee announced the addition of the first of this year’s batch. More sites will be named over the weekend. Among them are the Hyrcanian forests in Iran, an ancient metallurgy site in Burkina Faso, the French austral lands and seas, and the Ohrid region of Albania, which is cited for its natural and cultural heritage. Paraty and Ilha Grande in Brazil – popular destinations for tourists visiting Rio de Janeiro – are also recognised for both their natural and cultural significance.

The selections span countries all over the world. In Iceland, the Vatnajökull national park has been listed. Established in 2008, it covers 14% of the country and is largely spread over the south-eastern central highlands, encompassing the Vatnajökull ice cap. With volcanoes, earthquakes, melting glaciers, explosion craters and geothermal activity, the site is nothing if not dramatic: the nomination document for the site described the park as “an area of alarming natural conflict, but also enchanting harmony.”

China has also gained a listing: the migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf. A haven for migratory birds and the home of myriad species of fish and crustaceans, this shoreline boasts a rich ecosystem and is considered to be the largest intertidal mudflat system in the world.(Theguardian)…[+]