Britain’s landscape is highly fragmented by roads, with researchers from Cardiff University finding that more than 70% of the UK’s roadless areas are smaller than 1 km².

The researchers say that more than 60% of roadless patches in the UK are smaller than the typical area many common UK mammals needs to survive, meaning species such as badgers and red foxes likely face a high risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions.

Dr Sarah Raymond, who completed the work during her PhD at Cardiff University School of Biosciences, said: “Roads cover 20% of land globally, fragmenting land into almost 600,000 patches.

“Because of this, roads have a wide range of impacts on wildlife, including reduced habitat connectivity and wildlife-vehicle collisions. Wildlife-vehicle collisions are estimated to cause millions of animal mortalities on roads every year and are a leading cause of population decline and biodiversity loss.”

The researchers extracted and mapped roads across Great Britain from OpenStreetMap, an open-access geographic database, to calculate roadless areas in Great Britain. Both areas covered by roads and ‘road effect zones’ – the areas around roads that experience ecological effects – were mapped. The roadless areas were defined as patches of land unaffected by roads, beyond the road effect zones.

The researchers found that the total number of roadless patches across Great Britain was 6,138 with a 1km road effect zone, 29,164 with a 500m road effect zone, and 93,561 with a 100m road effect zone. The majority (71-74%) of roadless patches were smaller than 1km² in size, and a small minority (0.002-0.014%) were greater than 100km².

Roadless patches were significantly larger in Scotland than England and Wales, with Scotland having the greatest percentage of roadless area and larger individual patches, primarily coinciding with the Scottish Highlands and Cairngorms National Park. England had the largest number of individual patches, but the lowest overall percentage of land that is roadless.

The researchers found that 53% of all roadless areas were not covered by existing protected habitat designations, highlighting a need to increase protection of roadless areas and connectivity between them.

Dr Perkins, who runs Road Lab at Cardiff University, added: “Nearly half (47%) of roadless areas overlap with existing protected sites, but often only partially. Protecting and connecting roadless areas offers a practical route to expanding our protected area network while reducing wildlife‑vehicle collisions.”

The findings of the study emphasise the extent to which Great Britain is fragmented by roads and the extent of their effects.

“The European badger has a home range greater than the majority – 73% – of roadless patches, putting them at high risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions compared to other species with smaller home ranges,” added Dr Raymond.

Cardiff Metropolitan University has been recognised nationally for excellence and creativity in student recruitment, scooping two prestigious awards at the 2026 HELOA Awards.

Cardiff Met won Best Practice in Student Recruitment for the University’s ‘Help! I’m Going to Uni’ podcast and Best Undergraduate Initiative for ‘Get Cardiff Met Ready’.

The HELOA Awards celebrate outstanding work across UK universities in student recruitment, outreach and access, and are voted for by peers from other higher education institutions.

These latest successes come hot on the heels of Cardiff Met’s silver award for Best Use of Content at the Heist Awards for ‘Help! I’m Going to Uni’.

Cardiff Met’s ‘Help! I’m Going to Uni’ podcast uses innovative ways of supporting prospective students and tackles the real anxieties of starting university with honesty, humour and authenticity.

Featuring diverse student voices, the podcast has become a standout tool for the University to connect with applicants and has been woven into Cardiff Met’s campaigns, live events and prospectus content.

The ‘Get Cardiff Met Ready’ pre-enrolment event recognises its impact on helping new students feel confident, connected and prepared to begin university life.

Held on campus before enrolment, the event offers practical sessions, student-led talks and interactive activities to ease anxieties and build belonging. Over 880 students attended in 2025, a 14% increase on the previous year, and 94% said they felt more prepared to start their studies.

Rebecca Lever, Chief Marketing, Communications and Student Recruitment Officer at Cardiff Metropolitan University said: “Both initiatives show our creative thinking and commitment to continuous improvement.

“These latest wins highlight Cardiff Met’s commitment to innovation, collaboration and putting students at the heart of everything we do. Well done and thank you to everyone involved.”

‘Help! I’m Going to Uni’ is available for streaming on major platforms, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

• Aston University researchers send data at 430 terabits a second (Tb/s) over standard telecom fibre
• Researchers from the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies  are part of an international team based in Japan
• In their latest demonstration the team broke their own earlier record using nearly 20% less overall bandwidth. 
   

Aston University researchers are part of the team that sent data over the internet at the world record rate of 430 terabits a second (Tb/s) over standard telecom fibre. A basic home connection is just10 megabits per second.

Dr Aleksandr Donodin and Professor Sergei Turitsyn from the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies (AIPT) are part of an international team, led by Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). AIPT researchers were also part of the team holding the previous world record of data transmission of standard fibre at 402 Tb/s.

In their latest demonstration the team led by NICT broke their own record using nearly 20% less overall bandwidth, resulting in a simpler system design proving that the existing infrastructure can be further improved without costly upgrades.

The new method is based on standard optical fibre technology that is widely installed in commercial fibre networks. In over five billion kilometres of fibre-optic cable deployed around the globe the lion’s share is based on single-mode fibre. The technique has the potential to be applied where standard telecom fibre is already installed. This would include urban area networks and data centres interconnects (the technology used to connect two or more data centres to share data and resources) where high-capacity connections are increasingly in demand. 

The technique can offer more capacity without deployment of new fibre or much wider spectral bandwidth. In addition, it could be cheaper and more efficient as cables that are already in the ground could be used, rather than digging up streets to install new ones and upgrades could happen faster.

Dr. Donodin said: “New technology can offer more capacity without needing new fibre. It extends the capacity of standard-compliant cutoff-shifted optical fibres well beyond the original design. Wavelengths below the cutoff point allow us to transmit data separately in different modes, which leads to significant increase of spectral efficiency. In this work we performed 3-mode transmission in the O-band while transmitting data in the fundamental mode in ESCL-bands.

“Compared to our earlier 402 Tb/s work, this new approach shows that we don’t always need more and more spectrum to increase capacity – we can improve how efficiently we use it.”

New, data-driven internet services, including AI, have driven a surge in demand for optical fibre transmission bandwidth. NICT is to continue its research and aims to extend the transmission range of wideband, ultra-high-capacity systems and their compatibility for fibres already in use.

Their findings were reported as a post deadline paper at the 51st European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC) 2025 in Denmark on 2 October and was partly supported by the Japan-Germany Beyond 5G/6G collaboration initiative.

The twelve international collaborators are NICT (Japan), Aston University (UK), Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (Germany), Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands), Politecnico di Milano and University of L’Aquila (Italy), University of Campinas (Brazil), University of Stuttgart (Germany), Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (Japan), Macquarie University and Modular Photonics (Australia) and Nokia Bell Labs (USA).

Aston University research in this area is supported by the EPSRC Programme grant TRANSNET, Dr Donodin has been supported by Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Royal Academy of Engineering under the research fellowships.

• Aston University’s Samantha Chapman has co-written a paper for the Royal College of Nursing on enhanced therapeutic observations
• Enhanced therapeutic observations are a temporary measure used only when necessary for a patient, but come with challenges
• The paper supports healthcare workers to provide dignified, respectful care and improve patient experience and recovery.

Samantha Chapman, a teaching fellow in mental health nursing at Aston University, has co-written a continuing professional development article setting out best practice on enhanced therapeutic observations for healthcare professionals.

Enhanced therapeutic observations (ETOC) are used in nursing when a patient requires closer observation for their health and wellbeing. There are different levels of ETOC, for example, constant observation of a patient within eyesight, or constant observation within arm’s length, as well as intermittent observations such as every 15 minutes. It is only a temporary measure used when absolutely necessary, but can present challenges, so it needs to be delivered with compassion, always ensuring dignity and respectful care.

Chapman co-wrote the article, Role of enhanced therapeutic observations and care in maintaining the well-being and safety of mental health inpatients, with lead author Helen Rees, professional lead nurse educator at Priory, the UK’s largest independent healthcare provider. It has been published as a continuing professional development (CPD) article by the Royal College of Nursing and is designed to support nurses, nursing associates and healthcare support workers.

One of the biggest challenges is the amount of time healthcare staff and the patient will spend together during periods of ETOC. The article looks at how this longer period of contact can be delivered in a therapeutic and meaningful way to support the patient in their recovery, avoiding relationship burnout.

Chapman and Rees were concerned that there was very little in the literature about ETOC, and that the type of observation goes by many different names. In writing the article, they have sought to unify the published knowledge and provide evidence-based information to share with nurses, nursing associates and healthcare support workers, as well as students on healthcare courses.

Chapman said:

“More research is needed in this area to explore how enhanced therapeutic observations can and should be delivered to be recovery focused and a supportive intervention for the patient. They should not be a tick box exercise, and they do require a lot of emotional intelligence and therapeutic skill on behalf of the healthcare staff delivering the care.

“It is hoped that this article enables these important discussions to be expanded, to encourage others to think about how these observations are delivered ensuring the patient is at the centre of care provided.”

The Centre for Economy, Policy and Place at Nottingham Business School (NBS) is to hold a special event which brings together Claire Ward, mayor of the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), and Aki Takehisa, former mayor of Setouchi City, Japan.

By Helen Breese | 

The in-conversation style session on Thursday 15 January 2026 will see Claire and Aki explore critical themes such as devolution, fiscal autonomy, and the balance between economic growth and wellbeing. They will also delve into the importance of place-based identities and consensus building in multi-level governance.

Claire Ward is the inaugural mayor of EMCCA, elected in 2024 to champion regional economic growth, transport infrastructure, and skills development. Her vision emphasises collaboration across local councils and central government to deliver inclusive prosperity for communities in the East Midlands.

Aki Takehisa served as mayor of Setouchi City, Japan, for 16 years (2009–2025), leading initiatives on inclusive growth, wellbeing, and sustainable development. A former councillor, he earned an MBA in Public Service from the University of Birmingham and worked with Deloitte as a consultant to local authorities. He also taught public management at Kwansei Gakuin University. Currently, he is a visiting researcher at Nottingham Business School, pursuing a PhD on mayoral accountability in Japan and the UK.

The event is the first in a new series of events promoted by the Centre for Economy, Policy and Place at NBS, Nottingham Trent University, which combines research on economic and public policy with a focus on place, public services, and applied economics.

Following opening remarks from Professor Dave Petley, vice-chancellor of Nottingham Trent University, keynote insights will be provided by Professor Anne Green from City-REDI at the University of Birmingham, whose research examines comparative approaches to mayoral governance in England and Japan.

The mayoral discussion will be hosted by Will Rossiter, centre director and Professor of Regional Policy and Development at NBS.

Professor Rossiter said: “This event marks an exciting moment for the Centre for People, Policy and Place. By bringing together leaders from the UK and Japan, we aim to explore how mayoral governance can shape inclusive, sustainable growth and strengthen the connection between policy and place. It’s a unique opportunity to share insights across international contexts and learn from different approaches to leadership.”

The session, which will take place from 6 – 7.30pm on Thursday 15 January 2026, will conclude with a Q&A and reflections from Professor Anne Green.

Cardiff Metropolitan University was delighted to welcome Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs Huw Irranca-Davies onto campus this week, for his announcement of Welsh Government’s £15 million plus Digarbon loan scheme supporting the tertiary education sector to reach carbon net zero by 2030.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “We are pleased to see the continued efforts of the tertiary education sector in Wales in driving ambition to decarbonise. This latest investment through Digarbon reflects our commitment to supporting Wales’s tertiary education sector in cutting emissions, reducing energy costs, and accelerating progress towards net zero.”

The Digarbon low-interest loan scheme is funded by the Welsh Government and delivered by Salix in alignment with the UK’s national target to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Cardiff Metropolitan University has been awarded £6.2 million from the scheme. Others to receive to receive funding are Swansea University, Bangor University and Coleg Cambria. The Digarbon investment will enable these institutions to modernise their buildings and infrastructure, reduce energy costs, and accelerate Wales’ transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future.

Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle said: “It’s wonderful that these four Welsh universities and colleges are leading the way in creating more sustainable learning environments for their learners and communities. Through Digarbon we’re enabling our education institutions to provide learners with modern, energy-efficient spaces that support their learning.”

Cardiff Metropolitan University will use the low-interest loan to deliver on the University’s award winning “Halve the Half” initiative cutting greenhouse gas emissions, reducing costs and supporting community access to the University’s extensive sports facilities.

Work will focus on the swimming pool, which is heavily used by community groups, children’s swimming lessons, student athletes and leisure swimmers. The pool will transition to low-carbon heating and ventilation systems, and solar panels and a battery storage system for renewable energy will be installed. These upgrades will also improve a sports hall, squash courts and several teaching and administration spaces. The result of these works will be to eliminate gas use in the University’s most energy-intensive building while halving grid electricity demand at the Cyncoed campus.

President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Metropolitan University, Professor Rachael Langford said:  “We are delighted to have been able to show the Deputy First Minister the improvements made through previous Ynni Cymru funding and our Halve the Half initiative, our genuinely ‘made in Wales’ innovation led by Cardiff Met which is impacting building design standards and cross-sector collaboration across the UK.

“The new funding will support us to continue to demonstrate how carbon reduction policies and priorities can be used to achieve operational change, targeted capital investment and widespread community benefit while also significantly reducing environmental and climate impact.”

Salix chief executive Kevin Holland said: “Salix is proud to partner with the Welsh Government to deliver this vital loan funding, marking a major milestone on Wales’ journey toward net zero. These projects represent real, measurable progress to create a more sustainable future and to reduce energy costs. We look forward to seeing the works in action, meeting the inspiring teams driving this transformation, and collaborating closely with stakeholders to ensure their lasting success.”

Cardiff Met has an impressive track record in environmental sustainability over a number of years. Most recently, its energy reduction ‘Halve the Half’ initiative won ‘Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership’ at the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards, and Best Use of Technology at the Construction News TechFest awards. The University was also ranked first in Wales and top 10 in the UK People and Planet University League 2025/26.