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Only hope for world’s most endangered marine mammal now rests with bid to stop illegal fishing

A last-ditch attempt to save the world’s most endangered marine mammal, the vaquita, by taking them into human care has been abandoned. The chances that this rare species of porpoise will become extinct are now extremely high, researchers have warned.

They had hoped to catch a few of the planet’s last 30 vaquitas – which are only found in one small area of the Gulf of California – and protect them in a sanctuary where they could breed safely. But last month, the $4m (£3m) rescue plan by an international team of more than 60 scientists and divers ran into trouble after only a few days, when the first vaquita they caught had to be released when it began to display dangerous signs of stress.

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Whistleblowers accuse the agency in charge of the largest pest eradication effort in Australia’s history of mismanagement.

On Twitter, Nigel Gibbens says the pens are a "necessary defence" against bird flu.

Dolbenmaen, Gwynedd This sett was, I think, first occupied in the early 1950s, its entrances concealed among dense rhododendron thickets

This sett I’ve known for 50 years. I think it was first occupied in the early 1950s. Huge now, 200 metres long and 60 wide, with innumerable entrances concealed among dense rhododendron thickets, I called it Badgeropolis, and spent much time watching from the hillside above as the badgers made their moonlit excursions. These were an enchantment: the silvery bounce of their beautiful coats; the rough-and-tumble of cubs’ play; their curiosity and habituation to my still, nightly presence; the astonishing inflected vocabulary of squeal, purr, yelp and mew; their tenderness at mating; the affection between boar and sow, parents and cubs.

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14-year-old Ebony Wallin wrote about the discovery that some caterpillars can eat the thin polyethylene used to make many plastic shopping bags.

With sky-high energy prices, local people are fighting back.

In the middle of the 18th century, a large flightless bird became extinct on an Indian Ocean island.

We look for nesting sites of the little tern; meet a former FIFO miner turned chicken farmer; open the gate to social farming; and pen up sheep with 86-year-old stock agent Linton Bradley.

Researchers develop a new speedy approach to estimate the true size of very large earthquakes.

Exclusive: Pure electric cars cost less over four years than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, US and Japan, researchers say, but China is set to lead the market

Electric cars are already cheaper to own and run than petrol or diesel cars in the UK, US and Japan, new research shows.

The lower cost is a key factor driving the rapid rise in electric car sales now underway, say the researchers. At the moment the cost is partly because of government support, but electric cars are expected to become the cheapest option without subsidies in a few years.

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As we enter the final month of the year we’d like to see your photos of the wildlife you’ve discovered where you live

What sort of wildlife will we all discover on our doorsteps this month? We’d like to see your photos of the December wildlife near you, whether you’re a novice spotter or have been out and about searching for wildlife for years.

Share your photos and videos with us and we’ll feature our favourites on the Guardian site. We also regularly print readers’ best images in the Guardian newspaper and will let you know if your image should feature.

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• Big businesses appear at Miami summit to show progress on sustainability
• ‘We’ve been working on this for a long time, prior to this administration’

Since taking office, Donald Trump has pulled the United States out of the Paris climate agreement, rolled back numerous protections against environmental pollution and espoused coal as the fuel of the future, all in the name of job creation and ending what he sees as the “theft of American prosperity”.

Related: 'Buried in marshes': sea-level rise could destroy historic sites on US east coast

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The week’s top environment news stories and green events. If you are not already receiving this roundup, sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox

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Lion cubs at play, the world’s oldest known giant tortoise and a mountain hare are among this week’s pick of images from the natural world

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Protected cycle lanes are one of the best ways to reduce congestion in London, carrying up to five times as many people per hour as a main road, a new report shows

Congestion isn’t exactly the most fashionable political topic of our times, but it is a problem that threatens London’s status as a well-functioning, competitive global city. Businesses need to be able to make and receive reliable deliveries, Londoners need to be able to get to work on time, and tourists – almost 20 million of them a year in London – need to get around quickly and easily too.

As politicians wake up to the need to do more to increase Britain’s productivity, being smarter in how we set up our transport infrastructure is essential. Our streets will get more congested if we do nothing as London continues to grow – currently at the rate of an additional London borough every three years. If no further action is taken, GLA figures show that by 2041, three days would be lost per person every year due to congestion.

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A UK-Dutch-built Earth observing spacecraft shows its promise with some stunning images of pollution.

A plan for zero tolerance of plastic pollution of the oceans may be agreed by nations at a UN environment summit.

The British Ecological Society has announced the winners of its annual photography competition, Capturing Ecology. Taken by international ecologists and students, the winning images will be exhibited at the society’s joint annual meeting in Ghent in December

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Proposed national standards for chicken farming argue that battery cages are not a significant detriment to hens' health. Clive Phillips, Professor of Animal Welfare, Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, The University of Queensland Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Walton on the Naze, Essex The iron-rich, sandy layer of the Red Crag, laid down by a cool sea, is rich in marine fossils.

I walk past the arcades and beach cafes. The smell of vinegar on chips is sharp in my nose and makes my mouth water but I haven’t come to Walton on the Naze for seaside snacks. Higher ground is visible beyond the beach, partly shrouded in mist, and I strike out towards it.

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