VISITORS to a nature reserve near York were today getting the chance to explore wildlife at an event staged as part of a celebration of the environment.

The Lower Derwent Valley national nature reserve was the venue for those attending to plant a reed bed, put up fencing and explore the riverbank for signs of barn owls and kingfishers during the International Day for Biological Diversity. The events across the UK are part of a national effort to raise awareness of the importance of the natural world amid warnings that species are becoming extinct at an accelerated rate.