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A round up of the top stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Monday 21 May
Fera’s Chelsea
display highlights how to keep our countryside “green and pleasant”
In a break with the traditional luxurious gardens and healthy plant
displays usually seen at the Chelsea Flower Show, Fera’s display will
outline how the public can help prevent the spread of devastating plant
pests and disease in gardens and the countryside.
The display will highlight how British trees and plants are under
unprecedented threat from new pests and diseases - often the same ones that
can affect garden plants. These pest and diseases can enter the country on
imported plants, before spreading throughout rural or urban gardens and
escaping to affect plants in the countryside. They are often inadvertently
spread by gardeners, tree and plant industry professionals and countryside
users.
Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Defra, will visit Fera’s display
on Press Day to announce a new package of measures aimed at raising
awareness of the damage that tree and plant pests and diseases can cause and
how simple precautions can help stop them getting into the country and
spreading throughout gardens and the countryside. These measures have been
developed as part of the ongoing Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action
Plan launched by Caroline Spelman in October 2011.
Grey places need green spaces report launched at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
- Groundwork
Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897 coincided with a huge investment
in public parks and open spaces to serve and improve Britain’s expanding
cities and to create local civic pride. In 2012, another Diamond
Jubilee year, the talk is now about whether we can afford to lose them.
This Groundwork report, called 'Grey places need green spaces - the case
for investing in our nation's natural assets,' argues that the benefits of
green space to our communities are too important to squander.
Some
cities, such as Liverpool, have withdrawn from the prestigious Green Flag
award scheme because they do not think they can afford to meet the required
standard. Others are disbanding park ranger teams, closing sports
facilities or introducing charges for services that were previously free.
The welter of reports issued at the turn of the millennium shows us where
this trend leads: to unsafe, neglected places that people choose to avoid,
and the loss of the many benefits that come from cared-for green spaces.
Details of the report:
All over the UK, people are gardening and growing. There is renewed passion
in crafting, creating, cultivating and tending landscapes. Making bountiful
and productive spaces is not only fashionable but has become an essential
ingredient to many of us – and it is not just the traditional gardening
classes that are seizing the initiative.
The report, authored by journalist Julian Dobson, sets out 13
recommendations, ranging from national legislation to facilitating local
action that can help us towards a view of green spaces as a vital national
asset and shared resource with enduring rights of public enjoyment. Their
purpose is to help ensure decisions are made in line with the evidence
rather than contrary to it. The recommendations apply particularly to the
governance arrangements in force in England, but the overarching themes will
be relevant to the other nations of the UK.
Download full report (pdf)
Farming delivers for Britain: Major PR campaign launched for farming -
NFU
 If
there's one green shoot that continues to grow and has the potential to help
kick-start Britain’s economic recovery then it's farming.
As the western
world battles with economic uncertainty, politicians wrestle with a
continuing crisis in the Eurozone and families at home struggle with
austerity on a scale not seen in a generation, a new report published today
from the NFU has revealed not only is farming leading the way, increasing
its GVA by a quarter, it also provides the foundation stone for Britain’s
food and drink industry.
This sector contributed some £85 billion to the
UK economy last year, while helping to keep some 3.5 million people in work.
Key findings from the report include:
- £1.75 billion: The growth recorded by farming’s GVA in 2011
- Farming’s GVA totals £8.84 billion – or has seen an increase of 25
per cent last year
- Food and drink has become the UK’s fourth largest exporting sector.
This report covers a huge amount of ground and includes a wealth of
striking statistics.
But what
the NFU president believes emerges from it most powerfully is a single message:
that farming is delivering for Britain.
Report looks at delivering for Food, Animal Welfare, The Economy, The
Environment, Careers and Cleaner Energy
Download
report here.
Forestry
Recommissioned? - Plantlife
 Urgent
call to bring Wales’ neglected woodlands back to life
Narrow-leaved helleborine, one of Wales' threatened
woodland flowers
© Trevor Dines/Plantlife
1 in 10 woodland flowers is under threat of extinction in Wales, whilst
there has been a dramatic decline in woodland wildlife.
These are the stark findings of a Plantlife report published today which
warns that our woodland flora and wildlife will continue their alarming
decline without a radical shift in the way we care for our woods.
Wales’s woodlands are exceptional; certain woodlands in Wales are of global
importance. Yet, if you go down to the woods today you will find many of
them dark, overgrown and quiet. From orchids to mosses, lichens to
bellflowers, one in ten woodland plants is threatened with extinction in
Wales. As our woodland flora declines, so does the other wildlife it
supports: the Woodland Bird Indicator is at its lowest level in Wales since
1970, whilst the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme has shown a 56% decrease in
characteristic woodland butterflies.
Plantlife’s vision to bring Welsh
woodlands back to life is detailed in our new report, Forestry
Recommissioned. Whilst supporting the targeted creation of new woodland to
link fragmented ancient woodland, the organisation is urging government to
refocus on the quality not the quantity of woodland in Wales.
Download the full report (pdf)
Search for the Skipper - Butterfly Conservation
 Help
discover where this rare butterfly is hiding...
Scotland could be harbouring previously undiscovered colonies of one of
the country's rarest butterflies, it emerged today.
The small, fast-flying Chequered Skipper which is extinct in England now
only occurs in the UK within a 30-mile radius of Fort William in the
Highlands. However, recent work by Butterfly Conservation Scotland and the
JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) has predicted the butterfly's
distribution could be underestimated by around 20% at a 10km level and as
much as 400% at a finer 1km resolution.
So Butterfly Conservation Scotland is calling for the public to help
unearth new spots where the Chequered Skipper may be living unnoticed.
Tuesday 22 May
Great white egret nests in Britain for the first time – Natural England
Natural England confirmed today that the great white egret - a species of
heron - has nested for the first time in Britain.
The nest site - at Shapwick Heath, Natural England’s National Nature
Reserve in Somerset - is being monitored by staff and volunteers from
Natural England, the RSPB and Somerset Ornithological Society. Activity on
the site strongly suggests that the birds may already have young and in the
next few weeks, Natural England hopes to be able confirm that the nest
contains chicks and that Britain can welcome a new species to its list of
breeding birds.
The great white egret is more usually found in mainland Europe, but in
recent years, there have been increased sightings of these elegant birds in
England, a small number of which have been visiting the reedbeds and
wetlands of the Avalon Marshes. Until now, none of these visitors have
nested and there is growing excitement that this summer could see the
beginning of a growing trend.
Simon Clarke, Reserve Manager for Shapwick Heath said; “This is hugely
exciting and we’ve been keeping everything crossed and a close eye on the
nest since the signs of nesting activity were first noticed last month.
In the last few years, we’ve been carrying out a lot of work to improve the
reserve’s reedbeds for bitterns and otters – but it seems great white egrets
have also appreciated the work we’ve done."
 Intelligent
Robotic Fish Detect Pollution – BMT Group
SHOAL, the pan-European ICT project, part funded by the EU, has
successfully developed and delivered intelligent robotic fish capable of
working together to detect and identify pollution in ports and other aquatic
areas.
Luke Speller, Project Leader of SHOAL and Senior Research Scientist at
BMT Group commented: “SHOAL has introduced the capability of cutting the
detection and analysis of pollutants in sea water time from weeks to just a
few seconds. Chemical sensors fitted to the fish permit real-time in-situ
analysis, rather than the current method of sample collection and dispatch
to a shore based laboratory. Furthermore, the Artificial Intelligence
which has been introduced means that the fish can identify the source of
pollution enabling prompt and more effective remedial action.”
Ark is new home for endangered beetles – Askham Bryan College
 A
natural habitat created by a Yorkshire college to protect a rare beetle has
received its first new population.
The rare tansy beetle, a nationally endangered species, is restricted to
a 26-mile stretch of the flood-prone banks of the River Ouse between York
and Selby. York land-based college Askham Bryan has created a new habitat,
known as an ark, to encourage the beetles to breed away from the flood risk.
Tansy is the sole food of the beetle so a plantation of tansy was
established in the ark a year ago.
A group of 25 beetles has now been relocated from the National
Trust-owned Beningborough Hall near York to the college grounds, following
their emergence from winter hibernation.
Dr Deirdre Rooney, lecturer in Countryside Management at Askham Bryan
College, said: “The beetles have settled in well and I have already found
eggs on the tansy in the ark so the initial signs are good.” She said that
the first official monitoring of the ark would not take place until August,
when the new generation of adult beetles emerge from pupae, with results of
the breeding programme not known for a year.
Wednesday 23 May
Remarkable osprey hatches first egg for two years – Scottish Wildlife
Trust
The resident female osprey at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the
Lowes reserve in Dunkeld has hatched her first egg for two years, the 62nd
egg to hatch in her lifetime.
The osprey, known affectionately by many as ‘Lady’, was standing by
yesterday as the first of her three eggs started to break. The chick emerged
after 12 hours, at 7pm last night (Monday 21st).
Almost 20,000 people watched the egg hatch live on the nest webcam.
Click here to view the webcam online.
The formidable bird has been returning to Loch of the Lowes for 22 years
and has laid 64 eggs during her time there. 48 of those have produced chicks
that have fledged, so this year she may reach a half century of chicks
fledged at Loch of the Lowes.
This chick is the first born at Loch of the Lowes since 2010 as last year
the eggs failed to hatch, despite being proved fertile.
Street lighting changes the composition of invertebrate communities
Thomas W. Davies, Jonathan Bennie and Kevin J. Gaston of University of
Exeterwriting in Biology Letters (The Royal Society).
Artificial lighting has been used to illuminate the nocturnal environment
for centuries and continues to expand with urbanization and economic
development. Yet, the potential ecological impact of the resultant light
pollution has only recently emerged as a major cause for concern. While
investigations have demonstrated that artificial lighting can influence
organism behaviour, reproductive success and survivorship, none have
addressed whether it is altering the composition of communities. We show,
for the first time, that invertebrate community composition is affected by
proximity to street lighting independently of the time of day. Five major
invertebrate groups contributed to compositional differences, resulting in
an increase in the number of predatory and scavenging individuals in
brightly lit communities. Our results indicate that street lighting changes
the environment at higher levels of biological organization than previously
recognized, raising the potential that it can alter the structure and
function of ecosystems.
Download full article (pdf)
 Spring
Clean for Seahorses - Dorset Wildlife Trust
Studland Bay was given an underwater spruce-up on Saturday when divers
removed litter from the seabed as part of an international Dive against
Debris. Local dive school Flippas n Fins teamed up with Dorset Wildlife
Trust for the special event, which saw twenty divers collecting a variety of
rubbish from plastic cups and knives to discarded rope and even an old boat
rudder, from the seagrass meadow.
Spiny seahorse at Studland - Emma Rance
Divers were keen to clear away some of the rubbish on the seabed to help
improve the health of the seagrass meadows
Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Marine Awareness Officer, Julie Hatcher, said:
“This event was meticulously planned and all the divers followed a strict
protocol to ensure there was no disturbance to the important wildlife of
this sensitive site. The divers were keen to clear away some of the rubbish
on the seabed to help improve the health of the seagrass meadows which are
home to a multitude of wildlife including seahorses and the endangered
undulate ray.”
Although the water was far from clear, divers reported
seeing a variety of wildlife including spider crabs, cuttlefish eggs and
plenty of the seahorses’ favourite food, mysid shrimps.
RSPB "seriously alarmed" about wind farm extension's impact on golden eagles
 Golden
eagles could be seriously affected by the proposed development
Image: Bill Paton
RSPB Scotland has reacted with alarm to proposals by wind farm developer
Uisinis Power that could lead to the erection of an extra 30 wind turbines
on the Eisgein estate on the Isle of Lewis.
RSPB spokesman Stuart Benn said: “We are seriously alarmed. This could
have a devastating impact on what is one of Europe’s best sites for golden
eagles.
“Although not yet built, consent has already been granted for 39 wind
turbines which we strongly opposed. This extension would make things even
worse.”
Mr Benn attacked the quality of the bird information that was used before
the existing consent was issued. “We believe the bird survey techniques were
inadequate and the results underestimated the importance of the site. This
contributed to the very unfortunate decision to grant the existing
consent. We are frankly amazed that the developer should want yet more
turbines on this site.”
Thursday 24 May
It was
reported yesterday that Defra have plans to research into the impact of
buzzards on pheasant poults. This was shortly followed by a myth busting
tweet from Defra:
No plans to cull buzzards. We’re looking at research on how to protect
young pheasants while ensuring buzzard population continues to thrive.
Defra tweet 23/5 at 12.21.
But as of noon
on Thursday 24 May there has not been an official release from the Defra
Press Office however several concerned organisations have made statements,
details of some follow and link to the tender document.
RSPB stunned by Defra plan to 'imprison' buzzards - RSPB
A proposal to 'imprison' buzzards could leave these birds highly
vulnerable
 Image:
Niall Benvie
We are stunned by Defra’s plan to allow the destruction of buzzard nests
and to permit buzzards to be taken into captivity to remove them from
shooting estates. The Society believes this intervention against one of
England’s best-loved birds of prey will set a terrible precedent and prove
to be a costly and unnecessary exercise.
The move by Defra followed lobbying by the pheasant shooting industry.
Buzzards usually scavenge on animals which have already died, but they will
sometimes take young pheasants which are released for sports shooting.
The buzzard was eradicated from large swathes of Britain following
decades of persecution. Legal protection and a general warming of attitudes
towards buzzards and other birds of prey on the part of many lowland land
managers, led to buzzards recovering across the UK: a fantastic conservation
success story.
Martin Harper is the RSPB’s conservation director. Criticising Defra’s
proposal, he said: “We are shocked by Defra’s plans to destroy buzzard nests
and to take buzzards into captivity to protect a non-native game bird
released in its millions. Buzzards play a minor role in pheasant losses,
compared with other factors like collisions with vehicles.”
Mick Carroll, of the Northern England Raptor Forum, said: “Given that
buzzards are still recovering from past persecution and there is no evidence
they are a significant cause of loss, this is a scandalous waste of public
money.”
Nigel Middleton, Hawk and Owl Trust Conservation Officer for the Eastern
Region, said: “We are totally against persecution of any birds of prey, and
destroying the nests of buzzards is tantamount to this. We believe that
alternatives should always be sought to lethal control where the commercial
interests of humans come into conflict with birds of prey.”
Concern over buzzard plans – The Wildlife Trusts
The Wildlife Trusts are seriously concerned about Government plans to
spend up to £375,000 researching ways to keep buzzards from targeting
captive-reared pheasants.
Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said:
"After years of persecution, people have welcomed the return of the
buzzard to our countryside. The Wildlife Trusts are seriously concerned that
this conservation success story could now be undermined, and will strongly
oppose any attempt to weaken the protection afforded to this species. The
fact the Government is considering these plans runs entirely counter to its
aspirations for the recovery and restoration of nature. With our native
wildlife facing so many pressures, Government should draw a line through
plans to bully the buzzard."
CA Welcomes Defra Buzzard Control Study – Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance has today welcomed the proposed study by Defra
into non-lethal methods of buzzard control.
David Taylor, Shooting Campaign Manager for the Countryside Alliance,
said:
“The Countryside Alliance welcomes DEFRA’s decision to commission this
study, mainly because it indicates that the Government is taking the issue
of predation by raptors seriously. It is however disappointing that the
situation has got to the point where such a study is required. Since the
early 1980s, successive Governments have had the ability to issue licences
for buzzard control, but have been reluctant to do so because of their fear
of coming under pressure from groups who have a narrow interest in birds of
prey, often to the detriment of other species in Britain. While we welcome
the study, it is a shame the Government have had to commission this
expensive exercise simply to appease a group of people who believe that
raptors have a greater significance than any other bird. Such a mentality is
dangerous for conservation and scarcely justifies the large cost to the
taxpayer.”
Raptor
reasoning, Victory for Gamekeepers - Modern Gamekeeping Magazine
The original tender document from Defra
Project Title: The Development Of Management Techniques To Reduce
Predation Of Pheasant Poults By Buzzards
The tender document for the project can be
seen here
Other news today
£42m investment in UK crop innovation – NFU Online
 New
research will help reinvigorate the genetic diversity of wheat, reduce
farmers’ dependence on chemicals and put the UK at the lead of innovative
research to grow plants as natural factories and accelerate the discovery of
new antibiotics.
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Council
(BBSRC) will invest £42m in plant and microbial science at the John Innes
Centre in Norwich.
The announcement today (24 May) is part of £250m of
strategic investment by BBSRC to ensure the UK’s bioscience research base
remains globally competitive. It is for the first phase of five year
research programmes.
Commenting on the funding, Minister for Universities
and Science, David Willets, said: “This £250 million investment from BBSRC
for the first phase of major five year research programmes will sustain
excellent science at some of the UK’s leading institutes and universities.
This will drive growth, support highly skilled jobs and keep the UK at the
very forefront of bioscience, with benefits ranging from healthcare to
energy and global food security.”
Wheat pre-breeding research coordinated
by JIC will broaden the gene pool, or ‘germplasm’, for wheat. The current
possibilities for improving wheat are reaching their limit. Scientists will
collaborate on producing new lines of bread wheat with priority traits.
These include improved resistance to diseases and insects, greater tolerance
to drought, salt and heat, and enhanced yield.
Move to create Europe's largest Dark Sky Preserve in Northumberland
- Northumberland National Park
It’s not just in Texas where the stars at night shine deep and bright.
Exciting moves have been revealed to create what would be the third
largest area of protected starry dark sky in the world in deepest
Northumberland.
Northumberland National Park Authority and Kielder Water & Forest Park
Development Trust are consulting on securing dark sky status for nearly 400
square miles of spectacular countryside in England's wildest county.
The prestigious designation is awarded by the International Dark Skies
Association (IDA), based in Tucson, USA.
Worldwide there are just 12 such preserves, including the two largest in
Big Bend National Park, Texas, and Mount Megantic in Quebec, Canada.
Project chiefs are in talks with residents, parish councils and
businesses to explain the proposals and gauge feedback before any
application is made.
If successful, Kielder Water & Forest Park would become England’s first
Dark Sky Park, while adjoining Northumberland National Park would be
Europe’s largest Dark Sky Reserve – both committed to reducing light
pollution and engaging the public about our dark skies.
National Trust Octavia Hill awards - National Trust
A prolific drystone waller, an intrepid volunteer youth worker and famous
TV walker are among the green heroes celebrated in our first Octavia Hill
Awards.
The six winners were announced today at a special
awards ceremony in London.
The awards are named after our founder and
social reformer Octavia Hill who died in 1912. They are being run in
partnership with Countryfile Magazine. Nominated by the public and
then put to an online poll that saw nearly seven thousand votes, each winner
is keeping the spirit of Octavia alive - standing up for precious natural
spaces and places.
The winners are:
Patrick Frew from Country Antrim, Northern Ireland is
the ‘Growing Hero’
Roger Parkinson from Wakefield, West Yorkshire is a
‘Natural Hero’
Matt Smith from Bootle, Liverpool is the ‘Inspirational
Hero’
Julia Bradbury was voted ‘The People’s Campaigner’
The Friends
of King Henry’s Walk Garden in North London are the ‘Green Space Guardians’
Eric Shorrocks of Arnside Knott, Cumbria wins the ‘Love Places’ Award
For
more information
Click Here.
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