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Headlines from this Week |
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A round up of the top stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Monday 28 February
Charity labels new High Speed 2 consultation a train wreck Countryside champions, the Campaign to Protect Rural England
(CPRE) have labelled the consultation process for High Speed 2
announced today [Monday] as a complete train wreck. The
charity describes the consultation as a head-on collision between
Government plans to develop national infrastructure and its
proposals to give power back to people . Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport Campaigner at CPRE, says: “The
Government has been so focused on trying to catch up and overtake
the French on High Speed Rail, that they have failed to ensure the
public get their fair say.
Government statement on transfer of state-owned waterways into new waterways
charity The Government has today (Monday 28 February 2011) announced its
preference for a phased transfer of state-owned waterways in England and
Wales into the planned new waterway charity, with British Waterways’ canals
and rivers moving in 2012 and the Environment Agency (EA) navigations moving
in 2015. The decision is intended to ensure that sufficient funding can be
found to enable the charity to take on the liabilities associated with the
EA navigations from the start of the next Spending Review. The decision is intended to ensure that sufficient funding can be found
to enable the charity to take on the liabilities associated with the EA
navigations from the start of the next Spending Review
New Zealand invader set to be banished from Loch Flemington Work will begin this week (2 March) to remove a highly invasive water
plant from a loch of international importance for its wildlife. The ecology of Loch Flemington near Nairn is under threat from invasion
by the non-native aquatic plant New Zealand Pigmyweed. The loch is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and is an
internationally important breeding site for Slavonian grebe and a range of
other rare indigenous plants and animals. However, grebes have not bred
there since 2001 and many of the loch's other inhabitants have suffered due
to nutrient pollution and the non-native pigmyweed.
Tuesday 1 March
Embedding sustainability at the heart of Government New ambitious plans to help build a stronger green government
were announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Environment
Secretary Caroline Spelman today (28/2/11). The Mainstreaming Sustainable Development package will guarantee
that Government policies have been ‘sustainability-proofed’ – by
making sure they help to deliver sustainable economic growth,
improve our quality of life and protect our natural environment now
and for future generations. Browse the Sustainable Development in government website here.
Action to contain two serious tree diseases found in park in Scotland Forestry Commission Scotland is working with West Dunbartonshire Council
to remove dying trees from Balloch Castle Country Park. Lawson’s cypress trees, yew trees and rhododendron at the park have been
found to be infected by three different organisms from the Phytophthora
family of pathogens. The fungus-like organisms cause plant diseases and two
of them are quarantine organisms requiring statutory action to control them. Roddie Burgess, Head of the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service,
said, “We were alerted to this in 2010 and we’ve been working with West
Dunbartonshire Council to limit the spread of the two quarantine organisms,
Phytophthora lateralis and Phytophthora ramorum. “We will be carrying on with our own surveys in the area, but we’re also
asking all local residents who might have species of cypress, larch or
rhododendron on their properties to check them carefully for signs of dying
foliage or bleeding cankers on the stems, and to report suspicious symptoms
to us.” Ruddy
duck numbers in the UK cut to 120 by cull
A cull of ruddy ducks in the UK has cut their numbers to just 120. The government says about 4,400 of the birds were shot dead over the past
five years. Supporters of the cull, including the RSPB, say it is needed to protect
other species from extinction. Opponents argue it is expensive and
unnecessary. The ruddy duck is originally from the United States, and came to the UK
in the 1940s. Experts say it has threatened the existence of the white-headed duck in
Spain by interbreeding with it. 'Very effective' Figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) show that 1,365 of the birds were killed in 2008, with the
number falling to 717 in 2009, and 386 last year. Duck shooters from the Food and Environment Research Agency killed the
birds under licences issued by government officials.
Squirrels are £20 million menace to homeowners Squirrels have been blamed for causing more than £20 million of damage to
homes in Britain, including gnawed roof beams and chewed wiring.
The animals are estimated to nest in up to 50,000
homes Photo: ALAMY
Pest controllers said householders should be “extra vigilant” over the
next few weeks as the country’s female squirrels are about to give birth to
litters of up to six babies a time. Most insurance companies do not cover squirrel infestations. The animals
are estimated to nest in up to 50,000 homes. Squirrels normally take up residence in loft spaces and sheds over winter
and can cause serious damage to properties.
Here today - here tomorrow? Conservation charity Plantlife reveals the non-native plants most likely
to be the next damaging invaders in our countryside in a new report launched
today. Most are on sale in garden and aquatics centres and are used in our
gardens, ponds, aquaria and public spaces. Plantlife is calling for urgent
action to be taken on plants assessed as having invasive potential should
they escape ‘over the garden wall’, by conducting more detailed research to
determine the level of threat they pose. For plants where the level of
invasive threat is already evident, Plantlife is calling for better use of
legislation to try and contain them. The next invaders – the ‘ones to watch’ Plantlife’s new report ‘Here today, here tomorrow? Horizon scanning for
invasive non-native plants’ (click
here to download a copy) contains details of species that Plantlife
believes are on the brink of becoming invasive in Britain but are not yet
covered by legislation that could help to limit their spread. Invasive
species already cause enormous problems to our native plants and wildlife,
and cost the British economy around £1.7 billion every year.
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CJS is not responsible for content of external sites. Details believed correct but given without prejudice. Disclaimer: the views expressed in these news pages do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of CJS. |
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The
government says it is committed to the eradication of the ruddy duck in the
UK 
Red
kites are now a much more common sight