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Headlines from week beginning 30 March 2015. |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
The future’s bright for wildlife volunteering
- Heritage Lottery Fund Cheshire Wildlife Trust to make £1.2million investment in
volunteering thanks to Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
CWT staff and volunteers (image Credit: Tom Marshall Thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, over the next
four years the trust is making a £1.2million investment in volunteering
that will not only change the face of the trust, but will also shape the
county’s wildlife and natural spaces for the better. Ambitious in scale,
the project’s aim is actually very simple – let’s get more people doing
more for nature in Cheshire. Natural Futures will fund a dedicated project officer and two
volunteer co-ordinators, who will give additional support and training
to the trust’s existing volunteers, and will bring together new
volunteers who can lend a hand on current work and future projects. In return volunteers will benefit from learning new skills, being
part of a vibrant network and improving their health and well-being. The
project will also bring together local community conservation groups,
providing them with skills and support to run effectively. The project targets four main volunteer areas:
Martin Varley, Director of Conservation, said: “Cheshire Wildlife
Trust has been working in nature conservation for more than 50 years,
but we can’t confront the challenges facing Cheshire on our own. The key
to unlocking the solution to the present threat to nature in Cheshire is
to mobilise more people who share our concern. Natural Futures will help
to reach new audiences and build on our foundation to make a sustainable
difference for nature.” And more good news from the Wildlife Trusts
Heathland brought back to health - Dorset
Wildlife Trust An East Devon heathland is being nursed back to health thanks to the
work of the Trust. Clayhidon Turbary nature reserve sits in the heart of the Blackdown
Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its 34 acres are made up of
heathland, marshy areas and wet woodland – a series of landscape types
that were once common but which have disappeared from much of the
English countryside in recent decades.
In 2011 Devon Wildlife Trust took on the management of Clayhidon
Turbury and made it a nature reserve. In the years since the charity has
been using its experience gained at other nearby Blackdown Hills nature
reserves to restore the site to former glories. The major breakthrough
came when the charity recently gained £34,000 of funding for the nature
reserve from Biffa Award - a multi-million pound fund which awards
grants to community and environmental projects across the UK. This has allowed restoration work to begin and the first results are
beginning to show. Devon Wildlife Trust has just completed the
installation of a fence around the site. This fence isn’t designed to
keep people out but it will keep ponies and cattle in. Ed Hopkinson, the
Nature Reserve Officer for Clayhidon Turbary explains: ‘Without fencing
we couldn’t introduce grazing animals to the reserve, and without
grazing animals it was impossible to reverse the steady march of
invasive young trees and scrub. Removing these by hand is time consuming
and costly when ponies and cattle will do it 24 hours a day for no pay.
So having cattle here is filling a massive missing piece in our
management.’
Dunes restored at Eskmeals Dunes Nature Reserve Restoration work to improve unusual coastal wildlife at a nature
reserve near Ravenglass has been completed. Native wildlife at Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Eskmeals Dunes Nature
Reserve has been struggling to thrive because an invasive plant, sea
buckthorn, has been taking over much of the nature reserve since the
1970s. The plant is not native to Cumbria’s coast and has stopped the
natural movement of sand dunes and shaded out grassland. Wild flowers
such as heart’s-ease pansy, bird’s-foot trefoil, wild thyme and
pyramidal orchid will all benefit from the restoration work, which will
in turn help unusual butterflies such as dark green fritillaries and
meadow browns. Heart-ease pansy at Eskmeals Dunes (Cumbria Wildlife Trust) Following the clearance work, cows are now able to graze the
grassland all year round keeping the nature reserve in top shape for
wildlife. The shorter grass that this will create will improve the
nature reserve for natterjack toads, a very rare toad that is
distinguished by the yellow stripe down its back and it’s loud
‘nattering’ during the breeding season. Pete Jones, Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Reserve Officer for Eskmeals
Dunes says, “Natterjack toads are only found in coastal areas with sand
dunes or marsh and so Eskmeals Dunes could be the perfect place for
them. As well as restoring the grassland for the toads so they can run
across the short grass, we’ve also dug two new ponds and restored two
old ones. They prefer shallow, warm ponds which is partly why they are
struggling to survive; our unpredictable weather can dry up these ponds
quickly in a warm spring killing tadpoles. Our new ponds, along with the
newly exposed sand dunes which they can burrow into, should give them
the best chance of increasing their numbers.”
RSPB backs pheasant shooting - or does it? Martin Harper, RSPB Conservation Director wrote a blog on 15 March
entitled
Debunking some myths about the RSPB and shooting He then gave an interview to
The Observer, read it here: RSPB backs pheasant shoots and says
they’re good for the countryside Which then 'went viral' with lots of coverage see The Telegraph here (the least sensational of the nationals!) Which prompted Martin to write a rebuttal here. So make your own minds up!
Ten-year experiment identifies optimum upland farming system
- The James Hutton Institute A study carried out over a 10-year period by ecologists at the James
Hutton Institute and the universities of Hull and Aberdeen has shown
that grazing a mixture of sheep and cattle, at low intensity, is the
best approach for maintaining biodiversity in the British uplands.
For the first time, ecologists have conducted a long-term,
landscape-scale experiment looking at the consequences of livestock
management on multiple plant and animal groups that consume each other
within an upland ‘food-web’. The aim of the research, which took place
at the Glen Finglas estate in central Scotland, was not to determine a
single approach to livestock grazing that would result in a ‘win-win’
situation for all species, but rather an approach that provided the best
possible trade-off between ‘winners’ and losers’. The researchers established separate blocks of land that were each
designed to mimic a range of livestock grazing scenarios. For ten years,
between 2002 and 2012, measurements including plant diversity, insect
abundance, meadow pipit territories and signs of vole and fox activity
were recorded in each experimental plot. The study published today (30
March) in Ecosphere, concluded that grazing a mixture of sheep and
cattle, at low intensity, was the best trade-off between benefiting the
meadow pipits, and disadvantaging the voles and foxes; therefore
maintaining the balance of biodiversity. Professor Robin Pakeman, from the James Hutton Institute, said: “Our
long-term experiment at the Woodland Trust’s Glen Finglas estate has
clearly shown that decisions about grazing management affect plants,
insects, voles, foxes and birds in different ways. Both increasing or
decreasing the numbers of stock in the uplands will result in winners
and losers. Our collaborative research can provide the basis for future
decisions on supporting farming and biodiversity in our uplands.” Grazing mixtures of sheep and cattle is key to maintaining upland
biodiversity Gain access to the paper from here.
TCV offers ‘speed volunteering’ opportunity for busy Londoners
- The Conservation Volunteers
The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) have joined forces with the Mayor’s
Team London to provide busy Londoners with ‘speed volunteering’ scheme,
giving them the opportunity to give back to the community in a way that
fits in with their busy lives, while encouraging them to try
volunteering for the first time. According to an independent survey, 60%
of potential volunteers are deterred from volunteering because they feel
they do not have sufficient time due to work commitments. People also
cited home and family responsibilities, caring for elderly relatives, or
studying, as other reasons for not being able to get involved. This
initiative will allow people to sign up for short, sharp bursts of
activity, which fit around their demanding schedules, whilst making a
real difference to their local communities. TCV opportunities will
enable volunteers to improve local outdoor spaces whilst getting active
and reaping benefits to their health in the process. The scheme is the
latest development in the Mayor's Team London volunteering programme,
which has seen almost 62,000 Londoners help out across the capital in
the last two years.
Saving our peat bogs with slime, beads, hummocks and plug-plants –
Moors for the Future Partnership Walkers on Kinder Scout should not be alarmed to see spaceman-like
figures spraying green slime all over areas of Peak District moor. They are part of a team of conservationists conducting scientific
trials on the best way to re-introduce sphagnum moss onto peat moors
devastated by environmental changes over the past 150 years. The reintroduction of sphagnum moss is key to rebuilding blanket bogs
by preventing erosion and helping to: • improve our drinking water quality The Moors for the Future Partnership is working with the Environment
Agency and National Trust, as part of the Peatland Restoration Project,
to pioneer these globally important trials on an 80-hectare site on
Kinder Scout, the highest plateau in the Peak District National Park. Damaged peat bogs have been termed “a climate time bomb”, as climate
change is likely to increase the rate at which they break down. Without their protective sphagnum based vegetation, lost during 150
years of atmospheric pollution and wildfires, bogs release more carbon
into the atmosphere instead of storing it, send sediment downstream into
our reservoirs, don’t hold back downpours that can flood our towns and
countryside and increase the likelihood of more wildfires, accelerating
the whole process.
Scottish puffins found with plastic pellets in their stomachs –
Fauna & Flora International
Image: Puffin on the Isle of May. © Steve Garvie They may be known as the clowns of the sea, but new evidence that
puffins are mistaking plastic pellets for food is no laughing matter. Autopsies of dead puffins collected from the Isle of May in Scotland
have revealed that, along with their usual diet of sand eels, these
charismatic seabirds have been eating plastic pellets, known as nurdles. As Mark Newell from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (where the
autopsies were performed) explained, “We regularly collect puffins found
dead on the island to help us monitor the health of the population. As
part of this research we look at what they have been eating. At first we
didn’t know what the strange pieces of plastic were, but we found them
in a number of the puffins’ stomachs. When The Great Nurdle Hunt
contacted us asking if we had found any small plastic pellets in the
seabirds we were studying, I realised they were nurdles.”
Government slow to react to protect Strangford Lough’s horse mussels
– Ulster Wildlife Trust
The Lough’s horse mussel reefs provide vital homes, spawning grounds
and nurseries for hundreds of creatures, including commercially fished
species. Comptroller and Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly said: “The
departments were slow to react to the deteriorating condition of
Strangford Lough’s Modiolus biogenic reefs. Complaints to the European
Commission represent a significant risk to the public finances. There is
no scope for failure in implementing the Revised Restoration Plan with
the agreed timeframe if the Northern Ireland Executive is to avoid
significant financial penalties.” Jennifer Fulton, Chief Executive with Ulster Wildlife added:
“Protection for Strangford Lough is long overdue. Given the Lough’s
numerous legal protections and international designations, this report
highlights the need to value and protect our natural assets, for once
damaged, they are difficult and costly to restore. Whilst we are
encouraged to see that DARD and DOE are now taking their
responsibilities seriously, making progress on implementing the revised
restoration plan, we hope the actions needed to protect and restore this
unique underwater habitat do not fall behind, given the huge funding cut
backs to both Departments and the environment sector as a whole.” Read the report here
New female osprey appears at Lowes - Scottish
Wildlife Trust The Trust can confirm the arrival of a new female osprey at its Loch
of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve, near Dunkeld. Wildlife enthusiasts from around the world have been patiently
waiting to see if the female osprey, affectionately known by many as
‘Lady’, will return for what would have been her 25th year at the site.
However, late yesterday afternoon a young female osprey appeared in the
nest at Loch of the Lowes. She then began pair-bonding with the resident
male osprey and has since mated with him multiple times. The Scottish Wildlife Trust Perthshire Ranger, Charlotte Fleming,
said: “Everyone at the Scottish Wildlife Trust Loch of the Lowes Visitor
Centre and Wildlife Reserve is so excited by the arrival of this new
female. Many people have been asking if this means that our famous
osprey – affectionately known by many as ‘Lady’ – will not return this
year, but we simply do not know. There is still a possibility that she
will return - and dramatic scenes could unfold if ‘Lady’ were to begin
to compete for her nest and her mate."
Zoologists Tap into GPS to Track Badger Movements Zoologists from Trinity College Dublin's School of Natural Sciences
are using GPS tracking technology to keep a ‘Big Brother’ eye on badgers
in County Wicklow. By better understanding the badgers’ movements and
the reasons behind them, the zoologists hope to devise a highly
effective TB vaccination programme. One barrier is the lack of knowledge as to how TB is actually
transmitted. This is something the Trinity zoologists are tackling with
their GPS approach – by compiling detailed information on how often
badgers enter farmyards, to what extent they avoid fields when cattle
are grazing in them, and how far they roam each night, the team hopes to
assess how quickly the disease might be able to spread. PhD Researcher in Zoology, Aoibheann Gaughran, said: “All of this
information should help us to work out the best way to get a vaccine
against TB into all the badgers in each social group. We’ve put collars
carrying satellite tracking devices on more than 40 badgers, which
automatically send us a text, pinpointing their location at least four
times during the night. The study has been running for four years now
and we have built up one of the largest data sets of badger movements
ever collected.” The zoologists have teamed up with researchers from the Department of
Agriculture Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the National Parks and
Wildlife Service (NPWS) in this project. Associate Professor in Zoology at Trinity, Dr Nicola Marples has
written an Expert Comment to supplement this news.
This can be viewed here. Their efforts were showcased on
RTÉ One’s ‘Living
The Wildlife’ at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 31.
Over three quarters of important wildlife site to be lost in Erith
- London Wildlife Trust One of Bexley's most important wildlife sites will be cut to a
quarter of its size following a unanimous decision by Bexley Council’s
planning committee to allow the development of 600 new homes and a
school on the former Erith Quarry site. Yesterday’s decision means that the site, which has been designated
as a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) for over
20 years, will lose approximately 18 hectares of important wildlife
habitats. This is roughly equivalent to an area the size of Green Park
and will leave just over three hectares of habitat in one corner of the
site and in a narrow strip surrounding the new development. Despite strong objections from London Wildlife Trust and Bexley
Natural Environment Forum and some concerns from a few councillors on
the impacts the development will have on wildlife, only minimum
conditions and mitigation for the loss will be implemented. While London Wildlife Trust welcomes a condition to ensure that the
remaining habitat will be maintained and managed as a wildlife area
(with five years of monitoring), this will do little to offset the
wildlife losses that will occur. Tony Wileman, Conservation Ecologist with London Wildlife Trust, who presented the Trust’s views at the Committee, commented: “We recognise the conflicting requirements for the site and the need for housing in the Borough of Bexley but are hugely disappointed at the scale of this loss. This is a designated wildlife site and the decision seems to fly in the face of the council’s own policy targets for nature conservation, and sets a worrying precedent for other wildlife sites in London.“
Critically Endangered Butterfly Hits 10- Year High
- Butterfly Conservation One of the UK’s rarest butterflies has recorded its best year for a
decade thanks to 2014’s warm spring weather and work to restore its
habitat, a study has revealed.
The striking orange and black butterfly once bred in most large woods
in England and Wales but habitat loss has resulted in alarming declines
raising fears that it could be heading toward extinction in the UK. The High Brown Fritillary, one of only two critically endangered
butterflies in the UK, is now restricted to a handful of colonies in
North West and South West England and one in Wales. The butterfly
benefitted from warm spring weather and work by wildlife charity
Butterfly Conservation and partners targeted at restoring its habitat. Last year’s losers included the ‘cabbage white’ butterflies with the
Small White down 66% compared to 2013 and the Large White declining 69%
for the same recording period. Some butterflies associated with high
summer also struggled in the cold August weather with the Chalk Hill
Blue numbers down 55% compared to 2013 and Adonis Blue down 43%. Dr Tom Brereton, Head of Monitoring at Butterfly Conservation, said:
“The High Brown Fritillary is one of only two butterflies classed as
critically endangered in the UK so it is fantastic news that numbers are
at their highest level for more than a decade. A huge amount of
work co-ordinated by Butterfly Conservation has been put into conserving
this butterfly in recent years, especially though wildlife-friendly
farming schemes, so the results will come as a welcome boost to all
involved. There is a long way to go before the long-term decline has
been reversed, with ongoing targeted conservation efforts crucial in
this.”
Birds flock to farmland this winter in a million acre count
- Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust An army of farmers, gamekeepers and land managers looking after
nearly one million acres of farmland turned out in their droves this
winter to count their birds in the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s
second Big Farmland Bird Count, which ran between 7 – 15th February. Spending just half-an-hour during the week-long count nearly one
thousand people, representing every county in England, Scotland, Wales
and Northern Ireland, swapped their tractors for binoculars to see how
their conservation efforts are boosting the recovery of farmland birds.
Jim Egan, from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Allerton
Project, who originated the idea, said, “We are delighted to have
received so much industry support, which is reflected in the results of
this second count. Double the number of farmers turned out this winter
and between them they recorded more than 127 different species on their
farms. This was a remarkable achievement, particularly as they monitored
an additional 11 species compared to 2014.” The five most common birds seen on farms this winter were blackbird,
seen by nearly 90 per cent of farmers, followed by robin (80 per cent),
blue tit (79 per cent), chaffinch (75 per cent) and carrion crow seen by
over 70 per cent of the farmers taking part. A total of 19 red list species of conservation concern were also
recorded with six appearing in the list of 25 most commonly seen species
list. Starlings and fieldfare were seen on over 40 per cent of the farms
taking part and were the most abundant red-listed species recorded
followed by linnet, yellowhammer, house sparrow, lapwing and redwing. Compared with last year, 10 additional species of birds were added to
the list of birds recorded including cirl bunting and Cettie’s warbler.
In addition 13 species of raptor were counted with goshawk included in
the results for the first time this year Jim Egan explains the results, “Even though this is only its second
year, we are seeing an increase in the number of birds and the range of
species seen – especially red-listed species. These are some of our most
rapidly declining birds but they are still out there and are being
supported by our farmers through the many conservation measures that are
now being implemented on UK farmland.” Full results and analysis are accessible online here.
Trust encourages Scottish Government to back beaver reintroduction as a
step towards a richer, wilder Scotland
- John Muir Trust With the Scottish Environment Minister set to announce later this
year the government’s response to the five-year beaver trial at
Knapdale, the John Muir Trust has given its backing to the
reintroduction of the keystone species. Read the new John Muir Trust policy statement:
'Rewilding: Restoring Ecosystems for Nature and People'
This Easter the Royal Horticultural Society is calling on gardeners to
get Greening Grey Britain - RHS Hard surfaces in London gardens alone increase by two and a half
times the area of Hyde Park every year and seven million front gardens
across the UK contain concrete and cars rather than flowers and grass.
Britain is paving over its gardens, which is reducing biodiversity,
decreasing homes and food for wildlife, increasing flood risks and
harming the UK’s health, happiness and wellbeing. Making a stand against the insidious, depressing concrete sprawl,
this Easter the RHS is calling for people all over the country -
individuals, community groups, schools, councils, businesses – to get
‘Greening Grey Britain’ and turn unloved and unspectacular parts of
their neighbourhood into something beautiful and to make their gardens
even greener. A survey of 2,000 people, commissioned by the RHS, found that 92%
said being in a garden helped them to relax and de-stress; 95% said
being in a beautiful garden lifted their moods and over 60% said that
looking at a street of paved over front gardens saddens them. Alistair Griffiths, RHS Director of Science and Collections, said:
“Many of us get a boost by simply looking at a beautiful garden or
having access to green space. So instead of paving over green we can all
play a part in reducing the grey and brightening it, and us, up with
some plants. On top of making us feel better and happier, if hundreds
and thousands of people across the country grew more plants of different
varieties in gardens and community spaces, it would all help to improve
our air quality, benefit us, our wildlife and reduce temperatures and
flooding risks. Greening Grey Britain can be as big or small as anyone
likes, the critical point is that collectively we can all make a
positive difference one plant at a time.”
New Sea Eagle Management Scheme launched for 2015
- Scottish Natural Heritage A new scheme has been introduced this year to continue support for
livestock farmers and crofters experiencing impacts across the sea eagle
breeding range. The sea eagle management scheme will be managed by local stakeholder
groups set up across the sea eagle range and administered, on their
behalf, by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The stakeholder groups are represented on a national scheme panel
with members from SNH, National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS), RSPB
Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), Scottish Government Rural
Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) and Scottish Crofting
Federation (SCF). Initially, stakeholder groups have been set up in
Argyll & Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh, and Wester Ross. Other groups may be
established where the demand arises. The scheme will operate from 2015 to 2018 and will investigate all
issues involving sea eagle impacts on livestock. It will also trial
prevention measures where required and practical. Support is available
through experienced contractors, loan of equipment, and payments to land
managers who undertake prevention measures as part of their livestock
management. Ross Lilley, SNH sea eagle scheme manager, says: “We’d like to ask
all farmers and crofters who experience issues with sea eagles and
livestock to contact their local SNH office. The staff at the local SNH
office will arrange for someone to respond and investigate on behalf of
the local stakeholder group.”
Have you seen the Easter Bunny? - Mammal
Society Seriously – The Mammal Society appeals for sightings of rabbits and
hares Can you tell your Mad March Hare from your Easter Bunny? Now
Spring has arrived, The Mammal Society is appealing for the public to
let them know when they see a wild rabbit or hare. Dr Fiona Mathews, the new chair of The Mammal Society, says: “Mammals
can be rare, nocturnal, shy, and difficult to see. Rabbits and
hares, on the other hand, are easy to spot, particularly in spring when
vegetation is low. People tend to assume that because they see
them, these animals must be everywhere. In fact, some areas have
very low populations, particularly where there have been disease
outbreaks, whereas in other areas they can be significant agricultural
pests. There is some evidence that hares may not be as numerous as
they once were, so we need to find out whether they are suffering the
same declines as many other farmland species.” Rabbits and hares may be cute and fluffy, but they also have
important roles in the ecosystem, affecting other species ranging from
foxes to butterflies. The Mammal society is therefore appealing
for people across the country to let us know if they’ve seen wild
rabbits or hares, whether it be in a London park, a Norfolk field, or on
a Scottish mountain. Dr Mathews explains “The Mammal Society wants records of rare and
common mammals as we are producing the first National Mammal Atlas in
over 20 years. This will provide vital baseline data on mammal
distribution, which will support future conservation and research
projects." Record your sightings on the
National Mammal Atlas map here. For other sightings and surveys please see our surveys page.
Scientific Publications Persson, Jens, Rauset, Geir Rune & Chapron, Guillaume.
Paying for an Endangered Predator Leads to Population Recovery.
Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12171 Although this study is of the wolverine in
Sweden the results will be of interest to people following the
discussions over re-introduction of lynx to Britain. Urbanek, Rachael E., AU - Nielsen, Clayton K., AU -
Davenport, Mae A. & Woodson, Brad D.
Perceived and desired outcomes of suburban deer management methods.
The Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.871 Dantec, Cécile Françoise, Ducasse, Hugo, Capdevielle, Xavier,
Fabreguettes, Olivier, Delzon, Sylvain & Desprez-Loustau, Marie-Laure.
Escape of spring frost and disease through phenological variations in
oak populations along elevation gradients. Journal of Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12403
Deepa Senapathi, Luísa G. Carvalheiro, Jacobus C. Biesmeijer,
Cassie-Ann Dodson, Rebecca L. Evans, Megan McKerchar, R. Daniel Morton,
Ellen D. Moss, Stuart P. M. Roberts, William E. Kunin, Simon G. Potts.
The impact of over 80 years of land cover changes on bee and wasp
pollinator communities in England. Proc. R. Soc. B: 2015 282
20150294; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.0294.
Grodsky, S. M., Iglay, R. B., Sorenson, C. E. and Moorman, C. E.
(2015),
Should invertebrates receive greater inclusion in wildlife research
journals?. The Journal of Wildlife Management. doi: 10.1002/jwmg.875
Keith, David A. et al The
IUCN red list of ecosystems: Motivations, challenges and application.
Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12167 Piotr Tryjanowski, Federico Morelli,
Presence of Cuckoo reliably indicates high bird diversity: A case study
in a farmland area, Ecological Indicators, Volume 55, August 2015,
Pages 52-58, ISSN 1470-160X, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.03.012. Lídia Sanches Bertolo, Rozely Ferreira dos Santos, Pilar Martín de
Agar, Carlos Tomás Lópes de Pablo,
Land-use changes assessed by overlay or mosaic methods: Which method is
best for management planning?, Ecological Indicators, Volume 55,
August 2015, Pages 32-43, ISSN 1470-160X, DOI:
10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.03.004. O. Dondina, V. Orioli, D. Massimino, G. Pinoli, L. Bani, A method to evaluate the combined effect of tree species composition and woodland structure on indicator birds, Ecological Indicators, Volume 55, August 2015, Pages 44-51, ISSN 1470-160X, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.03.007.
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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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If
you have ever wanted to help save and protect the wildlife right on your
doorstep there has never been a better time as Cheshire Wildlife Trust
announces its ground-breaking new volunteer programme, Natural Futures.
Clayhidon
Turbary was once used by local people who grazed their cattle there and
who also cut peat from the site to use as fuel to heat their homes.
However, in recent years these uses have declined and the heathland has
begun to lose its special character with scrub and young woodland
colonising its once open areas. If this situation continued then the
area’s special character and wildlife would soon have been lost. 
The
British uplands are internationally important for their unique plant and
bird communities. Species such as meadow pipits (a common upland
songbird), field voles and red foxes live in a delicate balance that can
easily be disrupted by changes in farming practices. Although it is
known that livestock grazing has a significant impact on the variety of
plants and animals that are found in grassland areas, the relationship
is complicated, with different species affected in different ways.
Image:
Volunteers preparing a site at Benhill Road, Lambeth
A report published today
(31/3) by the NI Audit Office states that the
Department of the Environment (DoE) and the Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development (DARD) were slow to react to address the decline
of the unique horse mussel reefs in Strangford Lough.
Last
year the critically endangered High Brown Fritillary experienced its
best season since 2004 with numbers increasing by more than 180%
compared to 2013, the 
Pictured:
redwing, a red-list species spotting by farmers during the Game &
Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Big Farmland Bird Count. (Photo credit –
Peter Thompson). A total of 19 red list species of conservation concern
were also recorded with six appearing in the list of 25 most commonly
seen species list
