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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
World deforestation slows down as more forests are better managed
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO publishes key findings of global forest resources assessment
An
old-growth tree in the Nkula Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo. The world's forests continue to shrink as populations increase and
forest land is converted to agriculture and other uses, but over the
past 25 years the rate of net global deforestation has slowed down by
more than 50 percent, FAO said in a report published today (7/9/15). Some 129 million hectares of forest - an area almost equivalent in
size to South Africa - have been lost since 1990, according to FAO's
most comprehensive forest review to date, The Global Forest Resources
Assessment 2015. It noted however, that an increasing amount of forest areas have come
under protection while more countries are improving forest management.
This is often done through legislation and includes the measuring and
monitoring of forest resources and a greater involvement of local
communities in planning and in developing policies. Main findings
Download the report and references
(both PDF) Global
Forest Resources Assessment 2015 The FRA
desk reference (includes statistical tables)
Forestry Careers Portal goes live - inspiring a new generation
- Royal Forestry Society A unique on-line forestry careers portal, supported by a wide range
of organisations and hosted by the Royal Forestry Society (RFS), is
being launched in time for the new academic year. Developed in partnership with the Forestry Learning and Development
Group, the Portal is the first on-line resource of its kind. It will be
officially launched at the Confor Woodland Show at the Longleat Estate
on 11 September, and can be accessed via a careers portal tab on the RFS
home page at www.rfs.org.uk or at http://www.rfs.org.uk/forestry-career-portal/ RFS Education Manager Phil Tanner said: "The Forestry Sector is
growing and we need to inspire many more people to consider forestry and
woodland management as worthwhile careers. "Recent statistics suggest that 53% of forestry workers are over 40,
and only 11% are under 25, indicating that in the coming years we will
see a shortage of skilled and experienced foresters. This potential
shortage could become of greater concern if the Government’s proposals
to increase the number of UK woodlands and foresters under management
are met. "One of the acknowledged barriers to entry was the lack of
comprehensive information on the type of careers available to those
entering the sector, the range of qualifications and the colleges and
universities that provide them. As a group we have come together to
bring all that information under one single site."
RSPB calls for a Restoration Investment Fund for orphaned coal mines RSPB is calling for the UK Government to use tax revenues from coal
power stations to establish a Restoration Investment Fund to help
restore areas across the UK damaged by open cast coal mining and to
support sustainable jobs.
Image:
Andy Hay Tomorrow (Wednesday 9th September) MPs will debate in Westminster how
‘orphaned’ open cast coal mines across the UK can be restored, where
operators have failed to set aside the millions needed for clean-up
after operations have ceased. This has proved to be a huge challenge in
Scotland, where the collapse of the two largest open cast operators in
2013 exposed systemic failures to secure adequate restoration bonds,
resulting in a network of unrestored voids and a funding shortfall of
£200 million. Some mines are within areas protected for wildlife and
were consented under strict conditions that quality restoration would be
delivered. Issues have also come to light in Wales, as the Welsh
Government commissioned a review following the collapse in Scotland,
which found significant issues at a number of sites. RSPB is calling for a ‘Restoration Investment Fund’ to be set up
using existing revenues from coal power stations, to support restoration
at priority sites and to deliver sustainable benefits for the
environment, communities and local jobs.
Wet summer delays garden dragonflies - BTO Garden dragonflies were slow to emerge this year, according to
preliminary British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Garden BirdWatch
results. Reports of common garden dragonflies, such as Large Red
Damselfly, peaked much later this year than in previous years, possibly
due to the bad weather at the start of the summer. Will this poor summer
affect their numbers next year?
Common
Blue Damselfly by Dawn Balmer/BTO Many of our common garden dragonfly species emerge as adults in June
and July, spend a few weeks on the wing, lay their eggs and then die.
Our most common garden dragonfly is the Large Red Damselfly, which in
2013 was seen in 15% of Garden BirdWatch gardens at its peak in late
May. It is one of the earliest emerging dragonflies and usually peaks in
May, but this year it only reached a peak of 12% and not until early
June, a week later than witnessed in 2014. The Large Red Damselfly was not the only dragonfly to attain its peak
later than in previous years. The Common Blue Damselfly was seen at its
highest peak this year, in 10.4% of Garden BirdWatch gardens, but peaked
three weeks later than in 2014, in early July. This pattern was also
seen in Azure Damselfly, which is usually most common in June. It wasn’t all bad news, however. Some of our Hawker species, which
are rarer in gardens, followed patterns similar to previous years,
suggesting that it must have been adverse weather that affected the
early emerging species. Clare Simm, from the Garden BirdWatch team, commented, "It’s been a
poor summer for many species, not just dragonflies, as the bad weather
hit at a key time of year. As you can see, our volunteers do not just
focus on birds, but also provide us with vital information on other
wildlife groups too which help us understand how gardens are used by
different species."
£5 million to fund innovative projects for farmers and foresters
- defra New grants available to boost productivity in the farming industry. £5 million of funding is now available under the latest phase of
European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and
Sustainability (EIP-agri) grants. The grants can be used to boost productivity in the livestock,
arable, horticultural and forestry sectors and create ground-breaking
new technology – unlocking innovation in the farming industry. The grants worth between £5,000 and £150,000 will be available for
projects for up to three years to encourage new farming techniques, as
well as improve the sustainability of the farming and forestry sectors. Commenting on the scheme Farming Minister George Eustice said: For more information on the new scheme visit
here
Big Lottery Fund commits £20m further funding to revive public parks Today, the Big Lottery Fund announced it will invest a further
£20million in England’s public parks and cemeteries, £10million a year
until 2018.
The
Level, Brighton after its National Lottery-funded restoration Combined with HLF’s commitment of £20m per year under the
Parks for People programme in England, this takes the total budget
available to £30m per year for new projects. HLF will also continue to make an additional £4m available for
projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This news extends the agreement between the Big Lottery Fund and HLF,
which has seen a total of nearly £290m of National Lottery cash invested
in reviving over 126 historic green spaces since 2006. Parks for People provides grants of between £100,000 and £5million to
restore and rejuvenate historic parks and cemeteries. Organisations can
apply for funding for projects that repair heritage features, open new
facilities and run volunteering and activity programmes, involving the
community in the running of the park. Peter Ainsworth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Green spaces
are vital to the happiness and health of our communities, so we’re
really pleased to be continuing our support for the Parks for People
programme. In partnership with HLF we’ve invested almost £290m since
2006 in rejuvenating our parks to help make sure they can be enjoyed now
and for years to come.” The news comes a year after HLF pledged to continue investing in
public parks after its report
State of UK Public
Parks 2014: Renaissance to Risk revealed that they are at serious
risk of decline unless innovative new ways of funding and maintaining
them are found. An update on this report is set to be published next
summer. Sir Peter Luff, Chair of HLF, said: “Parks are rightly among the UK’s
most highly valued and well-used public spaces and inspire much local
pride. There is increasing demand on National Lottery players’ money but
I’m sure they will welcome the continuation of this productive
partnership with the Big Lottery Fund. Our 'Parks for People' programme
plays a major part in ensuring these precious green sanctuaries thrive.
I hope even more communities across the UK will come forward to bid for
a share of this funding.” Applications for the next round of Parks for People funding are now
open until 29 February 2016 and the first grants from this new
investment will be awarded in June 2016.
Cigarettes and alcohol ... and moths -
Butterfly Conservation Back gardens across the UK will be baited with tobacco and alcohol
over the next few nights as part of a cunning bid to lure in a massive
continental moth whose tongue is longer than its body. Moth-lovers are hoping to attract the palm-sized Convolvulus
Hawk-moth into their gardens with ornamental tobacco plants, planted en
masse earlier in the year.
Convolvulus
Hawk-moth by Keith Baldie With a 12cm wingspan, the Convolvulus is one of the largest moths
found in Europe, yet it is capable of pin-point precision flight as it
hovers to drink nectar from deep tubular tobacco plant flowers using its
amazingly long 7.5cm proboscis. As part of this year’s
Moth Night
celebrations organisers Atropos and Butterfly Conservation are asking
the public to look for the Convolvulus Hawk-moth and other migrant
species as sightings will help build a clearer picture of moth migration
into the UK. Around 40 species of immigrant moths have appeared in the UK for the
first time in the last 15 years with a small number becoming
established, such as the Black-spotted Chestnut. Other species
that were long considered occasional migrants have now also become
established UK residents in recent years such as the Tree-lichen Beauty,
Oak Rustic, Sombre Brocade, Blair’s Mocha, Flame Brocade and Clifden
Nonpareil. The apparent increase in migrant records could reveal
important information about the effects of climate change on UK moth
populations. Butterfly Conservation Head of Recording, Richard Fox said: “It has
already been an amazing year for moth immigration and such activity
usually peaks in early autumn. With migrants such as the massive
Convolvulus Hawk-moth mixing with beautiful home-grown autumnal species,
Moth Night is a great opportunity to discover the hidden wonders of our
nocturnal wildlife at a public event or even in your own back garden.” Moth Night 2015 runs from 10-12 September and will include moth
trapping events across the UK.
And for lots of other surveys for you to join have a look at the Surveys and Fieldwork pages
Campaigners warn of funding gap in tackling rural road noise
- CPRE CPRE uses new map and Government data to call for more investment and
better management for rural roads The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is calling for national
and local action to tackle a worrying surge in road noise and road
traffic in rural areas. New Government statistics show that traffic and hence noise is
growing fastest on minor rural roads, with a shocking 5.5% increase in
the past year alone. Increased use of satnavs is believed to be part of
the reason that traffic is spreading off major roads onto networks of
minor roads, eroding rural tranquillity deep into the countryside. Further Government data also published last month shows how far road
noise from busier roads intrudes into the countryside. CPRE has used the
data to produce an interactive map for authorities and the public. It
demonstrates how roads such as the A31, running through the South Downs
National Park and along the Surrey Hills AONB, disturb the tranquillity
of villages, protected landscapes and wider countryside. To combat noise in rural areas, CPRE is asking the Government to
divert some funding from Highways England, newly responsible for major
roads, to local authorities, so that low-noise surfaces can be laid on
locally run A roads as well as strategic national ones. Cuts to local
government budgets mean that rural councils are struggling to maintain
road surfaces. Last year the Government announced £350 million of funding to reduce
the environmental impacts of motorways and major A roads. This was
welcome, but it does not cover roads within local authority control. As
a recent Government study estimated the social costs of road noise in
urban areas alone to be £7-£10 billion per year, the importance of
mitigating the impact of road noise is clear. Ralph Smyth, transport campaign manager at the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE), comments: “Road noise is estimated to have a
similar cost to the economy as road crashes and congestion, yet we
barely spend anything to tackle it. This means England is years behind
our European neighbours. Besides the huge cost to the health of those
who live within earshot of heavy traffic, road noise reaches far into
our countryside, damaging tranquillity."
£1.2m National Lottery grant to protect UK’s red squirrels
- HLF and Wildlife Trusts A unique new project to secure the future of the native Nutkin in the
UK is set to receive £1.2million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The much-loved, endangered native red squirrel and its habitat will be protected and promoted through Red Squirrels United, a new four year programme bringing together eight partners from across the UK. Red Squirrel (image: HLF) Red Squirrels United will operate directly in England, Wales and
Northern Ireland and work with the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels
partnership on cross-border conservation action and skills-sharing to
achieve the development of a truly UK-scale red squirrel conservation
initiative for the first time. The project will deliver key
national conservation objectives with the aim of protecting red
squirrels through communication, education and conservation activities.
It is supported by Government nature conservation agencies and the 32
organisations within the UK squirrel accord group. Community-based rapid response teams will be created involving 1,250
volunteers who will be trained to conserve key red squirrel populations
threatened by their interaction with non-native grey squirrels. These
volunteers will be supported by partner organisation staff, building the
large networks of red squirrel champions essential for conservation
success. Partners will maintain grey squirrel-free habitat where it already
exists, for example on the island of Anglesey and in Kielder Forest in
northern England; extend current red squirrel protection zones in
mid-Wales and Merseyside and implement a new whole country approach in
Northern Ireland. All conservation work will be rigorously monitored
contributing to robust scientific research and evaluation to be
undertaken by academic partners. Through the Red Squirrels United project there will also be the
opportunity for wider engagement with communities across the UK through
workshops and events including mass participation squirrel monitoring.
The Red Squirrels United programme is led by The Wildlife Trusts in
partnership with Newcastle University, Forest Research, Lancashire
Wildlife Trust, Red Squirrels Trust Wales, Northumberland Wildlife
Trust, Ulster Wildlife and The Wildlife Trusts of South & West Wales.
A tern up for the books at the Point of Ayr -
RSPB
Little
tern at nest, stretching wings (image: Chris Gomersall, RSPB) Staff and volunteers were delighted to discover one pair successfully
nested on the reserve, while 136 pairs also nested this year at a nearby
large colony at Gronant, which has been managed for over 30 years by the
RSPB and for the last decade by Denbighshire County Council. A
five year pot of funding from the EU was awarded in 2013 in an attempt
to reverse the fortunes of the declining colonies of these delicate
birds in England and Wales. Geoff Robinson, Assistant Warden for the RSPB Dee Estuary nature
reserve, explained: “We were doing our routine checks on the reserve one
day in mid-May and noticed a lot of little tern activity above and
around the shingle ridge at Point of Ayr. Meanwhile, along the coast at
Gronant, there was concern that the established colony was not going to
plan. The next day we found around 30 pairs had started nesting on
the reserve, so quickly initiated a volunteer team to help protect the
site from other beach users, largely by talking to people and explaining
the exciting discovery. Now that they’ve had a successful breeding
attempt, we’re hopeful they will return next year, especially as the
Gronant colony grows and available nesting space there lessens. We’ll be
more prepared next year, get the electric fence up earlier and hopefully
we’ll see more than the one pair nest and successfully raise young at
Point of Ayr.”
World-class project helps combat climate change
- RSPB The RSPB and Crossrail have worked to create the right habitat for a
wide range of nesting species, including potentially spoonbill
Spoonbill
eating ten-spined stickleback, (Image: Kevin Du Rose, RSPB) The UK Government and the European Commission will officially open
Jubilee Marsh today (11/9/15), marking the completion of the first phase
of the RSPB’s Wallasea Island Wild Coast project - a world-class
initiative in Essex in which conservation and business sectors have
united to help wildlife and local communities adapt to continuing
climate change. With climate change predicted to have an increasingly severe impact
on wildlife and people, Defra Environment Minister, Rory Stewart, and
European Environment Commissioner, Karmenu Vella, will visit Wallasea
Island to see how a unique partnership between the RSPB and Crossrail is
creating a landscape helping to roll with the punches of climate change.
It is hoped this project will inspire similar initiatives between
business and conservation elsewhere in the UK and the European Union. Over three million tonnes of material excavated from London as part
of the Crossrail project was shipped to Wallasea to create Jubilee
Marsh, named in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, which was held
when work on the marsh began in 2012. A five-tonne, seven-metre tall
cutter arm from Tunnel Boring Machine Victoria, one of eight machines
that created 42km of new tunnels under the capital will be unveiled as a
permanent monument to this innovative partnership. The Wallasea Island Wild Coast Project will safeguard local wildlife
and communities from rising sea levels, including providing a habitat
for the arrival of species from further south in Europe, such as the
black-winged stilt, expected to colonise southern England as the climate
continues to change. Additionally, the Kentish plover, a wading bird
which became extinct as a nesting bird in the UK, could possibly return
with the conditions being created at Wallasea. This is a long-term
project and will require a further seven million tonnes of soil to
complete. The project is also moving forward the science of landscape
engineering by creating inter-tidal habitats on the largest scale seen
so far in Europe. Mike Clarke is the RSPB's Chief Executive. He said: “We need to care
for our coasts as they are vital for people and wildlife. Preparing our
low-lying coasts for rising sea levels is a major challenge for society.
The scale of this challenge requires bold and inventive solutions. This
partnership has proven that it’s possible to create the conditions for
developing a world-class economy alongside a world-class environment.
We hope that this way of working together will become a model for
similar initiatives to recreate threatened habitats and protect
threatened species elsewhere in the UK and across Europe.”
Scientific papers Hethcoat M. G. & Chalfoun, A. D. (2015)
Towards a mechanistic understanding of human-induced rapid environmental
change: a case study linking energy development, nest predation and
predators. Journal of Applied Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12513
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