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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
New Nature Fund grant helps restore National Park landscapes
- Brecon Beacons National Park Repairs to a damaged peat bog and a popular walking route began in
spectacular style earlier today (Monday 23rd February) with the airlift
of hundreds of tonnes of heather brash and crushed stone to the top of
Waun Fach – the highest hill in the Black Mountains. The airlift
kick starts the first phase of a unique collaboration between Brecon
Beacons National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales, the Glanusk
Estate and the Black Mountains Graziers Association to improve the
biodiversity on the Black Mountains made possible with £200,000 from the
Welsh Government’s Nature Fund.
Helicopter airlift moorland management
At 2660 feet above sea level, Waun Fach is an area where there is no
vehicle access and is viewed as one of the most remote landscapes in the
National Park. Over time, cumulative impact from walkers, as well
as other factors, has contributed to the erosion of the walking route,
with regular damage to the surrounding areas of peat bog. A
specialist team made up of local contractors, National Park Authority
wardens, graziers and volunteers will work in sub-zero temperatures to
carefully create a footpath with a stable walking surface, which will
lessen the impact of trampling in the unique SSSI (Site of Special
Scientific Interest) and carefully preserve the peat bog. The
eroding and exposed areas of peat will be blanketed in heather brash and
the gullies will be blocked to stop further erosive damage. The
aggregate has been specially selected on advice from Natural Resources
Wales because of its durability and compatibility with the existing
stone. Harry Legge-Bourke, landowner of Waun Fach said of the newly funded
project: “We were delighted to learn that the Welsh Government had
approved the grants to fund this unique and collaborative project
between all stakeholders of the Black Mountains which looks at slowing
the decline in the state of nature in this area. For the
first time the graziers and landowners are taking the lead to drive
forward biodiversity restoration on Waun Fach which makes this project
even more unique. ” Brecon Beacons National Park Authority Conservation Manager, Paul
Sinnadurai said: “We’re delighted at last to have the funds to make
these vital upgrades to such a unique and important habitat in the
National Park. The important work on Waun Fach ensures that
there’s an all-weather path requiring little maintenance in future
years, which will in turn serve to protect the fragile peat bog and its
inhabitants, which include European Scheduled ground-nesting birds.” Waun Fach is not the only popular walking route to have received
improvements via helicopter delivery, with the Offa’s Dyke path on Hay
Bluff receiving ongoing work which included several hundred tonnes of
crushed stone and heather brash in the middle of January to repair the
erosion problems surrounding the paths. Offa’s Dyke Path is a National
Trail and this work was funded by the Rights of Way Improvement Plan
funds provided to the National Park Authority by the Welsh Government,
Natural Resources Wales and Natural England. The work on Waun Fach is part of a much larger initiative to improve
the condition of the uplands in the Black Mountains. There are
number of project partners who will be pivotal in ensuring the success
of the programme.
Illegal pesticide removal - Scottish
Government A scheme to get rid of illegal pesticides which could be used to poison wildlife, has been launched today (23/2/15). The scheme will allow those who know, or suspect they are in possession of certain pesticides which are illegal, to dispose of them safely and confidentially. Only selected substances will be accepted through the scheme. These
include Carbofuran, the most commonly used poison in bird of prey
persecution, and other illegal pesticides such as Mevinphos and
Strychnine.
Shock as seven safes found among dumped items
- Canal and River Trust We've been left with a £10,000 clean-up bill after discovering seven
looted safes amongst debris at the bottom of a 200-year-old lock near
Leicester city centre. Our engineers were stunned to discover the safes along with a car
engine, beer barrels, a small sunken boat and other debris when they
drained North Lock on the River Soar for routine maintenance. The
rubbish was revealed after the water was emptied in order to make
important repairs to the lock gates and to inspect the 200-year-old
brickwork.
The
discovery of so much debris is a complete contrast to the renaissance of
the city’s waterways where the cleaner water has recently attracted
otters back to the city for the first time in 30 years and where
kingfishers and other wildlife have become commonplace. We are now
sending a team in to clear the lock with a long-range excavator to
remove the rubbish before the important maintenance works can get
underway. Leicestershire Police are also set to visit the lock to
examine the safes. North Lock, River Soar Darren Green, waterway manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: “Leicester’s waterways are great family places, and in recent years the cleaner water has enabled newts, kingfishers and even otters to thrive in the city. That’s why discoveries like this, albeit rare, are so shocking. To find this amount of rubbish in just one lock is pretty outrageous – whoever dumped the safes could at least have left some money in one to help us cover the costs!"
A creature once thought extinct in Britain has been living in deep cover
in Welsh Woods - Buglife The Blue ground beetle, Carabus intricatus, a creature so rare that
it was thought to be extinct in the UK until one was discovered in
Dartmoor in 1994, has been found in Coed Maesmelin, in Skewen near
Neath, a wood in the care of the Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw).
The
Blue ground beetle is an impressive beast, a large beetle with a
metallic purple blue sheen. It is the UK’s largest ground beetle and can
grow to 28mm, nearly one and a half inches. It favours moist
ancient woodlands of oak or beech, where it feasts on a diet of slugs.
Besides Coed Maesmelin, it is known to live only in a handful of sites
in the UK, all in Devon and Cornwall. Blue ground beetle (Carabus intricatus) (c)
John Walters The search for this rare and elusive insect was triggered in April
2012, when Lee Beynon, a Skewen resident contacted the charity Buglife,
saying he thought he had found the rare Blue ground beetle in his
garage! Discussions ensued, and following some initial surveys by
Buglife in nearby Coed Maesmelin, Natural Resources Wales agreed to fund
a search for the creature. In January this year a population of the
Blue ground beetle was confirmed in this wood by entomologists John
Walters and Dave Boyce. It appears that the beetle found in the garage
had been washed down the hill by torrential rains, and, bizarrely Lee
Beynon has found another 6 in his garage and garden since the initial
one. Andrew Whitehouse Buglife’s Wales Manager says: “The blue ground
beetle is an incredible looking insect! Finding a population at Coed
Maesmelin is a significant addition to Wales’ wildlife riches. It is
amazing that this beetle has been living here for such a long time
without being discovered. There are a few pieces of ancient woodland in
the Skewen area, but Coed Maesmelin is one of handful that have not been
replanted with non-native trees. If this had happened, the local
population could have been lost, as this creature needs a continuity of
habitat, ancient trees with thick moss growth.”
One Tree Per Child initiative launches in Bristol – Bristol 2015:
European Green Capital Bristol has been chosen as the first city in the world to rollout the
launch of a new international initiative called One Tree Per Child.
Photo: Chris Bahn Co-founded by Olivia Newton-John, One Tree Per Child was launching in
Bristol on Monday 23 February in partnership with Bristol City Council. The project aims to have every one of the 36,000 children in
Bristol’s primary schools planting at least one tree each. It will also include expansive education and engagement of young
people in trees and the natural world, including work to understand more
about local endangered tree species and conservation projects. Children from three different schools from across the city will be
joined by CBBC TV presenter Naomi Wilkinson and Mayor George Ferguson at
the launch in Avonmouth. Bristol City Council’s Tree Pips schools project will be absorbed
into the new wider ranging One Tree Per Child initiative. George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, said: “When I stood to be Mayor in
2012, I proposed that every Bristol primary school child should be given
a tree to plant – that is 36,000 trees across 130 schools. We are now
taking this concept to another level as the launch city for the global
One Tree Per Child initiative. As a child’s tree grows, their commitment
to the environment and their local community grows as well.”
Property industry must take “leading role” to protect and enhance
natural environment, UK-GBC urges – UK Green Building Council
Image:
UK Green Building Council The UK Green Building Council has urged the property industry to
play a leading role in protecting and enhancing natural features and
biodiversity in the UK’s towns and cities. The call comes as a UK-GBC Task Group today published a new report
presenting the business case for “green infrastructure”, the term used
to describe natural and semi-natural features ranging from street trees
and roof gardens, to parks and woodlands. The report, Demystifying Green Infrastructure, finds that introducing
green infrastructure into the built environment offers a number of
business opportunities - including a potential increase in the value of
land and property – in addition to social and environmental benefits. Aimed primarily at property developers and clients, the report also
identifies business risks from failing to incorporate adequate green
infrastructure into building projects – such as delays in planning,
increased costs and reputational damage. John Alker, Director of Policy and Communications, and Acting CEO of
the UK Green Building Council, said: “The property industry must step up
and take a leading role in protecting cherished natural environments and
reversing the loss in biodiversity that we have seen nationally. “We have to shed the image of green infrastructure as a fluffy
optional extra, an additional cost or an unnecessary burden. There are a
growing number of clients and developers demonstrating that green
infrastructure is absolutely central to quality place-making, and that
there is a clear business case for it. This has to become the norm.” The report, sponsored by Aggregate Industries, Canary Wharf Group and
Skanska, sets out a number of tools that can be used to measure the
value of green infrastructure – whether economic, social or
environmental. Reaction
Trust urges decision-makers to place more value on green infrastructure
– Scottish Wildlife Trust The Trust is urging decision-makers to place more value on green
infrastructure following a new report published by the UK Green Building
Council. The ‘Demystifying Green Infrastructure’ report outlines the multiple
benefits that green infrastructure can have for people, wildlife and the
economy such as increased health, better biodiversity and higher house
prices. A simple example of this would be the benefits derived from a
neighbourhood park. It can be used by residents for fitness and
well-being, but also provides habitat for wildlife and is an attractive
feature for future buyers. The Trust’s Cumbernauld Living Landscape and Edinburgh Living
Landscape projects are working with planners, developers and
decision-makers so green infrastructure is not a forgotten part of the
process. By planning for nature at a strategic level not only will
Scotland’s wildlife benefit but so will people. Head of Policy and Planning for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Dr
Maggie Keegan, said: “The Trust’s 50 years experience has taught us that
nature-rich, high-quality places – in the urban core or in the suburbs –
help create attractive, vibrant, liveable neighbourhoods, attract
investment and foster community pride. The Scottish Wildlife Trust would
urge decision-makers to pay close attention to this report and start
placing more value on the importance of green infrastructure. The
Cumbernauld and Edinburgh Living Landscape projects are making inroads
with decision-makers but this issue needs more attention if we are to
build the best Scotland for people, wildlife and business.”
Cheers for New Forest National Park's tenth birthday but action urgently
needed on Lakes-Dales National Park extension and a halt to budgetary
cuts - Campaign for National Parks The Campaign for National Parks welcomed the celebrations around the
tenth anniversary of the creation of the New Forest National Park but
criticised the Government for its inaction over the Lake
District-Yorkshire Dales extension and the huge budget cuts facing Park
authorities.
World’s protected natural areas receive eight billion visits a year
- University of Cambridge Researchers say that the first study to attempt to gauge global
visitation figures for protected areas reveals nature-based tourism has
an economic value of hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and call
for much greater investment in the conservation of protected areas in
line with the values they sustain – both economically and ecologically. The world’s national parks and nature reserves receive around eight
billion visits every year, according to the first study into the global
scale of nature-based tourism in protected areas. The paper, by
researchers in Cambridge, UK, Princeton, New Jersey, and Washington, DC,
published in the open access journal PLOS Biology, is the first
global-scale attempt to answer the question of how many visits protected
areas receive, and what they might be worth in terms of tourist dollars. The authors of the study say that this number of visits could
generate as much as US$600 billion of tourism expenditure annually - a
huge economic benefit which vastly exceeds the less than US$10 billion
spent safeguarding these sites each year. Scientists and
conservation experts describe current global expenditure on protected
areas as “grossly insufficient”, and have called for greatly increased
investment in the maintenance and expansion of protected areas – a move
which this study shows would yield substantial economic return – as well
as saving incalculably precious natural landscapes and species from
destruction. “It’s fantastic that people visit protected areas so often, and are
getting so much from experiencing wild nature – it’s clearly important
to people and we should celebrate that,” said lead author Professor
Andrew Balmford, from Cambridge University’s Department of Zoology. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area near San Francisco had the
highest recorded visit rate in the database with an annual average of
13.7m visits, closely followed by the UK’s Lake District and Peak
District National Parks, with 10.5m and 10.1m. By contrast, Tanzania’s
Serengeti National Park got an annual average during the study period of
148,000 visits. Team member Dr Jonathan Green, based in Cambridge, points out that it
is far from just exotic places and large national parks that contribute
to the visitation value of protected areas. “For many people, it’s the
nature reserve on their doorstep where they walk the dog every Sunday”.
Fowlmere nature reserve, a few miles south of Cambridge University,
receives an average of almost 23,000 visits a year. Read the paper. Balmford A, Green JMH,
Anderson M, Beresford J, Huang C, et al. (2015)
Walk on the Wild Side: Estimating the Global Magnitude of Visits to
Protected Areas. PLoS Biol 13(2): e1002074.
doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002074
RSPB secures Peak District wildlife for future generations The RSPB has signed a deal with water company United Utilities that
will help secure the long-term future for nature in the Peak District
National Park.
The nature conservation organisation has taken over the tenancy of
840ha of Dove Stone (the equivalent of more than 1,200 football
pitches), owned by United Utilities. This tenancy gives the RSPB the
agricultural rights to the land for the next 25 years, which will enable
it to deliver an extensive and ongoing programme of habitat restoration.
Since 2010, the RSPB has been working in partnership with United
Utilities and their farming tenants across 4,000 ha at Dove Stone to
restore water quality and help wildlife. The RSPB already had extensive
management rights to around 1,100 ha of this area. This new agreement
means that the RSPB now has fuller rights across around 2,000ha, helping
it to further the aims of partnership. Dave O’Hara, RSPB Site Manager at Dove Stone, said: “This new tenancy
represents another major milestone in our pioneering partnership with
United Utilities. By gaining the rights to manage a large area of Dove
Stone we will be able to further our aims of delivering habitat
restoration on a landscape-scale. In doing so, we hope to continue to
make big gains for nature, for water quality and for carbon
stewardship.” Ed Lawrance, United Utilities Wildlife Warden, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with the RSPB at Dove Stone. It is good news not just for water and wildlife but also the thousands of visitors that enjoy the reservoir and its surroundings every year. Working together, our two organisations recognise that managing land sustainably and in partnership can deliver lasting benefits.”
World-leading auctions to provide major green electricity boost -
DECC World-leading competitive auctions have led to contracts being
offered to 27 renewable electricity projects, which together could power
1.4m homes, comparable to the number of households in Wales. The green energy auction has driven down prices, by as much as 58%
for one technology. The projects will lead to the UK emitting 4m fewer
tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere each year. That’s the equivalent CO2
savings of taking up to 2 million cars off the UK’s roads. The auctions have successfully led to over £315m of new contracts
being offered to five renewable technologies, some more established like
onshore wind and solar, and also less established technologies such as
offshore wind, which is seeing its costs fall as the industry grows. The
contracts being offered include two offshore wind farms, which could
deliver over 1.1GW of new capacity, 15 onshore wind projects and 5 solar
projects. In total, over 2GW of new capacity could be built, costing
£110m per year less than it would have without competition. Energy & Climate Change Secretary, Ed Davey said: “This world leading
auction has delivered contracts for renewables projects right across the
UK. “These projects could power 1.4 million homes, create thousands of
green jobs and give a massive boost to home-grown energy while reducing
our reliance on volatile foreign markets. The auction has driven down
prices and secured the best possible deal for this new clean, green
energy.” Only the most price competitive projects received contract offers –
helping to drive down the cost of renewables support. As a result,
consumers are getting more for their money, with around 550MW more
capacity than could have been funded without competition. All
technologies apart from energy from waste cleared significantly below
the maximum prices per megawatt hour (MWh), known as strike prices,
showing competition has delivered better value for consumers. The
clearing price for solar came in at up to 58% lower than the price would
have been without competition, offshore wind at up to 18% lower and
onshore wind at up to 17%. Reactions: Solar gets little in
Government’s new auction system – Solar Trade Association
Cairngorms National Park Local Development Plan go-head from Scottish
Ministers - Cairngorms National Park Authority The Scottish Government has given the go-ahead for the Cairngorms
National Park Authority to adopt the Local Development Plan (LDP), which
the organisation submitted to Ministers in December last year for their
consideration. The LDP is the first ever development plan for the whole of the Park,
with the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park extended to include
Highland Perthshire in October 2010. The current Local Plan used by
planners over the last five years was adopted before the boundary change
so now officials will be able to work to a single development plan for
the entire area, simplifying the process, bringing continuity across the
Park and ensuring that the right development happens in the right place. Scottish Government Ministers have instructed the CNPA to proceed to
adopt the Local Development Plan for the Park making one change to a
site boundary in the village of Carr-Bridge.
Endangered crayfish found in Yorkshire canal A stronghold of more than 150 endangered white-clawed crayfish has
been discovered in the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, during a vital repair
project on the waterway near Gargrave in North Yorkshire.
White
clawed crayfish on a rock
After draining a 50-metre section of water for lock repairs, our
staff have found, rescued and relocated this rare protected species,
which has seen its population plummet in recent years because of the
increasing threat from invasive signal crayfish. Following a virulent outbreak of the Aphanomyes Astaci plague in the
1970s white-clawed crayfish, the UK’s only native crayfish species, has
been on a steady decline. The plague, started by the invasive signal
crayfish species from North America, has spread across the UK’s
waterways and is widely expected to wipe out large populations. Now on the endangered list, other predators include the red swamp,
noble and narrow-clawed (or Turkish) crayfish. These larger, ‘meatier’
species were originally introduced to stock crayfish farms, but their
escape and spread has been quick and has caused huge damage to native
populations. Phillippa Baron, ecologist for the Canal & River Trust, who discovered the colony said: “This was a really important discovery for us as we’ve done a couple of crayfish investigations and found very few. They have been depleting in numbers over the last 30 years since the American signal crayfish were brought to England as fashionable seafood. “The hidden underwater crevices which our dry stone walls provide are ideal habitats for them. It’s therefore crucial we do what we can to protect their populations and the most direct way we can help is to ensure their survival during and after our repair works and relocate them to safe sites. “Sadly, at the moment there is no known way to eradicate the non-native crayfish which have become very dominant because of their predatory instincts and the plague they’ve spread.”
Water capital grant scheme open for applications from 2 March 2015
- Natural England £10 million available to farmers and land managers for water quality
improvement works. Farmers and land managers in England will soon be able to apply to
Natural England for a water capital grant of up to £10,000 to help them
carry out works that will improve water management and quality on their
land. Providing a total of £10 million worth of funding to the farm
industry, these government grants will fund new projects that reduce the
impact agriculture can have on our water quality.
A
farmland stream in Cornwall with watercourse fencing © Kate
Allingham/Natural England Applications to the water capital grants fund can be submitted from 2
March 2015 and must be received by Natural England on or before 30 April
2015. The water capital grants, along with the
woodland capital grants announced earlier this month, make up the
first phase of the government’s new
Countryside Stewardship scheme. Set to be rolled out in full later
in the summer, Countryside Stewardship will commit around £900 million
to benefitting the environment over the next 6 years. This will help
farmers and land managers develop environmentally friendly techniques
and adopt initiatives such as restoring hedges, planting woodland,
enhancing wildlife habitats and improving water quality. Natural England’s Chairman, Andrew Sells, said: "I am delighted that water capital grants will be available to land managers in many parts of England in 2015. This is good news for the natural environment and an excellent opportunity to support the work of food producers in improving water quality. This in turn benefits wildlife, secures drinking water supplies, and improves coastal bathing waters."
And let's end the week with a success story:
Celebrating 30-year partnership to save stone-curlews in the Brecks
- RSPB Today (Friday 27/2), farmers, landowners, gamekeepers and
conservationists will celebrate 30 years of joint conservation work for
stone-curlews in the Brecks, which has turned around the fortunes of
this rare and iconic farmland species. Thirty years ago, ground-nesting stone-curlews were close to UK
extinction. After the loss of the majority of their preferred grassland
breeding habitats, many of the remaining stone-curlews started nesting
on young crops in arable farmland, where further nests and chicks were
lost to mechanised farming operations. By the late 1980s, UK’s
population of stone-curlews had fallen by 85 per cent to a historic low
of around 160 pairs, with nearly 100 of those in the Brecks. Since
1985, farmers, landowners, gamekeepers and conservationists have worked
together to reverse the decline of the stone curlew in the Brecks. Fewer
nests have been accidentally destroyed, allowing more chicks to fledge.
Now, 30 years on, this pioneering landscape-scale conservation
partnership has succeeded in nearly trebling the number of pairs of
stone-curlews breeding in the area, with nearly 250 pairs recording
breeding in the Brecks in 2012- around 70 per cent of them in arable
farmland.
Andrew Holland, RSPB Brecks Farmland Advisor and the organiser of
Friday’s event said: “This is our chance to acknowledge the amazing work
and dedication of all the people who have worked tirelessly to improve
our countryside for wildlife, and to share this achievement with others
in the Brecks and beyond. Long-term farmland conservation initiatives
like this one show that farmers and landowners value and recognise
themselves as custodians of wildlife and are keen to play and active
role in conservation." Environment Secretary Liz Truss MP, whose constituency includes a large part of the stone curlew’s range in the Brecks, will be attending Friday’s event as the guest of one of her farming constituents. Speaking in advance of the event Ms Truss said: “It is great to see the farming community working with the RSPB to support wildlife. Over the past four years I have worked closely with a number of farmers and landowners in South West Norfolk in ensuring a common sense approach is adopted in relation to wildlife on a working farm. It is therefore very positive news that the stone curlew population is growing.”
Scientific Publication Ramsey, D. S. L., Caley, P. A. and Robley, A. (2015),
Estimating population density from presence–absence data using a
spatially explicit model. The Journal of Wildlife Management.
doi: 10.1002/jwmg.851
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