|
|
|
||||||
|
Headlines from week beginning 22 February 2016 |
|
A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Wales continues to lead the way in UK on revealing the immense benefits
of urban trees - Natural Resources Wales Results of new surveys on tree cover across two urban areas in south
Wales have been published. The surveys were carried out by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and
Forest Research last year, in partnership with Bridgend County Borough
Council, and in the Tawe catchment with local authority partners -
Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Powys and Dŵr Cymru. Using i-Tree Eco, an innovative US assessment tool that uniquely
quantifies the important benefits trees provide, this is the first time
Bridgend and Tawe’s urban trees have been assessed to understand the
range of tree species, their condition and location. Dafydd Fryer from Natural Resources Wales said: “Most of us would
agree that living, working and playing in areas surrounded by trees
create attractive places that help to improve health and well-being.
However, how many of us appreciate their role in removing air pollution,
reducing flood risk and storing and capturing carbon from the
atmosphere? What the i-Tree Eco studies show us is the huge contribution
trees, especially the long-lived trees to the many critical challenges
facing our towns and cities. Crucially it demonstrates that, by
fully integrating trees into future planning and road projects, they
offer cost-effective solutions. With the studies identifying 25% of land
available to be planted with trees, there is a clear opportunity to
invest for the future.” The annual ecosystem services provided by the Tawe catchment’s
530,000 urban trees are valued at £1,720,000 with the 440,000 trees in
Bridgend County Borough worth £950,000. The studies also calculated how
much it would cost to replace all trees, totalling £816 and £686
million. The findings are now available to view on the Forest Research
website;
Circular economy policies should target cuts in resource use
- Scottish Environment LINK Environmental organisations in Scotland have welcomed growing
interest in creating a more circular economy, but warn that government
should set resource use targets if it is to secure environmental
benefits. In advance of the Scottish Government releasing its forthcoming
strategy on the circular economy late in February, Scottish Environment
LINK commissioned a report to look at the strengths and weaknesses of
the concept from the point of view of environmental NGOs. LINK thinks
that the aspiration to create a more circular economy has enormous
potential but only if its adoption drives genuine changes in the ways in
which enterprises and government work. Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, speaking on
behalf of LINK’s Economics Group says: “The Circular Economy concept has
great potential to reduce waste, save citizens and businesses cash,
create jobs and reduce climate change emissions. It’s a great idea but
it needs to be done right. We’ll be looking for the Scottish Government
to produce a strategy which measures the fundamentals of our current
over-use of materials, and demonstrates how its policies will make a
real difference. Scotland has a chance to be a leader in tackling
resource use in Europe if the Government produces a strong strategy next
week.” Download the Scottish Environment LINK report
‘The
Circular Economy: Implications for the Environment Movement’
(PDF)
Europe’s grasslands, woodlands, and marine areas face increased threats
- European Environment Agency Europe’s ecosystems face increasing pressure to stay healthy amid
rising pollution, overexploitation, urban sprawl and the effects of
climate change. These are the findings of a European Environment Agency
(EEA) report published today (22/2/16) which takes stock of the
condition of Europe’s ecosystems. The EEA report ‘Mapping and assessing the condition of Europe’s
ecosystems: progress and challenges’ gives a snapshot of current
ecosystem health in Europe. It identifies key gaps in data which are
essential to properly assess the health of Europe’s many ecosystems. The
report concludes improved mapping and assessments are needed in order to
understand the problems faced by Europe’s ecosystems and to restore
these key life-sustaining systems to better health. This understanding
is vital for policymakers to come up with suitable responses. The well-being of our societies is heavily dependent on our thriving
ecosystems, which provide the basic building blocks of our day-to-day
survival, including fertile soil, fresh water, pollination, natural
flood protection and climate regulation. This ‘natural capital’ is being
degraded or lost as a result of human activity. The report looks at eight broad ecosystem types in Europe: urban,
cropland, grassland, heathland and shrub, woodland and forest, wetlands,
freshwater, and marine. It assesses the pressures and challenges each of
the different types face as well as the impacts on habitats and species. Access the EEA report ‘Mapping
and assessing the condition of Europe’s ecosystems: progress and
challenges’
Rethinking how parks are funded - Nesta ‘Learning to Rethink Parks’ presents the lessons from Rethinking
Parks, an 18 month programme designed to find and test ways for
Britain’s parks to source new sustainable funding in the future. Eleven UK parks received a share of £1m in grant funding and
specialist support to explore new ways of raising income or reducing
costs. Models tested included greater use of herbaceous and wild meadow
planting, public donations, mobilising volunteers and friends groups to
help with maintenance and even the creation of a pop-up meeting space. While there is no one ‘silver bullet’ for replacing local authority
funding, some promising new models emerged during the programme:
Last week, we announced our latest initiative which will focus on
engaging with young people, with the aim to encourage them to reduce
litter and waste and help them to get them involved in improving their
local parks and green spaces. The work is being funded thanks to a £500,000 donation from
supermarket chain Lidl, which is giving some of the process of the
single-use bag charge. This exciting initiative was launched at a celebration event held at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Nature photographer and TV presenter, Chris Packham, attended the event and unveiled a series of specially commissioned images he took which shows the impact of litter on wildlife and the natural environment.
Safeguarding the future of Scotland's best loved trees – Forestry
Commission Scotland In the face of climate change threats and increasing risk of attack
from pests and diseases, Forestry Commission Scotland has taken steps to
help safeguard the future of Scotland’s best loved and most vulnerable
trees.
FCS is one of a new consortium of 15 Scottish organisations that is
working with Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank as part of the UK National Tree
Seed Project. Other participants include Scottish Wildlife Trust, Trees
for Life, and the Woodland Trust. The project aims to create the first UK national tree seed bank which
would provide a vital resource for researchers working to develop more
resilient woodlands across the UK. As well as providing an insurance
policy against extinction, the project will also raise the capacity for
collection and supply of seed of native species for planting across
Scotland.
Revitalising natural landscapes can reduce flood risk – Environment
Agency The Chief Executive of the Environment Agency says revitalising
natural landscapes can reduce flood risk
Sir James Bevan visited the uplands in the Peak District National
Park on Friday to see firsthand how the Environment Agency’s investment
is supporting the Moors for the Future Partnership in reversing the
effects of hundreds of years of industrial pollution and helping to
reduce flood risk. The partnership is leading a series of visits for Environment Agency
staff to moorlands in Derbyshire, near to Sheffield, where conservation
work has transformed the peat landscape that had been damaged by more
than 150 years of pollution from coal-fired factories on either side of
the Pennines, and devastating wildfires. The work also ‘slows the flow’ of water running down from moorland
into the River Derwent, which in turn reduces the flood risk and
improves water quality for communities in Derbyshire and the Trent
Valley. In the past 12 years the partnership has brought over 5 square
kilometres of bare and eroding peat moorland back to life, covering the
ground with a protective layer of heather cuttings and temporary grasses
while native species are re-introduced. This has prevented thousands of
tonnes of carbon from being washed away into water courses and
reservoirs where it has to be removed before the water is used for
domestic supply. Healthy peat bogs are naturally wet but bare peat is vulnerable to
drying out. In the past 12 years the partnership has built more than
10,000 dams to help hold water on the moors and trap peat sediment. It
has also reintroduced sphagnum moss to 10 square kilometres of moorland.
This moss was virtually wiped out by pollution dating back to the
industrial revolution and is essential for the formation of new peat.
Longer-distance migratory birds may be smarter – University of
Oxford Birds that migrate the greatest distances have more new neurons in
the regions of the brain responsible for navigation and spatial
orientation, suggests a new paper published in Scientific Reports. For some time scholars have widely accepted the view that neurons,
the cells that specialise in processing and transmitting information and
contribute to brain plasticity, continue to be generated in the brains
of animals even when they are adults. After being created in one part of
the brain, the neurons then migrate to those regions of the brain that
need them most. The international research team, which included scientists from the
University of Oxford, focused on the role played by neurons in two
species, turtle doves and reed warblers, making their way from Africa to
the Middle East or Europe. In both species, the researchers found that
the proportion of new neurons increased in line with the migration
distance. Interestingly, however, there was a distinct difference
between the two species in the areas of the brain that incorporated the
new neurons. In reed warblers, birds that migrate as individuals at
night, new neurons were found mainly in the hippocampus – a region
associated with navigation. In turtle doves, a species that migrates as
a group, the new neurons were found mainly in the nidopallium
caudolateral, an area associated with communication skills. Access the paper here: Barkan, S.,
Roll, U., Yom-Tov, Y., Wassenaar, L.I. & Barnea, A. (2016)
Possible linkage
between neuronal recruitment and flight distance in migratory birds.
Scientific Reports. 6 doi:10.1038/srep21983
Tackling wildlife crime - Scottish Government Tough new penalties for wildlife offences. Environment Minister Aileen McLeod has accepted recommendations from
the wildlife crime penalties review group to introduce tough new maximum
penalties for those who commit crimes against wildlife. Subject to the necessary legislative steps this could mean fines of
up to £40,000 and 12 months imprisonment for certain offences. The Scottish Government will take forward a number of other
recommendations including:
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Dr McLeod
said: The announcement was widely welcomed.
Reactions:
Wildlife licensing: comment on new policies for European protected species licences - Natural England Open consultation Natural England is seeking views on whether 4 new policies could be
permitted under licence to benefit European protected species whilst
improving flexibility for development. Consultation closes 7 April 2016
Access the consultation and associated documents.
Rare butterfly gets new railway home -
Network Rail A team of Network Rail’s orange army have volunteered their time to
help create a new habitat for one of the UK’s rarest butterfly at a new
site next to a Buckinghamshire railway line to ensure their survival.
On Thursday 25 February 2016 24 volunteers from the EWR Alliance
joined the Upper Thames Branch of wildlife charity Butterfly
Conservation (BC) to create new habitat for the Duke of Burgundy colony
on a patch of land adjacent to the London to Birmingham line. The
colony – one of just three found in the county – currently sits on
private land near Princes Risborough, just north of High Wycombe, but
the site has recently gone up for sale. BC hopes that creating new
habitat nearby will encourage the butterflies to expand their range, so
whatever happens to their current site, they face a more secure future. Lucie Anderton, environment manager for Network Rail said: “It’s
great to help support Butterfly Conservation. The habitat site is
by the railway line which we will be upgrading as part of East West Rail
and confirms our commitment to engage with local conservation groups to
help preserve and protect the environment.” Upper Thames Branch Chairman, Nick Bowles said: “The status of this
butterfly has been improving in other parts of the UK, but it has been
completely lost from Oxfordshire and is in danger of disappearing from
Buckinghamshire too. We are thrilled that Network Rail not only allowed
us to work on this site, a former breeding ground for the butterfly, but
also that so many of their staff volunteered to help. This is all part
of our efforts to strengthen the Duke's population and increase the
number of colonies in Buckinghamshire.”
Scotland Recognised For World Leading Commitment
- Keep Scotland Beautiful The prestigious international Foundation for Environmental Education
(FEE) has recognised both the Scottish Government and Keep Scotland
Beautiful for their contribution to sustainable development education. The Scottish Government supports the delivery, in Scotland, of the
largest sustainable schools programme in the world - which currently
reaches more than 800,000 pupils - and encourages all of Scotland’s
educational establishments to embrace Learning for Sustainability.
The award recognises continued commitment to providing all school
children with sustainable development education through the Eco-Schools
Scotland programme - supporting the Government’s commitment to
delivering a low carbon economy. Minister for Learning, Science & Scotland's Languages, Dr Allan MSP,
commented: “This award cements Scotland’s position as a leading player
in the international Eco-Schools movement. The initiative is very
successful Scotland-wide in encouraging pupil-led action for the
environment across a range of issues, including water and energy use,
sustainability and waste minimisation. The Scottish Government is
working with Keep Scotland Beautiful to encourage schools in Scotland to
maintain their commitment to the initiative and keep improving and
innovating their approach to Eco-schools. Programmes, such as
Eco-Schools, play a vital role in helping Scotland to realise its
ambitions and move towards a low carbon, zero waste future. By providing
opportunities for learners to engage with their own environment, the
initiative equips our children and young people with the skills, values
and attributes for life and work in a sustainable and fair Scotland and
contributes to our aims for excellence and equity in education.”
Commission launches Action Plan to crack down on wildlife trafficking
- European Commission Today (26/2/16) the European Commission adopted an EU Action Plan to
tackle wildlife trafficking within the EU and to strengthen the EU's
role in the global fight against these illegal activities. The Action
Plan is an ambitious blueprint that mobilises all EU diplomatic, trade
and development cooperation tools to crack down on what has become one
of the most profitable criminal activities worldwide. Recent years have seen a dramatic surge in wildlife trafficking. An
estimated 8 to 20 billion euro pass annually through the hands of
organised criminal groups, ranking alongside the trafficking of drugs,
people and arms. It not only threatens the survival of some emblematic
species, it also breeds corruption, claims human victims, and deprives
poorer communities of much-need The Action Plan comprises 32 measures to be carried out between now
and 2020 by the EU and its 28 Member States. It focuses on three
priorities:
More information European Commission
MEMO
on Wildlife Trafficking The Action Plan and the Staff Working Document
Scientific Publications Needham, J., Merow, C., Butt, N., Malhi, Y., Marthews, T. R.,
Morecroft, M. and McMahon, S. M. (2016),
Forest community response to invasive pathogens: the case of ash dieback
in a British woodland. J Ecol, 104: 315–330.
doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12545
Ignasi Torre, Lídia Freixas, Antoni Arrizabalaga, Mario Díaz, The efficiency of two widely used commercial live-traps to develop monitoring protocols for small mammal biodiversity, Ecological Indicators, Volume 66, July 2016, Pages 481-487, ISSN 1470-160X, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.02.017. Madalena Vaz Monteiro, Kieron Jochem Doick, Phillip Handley, Andrew
Peace,
The impact of greenspace size on the extent of local nocturnal air
temperature cooling in London, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, ISSN
1618-8667, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.02.008.
Suraci, J. P., Clinchy, M., Dill, L. M. Roberts, D. & Zanette, L. Y.
(2016)
Fear of large carnivores causes a trophic cascade. Nature
Communications. doi:10.1038/ncomms10698 Dahl, M. et al. (2016)
Effects of shading and simulated grazing on carbon sequestration in a
tropical seagrass meadow. Journal of Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12564 Swindles, G. T. et al (2016)
Resilience of peatland ecosystem services over millennial timescales:
evidence from a degraded British bog. Journal of Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.12565
Skar, M., Wold, L. C., Gundersen, W. & O’Brien, L. (2016)
Why do children not play in nearby nature? Results from a Norwegian
survey. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. DOI:
10.1080/14729679.2016.1140587
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
Photo credit Colin Leslie.
Sir
James Bevan being shown the Clough Woodland tree planting scheme in the
Peak District (Environment Agency)
Duke
of Burgundy (image: Network Rail)
