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Headlines from week beginning 14 March 2016 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Swift action saves toads - Devon Wildlife
Trust The lives of hundreds of toads have been saved thanks to the swift
action of a local wildlife charity.
Green space charity shortlisted for the Guardian Sustainable Business
Awards - Land Trust A national land management charity with a strong track record of
transforming derelict land into thriving public spaces has been
recognised for its innovative solutions-focused financial approach,
earning a coveted place on the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards
shortlist. The Land Trust has been using its sustainable financial model to
create and manage country parks, nature reserves and woodlands for long
term social benefit since 2004. During that time it has acquired over 5,000 acres of land spanning 60
sites – equivalent to three times the size of Gibraltar. In securing investment, the Land Trust has stringently managed the
finances for long term benefit, as well as attracting additional funding
for further improvements and enhancements. This has enabled the charity and its partners to engage with over
200,000 local people through educational, health and community related
activities, contributing towards creating a sense of community,
improving people’s health and wellbeing, enhancing the environment and
giving people confidence to find employment. This approach has helped the Land Trust secure a position on the
shortlist of the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards’ Finance for Good
category. Find out more about the award scheme here.
Scotland's local environmental quality in decline – Keep Scotland
Beautiful
The report is set to be the focus of Scotland's Local Environmental
Quality Conference, an event which brings together a range of
environmental organisations, including members of the Local
Environmental Quality Network, which all face the challenge of arresting
and reversing that decline despite financial challenges. Speaking on launching the report, Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of
Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “This is an important report in the long
history of action to improve Scotland’s environment. In a country where
we owe so much of our economy to attracting visitors from across the
globe, and where civic and social justice are so important to our
national sense of wellbeing - this report makes it clear that we cannot
stand by and watch whilst standards are clearly starting to decline.
Action required now to address the impact of deer on Scotland’s
environment – Scottish Wildlife Trust Leading environmental charity, the Scottish Wildlife Trust is backing
new measures to strengthen deer management provisions under the Land
Reform (Scotland) Bill. The Trust believes that imminent action is
necessary to sustain, protect and enhance Scotland’s biodiversity and
ecosystems. Its support comes ahead of Parliament’s Stage 3
consideration of the Bill which takes place on Wednesday this week. Due to the loss of native predators and lack of effective control,
wild deer numbers are much higher in Scotland than they should be, and
they continue to rise. Through overgrazing, bark stripping and
trampling, deer can cause widespread damage to habitats such as
peatlands and woodlands, which further impacts local biodiversity, flood
risk and the ability of Scotland’s bogs to store carbon. In order to
control wild deer populations, culling must keep pace with population
expansion. However, current culling levels are falling far short of this
to the extent that red deer numbers have tripled in the last 50 years
demonstrating that the current voluntary approach to deer management is
not working. Dr Maggie Keegan, Head of Policy at the Scottish Wildlife Trust said:
“For too long, many areas of Scotland have been overrun by high deer
numbers - in excess of that which a healthy natural environment can
support. This has led to environmental degradation such as the
suppression of native woodland expansion, peatlands becoming eroded and
emitting rather than storing carbon, a lack of a natural treeline,
denuded hillsides, trees clinging on in the most inaccessible places, a
lack of montane scrub such as juniper, increased run off rate, decreased
water quality and increased downstream flooding risk.” Over 800,000 birds were trapped and killed illegally on a British
military base in Cyprus last autumn, according to the latest research by
the RSPB and BirdLife Cyprus. The songbirds are illegally trapped to provide the main ingredient
for the local and expensive delicacy of ambelopoulia, where a plate of
songbirds is illegally served to restaurant diners. Organised crime gangs are running this illegal practice on an
'industrial scale', which is estimated by the Cypriot authorities to
earn criminals on the island 15 million Euros every year. Survey data from BirdLife Cyprus and other organisations have
recorded over 150 species of bird which have become trapped in nets or
on lime-sticks. More than half of these species are of conservation
concern. On a positive note, the results from 2015 show that there’s been a
stop to the annual increases of the last five years in numbers of birds
killed on British Territory, thanks to various measures taken to tackle
the problem by the Base authorities. The numbers however remain around
record-breaking levels, with levels of illegal killing still far worse
on British Territory than in the Republic of Cyprus.
Fish free to roam our rivers could boost biodiversity – Environment
Agency Rivers across England could benefit from new Government plans to help
address declining freshwater fish stocks so native species can thrive
Migration within rivers and between rivers and the sea is an
important part of the lifecycles of many species of fish native to
England. But these journeys can be impeded by structures like weirs or
water intakes, hampering fishes’ efforts to reproduce or feed. This month the Government is setting out proposed new legislation to
remove obstructions or build fish passes to provide a route around or
through these hurdles. These passes already exist on some rivers across
the country, as do protective screens to stop fish getting trapped in
water intakes—but more action is needed. New legislation to facilitate fish passage could help recover stocks
of species like salmon, which are born in our rivers and swim to the
Atlantic to mature for up to three years before returning to the same
river to spawn. Speaking as he visited the River Fowey in Cornwall with The Rivers
Trust to see first-hand work that had improved fish passage, Fisheries
Minister George Eustice said: “Improving and restoring our rivers is key
to the Government’s vision for a cleaner, healthier environment—but we
can’t do this alone. That’s why the work of organisations like The
Rivers Trust is so important, and we are increasingly working in
partnership to take action to protect iconic species like salmon,
including by ensuring them safe passage in our rivers.”
£1.8m to help nurture the next generation of environmental leaders in NI
– Ulster Wildlife
Over 15,000 young people set to stand up for nature and create a
brighter future (Ulster Wildlife) More than 15,000 young people across Northern Ireland will be
empowered to help stand up for nature and create a brighter future in
their local communities, thanks to a £1.8m cash boost from the Big
Lottery Fund. The funding which has been awarded to two local charities, Ulster
Wildlife and Belfast Hills Partnership, is part of a new UK-wide £33m
programme led by The Wildlife Trusts, involving 31 organisations and
more than 50,000 young people, over the next five years. Our Bright Future, aims to tackle three big challenges facing society
today - a lack of social cohesion, a lack of economic opportunities for
young people and vulnerability to climate change. From tackling marine
pollution to caring for local green spaces, young people will be have
the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to
become environmental leaders, influence decisions at local and national
levels and improve their employment prospects.
Red deer study shows
impact of inbreeding – University of Edinburgh Inbred animals have fewer surviving offspring compared with others, a
study of red deer in the wild has found. The insight could aid the conservation and management of endangered
populations of animals in which inbreeding carries a high risk of
extinction. The findings from a long-term study on a Scottish island shows that
hinds whose parents were first cousins raise far fewer offspring - about
one-quarter as many - to adulthood over their lifetimes compared with
others. This is because inbred hinds are less likely to survive to breeding
age, to have a calf in any given year and to rear any calves they do
have to independence. Similarly, male red deer born to first cousins sire only
one-twentieth the number of offspring of average adult males. Inbreeding is known to have adverse effects across many species, but
examples of its impact on adult wild animals are rare. Researchers used a DNA screening tool to gain a highly detailed
measure of inbreeding for each individual deer living at the study site
on the Isle of Rum in the Inner Hebrides.
Europe's rarest seabird 'could be extinct within 60 years' – Oxford
University The Balearic shearwater, Europe's most endangered seabird, is 'on the
road to extinction', according to an international team of scientists. But researchers say its demise could be avoided with a simple
technique – the setting of fishing lines at night, when the bird does
not dive for food. Experts put the global population of Balearic shearwaters (Puffinus
mauretanicus) at about 7,200 breeding pairs and fewer than 30,000
individuals. The main threat to the bird is becoming entangled in
fishing gear.
Professor Tim Guilford of the Department of Zoology at the University
of Oxford, a co-author of the study, said: 'The survival of adults from
one year to the next, and especially of young adults, is much lower than
we thought. The species is unsustainable – it is on the road to
extinction.' The team, comprising scientists from Oxford, Southampton and Spain,
and led by Meritxell Genovart of Palma de Mallorca's Mediterranean
Institute for Advanced Studies, used modern techniques to model the
sustainability of the current population, which is numbered at fewer
than 30,000 birds. With declines of about 14% a year, complete
extinction is predicted within about 60 years. Estimates of survival from the world's largest single colony, a
remote cave on Mallorca where the Oxford team works, show that it is far
below what is needed to maintain population growth or stability. However, policy changes such as setting fishing gear at night when
the bird does not dive 'could make a massive difference,' according to
Professor Guilford. Access the paper here: Genovart M.
et al (2016)
Demography of the critically endangered Balearic shearwater: the impact
of fisheries and time to extinction. Journal of Applied Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12622
On a cliff edge, one of the UK’s rarest wildflowers is saved
- Plantlife Yellow whitlowgrass, which grows only on the South Gower cliffs, has
been saved thanks to Plantlife’s work to remove invasive non-native
cotoneaster, fast-growing shrubs that cause havoc for wild plants and
wildlife.
Since 2013, Plantlife has been battling invasive cotoneaster that’s
invaded large areas of pristine natural habitat on Gower. The garden
escapee had smothered the fragile wild flowers, and almost wiped out the
rare and intricate lichens, liverworts and mosses that give Gower its
international importance. However, thanks to funding from Biffa Award,
and the landowner National Trust, Plantlife has now cleared nearly 10
hectares of cotoneaster at Foxhole and the results speak for themselves. Plantlife’s Colin Cheesman: “The rare and threatened yellow
Whitlowgrass was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It relies on the
Gower’s rocky slopes where it flowers in the cracks and crevices but
this was becoming engulfed with invasive cotoneaster which it simply
can’t compete with and as a result was pushed to near extinction.
Thankfully, through funding from Biffa Award and working with the
landowners, the National Trust, we have been able to remove the
cotoneaster and bring beauty and colour back to this important part of
Gower. It’s sobering to think that if we hadn’t stepped in, some wild
plants would be facing local extinction but it’s essential we continue
our work and ensure that this area is kept cotoneaster free.”
£33 million invested in the next generation of environmental leaders
- Big Lottery Fund Three months on from the Paris climate change agreement, more than 30
organisations are using £33 million from the Big Lottery Fund to help
young people step up and create what is rightfully theirs: a healthy
planet, a thriving economy and a brighter future. With more than 50,000
young people reached through the programme, Our Bright Future is
creating the next generation of environmental leaders. Our Bright Future aims to tackle three big challenges facing society
today - a lack of social cohesion, a lack of opportunities for young
people and vulnerability to climate change. Thirty one youth-led
projects across the UK are receiving around £1m each of National Lottery
funding to give young people the skills and knowledge to improve their
local environments - from reducing marine pollution to minimising food
waste. In doing so, young people will develop the confidence and
resilience to become environmental leaders and influence decisions at
local and national levels. This young, ambitious and capable movement is
ensuring this generation’s voice is heard in the current debates around
environmental improvements and a resource-efficient economy. One project run by the National Union of Students is creating more
than 60 social enterprises across the UK. As a result, 10,000 young
people will benefit from improved employability skills and carbon
emissions will be reduced by 1,000 tonnes. In another project, more than
6,000 young people will benefit from environmental training with the
Learning through Landscapes Trust’s ‘Fruit-full Communities’ project
creating community orchards. Global Feedback Ltd’s ‘From Farm to Fork’
project will help young people to gain skills and qualifications whilst
providing approximately 6.2 million portions of fruit and vegetables to
charities and community groups. But Our Bright Future goes a lot further than the impressive impacts
seen by these individual projects. The programme is gathering strong
evidence about how we can support the development of the environment and
young people using a resource efficient and sustainable ‘green’ economy.
More than a hundred organisations are contributing to the wider Our
Bright Future movement by sharing evidence, learning and knowledge which
will soon start to inform the choices made at local, regional, and
national levels in the UK. With over 30 projects across the UK and the involvement of
organisations such as St Mungo’s, The National Trust, Action for Blind
People, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Friends of the Earth, and
UpRising, there is a very bright future ahead. Find out more about the Our Bright Future project here.
Poorer pupils benefit most from school nature trips
- Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Poorer children are less interested in being outdoors in nature than
better-off children, but that difference can be turned on its head after
just one day spent learning outside. That’s according to early findings
from a study by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
WWT’s study – thought to be the first of its kind – is investigating
the long-term impact of a school visit to one of WWT’s wetland centres
on pupils’ attitudes and values around nature and wildlife. Groups of pupils from different schools were tracked from the day
before their first visit and for a further year or more using focus
groups and surveys. The responses of pupils from schools in poorer areas – where a high
proportion claim free school meals – were generally far less positive
about nature and wildlife than their peers before the visit. But when
researchers followed up in the weeks afterwards, they found this group
had developed a greater interest and positive attitude, including
wanting to do things to help wildlife These preliminary findings come one year into the study. Over the
next year more schools will join the study and final results are
expected in 2017.
Over 60,000 visits to the John Muir Way -
Scottish Natural Heritage There were over 60,000 visits to the John Muir Way in 2015, according
to a new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) report, with 6000 people
completing the 134-mile trail end-to-end over consecutive days. Over 60,000 visits were specifically to walk or cycle on the John
Muir Way, with a further 200,000 also making use of some of the popular
local sections for routine dog walking, commuting and other purposes. Eight in 10 visitors were extremely or very satisfied with their
visit to Scotland’s newest long-distance route, citing in particular the
variety of views, scenery, landscapes and terrain on offer. Seventy-five
percent of the users are walkers, and 25% are cyclists. The Way is designed to be used for local day trips throughout the
Central Belt, as well as an end-to-end long distance trail, with easy
access to attractions, public transport and accommodation along the way. The survey found that a third of those interviewed were people who
‘seldom’ visit the outdoors, highlighting the potential of the route to
encourage a new generation of outdoor visitors. Ron McCraw, route developer for SNH, said: “We’re really thrilled to
discover how many people are using the John Muir Way. In particular,
it’s great that so many people who may not have considered going out for
a walk or cycle very often before are enjoying the Way. We’re now
working with Central Scotland Green Network Trust and other partners to
encourage even more people to journey on the route, which will benefit
communities and businesses throughout the Central Belt.” The survey also found peoples’ main reasons for visiting the route
were both mental and physical health, including ‘health and exercise’
(61%), enjoying the scenery (22%), the fresh air or pleasant weather
(20%), the opportunity to relax and unwind (19%), and the peace and
quiet (16%). Around 3 in 10 visitors spent money during their visit to the John
Muir Way. Visitors from further afield were more likely than local
people to spend money, showing the potential to increase the economic
benefits as the route becomes better known. The John Muir Way Visitor Survey took place between November 2014 and October 2015. Full survey results available here.
Researchers find dissimilar forests are vital for delivery of ecosystem
services - Royal Holloway, University of
London A team of ecologists from Royal Holloway, University of London has
taken part in a large collaborative EU project to find out what the
effects of forest tree species diversity are on ecosystem services.
These services, which include timber production, carbon storage, and
forest resistance to pests and diseases, are crucial to human
well-being. One of the key novel findings of the project published on Monday
(March 14) is the consistently negative impact a similarity in tree
species composition across the landscape (biotic homogenization) has on
the ability of forests to deliver multiple ecosystem services. Researchers combined field data from 209 forest plots across six
European countries with computer simulations to study the consequences
of both local tree species loss and biotic homogenization on 16
ecosystem functions, including timber production, carbon storage, bird
diversity, forest regeneration and resistance to insect and mammalian
pests. The researchers found that while the effects of local tree species
loss were highly variable, the effects of biotic homogenization were
almost always detrimental for provisioning of multiple ecosystem
services. This means that landscapes containing more dissimilar forests
provide more ecosystem services than landscapes where all forest patches
were dominated by the same tree species. This is because different tree
species are needed to provide different services; for example, in
Poland, the Norway spruce provides high quality timber whereas hornbeam
forests are better at supporting the diversity of attractive plant
species in the understorey that may appeal to tourists. While many studies have investigated the consequences of species loss
for human well-being, this is the first study to show the consequences
of biotic homogenization for forest ecosystem services. Access the paper: Fons van der Plas et
al.
Biotic homogenization can decrease landscape-scale forest
multifunctionality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
of the USA doi: 10.1073/pnas.1517903113
Nature conservation vs ecosystem services – what’s the trade-off? There has been a renewed drive in nature conservation policy in
recent years, but is it coming at the expense of limitations in the
delivery of the many services that our ecosystems provide, such as
tourism and recreation, provision of raw materials and climate
regulation? The question is at the centre of multidisciplinary research
by scientists at the James Hutton Institute, the Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology, RSPB Scotland and the Seafield Estate in Scotland. After looking at the impacts of nature conservation in the UK for the
full range of ecosystem services across nine case-studies, covering a
range of protected sites and comparable non-protected sites, the team
found that protected sites deliver overall higher levels of ecosystem
services than non-protected sites, with the main differences found in
the cultural (e.g. artistic, education, religious, tourism, recreation)
and regulating (such as air quality, climate, pollination, soil and
water quality) services. Socio-ecologist Dr Antonia Eastwood, part of the Ecological Sciences
group of the James Hutton Institute and co-author of the study, said
that against expectations there was no consistent negative impact on
provisioning services (e.g. sourcing of energy, fibre, food and
freshwater) across the case studies. Access the paper: A. Eastwood, et al.
Does nature conservation enhance ecosystem services delivery?,
Ecosystem Services, Volume 17, February 2016, Pages 152-162, ISSN
2212-0416, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2015.12.001.
Outdoor Learning Opportunity for Scottish Junior Rangers
- Scottish Natural Heritage A project encouraging young people to take an interest in the
environment is being launched across the country by the Scottish
Countryside Rangers’ Association (SCRA) this week. The Junior Ranger programme allows 11to18 year-olds to get involved
with the work of their local ranger service. This gives them valuable
opportunities to work as part of a team, develop practical skills and
explore future career opportunities. SCRA is now rolling out the
programme after a series of successful pilot Junior Ranger projects. Those on the pilot projects took part in activities such as species
identification, planting hedgerows, learning new conservation management
skills and removing invasive plant species. Young volunteers also
supported the rangers at events and built on their self-confidence by
talking to people about their work. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has funded the Junior Rangers
project. Alison Matheson, who worked on the project for SNH, said: “We
are pleased to have supported the development of Scotland’s Junior
Ranger programme. Young people in Scotland have much to gain from being
active in the outdoors. As well as the health benefits, the Junior
Ranger work gives them and their friends an opportunity to try something
different, learn new skills, help the environment, and start thinking
about the world of work.” For more information on the project and to find a Junior Ranger
scheme near you visit the SCRA
website.
New study reveals intriguing information about inquisitive UK fish
- The Wildlife Trusts Photographer’s underwater observations and ID unveil new blenny
behaviour.
The discovery of distinctive face markings on one of the UK’s most
charismatic and inquisitive fish has enabled an underwater photographer
to reveal intriguing new information about its behaviour. Paul determined that a male tompot blenny, as found on shallow rocky
reefs around Britain, can live in the same crevice in the rock for up to
four years. Paul now knows he witnessed males encouraging females - not
just one but many – and over subsequent breeding seasons, to lay eggs
which the male guarded from all predators, such as other fish and crabs,
until the eggs hatched. Paul identified males having disputes over
territory, with one individual seen recovering from injuries endured in
the fights. Juvenile tompot blennies learn the ways of adulthood
quickly, with even the youngest fish having stand-offs. Through photo identification, Paul also recorded a highly unusual
aspect of blenny behaviour close to the Dorset coast; a large male
tompot followed winning a territorial fight, by pushing a large shell
around the seabed ‘showing off’ to two smaller tompots. Paul adds: “I hope the results of this study will help to illustrate
the awesome antics going on in UK waters and how important it is for us
to protect them for the future.” Access the paper: P. Naylor and D. M. P Jacoby: Territoriality in the tompot blenny Parablennius gattorugine from photographic records. Journal of Fish Biology 2016; DOI 10.1111/jfb.12918.
Scientific Publications Newson, Stuart E., Moran, Nick J., Musgrove, Andy J., Pearce-Higgins,
James W., Gillings, Simon, Atkinson, Philip W., Miller, Ryan, Grantham,
Mark J. & Baillie, Stephen R.
Long-term changes in the migration phenology of UK breeding birds
detected by large-scale citizen science recording schemes.
Ibis DOI:
10.1111/ibi.12367 McClanahan, T. R. & Rankin, P.S. Geography of conservation spending, biodiversity, and culture. Conservation Biology DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12720
Vicente, J. R. et al (2016)
Cost-effective monitoring of biological invasions under global change: a
model-based framework. Journal of Applied Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12631
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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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A
report 'Scotland's local environmental quality in decline' has been
published today, 16 March 2016. It confirms that after many years
of improvements, we are now seeing a deterioration in key indicators
across the country. The acknowledged indicators of ‘local environmental
quality’ are litter, dog fouling, flytipping, graffiti, detritus, weed
growth and flyposting.
Minister
Eustice with representatives of the Rivers Trust at the River Fowey
(gov.uk)
Image:
Oxford University
Yellow
Whitlowgrass - one of Britain's rarest wildflowers - growing on the
cliffs of the Gower (image: Tim Wilkins via Pantlife)
Children
at WWT Centre (Image: WWT)
Diver
with tompot blenny (c) Paul Naylor/marinephoto.co.uk
