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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Protection for harbour porpoise –
Scottish Government Europe’s largest special area of conservation
announced. Harbour porpoise will become the latest species to
receive increased protection in Scotland under a new conservation area.
Scotland’s first Special Area of Conservation (SAC) has been created in
the Inner Hebrides and Minches SAC on the West of Scotland is now
Europe’s largest for this species. The area will help maintain the
favourable conservation status of harbour porpoise by providing
protection to them and the habitats that support them in Scottish
waters. It will fulfil the Scottish Government legal obligation to
protect porpoises in our seas over and above the European Protected
Species (EPS) status. Cabinet Secretary for Environment Roseanna
Cunningham said: “I am pleased to designate Scotland’s first harbour
porpoise SAC. This will help maintain the favourable conservation status
and provide protection to the species and their habitats. Work to
develop a species conservation strategy and ensuring appropriate
management, at site level now begins. Stakeholder engagement will be
essential during this process and I encourage everyone with an interest
to participate.”
Research Note explores issues of converting conifers to native woodland
– Forest Research Increasing the area of native woodlands, including
the conversion of non-native conifer woodland to native woodland, where
appropriate, is an aim of the UK Forestry Standard Guidelines on
Biodiversity. Now a new Research Note from the Forestry
Commission explores the benefits and drawbacks of converting non-native
planted woodlands to native woodlands, and evaluates woodland owners’
and managers’ attitudes towards, and experiences of, conversion. The Research Note reports that attitudes and
experiences vary according to owners' objectives. Managers whose primary
objective is conservation are prepared to invest time and resources
converting their woodlands. However, those whose primary objective is
timber production are reluctant to pay for conversion because they can
be concerned that it will reduce productivity, especially where
competition, herbivory and biosecurity threats to native tree species
are a potential issue. The note also reports that it is unclear how much
conversion is being implemented, what the motivations might be, or how
it is achieved in practice. The level of effort and cost required for
conversion varies with local site conditions and/or the proximity of
native woodland from which colonisation processes can occur. Read the
Research Note: Converting planted non-native conifer to native
woodlands: a review of the benefits, drawbacks and experience in Britain
(PDF)
Washing clothes releases thousands of microplastic particles into
environment, study shows – University of Plymouth An average washing load could release 137,951 fibres from
polyester-cotton blend fabric, 496,030 fibres from polyester and 728,789
from acrylic More than 700,000 microscopic fibres could be released into waste
water during each use of a domestic washing machine, with many of them
likely to pass through sewage treatment and into the environment,
according to new research. A study by Plymouth University examined the mass, abundance and size
of fibres present in waste effluent following washes of synthetic
fabrics at standard temperatures of 30˚C and 40˚C. It found hundreds of thousands of tiny synthetic particles could be
released in each wash, confirming earlier work at Plymouth University
that the washing of clothes is a major source of microscopic fibres
within the aquatic environment. The research, published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, was led by PhD
student Imogen Napper in conjunction with Professor Richard Thompson,
who is a leading international expert on microplastics and marine debris
having worked in the field for more than 20 years. In the paper, the authors say:
Learning Away launch #BrilliantResidentials campaign – Field Studies
Council Field Studies Council (FSC) is part of a new campaign which has been
launched today to encourage schools to provide more residential
experiences for children and young people of all ages and from all
backgrounds. The #BrilliantResidentials campaign will promote and champion school
trips with an overnight stay and disseminate the compelling findings of
the Learning Away programme, which has produced overwhelming evidence
about the numerous positive impacts a residential experience can have on
pupils, staff and the wider school community. Image: FSC Through its action research, spanning five years, the Learning Away
programme developed 10 guiding principles which can transform
residentials into highly effective, brilliant residentials. These
principles include: residentials being led by teachers; co-designed with
students; fully integrated into the curriculum; and affordable for all.
If delivered in this way, residentials can have a huge impact on
schools, teachers and on children and young people of all ages,
improving their: resilience; achievement; relationships; and engagement
with learning. Learning Away was founded and initially developed by the Paul Hamlyn
Foundation and is now led by a consortium of organisations, including
Field Studies Council, united in their commitment to ensure more young
people have access to high-quality brilliant residential learning
experiences.
RSPB and local farmers work together to save the curlew - RSPB
Thanks
to enormous support from local farmers, volunteers and the generosity of
the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE2), the RSPB has
successfully completed a pilot project to help the curlew, a threatened
and secretive wading bird which makes its home in farmland across the
Upper Thames River Valleys.
The curlew is the largest European wading bird, often found on winter
estuaries or in summer meadows and recognisable by its long, down-curved
bill, brown upperparts, long legs and evocative call. But you’ll be
lucky if you see one – they are highly secretive birds, hiding their
nests in long grass. And according to surveys of wading birds across the
Upper Thames River Valleys, spotting a curlew could get even harder, as
breeding curlew have declined by 51% between 2005 and 2015, in line with
the national trend. Fortunately, the area still managed to attract more than 40 pairs
over the last 10 years, making the river valleys of Oxfordshire one of
the most important areas for this species in southern England. In April 2016, the RSPB was delighted to receive funding from TOE2
through the Landfill Communities fund for a new pilot project to
discover more about the breeding habits of this enigmatic bird, and the
possible reasons behind its decline. The support from local farmers was
vital to the success of the project, as most curlew nesting sites are
found on farmland. Every week over the spring and early summer, volunteers visited farms
and nature reserves where curlew were thought to live, gradually
identifying the birds’ territories and recording their behaviour.
Licensed RSPB staff then used this information to help locate the hidden
nests, taking detailed measurements and installing temperature sensors
to establish which nests were warm (and successful) and which were cold
(and had failed). At least three of the six monitored nests seem to have
hatched successfully, and recent surveying suggests that some of the
young chicks have already managed to fledge and become independent of
their parents.
Are suburban garden ponds spreading lethal frog disease?
- ZSL UK study suggests human activity may be helping
fuel ranavirus outbreak Keen gardeners stocking their domestic ponds with
exotic or wild aquatic species could be inadvertently fuelling the rapid
spread of the lethally infectious frog disease ranavirus, according to
new research led by scientists from the Zoological Society of London
(ZSL) and Queen Mary University of London.
Urban
Frog ©Richard Nichols The research – the most comprehensive
investigation into the pathogen’s spread across UK amphibian populations
to date – was carried out alongside UCL and Herpetofauna Consultants
International (HCI), and sheds new light on how ranavirus managed to
spread so quickly across the UK in recent decades. While the infection can arrive with the natural
movement of amphibians, the expansion of its range appears to have been
exacerbated by human transfers of infectious material between their own
garden ponds, or direct from a common source such as commercial aquatics
retailers. The study found that virulent viruses have been
introduced to the UK at least twice, with human interventions combining
with natural amphibian dispersal to facilitate a rapid invasion. The
risk of disease was higher in areas of higher human density, while a
corresponding reduction in risk in less populated areas suggests that
human population density is a more significant predictor of disease
spread than other factors like the local climate. Data analysis also indicated that fewer disease
outbreaks occurred in less affluent neighbourhoods, raising the
possibility that the fashion for introducing exotic or wild animals into
ornamental ponds and other water features in British suburbs may be
inadvertently fuelling the pathogen’s spread. Commenting on the study, lead author Dr Stephen J.
Price from QMUL/ZSL/UCL said: “Ranavirus is one of the most serious
health threats currently facing the UK’s amphibian population, so our
findings that humans seem to have helped move the virus around,
facilitating its rapid spread, could be translated into some
straightforward ways to manage the risk of disease outbreaks.
Grassroots initiative helps young people champion nature
– Ulster Wildlife Trust The future’s bright for Northern Ireland’s young
people and wildlife thanks to a brand new initiative led by Ulster
Wildlife – the Grassroots Challenge. The £1m programme is funded by the Big Lottery
Fund as part of the Our Bright Future programme. It will see over 5,000
young people equipped with the skills, knowledge and confidence to give
nature a helping hand in their local communities, through the delivery
of ‘wild idea’ projects. From transforming neglected local spaces into
havens for wildlife and people, to inspiring adults and children alike
with nature through events and surveys in their neighbourhoods, the
Grassroots Challenge will unleash the potential of young people through
Young Farmers’ Clubs, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and special schools
Minister
McIlveen joins Kristina McKeag to launch Grassroots Challenge (image:
Ulster Wildlife Trust) As well developing the skills needed to become
environmental leaders, young people also have the opportunity to work
towards an accredited environmental qualification, improve their
employment prospects, obtain eco-club status, and learn how to influence
decisions at local and regional levels, alongside partners LANTRA, Keep
Northern Ireland Beautiful and NI Environment Link. Speaking at the launch of the Grassroots Challenge
in Stormont today, Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural
Affairs Michelle McIlveen MLA said: “I am delighted to support this
innovative movement for change which focuses on developing young
people’s employability and well-being through positive action for our
environment. Young people are the leaders of tomorrow. By equipping them
with environmental skills and knowledge to improve the places that are
important to them, and to influence decisions that shape their
surroundings, our natural and built environment and local communities
will benefit from significant and lasting change.” Find out more at
www.ulsterwildlife.org/grassroots The largest simulation to date of the numbers of
cattle and badgers infected with tuberculosis (TB) casts serious doubts
about the extent to which badgers cause TB in cattle, according to
research from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Using a mathematical model that combines a huge
number of cattle and badgers that have TB, the researchers were able to
quantify the relationship between the two animals and use a big data
approach to show that the route of infection for cattle is from other
cattle rather than from other species. Reciprocally, badgers are mainly
infected by other infected badgers. “If badgers are causing TB in cattle, we would see
a similar pattern of infection in both species, however our analysis
reveals that this isn’t the case and could have implications for a
strategy to vaccinate badgers, as an efficient control strategy if
policymakers were to pursue this option,” said lead author Dr Aristides
Moustakas from QMUL’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences. Bovine TB poses serious issues for the farming
industry in particular, as cattle found to be TB positive need to be
killed and their products may not be sold, which has financial
implications. The modelling exercise in this new research paper follows
over a million cattle and 50,000 badgers over different scenarios to
understand how the movement of one species affects the transmission of
TB in the other. Dr Moustakas adds: “There is little geographical
overlap between farms with infected cattle and setts with infected
badgers, and cycles of infections between the two species are not
synchronised. Also, the spatial aggregation pattern of TB in cattle and
badgers is different – in badgers, we find that the disease is found in
clusters whereas in cattle the disease is much more random and
dispersed.” Access the paper:
‘A
big-data spatial, temporal and network analysis of bovine tuberculosis
between wildlife (badgers) and cattle’ by A. Moustakas and M.R.
Evans is published in the journal Stochastic Environmental Research and
Risk Assessment.
New evidence shows
migrating birds are staying in UK longer
– University of Aberdeen Migrating birds like Swallows and House Martins
are increasingly reluctant to leave the UK and return to Africa
A
Willow Warbler (image: University of Aberdeen) A collaboration involving scientists from the
University of Aberdeen and the Fair Isle Bird Observatory Trust has
found that while some early migrating birds are arriving and departing
earlier each year, late migrating individuals are actually departing
much later. Research from the Fair Isle Migration Project
published in the leading international science journal, Global Change
Biology, also shows that the process of arrival and departure is taking
much longer so that instead of quickly disappearing at the end of the
summer some birds can be seen leaving over the course of several weeks. However, the timing of spring and autumn migration
was found not to be closely linked. In any given year, migrant
birds that arrive at their breeding grounds early in spring might be
expected to depart early in autumn too, as soon as their chicks have
fledged. But migration timing in consecutive seasons occurred
independently ― birds that migrated early in spring did not consistently
migrate early in the following autumn. Some species are staying for
longer each year, apparently taking advantage of longer, warmer summers
in Europe, and may even be nesting more often. The study used daily observations of migrant birds
from Fair Isle Bird Observatory, Scotland, to comprehensively measure
how spring and autumn migration timing has changed over 60 years. Access the publication:
Miles, W. T. S., Bolton, M., Davis, P., Dennis, R., Broad, R.,
Robertson, I., Riddiford, N. J., Harvey, P. V., Riddington, R., Shaw, D.
N., Parnaby, D. and Reid, J. M. (2016),
Quantifying full phenological event distributions reveals simultaneous
advances, temporal stability and delays in spring and autumn migration
timing in long-distance migratory birds. Glob Change Biol.
doi:10.1111/gcb.13486
2020 vision for Scotland’s biodiversity targets
– Scottish Natural Heritage Scotland is well placed to meet its 2020 targets to improve
its biodiversity, according to a first-year report of an ambitious plan
to improve nature across Scotland, led by Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH). The report is the first annual report on the
progress of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy: a Route Map to 2020. SNH
has prepared the report as part of their lead role to co-ordinate and
champion the strategy on behalf of Scottish Government Achievements include restoring peatlands
throughout Scotland in almost twice the area set for the 2020 target –
crucial work to battle the effects of climate change, among other things
– and Manx shearwaters and storm petrels being recorded on the Shiant
islands for the first time in recent years. Two 2020 targets have already been exceeded: the
area of Scotland’s seas now safeguarded for nature as part of the marine
protected area network now stands at 16%, and 80% of our important
nature sites on land, and in rivers and lochs are in good condition.
In the first year, nearly three-quarters of the
Biodiversity 2020 projects are either on-track or – as with restoring
peatland and protecting special places – exceeding targets. Work
restoring pearl mussels, wild cats, red squirrels, golden eagles and
other key aspects of Scotland’s wild life are also making good progress.
Projects are also providing lots of opportunities for people to get
close to nature, improving their physical and mental health through
recreation, environmental volunteering and outdoor learning. Areas where work needs to be done to reach the
2020 targets include expanding and restoring our native woodland through
increasing the rate of new planting and helping it recover naturally by
improving deer management planning. A SNH report on deer management, to
be published in October, will also provide a more detailed insight into
the issues faced in increasing the rate of natural regeneration. Some
progress has already been made though: an example cited in the report is
the 1,000 hectares of Caledonian pinewoods recovering at Glenmore Forest
in Strathspey – which has also increased the number of capercaillie in
the area.
Find out more here and download
First
annual report on Biodiversity Route Map to 2020 (PDF)
Trust digs deep to stem sector’s skills shortage in
heritage horticulture – National Trust The programme will for the first time offer
comprehensive training for all of the conservation charity’s gardening
roles.From volunteer gardeners and trainees to garden managers, it will
put in place a formal training structure to provide development
opportunities within the organisation. Training will largely be
internally-led through practical courses, structured training completed
in the workplace and e-learning platforms. To complement the training,
internal bursaries will be made available to allow gardeners to travel
to other properties, when needed, in order to acquire new skills. A key
part of the programme will be the launch of Heritage Skills Passports,
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The passports will provide
volunteers and gardeners with the opportunity to acquire a wide range of
horticultural skills by tracking the user’s development and linking to
available training courses. Mike Calnan, the National Trust’s head of gardens,
said: “The National Trust’s Heritage Gardening Programme is a response
to the sector’s skills shortage, particularly in heritage gardening. “It
offers more entry points into the sector, more opportunities for staff
to share their knowledge with colleagues and for the Trust to develop
the skills we need in order to look after the 240 heritage gardens in
our care.”
Commission refers the United Kingdom to the Court over its failure to
protect marine species UK in Court over failure to protect harbour
porpoise in UK waters. The European Commission is taking the United
Kingdom to the Court of Justice of the EU for its failure to propose
sites for the protection of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a
marine mammal regularly found in UK waters. EU legislation on the conservation of natural
habitats and of wild fauna and flora requires Member States to propose a
list of sites for a number of species and habitat types, ensuring their
protection from threats which could seriously harm them and to maintain
and restore them in a favourable status in the whole of the EU by taking
the conservation measures needed. Due to the unfavourable status of the harbour
porpoises in the EU, 13 Member States, other than the UK, have
designated sites for its protection in about 200 Natura 2000 sites. The
UK has so far formally proposed only one small site in Northern Ireland
(the Skerries and Causeway Special Area of Conservation) and one site in
Scotland (the Inner Hebrides and Minches Special Area of Conservation). As the UK has an extensive marine area, it has a
particular responsibility for the protection of this species. The
Commission has repeatedly urged the British authorities to fulfil their
key obligations for the conservation of the species, as other Member
States have done already. Today's(29/9) action follows a letter of formal
notice sent to the UK government in June 2013 and a reasoned opinion
sent in October 2014. While the UK has recently conducted a public
consultation on a number of potential sites in English and Welsh waters
and this month formally proposed one site in Scottish waters, more needs
to be done. The continued failure to propose and designate sufficient
sites leaves the areas where the species occurs in greatest densities
without the protection required. This refers in particular to the
requirement to carry out adequate assessments of potentially damaging
developments or activities, such as from offshore wind farm
construction, oil and gas exploration and fishing.
Fields in Trust submit evidence to Future of Public Parks Inquiry Parks and open spaces are arguably the most
universal of all public services. They are used by the entire community from
pre-school children through to retired adults. Green space is a defining
part of our local landscapes and these community spaces are places to
enjoy life experiences, whether that's reaching a personal sporting
milestone, teaching grandchildren to cycle, engaging with nature, having
a first kiss or simply walking a much loved dog. A Fields in Trust
survey from 2015 indicated that nearly a quarter of respondents (24%)
use their local park at least twice a week. Yet unlike education or libraries, parks are a
discretionary service. Councils have no statutory duty to provide these
facilities. There is no requirement to consult with local planning
authorities about their disposal and no national audit of green space is
kept making it difficult to track the losses of these vital assets.
Investment on parks has decreased and maintenance and upkeep has been
reduced; local authority spending on open spaces fell by 14% between
2010 and 2014. In summary our submission calls for a change the
way public green space is conceived, not as a drain on spending that
requires a considerable amount of money to maintain - but rather as an
asset which can be deployed to achieve longer term savings and happier
healthier more connected communities.
New report calls for 48 new protected areas at sea
– Wildlife Trusts Call to secure the missing gaps in our Marine
Conservation Zone network. Today (30/9), The Wildlife Trusts publish a new
report, ‘The case for more Marine Conservation Zones.’ The report
identifies 48 areas within English waters that, if designated, will
complete an ecologically coherent network of special places where
habitats and wildlife can flourish to safeguard healthy and productive
seas for the future.
White-beaked
dolphins © Martin Kitching The report is published in advance of the
government’s plans to announce a third and final phase of Marine
Conservation Zones – the government plans to consult the public in 2017
and designate the chosen zones in 2018. The report will be presented to
the environment minister, Therese Coffey. Joan Edwards, The Wildlife Trusts’ Head of Living
Seas, says: “This is an unprecedented opportunity to create an effective
network of protected areas at sea. If the government lives up to its
stated commitments such a network would put us at the forefront of
worldwide marine conservation. Designating these 48 wild havens in
England as Marine Conservation Zones would go some way to guaranteeing a
future for the extraordinarily diverse natural landscapes that exist
beneath the waves off our coast. The government designated 50 zones in
the first two phases. Unfortunately, this does not provide us with the
really comprehensive network needed to enable marine wildlife to thrive
once more. We need a sensible number, in the best locations and with the
right degree of connectivity between areas. We hope that the government
will aim high and hit the 48 mark for this last phase.” The 48 areas proposed by The Wildlife Trusts will
be the final gap-fillers in the ‘blue belt’ and vary from sea grass beds
in the south, which provide protected areas for our two species of
seahorse, to deep sea mud, brimming with burrowing animals including sea
pens and the incredibly long-lived ocean quahog, a clam species which
can live up to 500 years. Read the report
The case for more Marine Conservation Zones (PDF) You can find more information about the individual sites proposed within this report on the Trust's webpages here.
Water rail recorded breeding at Aberdeenshire reserve
– Scottish Wildlife Trust
Juvenile
water rail. © Nick Littlewood One of the nation’s most elusive wading birds has
been confirmed to be breeding at
Red Moss of Netherley Wildlife Reserve for the first time. Reserve Wardens Nick Littlewood and Rose Toney
captured images of adult and juvenile water rails on several areas of
the reserve over the summer using a remote camera and a box baited with
juicy mealworms. Nick Littlewood said: “Water rails are far more
often heard than seen. They have been heard calling at the reserve for
many years but until now there was no concrete evidence they were
breeding. We set up a box baited with meal worms with a remote wildlife
camera. Over the summer rails were frequent visitors to our camera,
including a number of black, fluffy chicks which started to visit from
early July. We think that there were at least two breeding pairs.”
A new report on river restoration and
biodiversity, published by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) and by Scotland's Centre of Expertise for Waters (CREW),
describes the importance of rivers in the UK and Ireland for
biodiversity, summarises the damage that river habitats have sustained
over many decades, and discusses ways in which restoration can bring
benefits both to wildlife and to human society. The publication is aimed at regulatory bodies,
conservation organisations, NGOs and others and aims to bridge the gap
between a scientific understanding of rivers and river processes, and
its practical application in restoring river habitats. Susan Davies, Director of Conservation at the
Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “Healthy rivers form important ecological
corridors through our landscapes and are among our richest habitats for
wildlife. They provide a range of essential services for society such as
drinking water, flood regulation, renewable energy and recreation. The
IUCN National Committee UK River Restoration and Biodiversity project is
an excellent collaboration and this new report provides a blueprint for
using minimal intervention and more cost-effective techniques to restore
the natural processes of river systems in the UK and Ireland. Innovative
restoration projects on systems including the Eddleston Water and River
Tolka clearly demonstrate how people and wildlife can benefit. It is now
vital that we follow these examples by working at a catchment scale to
reduce pressures, reverse past damage, and restore river systems for the
future.” The report "River restoration and biodiversity" is
available for download from the
CREW website.
Scientific Publication Toomey, A. H., Knight, A. T. and Barlow, J.
(2016),
Navigating the Space Between Research and Implementation in Conservation.
CONSERVATION LETTERS. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/conl.12315 |
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