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Headlines from week beginning 31 October 2016 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Extreme weather effects may explain recent butterfly decline - University of East Anglia (UEA) Increasingly frequent extreme weather events could threaten butterfly
populations in the UK and could be the cause of recently reported
butterfly population crashes, according to research from the University
of East Anglia (UEA).
Researchers investigated the impact of Extreme Climatic Events (ECEs)
on butterfly populations. The study shows that the impact can be
significantly positive and negative, but questions remain as to whether
the benefits outweigh the negative effects. While it is well known that changes to the mean climate can affect
ecosystems, little is known about the impact of short-term extreme
climatic events (ECEs) such as heatwaves, heavy rainfall or droughts. Osgur McDermott-Long, PhD student and lead author from the School of
Environmental Sciences at UEA, said: “This is the first study to examine
the effects of extreme climate events across all life stages of the UK
butterflies from egg to adult butterfly. We wanted to identify sensitive
life stages and unravel the role that life history traits play in
species sensitivity to ECEs.” The researchers used data from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme
(UKBMS), a high-quality long-term dataset of UK butterfly abundances
collected from over 1,800 sites across the UK, spanning 37 years, to
examine the effects of weather data and extreme events (drought,
extremes of rain, heat and cold) on population change.
New warning over spread of ash dieback – University of Exeter The ash dieback fungus could spread more quickly and affect more
trees than previously expected, according to research at the University
of Exeter. Exeter scientists have discovered that asexual spores of the ash
dieback fungus (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) are infectious and can
germinate on leaves or infect seedlings via soil.
It was previously thought that these spores could not germinate
alone, and only functioned as the male part of sexual reproduction. This
meant the fungus could only reproduce in part of its life cycle – on
fallen leaves, usually in spring – but the asexual form is prolific in
producing spores and can do so for much of the year. The study, carried out as part of the Nornex consortium, funded by
the BBSRC and DEFRA, and published in the journal Scientific Reports,
reveals additional routes for the spread of the fungus, including by the
transfer of soil between sites. “It is important to know that if you’ve had ash trees in soil and you
move that soil, you could be moving live fungus,” said lead author Dr
Helen Fones.
New management measures for scallop fishing in Cardigan Bay – Welsh
Government The Cabinet Secretary for the Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley
Griffiths, has announced new management measures for the Scallop fishery
in Cardigan Bay following an extensive consultation. The consultation followed a two-year programme of wide-ranging
research by Bangor University, in collaboration with the fishing
industry, within the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation. This was the first study of its kind and found some fishing activity
is possible, within specific areas, with no adverse impact on the
Special Area of Conservation. This research offers a unique opportunity
to implement an ecosystem based approach to management of the fishery. Two further independent scientific peer reviews, of the evidence
presented by Bangor University, were carried out and concluded this to
be of robust and high scientific merit. Based on this research and after considering all 5,500 responses to
the consultation, the Cabinet Secretary has decided to proceed with a
new flexible permit scheme within Cardigan Bay.
Reaction:
Conservation Charity Says
No Damaging Fishing Activities Should Be Allowed In Welsh Marine
Protected Sites
Grouse debate united the countryside, says BASC BASC believes the driven grouse debate has united the countryside
behind shooting after submissions made by MPs highlighted its benefits
to the rural economy and conservation. Many of those who spoke at the three-hour debate in Westminster Hall
on Monday (31/10/16) paid tribute to the work of those who manage the
uplands for grouse shooting and acknowledged that it provides a lifeline
to isolated rural communities. Grouse shooting is worth £100 million to
the UK economy and supports the equivalent of 2,500 full-time jobs.
This report was commissioned to update the national threat status of
beetles within the Lucanidae, Geotrupidae, Trogidae and Scarabaeidae. It
covers all species in these groups, identifying those that are rare
and/or under threat as well as non-threatened and non-native species.
MPs demand overhaul of Environment Agency flood role – UK Parliament MPs from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee are
calling for an overhaul of flood management in England to tackle the
rising risk to communities from climate change in a report on Future
flood prevention. Five million people at risk of flooding Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Chair, Neil Parish MP,
said: "Some five million people in England are at risk of flooding.
Winter 2015-16 broke rainfall records. Storms Desmond, Eva and Frank
disrupted communities across northern parts of the UK, with Desmond
alone costing the UK more than £5 billion. We propose a radical
alternative to the Government's National Flood Resilience Review's
limited solutions to the current fragmented, inefficient and ineffective
flood risk management arrangements. Our proposals will deliver a far
more holistic approach to flooding and water supply management, looking
at catchments as a whole. Flood management must include much wider use
of natural measures such as leaky dams, tree planting and improved soil
management. And some areas of farmland should be used to store flood
water." New governance model The Committee recommends a new governance model: with a new National
Floods Commissioner responsible for flood management in England. S/he
would agree with the Government strategic, long-term flood risk
reduction outcomes and be held to account for their effective delivery.
More than a million homes possible on suitable brownfield land -
CPRE
New figures show big increase in brownfield sites available for
housing New research published today (1/11/16) by the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE) shows that suitable brownfield sites across England
can provide at least 1.1 million new homes. The Government had described a previous CPRE estimate of around 1
million homes as ‘wildly over optimistic’. Now, using the Government’s
own pilot brownfield register scheme, CPRE has calculated that suitable
brownfield sites can provide between 1.1 and 1.4 million new homes. CPRE studied the findings of 53 councils that have published their
data on suitable sites, and found that these areas alone could provide
273,000 homes. Comparing this new data with the last available data from
2010-2012, CPRE noted an 11% increase in the number of homes that could
be provided on suitable sites, with planning permissions for such sites
increasing by 21% and the number of suitable sites being identified by
50%
Response from government "missed opportunity" on responsible countryside
access says British Cycling In the letter, DEFRA minister Lord Gardiner said that the government
did “not consider that it would be appropriate to introduce access in
England on the lines of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 as a
Scottish model would not be a substitute for public rights of way.” Lord Gardiner also said that in Scotland – where access all country
paths is allowed - “access to lowland farmland remains inferior to
similar land in England” and that “population density of England is
different to that of Scotland.” Commenting on the response, British Cycling’s campaigns manager,
Martin Key, said: “The response from DEFRA is a missed opportunity.
Their unwillingness to consider the benefits that this could bring to
everyone in Britain, not just those who live in the countryside, is
frustrating. Using pithy excuses like Scotland’s population density
compared with England also just highlights a lack of understanding of
the issues at play.”
Obama invades UK gardens
- Buglife An invasive flatworm from Brazil that is already a threat to
agriculture across France and is spreading rapidly through Europe has
arrived in
Image: Buglife The Obama flatworm (Obama nungara), which grows 7cm long, is a
predator of earthworms and land snails, thereby endangering soil
fertility and wildlife. It was first found in Europe on Guernsey
in 2008, but has spread through France and into Spain and has now been
discovered at a handful of locations in the UK. In the latest incident a 4.5 cm worm crawled out of a pot plant that
had been bought in a Garden Centre in Oxfordshire. The plant, a
Heuchera, had been imported from the Netherlands. The worm was
sent to wildlife artist Richard Lewington who, with the national
flatworm recorder Hugh Jones, was able to identify it as Obama nungara.
Council and funders urged to support grass root groups in making
communities more sustainable - Groundwork Community groups can play a pivotal role in tackling some of the big
environmental challenges facing the country – from flooding to fuel
poverty to food production – but their efforts need to be supported by
local authorities, government agencies and funders if they’re going to
have a lasting impact.
That’s the message from a series of events being held to mark the
achievements of the Communities
Living Sustainably (CLS) programme. CLS has seen 12 community partnerships across England working for the
last five years to make their areas more sustainable and resilient to
the impacts of climate change with the support of a £12 million
investment from the Big Lottery Fund. The projects have been supported on their journey by a national
‘Learning Partnership’ comprising Groundwork UK, Energy Saving Trust,
Building Research Establishment, Federation of City Farms and Community
Gardens and New Economics Foundation. The events in London, Manchester and Middlesbrough have brought together industry experts, practitioners, funders and environmental campaigners to celebrate the work of the 12 local partnerships and to explore how the lessons from the programme can be shared with policymakers and embedded in future initiatives.
Asian hornet outbreak contained in Gloucestershire and Somerset –
defra
Image: gov.uk An outbreak of Asian hornets has been successfully contained by bee
inspectors who promptly tracked down and destroyed their nest in
Gloucestershire. Asian hornets were first discovered in the Tetbury area in September,
but the National Bee Unit moved
swiftly to find the nest and remove it. No further live Asian hornets have been seen since the nest was
treated with pesticide and removed in early October. Two dead Asian hornets were discovered in separate locations close by
in north Somerset, but no nests or live hornets have been located by
inspectors and there have been no further sightings.
Farm cats neutered and vaccinated in bid to save Scottish wildcats –
Scottish Wildcat Action
Whilst making preparations for feral cat TNVR recently, I started by
visiting every home within a 2 mile radius of our feral cat hotspots
(mostly in woodland) to let people know what we are doing to help
wildcats and how to make sure their pet cat doesn’t accidentally get
caught during the TNVR process. This has led to some great conversations
about wildcat sightings and the chance to further spread the message
about responsible pet ownership. Hybridisation is perhaps the biggest threat to our native cat
species, the Scottish wildcat, and unneutered domestic cats that come
into contact with them can breed and produce fertile offspring. Because
wildcats are vastly outnumbered, this dilutes their gene pool and
carries the additional risk of disease transmission.
Research shows female fish judge males on DIY skills – University of
Leicester
In the study, which is published today (3/11/16), biologists at our
University, the Australian National University (ANU) and the University
of Technology Sydney (UTS) have shown that low oxygen can change the way
in which fish build nests, and also change the nesting preferences of
female fish. Male three-spined stickleback fish are unusual in that they build
nests and provide all the parental care for the eggs, which are spawned
by females, and for the developing baby fish. The research team found
that males change the design of their nests depending on the oxygen
content of the water – making looser nests under low-oxygen conditions
and more compact nests when oxygen increases.
Scientific publications Chandler, M. et al (2016)
Contribution of citizen science towards international biodiversity
monitoring. Biological Conservation.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.09.004
Gallo, T. & Pejchar, L. (2016)
Woodland reduction and long-term change in breeding bird communities.
The Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21188
Banaszak-Cibicka, W., Ratyńska, H. & Dylewski, Ł. (2016)
Features of urban green space favourable for large and diverse bee
populations (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes) Urban
Forestry & Urban Greening. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.015
Theodoropoulos, C., Vourka, A. S., Stamou, A, Rutschmann, P.
Skoulikidis, N.
(2016)
Response of freshwater macroinvertebrates to rainfall-induced high
flows: A hydroecological approach. Ecological Indicators.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.10.011 Dorward, L. J., Mittermeier, J. C., Sandbrook, C. & Spooner, F.
(2016)
Pokémon Go: Benefits, Costs, and Lessons for the Conservation Movement.
Conservation Letters. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12326 Orsman, C. J. et al (2016)
Diet flexibility in a declining long-distance migrant may allow it to
escape the consequences of phenological mismatch with its caterpillar
food supply. IBIS. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12437
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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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Ash
dieback in a mature ash tree (University of Exeter)
Image:
Paul Townsend
the
UK. 
An
outbreak of Asian hornets in the South West has been successfully
contained by the National Bee Unit
It’s
been a thirteen hour day and I am covered head to toe in cat hair,
smelling distinctly like tom cat pee and itching all over from cat lice,
so why am I grinning from ear to ear? Well, it’s because it’s been one
of the best days I have had on the job so far, one where I feel I have
made a real difference for wildcats by doing Trap Neuter Vaccinate
Return (TNVR).
International team show that male fish build nests to suit local
environments - and females judge males on their ability to respond to
changing
