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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
5 June - World Environment Day 'Connecting People to Nature’, the theme for World Environment Day
2017, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its
beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the
Earth that we share. World Environment Day is the biggest annual event for positive
environmental action and takes place every 5 June. This year’s host
country Canada got to choose the theme and will be at the centre of
celebrations around the planet. World Environment Day is a day for everyone, everywhere. This year’s
theme invites you to think about how we are part of nature and how
intimately we depend on it. It challenges us to find fun and exciting
ways to experience and cherish this vital relationship.
For
World Environment Day we're highlighting: ‘Cairngorms – A National Park
for All’ With such unique qualities the National Park is a fantastic learning
resource that inspires people to find out more about its natural and
cultural heritage. The landscape begs to be explored and encourages
people to get outside and become more active and healthy. The Cairngorms National Park is used and enjoyed by 1.5m visitors
each year, as well as the 18,000 people who live and work here.
However, we know that there are several groups of people who are
under-represented in engaging with the National Park.
EU greenhouse gas emissions from transport increase for the second year
in a row - European Environment Agency Total European Union greenhouse gas emissions increased by 0.5 % in
2015, according to new European Environment Agency (EEA) data published
on 1 June. Transport was a key reason for that increase: better fuel
efficiency in that sector was not enough to counter the effects of an
increasing demand for transport. The EEA’s new reports, 'Annual European Union greenhouse gas
inventory 1990-2015 and inventory report 2017’ and ‘Analysis of key
trends and drivers in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU between 1990
and 2015’ provide an overview of the EU’s greenhouse gas emission
trends. The EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions increased in 2015 for the
first time since 2010. Higher emissions were caused mainly by increasing
road transport, both passenger and freight, and slightly colder winter
conditions in Europe, compared to 2014, leading to higher demand for
heating. Other findings for the year 2015
Download EEA’s new reports, 'Annual
European Union greenhouse gas inventory 1990-2015 and inventory report
2017’ and ‘Analysis
of key trends and drivers in greenhouse gas emissions in the EU between
1990 and 2015’
Funding approved to help improve accessibility at City nature reserve
- Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Visitors to
Harrison’s Plantation Nature Reserve off Lambourne Drive Nottingham
will be able to get closer to the site’s wetland wildlife thanks to the
installation of a new waterside boardwalk and interpretation materials
thanks to a grant of £32,259 from funding body WREN. The reserve had
previously benefitted from funding from WREN back in 2011. The money, awarded by WREN’s FCC Community Action Fund, will be used
to remove two dilapidated boardwalks and to improve access at the edge
of Raleigh Pond, a main feature of the reserve. These will be replaced
by a recycled plastic boardwalk allowing visitors close access to the
water’s edge and to facilitate access for groups wishing to pond dip,
something not currently possible at the site. New interpretation panels will also be installed at the reserve,
which is managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of
Nottingham City Council, to give visitors more information about the
site, its wildlife and history and special coir rolls will be installed
along the water’s edge to create habitat suitable for planting with new
marginal plants. The improvements will also enhance access for visitors with limited
mobility and two new RADAR gates will be installed to replace current
structures designed to exclude motorbikes which make access for
wheelchair and mobility scooter users difficult.
Innovative moorland campaign is Bogtastic! –
Peak District National Park Authority The wheels are in motion to bring the breath-taking beauty of the
Peak District and South Pennine moors to the people, allowing them to
step onto a virtual peat bog without having to get their boots wet!
The
Moors for the Future Partnership is working on the first ever “moor in a
van” – a Bogtastic mobile exhibition vehicle - welcoming visitors in
city and town centres across the Peak District and South Pennines to
experience the sights, sounds and even the smells of our iconic
uplands. The partnership hopes to inspire as many people as possible to
value and love their local moors. Moors above Ladybower reservoir (Peak District NPA) As well as the van, the partnership is exploring new ways to bring
the Bogtastic experience to key locations across the area by developing
alternatives to traditional noticeboards. The special interpretation
will give people the chance to get a hands-on understanding of the
vitally important landscape on their doorstep and the opportunity to
feel the sensation of Sphagnum moss, a vital bog plant that can hold up
to 20 times its own weight in water. Across vast areas of the Peak District and South Pennine uplands,
Sphagnum mosses have been killed off by pollution from the industrial
revolution and wildfire, leaving vulnerable peat exposed. These
moorlands are home to unique and iconic wildlife including curlew,
golden plover, short-eared owl and mountain hare, as well as providing
drinking water to millions of people across the UK. Healthy peat moors
can also help to reduce flooding in local at-risk towns and villages and
contribute to reducing the effects of climate change by storing carbon.
Developers renege on affordable homes as countryside faces housing
crisis - CPRE Council targets to meet local need missed in many areas New research from the Campaign to Protect Rural England shows a
growing crisis of affordable housing provision in many rural areas. Using Government data, the research indicates that the proportion of
affordable homes being provided by non-metropolitan local authorities
has halved in five years. In 2011-12, 35% of new dwellings in shire
districts and unitary authorities were affordable; in 2015-16, this had
decreased to just 16%. Other than a small recovery in 2014-15, those
years showed continued decline. CPRE’s research also shows that just five of the 15 most unaffordable
districts outside London have met their most recent lowest affordable
housing target. Recent research from the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)
shows that councils are increasingly concerned about affordable housing
and the effect that viability assessments have on providing it. In the
TCPA’s study, over 60% of councils surveyed agreed that the viability
test set out in the National Planning Policy Framework has hindered
their ability to secure sufficient social and affordable housing to meet
local needs. Paul Miner, planning campaign manager at the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE), said: “Many councils are falling woefully short of
their targets to provide affordable homes. Yet you also have to look at
those developers who continually use shady tactics to renege on promises
to build affordable homes and new community infrastructure. These are
often the promises that win them permission in the first place.
Developers have councils in a bind. It’s either fewer affordable homes
or missed housing targets. And either way it’s young people and local
people in need who lose out. As just 8% of rural housing is affordable,
much of the countryside is already out of reach to those on average
incomes. If we don’t change things this will just get worse. The next
Government must reduce the power of these viability studies, stop highly
profitable developers gaming the system and give councils the hard cash
to start building houses again.” A 'Wow, lucky you' moment
Cheeky dormouse dances up Cornwall ranger’s back
- National Trust An experienced National Trust ranger was left reeling after a rare
hazel dormouse danced up his back. James Robbins, a ranger on the conservation charity’s Cotehele
Estate, Cornwall, was checking the 60 dormouse nest boxes in a wooded
valley on the estate earlier this month.
It
was the first time the James, whose image of a snoring dormouse was
chosen as one of the Guardian’s pictures of the year last Christmas, had
checked the boxes this year. (Photo: James Robbins/National Trust) He said: “I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see anything. But when I
took the box off the tree to look inside the dormouse jumped out. I was
caught off guard. It went up my t-shirt and was scurrying around my
shoulders for a little while. Then escaped down my leg and away into the
wood.” It is possible that dormouse was the same one that captured public
attention last autumn. “It was exactly where I found the dormouse last
year,” James said. Unfazed, ranger James continued to check the wood’s nest boxes for
other dormice – finding one female in a deep sleep.
Red light has no effect on bat activity - Netherlands Institute of Ecology Artificial light at night can have a disruptive effect on bats, but
not if the light is red. Switching to red light may therefore limit or
prevent habitat loss for rare, light-shy bat species. The latest issue
of Proceedings of the Royal Society B publishes results from five years
of pioneering research led by the Netherlands Institute of Ecology
(NIOO-KNAW). It's the first time researchers have succeeded in measuring the
effects of light with different spectra on the activity of slow-flying,
light-shy bats in their foraging habitat. "We've found these bats to be
equally active in red light and in darkness", says principal researcher
Kamiel Spoelstra. "White and green light, on the other hand,
substantially reduce the bats' level of activity."
Natterer's
Bat (image: K Spoelstra) The effect of red light on more common bat species such as the
pipistrelle is reduced as well. While there's a strong increase in
activity of this species in white and green light, activity in red light
is comparable to that in darkness. This is caused by the strong
attraction of insects to white and green (not red) light. Pipistrelles
opportunistically feed on these accumulated insects. “The lack of effect of red light on both the rarer, light-shy species
and the more common non-light-shy bats", concludes Spoelstra, "opens up
possibilities for limiting the disruption caused by external, artificial
lighting in natural areas, in situations where having light is
considered desirable." One of the things that make this research unique is that the
intensity of the light used for the experiments holds up under real-life
conditions. "In fact, it's entirely suitable for use on country roads."
The scale and duration of the experiments also make them quite unique. Access the paper: Kamiel Spoelstra, Roy H. A. van Grunsven, Jip J. C. Ramakers, Kim B. Ferguson, Thomas Raap, Maurice Donners, Elmar M. Veenendaal, Marcel E. Visser Response of bats to light with different spectra: light-shy and agile bat presence is affected by white and green, but not red light Published 31 May 2017.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0075
£12m boost for Wales’ Great Outdoors - Welsh
Government Wales’ iconic National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
will receive funding of over £12m from the Welsh Government this year,
the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs has confirmed. Lesley Griffiths has announced Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and the
Pembrokeshire Costal Path National Park Authorities will receive grant
funding totalling £9.5m for 2017/18. Meanwhile, Wales’ five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have been
awarded £275,000 to help them to continue to deliver the Sustainable
Development Fund. Under this fund, AONBs will each receive £55,000 to
establish projects which support ways of living and working in a more
sustainable way, integrating natural beauty, wildlife, landscape, land
use and community. Earlier this year the Cabinet Secretary confirmed an extra £2.5m, in
addition to their core funding, to support projects identified by Wales’
National Park Authorities and AONBs. These include initiatives to
promote outdoor recreation and improve mountain safety.
Rare breeding birds make Panshanger Park their home
- Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust Two pairs of little ringed plovers have returned to breed at
Panshanger Park, near Hertford.
Little
ringed plover (Image: Paul Thursh, Hertfordshire Wildlife Trust) The main threat to these birds is loss of suitable habitat, something
that Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust and the owners of Panshanger
Park, Tarmac, have been working hard to combat. The Trust and Tarmac
have been maintaining and enhancing the habitat for breeding wading
birds, like the little ringed plover and lapwing, by carrying out much
needed conservation work. This has included scraping back vegetation to
create more bare areas on which these ground nesting birds make their
nests and creating more areas of open water to provide good feeding
areas. Jennifer Gilbert, Panshanger Park People and Wildlife Officer, says:
“We are very excited to have found little ringed plovers at Panshanger.
One of the female plovers is tagged and we have found out that she was
ringed in Spain as part of a species specific ringing project to try to
understand their movements and habitat needs. Little ringed
plovers are a rare breeding bird in Herts but bred successfully in 2015
at Panshanger Park – this the only known successful breeding pair in
Herts that year. It is extremely gratifying to know that our work is
having a real impact on priority species in Hertfordshire.”
Peregrine chicks saved after parents found illegally killed
- RSPB
Three peregrine falcon chicks, which were rescued from a nest in
Shropshire after their parents were found dead, have found new foster
homes. The RSPB’s Investigations Unit was called to Clee Hill quarry on 31
May after a dead adult peregrine falcon was discovered on the ground,
leaving a nest of three young chicks dependent and vulnerable. On
attending the scene, the RSPB found a second body, thought to be the
bird’s mate.
Female
peregrine at nest feeding chicks (Image: Chris Gomersall, RSPB) A specialist climber abseiled down the cliff to rescue the orphan chicks. They were examined by a local vet then cared for by a specialist rehabilitator in Yorkshire and have now found new homes in foster nests in the wild. The dead parent birds have been sent for post-mortem examination to
determine the cause of death. A dead pigeon found beside the bodies has
also been sent for analysis. West Mercia Police Wildlife Crime Officer PC David Walton said: "We
urge anyone with information about the death of these magnificent birds
to come forward, quoting incident ref 0676 S 30/5/17. I believe that,
had it not been for the fast action of all parties working together, we
would have certainly lost the chicks as well as the adults, which look
to have been poisoned." Tim Jones, RSPB investigations officer, attended the rescue. He said:
“We are delighted that all three chicks, which are about three weeks
old, have found foster homes. Parent birds will happily raise a new
chick which joins the family if placed with other chicks of a similar
age. We have done this several times before as a last resort and have
every hope for their success."
Feather fingerprint research presented to conference
- Abertay University Pioneering Abertay University work to enable the recovery of
fingerprints from the feathers of birds of prey has been presented to
the international Society of Wildlife Forensic Science conference.
Abertay PhD student Helen McMorris delivered a presentation detailing
her innovative project, which is investigating techniques to take
fingerprints from bird feathers in a bid to prove human involvement in
wildlife crime. The conference in Edinburgh, which runs until June 9, comes after
figures in the latest RSPB Birdcrime report revealed almost 200 bird of
prey crimes in the UK in a single year. At present, toxicological tests can prove a raptor was poisoned and
DNA swabbing can confirm dog attacks, however there is no accurate
measure of human involvement. She added: “We only have to look to a few weeks ago when at least two
cases in the UK were dropped by the courts for what they considered to
be non-admissible video footage. My research has been investigating the
development of fingerprints on bird of prey feathers in an attempt to
help confirm human involvement in wildlife crime and potentially provide
more evidence for court. The structure of a feather is very
similar to the fine weave structure of some fabrics such as silk. It has
recently been found that fabric with a thread count of three per
millimetre can sustain a fingermark or grab mark, and after microscopic
examination, it was found that bird of prey feathers have a barb count
of three per millimetre, suggesting that they could sustain a
fingermark. Fingerprint development is about having a strong
colour contrast between the background surface and the developed print.
On feathers, this proved to be very difficult as they can be black,
brown, grey, white, and therefore commonly used CSI powders such as
black magnetic powder, or aluminium powder, were unsuitable for use.
It was green and red magnetic fluorescent powder that were most
effective. When excited with a blue wavelength of light and viewed
through a yellow filter, they fluoresce. This fluorescence suppresses
the background colour, no longer making it problematic and allowing the
developed fingerprint to be clearly visible.”
Scientific Publications Müller, J. J. A., Massen, J. J. M., Bugnyar, T. & Osvath, M. (2017)
Ravens remember the nature of a single reciprocal interaction sequence
over 2 days and even after a month. Animal Behaviour.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.004
Schall, P., et al
The impact of even-aged and uneven-aged forest management on regional
biodiversity of multiple taxa in European beech forests. J Appl
Ecol. doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12950
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