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Headlines from week beginning 24 July 2017 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
We are really lucky in that all of us working for the North York
Moors get to be paid for spending part of our working time (some more
than others!) in our beautiful national park. Judging by the
numbers of applicants that we get for many of our roles, it seems as if
lots of other people agree as well. We recruit a variety of people at different levels. We take on
trainees from apprentices through to undergraduate placements and
post-graduate trainees. We also need experienced people from a
variety of disciplines to join our Conservation and Ranger teams. Job roles for experienced staff range from practitioner level, being
out there working directly with people and making things happen on the
ground, through to managerial posts. While the knowledge needed to carry
out these different roles may be similar, the way in which this is used
and the skills required can be very different.
Cairngorms National Park is making sure that it is - A National
Park for All The Cairngorms National Park is Britain’s largest National Park.
It contains some of the best wildlife habitats in the UK including
ancient pine forests, arctic mountain tops, lochs, rivers and moorlands.
Home to a quarter of UK threatened species, it is rich in landscapes,
habitats and heritage. 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, these include the
younger generation, those with disabilities, people on low incomes and
also ethnic minorities. The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) is committed to
developing a Park for All, part of that work includes identifying the
reasons why these groups are not visiting the National Park, then
working in partnership with others to encourage and support such groups.
"We realise that the adults of today are the children of yesterday
and the more time we can spend integrating them into their environment
the greater the understanding and belief in the purposes of a NP. We
certainly aren’t perfect, but I like to think that trying to engage
every child during every year of their education within Exmoor has
created some inflammable stuff." If we want children to continue to enjoy and respect our National
Parks that's just as true today as when Dave wrote it nearly 10 years
ago.
Read the article.
Rare Beetle discovered at How Hill - Broads
Authority The Broads Authority is able to announce the exciting discovery of
the Black Longhorn Beetle (Stictoleptura Scutellata) at How
Hill. This impressive longhorn beetle is nationally scarce, however
despite this fact, a new breeding site was discovered on a tall dead
beech trunk at the entrance to the secret garden at How Hill.
This is a prime example of the importance of maintaining deadwood for
the sake of the array of species that are dependent upon its existence.
None more so than the Black Longhorn Beetle which particularly favours
dead alder stumps and branches. This unusual beetle spends most of its
time high in the canopy of large trees but can be found on occasion
visiting flowers. The discovery of the Black Longhorn Beetle is of particular
significance as there were previously no records whatsoever of the
beetle in Norfolk or Suffolk until one was photographed on fen
vegetation at Sutton Fen on the 7th July 2016. It was then on the 27th
June 2017 that one appeared when photographed feeding on meadowsweet
blossom at How Hill by Red O’Hara and, after several unsuccessful visits
by Martin Rejzek (a national longhorn expert), and Martin Collier
(Norfolk Beetle Recorder) a breeding site was discovered where a few
examples were seen flying and ovipositing in the bark on 9th July 2017. Andrea Kelly, Senior Ecologist for the Broads Authority stated that,
‘the discovery of this conservation priority species shows the success
of our work to retain the full age structure of trees, particularly old
deadwood which this rare longhorn beetle requires. Deadwood plays a
crucial role in all woodlands, not only by storing nutrients and carbon
but also providing the specific conditions for fungi, lichens, bugs and
beetles, mosses and birds, many of which have evolved to be entirely
dependent on old wood.’
Advice follows diagnosis of Chalara ash dieback disease in ash trees
- Isle of Man Government A disease that can prove fatal to ash trees has been detected in the
Island for the first time, prompting a request to landowners to be
vigilant and report possible cases. The presence of Chalara ash dieback disease on private land in the
south of the Island, and in the surrounding area, has been confirmed by
a UK laboratory. The disease, caused by a fungus, was detected in the UK in 2012 and
is well-established there. Control on imports has helped the Island to remain free of the
disease until now. It is estimated that around one in five of the
Island’s hedgerow trees are ash. Geoffrey Boot MHK, Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture,
said: ‘It’s disappointing that this disease has reached the Island as it
has the potential to change our landscape over time. In raising
public awareness of its appearance and the steps to take if it’s
suspected, we hope it can be contained as far as possible. We are
reviewing policies and procedures implemented elsewhere so we can take
the most appropriate action to mitigate the impact of the disease on the
Island.’
Mapping the state of alien species across the globe
- British Ecological Society Invasive non-native species cost the world billions of dollars every
year, threatening native species and biodiversity as well as human
health and the way ecosystems work. While ecologists now understand how
– and why – these plant and animal invaders spread, a global picture
across different groups of organisms and ecosystems has been lacking. To address this, the British Ecological Society is this week holding
a symposium at Durham University, bringing together UK and international
ecologists to gather the latest evidence on the geographical
distribution and abundance of non-native (alien) species worldwide. The
delegates will explore global patterns and drivers of established alien
species and their possible ecological and evolutionary impacts. Human-mediated transport and trade in a globalised world combined
with climate change have led to unprecedented movements of alien species
among continents and oceans. According to Dr Wayne Dawson from Durham University, one of the
event’s organisers: “The challenge for us is to understand what the
consequences are of mixing up the world’s species, to decide how to deal
with this change, and what measures we can put in place to try to
predict and prevent further introductions.”
Report shows Welsh countryside improvements –
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Farmers, land managers and foresters contributing to improvements in
Welsh countryside for people and nature, new report shows A Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) report published today
(Tuesday 25 July) on behalf of a wider consortium for Welsh Government Report front cover (Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology) The report found there are two to three times more indicators
improving (26-30%) than declining (8-14%) in the short and long term,
with the remaining 60% showing no change. Real success has been seen in the improvement of blanket bogs over
the last two decades which has been the focus of so much restoration
action. Improvement has also been seen in stream water quality and there
is now overall stability in bird diversity and specialist butterfly
species, with improvements in woodland and upland breeding bird
populations. Overall, plant species richness and those indicative of
good condition are stable or improving in woodland, open habitat and
improved land. More public rights of way are now easy to use. Remaining areas of concern are just under half of our Historic
Environment Features are under some type of threat, 35% priority bird
species remain in decline and only a minority of ponds are in good
ecological condition. Soil quality is generally stable, but with some
early warning signs of some potential problems which need to be
monitored going forward.
Boost for bees and butterflies - Scottish
Government Ten-year plan to stop decline of pollinating insects. A new strategy has been launched to make Scotland a more pollinator
friendly place by protecting indigenous bee and butterfly populations. Since 1980 the number of pollinating insects in Scotland - honey
bees, bumble bees, the solitary bee, butterflies and hoverflies - have
declined by an estimated 51%, leading to fears of a negative impact on
agriculture, food security, the economy and human health.
The Pollinator Strategy calls for:
Speaking at The Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, Environment Secretary
Roseanna Cunningham said: “Scotland’s biodiversity is one of our key
assets, and the contribution the humble bumble bee and other pollinators
make to this wonderful environment should not be underestimated. That is
why we are committed to making Scotland a more pollinator friendly
place. Pressures like land use change, pesticides, pollution, disease
and climate change are threatening these life-giving insects, so we must
act now to protect the pollinators and in turn safeguard our
environment, our food and in turn our health.” Scottish Natural Heritage has led the development of the Pollinator
Strategy working closely with a range of environmental and land
management organisations.
Download the strategy document.
Former traffic blackspot recognised as wildlife haven
- National Trust A once notorious traffic blackspot has been converted into a top
wildlife haven after habitat restoration by the National Trust with
Natural England. The Devil’s Punch Bowl, which was separated from Hindhead Common by
the A3, has undergone huge improvements after the creation of the
Hindhead Tunnel by Highways England.
Six years on from the opening of the tunnel, which saw the
restoration of this Surrey Hills nationally protected landscape,
management techniques set out under Higher Level Stewardship and
Countryside Stewardship have also seen the restoration of fragile and
endangered historic heathland habitat, and the return of rare and
diverse breeding birds such as woodlark and nightjar. The
nationally scarce heath tiger beetle has been sighted, and conditions
are now favourable for the return of the silver studded blue butterfly. The Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) has now been assessed
by Natural England as meeting its nature conservation targets, and is
considered to be in favourable condition. Matt Cusack, Lead Ranger for the National Trust said: “I am thrilled
we’ve achieved favourable status for Hindhead and the Punch Bowl during
my watch. The removal of the A3 in July 2011 was a major milestone,
enabling us to thin trees and transform the site into a swathe of
heathland. But the site has been under a Higher Level Stewardship
agreement since 2008. Heather mowing, the introduction of woodlark
nesting areas, grazing and scrub management conducted under the scheme
has transformed it. "
National survey fuels plans to help one of Scotland's most iconic birds
- RSPB The latest national survey of Scotland’s population of capercaillie,
the world’s largest grouse, estimates there to be only 1114 individuals
- making it one of the country’s most endangered birds. Scotland’s capercaillie population is assessed every six years by
RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage with the most recent survey
conducted during winter 2015/16. Between November and March, RSPB
surveyors walked nearly one thousand miles of transects looking for and
recording the birds. The previous survey was carried out in winter
2009/10 and put capercaillie numbers at around 1285 individuals.
Capercaillie are found in mature pine woodlands in parts of the
Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire, but Strathspey holds
around 83% of the remaining population. An innovative five year initiative, the Cairngorms Capercaillie
Project, is being developed to help the bird. Spearheaded by the
Cairngorms Nature Partnership (1), the scheme will work closely with
communities to build support for the conservation of capercaillie, as
well as aiming to create bigger, better managed and better connected
forests to support long-term survival of capercaillie and other species
in pine woods. Key to its success will be partnerships with National Park
communities; local residents will help the project team design sensible
approaches to improve recreational opportunities for locals and visitors
while reducing disturbance of capercaillie.
Fife’s parks Buzzing with life – Buglife After an exciting three-year team effort between Buglife, Fife
Council, schoolchildren and community groups, over 13 hectares of native
wildflower-rich grassland have been created at 23 locations across Fife.
These new meadows are buzzing with life! The ambitious Fife’s Buzzing project was funded by Heritage Lottery
Fund and Fife Environment Trust to enhance parks and greenspaces across
the Kingdom for both wildlife and people to use and enjoy. The UK has
lost over 97% of species-rich grassland since the 1940s, with dramatic
declines in associated wildlife including native bees, butterflies,
hoverflies and beetles. Projects like Fife’s Buzzing help create habitat
for pollinating insects and other wildlife. The flowers and wildlife in
turn add a welcome splash of colour and interest to public spaces. Over the course of the Fife’s Buzzing project, over 4,000 people were
engaged at meadow creation days, bug hunts and other events. Pupils from
27 schools and volunteers from 10 different community groups have been
vital in helping with this project and have enjoyed creating and
enhancing habitat for wildlife in their local area. Suzanne Burgess, Buglife Scotland Manager said: “People of all ages
from across Fife have helped enhance their area for wildlife and learn
about the importance of native wildflower and grassland meadows for
wildlife, especially our pollinators that are currently under enormous
pressure.”
Research values soil’s natural capital –
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Study sets out way of valuing soil’s contribution to food and wider
ecosystem services across Europe Trees and soilSoil scientists at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
(CEH) have set out a Europe-wide framework for developing a natural
capital accounting structure for soil which considers the impact of land
use change, climate change and pollution.
Trees and soil (Image: Pixabay(creative commons))
Dr Robinson, a soil scientist at CEH and lead author of the study
published in Scientific Reports, said, "Our research highlights the need
to integrate environmental data with economic measures such as national
income, gross domestic product and national wealth, so that resource
degradation is not invisible." Read the paper: Robinson, David A,
Panos Panagos, Pasquale Borrellis, Arwyn Jones, Luca Montanarella,
Andrew Tye, Carl G Obst,
Soil
Natural Capital in Europe; A Framework for State and Change Assessment
Scientific Reports DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06819-3
Born to be wild: Grandparents most adventurous in great outdoors Grandparents were much more adventurous during their youth in the
great outdoors than today’s youngsters – half of whom have never even
climbed a tree, a survey shows. With 61% of grandparents helping with childcare during school
holidays they are the perfect motivators for getting kids to spend more
time enjoying nature. Parents looking for ways to get their kids to spend more time in the
great outdoors during the summer holidays need look no further than
willing grandparents, keen to spend quality time outside in nature with
their grandchildren Research by leading conservation charity, the National Trust, reveals
grandparents are the key ingredient to helping today’s generation
develop a connection with nature. Over three quarters (76%) claim they
were far more explorative and daring in their youth compared to both
their own children and grandchildren, with a huge majority (92%) saying
that they take great enjoyment from teaching their grandchildren about
these adventurous activities, such as building a den or flying a kite. The research also reveals that 4 in 5 (79%) adults believe children
today have less freedom to explore and play outdoors, compared to their
own childhood. While 75% of grandparents said climbing trees was one of
their favourite childhood memories, half (51%) said their grandchildren
had not experienced this activity. Nearly half (49%) of grandparents take on the role of childminding
more than twice a week to support parents with this increasing during
the school holidays by almost two-thirds of grandparents (61%). A
whopping 9 in 10 (92%) said that when they do spend time with their
grandchildren, they are keen to actively encourage them to take part in
explorative outdoor play rather coop up indoors.
Rare moss found in new sites on the National Forest Estate
- Forestry Commission Scotland A rare moss has been found in several new sites on the National
Forest Estate. Buxbaumia viridis, or Green Shield-moss, is a nationally
scarce moss and rated as endangered.
Green Shield Moss (Image: Colin Leslie)
A survey organised by Scottish Natural Heritage over winter
2016/17 found new locations in four of the 10 forest districts across
Scotland. In Tay Forest District two new sites have been found and
in Lochaber Forest District, the most westerly population in Europe was
discovered. Gareth Mason, Environment Ranger, said: "The surveyors walked an
average of 35km at every new site before the moss was discovered.
This demonstrates that it is more practical to focus surveying for Green
Shield-moss in coupes where it is known to be present nearby, and where
the particular habitat requirements occur. "We are legally required to protect and enhance this species so we
joined forces with SNH to visit a site in Lochaber Forest District, to
discuss the practical methods that should be used to protect this
species. Following on from this we will produce a management guidance
note to support a licensing application process."
Possible wildcat kitten found in Strathbogie priority area
- Scottish Wildcat Action
image: Scottish Wildcat Action Though it’s tricky to tell whether a kitten is wildcat when they are
so young, we think this kitten might be one. To confirm this we’ve sent
off a wee sample of its DNA for testing. When it was found it was cold, wet and hungry. Chris had been keeping
an eye on it for a couple of days prior to Emma arriving. With no sign
of the mother over this time and the kitten showing no signs of being
cared for, we could be confident that the wee toot needed help. It is
now being looked after by a couple, one of whom happens to be a vet so
he couldn't be in better hands. Zac, this year a proud wildcat father of a litter of wildcat kittens
at the Highland Wldlife Park, was rescued as a kitten in a similar way
not far from this one. There have also been a number of recent possible
wildcat sightings in the Strathbogie area and Emma is very excited about
this latest finding.
Rare and elusive nightjars return to Snelsmore Common, thanks to walkers
- BBOWT The rare and elusive nightjar has returned to Snelsmore Common in
West Berkshire, after an absence of two years, reports the Berks, Bucks
& Oxon Wildlife Trust.
These extremely well-camouflaged, nocturnal birds spend the day
hiding from predators by keeping still, either perched on a branch or on
its nest on the ground. But at dusk the air fills with the eerie
‘churring’ noise of the male’s song as they start to hunt for moths
across the heath. Because nightjars nest on the ground, they are prone to being
disturbed by people walking too close, and by dogs running through the
Common. This spring and summer the Wildlife Trust had a small group of
wardens working with visitors to Snelsmore Common to meet walkers and
explain the importance of the area for wildlife, and how people can help
the rare birds like the nightjars. Stephen Plaisted-Kerr, one of the wardens, said: “People have been
very interested in finding out about nightjars and other wildlife.
Everybody who we have spoken to has been happy to stick to the paths and
keep their dogs under control during this sensitive nesting period, so
it’s thanks to them that we’ve seen the rewards with the return of the
nightjars this year.” Impacts
of marine climate change demonstrated by decade of scientific
collaboration - JNCC
A new report card by the UK Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership
(MCCIP) demonstrates the important effects climate change is having on
UK seas and coastlines. Building on contributions from 400 scientists,
key findings 10 years on from the first MCCIP report card are: A long-term underlying warming trend in sea-surface temperature is
still clear, despite year-to-year fluctuations. Ocean acidification has become established as a major issue for
marine ecosystems, and may be taking place at a faster rate in UK seas
than in the wider north Atlantic. Climate change is clearly affecting marine life. Warm-water species,
such as squid and anchovies, have become more common place in UK waters;
whilst seabirds face an uncertain future with the productivity of
fulmars, Atlantic puffins, little and Arctic terns and black legged
kittiwakes being impacted by sea-surface temperature rises. Extreme high-water events are becoming more frequent at the coast due
to sea-level rise. However, this has not led to a corresponding increase
in coastal flooding to date due to continued improvements in flood
defences, emergency planning, forecasting and warning.
Is Welsh coast haven for Angelsharks? -
Natural Resources Wales A project to gather evidence for a population of one of the world’s
rarest sharks has been launched in Welsh waters Once widespread across Europe, the Angelshark is now listed as
Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List (the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species), with the waters
around the Canary Islands being the only place where they are frequently
sighted. However there have been an increasing number of sightings
of these rare fish off the Welsh coast in recent years. Now scientists from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and ZSL (Zoological
Society of London) are teaming up with fishermen and others all along
the coast of Wales to find out more about our native Angelshark
population. As part of the project people are being asked to
report all accidental
catches of the shark, and being given
advice on how to handle and release them safely back into the water
unharmed. Angelsharks can grow up to around two and a half metres
(around eight feet) in length. They are also known as monk or monkfish
by fishermen in the region. Ben Wray, Marine Biodiversity Ecologist at Natural Resources Wales,
said: “Commercial fishermen and anglers have been reporting more
sightings of Angelsharks in recent years. We know very little about the
ecology of the shark in Welsh waters at the moment – the population
could be present all year round, or only for part of the year. The fact
that commercial fishermen and anglers along the coast of Wales are
helping us with this research is really important, and we are very
grateful to them for their help. We hope that the data we gather will
help us build a much better picture of the situation and help our work
to conserve these amazing creatures."
Stephen C. Votier, Annette L. Fayet, Stuart Bearhop, Thomas W. Bodey,
Bethany L. Clark, James Grecian, Tim Guilford, Keith C. Hamer, Jana W.
E. Jeglinski, Greg Morgan, Ewan Wakefield, Samantha C. Patrick
Effects of age and reproductive status on individual foraging site
fidelity in a long-lived marine predator Proc. R. Soc. B DOI:
10.1098/rspb.2017.1068.
Griffiths, S. R., Bender, R., Godinho, L. N., Lentini, P. E.,
Lumsden, L. F. and Robert, K. A. (2017),
Bat boxes are not a silver bullet conservation tool. Mam Rev.
doi:10.1111/mam.12097 N. Pieretti, M. Lo Martire, A. Farina, R. Danovaro,
Marine soundscape as an additional biodiversity monitoring tool: A case
study from the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea), Ecological
Indicators, Volume 83, December 2017, Pages 13-20, ISSN 1470-160X, doi:
10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.07.011. Patrik Karell, Staffan Bensch, Kari Ahola, Muhammad Asghar
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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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The
Black Longhorn Beetle © Michael O'Hara via Broads Authority
reports on early findings of the impact of the Glastir land management
scheme and long-term trends in the Welsh countryside. Evidence from over
50 indicators collected in a major field survey campaign suggests there
have been many improvements in the Welsh countryside for people and
nature over the last 30-40 years.
Buff
tailed bumblebee (image: Scottish Government)
Hindhead
Tunnel (picture: Highways England, via National Trust)
Capercaillie
(image: Ben Andrew / RSPB)
Dr
David Robinson of CEH led an international team of researchers who
suggest monitoring soil cycles that impact on the economies, societies
and ecosystems of European countries is vital to help policy makers
protect soil quality and condition in future.
The
moss differs to almost every other moss in that its leaves are not
visible – only the distinct bright green fruiting body can be seen over
winter, from November until April. It prefers logs where there are
areas of bare bark or little competition from other bryophytes.
The
outcome for this fun-sized feline may not have been good had our Project
Officer Emma Rawling not been contacted by a member of the public
(Chris), who found it near Huntly.
Nightjar
by Katie Fuller (via BBOWT)
Kelp
and cliffs - Lundy Island - UK © Alex Mustard via JNCC
