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Headlines from week beginning 25 September 2017 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Red Admiral thrives despite wet summer -
Butterfly Conservation One of the UK’s most striking and widespread butterflies, the Red
Admiral, has experienced a record summer despite soggy weather
conditions causing problems for other species, results from the Big
Butterfly Count have revealed.
The Red Admiral saw its numbers rise by 75% compared to 2016, with
more than 73,000 seen during the Count’s three-week recording period. This number is as many as were counted in the last three years of the
Big Butterfly Count put together and the highest number by far for the
butterfly since the project began.
The admiral boom was helped by a good year in 2016 followed by a mild
winter and warm spring this year. Red Admirals that had
overwintered in the UK and fresh immigrants arriving in spring from
southern Europe enjoyed an early and successful breeding season giving
rise to a bumper summer brood. Although a common sight in gardens,
a few decades ago the Red Admiral was strictly a summer visitor to the
UK. Butterflies arrived from warmer parts of Europe in the spring and
summer, bred here and then their offspring flew south before winter.
While migration is still a major feature of the Red Admiral’s lifestyle,
many now overwinter in the UK and it is the most commonly recorded
butterfly during the winter months. Results can be found at
www.bigbutterflycount.org
West Wales rescue efforts helped 220 Manx shearwater
- RSPCA Cymru Some 220 Manx shearwaters were rescued in West Wales by RSPCA Cymru
last week, following stormy weather conditions – and the public are
being urged to be on the look-out for more.
Rescue efforts continued – with a further 50 seabirds rescued from
Pembrokeshire’s Druidstone beach, in addition to many more on Tenby’s
beaches, and some found in jeopardy in-land.
Sadly, the rescues are necessitated by the struggles Manx shearwaters
often face on land. They are very able in flight, or on water – but
their shape means walking on land presents challenges, and they can
become stranded. The 220 Manx shearwaters were taken into RSPCA care, with the
majority going to specialist wildlife facilities for rehabilitation at
the RSPCA’s West Hatch Wildlife Centre in Somerset. RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben said: “This was a major rescue
operation, with many RSPCA officers working in challenging conditions to
rescue so many troubled Manx shearwaters. Thankfully, the rescue has
proven a success – with the birds, after rehabilitation, starting to be
returned to the wild – ahead of migration to South America. All birds
released will have rings attached, so vital information can be gained on
a bird should they be found again in the future. Sadly, some of
the Manx shearwater transferred to our specialist facilities didn’t make
it. However, a big majority of them are expected to be released, safe
and well, which just highlights the vital nature of the RSPCA’s work
here, along with the many volunteers and others agencies who kindly
supported our efforts.”
New peatland restoration toolkit launched –
Moorland Association
A new toolkit has been launched to enhance land managers’
understanding of the current condition of blanket bog and allow them to
implement peatland restoration methods to make improvements. There is currently more carbon stored in the UK’s peatland than in
the combined forests of Britain and France, representing 42% of the UK’s
soil carbon stock, so it is vitally important to keep the UK’s peatlands
healthy. The guidance, which was launched at this year’s BogFest 2017 in
Edale, has been collaboratively produced by representatives of the
Uplands Management Group in response to a request from DEFRA’s Uplands
Stakeholder Forum for best practice guidance. It is imperative to assess the current condition of blanket bog and
this new toolkit categorises it into six different states, ranging from
bare peat bog which will entail complete revegetation, to blanket bog
where regular monitoring is required to ensure a favourable state is
maintained.
Scientists call for more research on how human activities affect the
seabed – University of Southampton A group of UK scientists, co-ordinated by the University of
Southampton, has published extensive research into how industry and
environmental change are affecting our seafloors, but say more work is
needed to help safeguard these complex ecosystems and the benefits they
provide to people for the future.
Researchers from eight institutions and organisations have worked
together to examine areas of sea or ocean located on the UK continental
shelf to understand the sensitivity of these systems to human
activities. The societal importance of these ecosystems extends beyond
food production to include biodiversity, carbon cycling and storage,
waste disposal, nutrient cycling, recreation and renewable energy.
The most in-depth species survey to date finds an “astonishing array”
of plant diversity in the global botanic garden network, including 41%
of all endangered species. However, researchers find a significant
imbalance between tropical and temperate plants, and say even more
capacity should be given to conservation, as there is “no technical
reason for plant species to become extinct”.
The world's botanic gardens contain at least 30% of all known plant
species, including 41% of all those classed as 'threatened', according
to the most comprehensive analysis to date of diversity in 'ex-situ'
collections: those plants conserved outside natural habitats. The study, published today (25/9) in the journal Nature
Plants, found that the global network of botanic gardens conserves
living plants representing almost two-thirds of plant 'genera' (the
classification above species) and over 90% of plant families. However, researchers from the University of Cambridge discovered a
significant imbalance between temperate and tropical regions. The vast
majority of all plants species grown ex-situ are held in the northern
hemisphere. Consequently, some 60% of temperate plant species were represented in
botanic gardens but only 25% of tropical species, despite the fact that
the majority of plant species are tropical. For the study, researchers analysed datasets compiled by Botanic
Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). They cross-referenced the
working list of known plant species – currently sitting at 350,699
– with the species records of a third of botanic gardens on the planet,
some 1,116 institutions. They say this provides a "minimum estimate" for
the plant diversity held in botanic gardens.
Asian hornet identified in Devon - defra An Asian hornet has been found in the Devon area.
The National Bee Unit
has confirmed a sighting of the Asian hornet at an apiary near
Woolacombe in Devon. The Asian hornet is smaller than our native hornet and poses no
greater risk to human health than a bee. However, they do pose a risk to
honey bees. This is the first confirmed sighting since last year,
when a nest was discovered in the Tetbury area in Gloucestershire. That
Asian hornet incursion was successfully contained by bee inspectors who
promptly tracked down and destroyed the nest. Work to identify, destroy and remove any nests is already underway,
which includes:
General licences restricted in light of wildlife crimes
- Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has restricted the use of general
licences in two separate cases this week. The decision was made on the
basis of evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against
birds. These are the third and fourth such restrictions imposed by SNH. A
property in Perthshire and an individual will have their licences
restricted. They may still apply for individual licences, but these will
be closely monitored. General licences allow landowners or land managers to carry out
actions which would otherwise be illegal. This includes controlling
common species of wild birds, by shooting or trapping, to protect crops
or livestock. General Licences are a light-touch form of regulation and
they rely on trust. In situations where that trust has been lost,
General Licences are not appropriate. Mike Cantlay, SNH chair, said: “We’re working hard to protect our
birds of prey. Raptor persecution doesn’t just damage Scotland’s nature,
it also affects tourism which in turn impacts on the economy. Yet,
because of the remote locations where most wildlife crime takes place,
it’s often difficult to prove. We’re committed to stamping out wildlife
crime in Scotland, and will continue to work strongly in partnership
with Police Scotland and other members of the Partnership for Action
Against Wildlife Crime (PAW Scotland).” Nature-based tourism is worth £1.4 billion a year to Scotland’s
economy. See the full licence restrictions details here. Response:
Video evidence supporting restrictions revealed
- RSPB Scotland RSPB Scotland has welcomed the announcement by Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH) today of two restrictions imposed on the use of General
Licenses on a sporting estate in Perthshire and on an un-named
individual. These follow previous similar restrictions imposed on grouse
moors in Stirlingshire and the Scottish Borders. Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management for RSPB
Scotland said: “We are pleased to read the SNH announcement restricting
the use of the General Licence in these cases. In May 2017, the Cabinet
Secretary for the Environment announced a package of new measures
designed to protect birds of prey, including the consideration of all
legal measures that could be used to target geographical areas of
concern, and this is part of that approach. We look forward to hearing
soon what other measures are to be implemented to act as meaningful
deterrents to the continuing crimes against our vulnerable birds of
prey. We believe that these current measures also need to be allied to
an effective licensing scheme for driven grouse shooting in particular,
where any illegal and bad practice substantiated by the public
authorities, would also result in the ultimate sanction of licence
removal. We envisage that any licensing system could work along similar
lines to those that SNH have used here for Open General Licence removal,
that is based upon stringent checks and balances of police evidence and
SNH advice, to provide safeguards for those sporting businesses which
work within the law and follow best practice” Video evidence supporting these restrictions is available to view on Vimeo here.
Noise pollution found to be disruptive for schooling fish
- University of Bristol New research from scientists at the University of Bristol has found
that noise from human construction projects can disrupt the schools that
are so impressive in marine fish. Human activities, like spreading cities, transport and construction,
generate a lot of noise that travels faster in water than in air.
But cohesion and coordination in fish schools are essential in helping
some animals avoid predators and exchange information socially.
Recordings of pile-driving, used in the construction of marine
infrastructure like windfarms and piers, were played back to small
schools of seabass. The fish became less cohesive and coordinated
during the playbacks, compared to when only normal ambient sea sounds
were played to them. Dr Christos Ioannou from the University’s School of Biological
Sciences, said: "By using state-of-the-art computer tracking software,
we were able to measure and analyse the movement of individual fish and
the shoal as a whole in great detail. This is one of the few studies to
explore how pollution from human activity impacts schooling behaviour in
fish. Previous work has mostly focused on the effect of noise on
the physiology and behaviour of individual animals." The changes in the fish’s behaviour when exposed to noise suggests
they may be more susceptible to predators, as schooling behaviour is so
useful in avoiding being eaten. Now changes due to noise are established in the lab, the next step is
to test this under natural conditions. Click through for recording of
Seabass responding to anthropogenic noise (youtube) Access the paper: James E.
Herbert-Read, Louise Kremer, Rick Bruintjes, Andrew N. Radford, Christos
C. Ioannou
Anthropogenic noise pollution from pile-driving disrupts the structure
and dynamics of fish shoals
Gwent Wildlife Trust M4 campaign - Gwent
Wildlife Trust Gwent Wildlife Trust (GWT) is battling to save Wales’ own equivalent
of the Amazon rainforest - the Gwent Levels. On September 26-27, GWT gave our final evidence to the Public Inquiry
into a new M4 motorway across a large area of precious wetlands. It is
the UK’s most damaging road building scheme currently under
consideration.
GWT has been trying to halt plans to put a new six-lane motorway - a
proposed bypass around Newport - over 15 miles of the Gwent Levels. Chief Executive of Gwent Wildlife Trust, Ian Rappel said: “In
ecological terms the Gwent Levels is Wales’ very own version of the
Amazon rainforest and should be protected for people and wildlife, now
and for future generations. Welsh Government say that the proposed
M4 scheme is ‘sustainable’ but admit that the scheme does not have
‘respect for environmental limits’. However, ‘not respecting
environmental limits’ is the very definition of unsustainability. “The
motorway would rupture the essential cohesion of the Gwent Levels,
acting as an impermeable barrier to all flightless wildlife and a
dangerous permeable barrier to flying wildlife such as rare bats and
bumblebees. It would snap the protected habitat like a cracker in two,
isolating wildlife populations on either side of the divide, devaluing
the habitat on both sides of the motorway making both populations
smaller and more vulnerable to local extinction.” You can read some of the evidence and submissions by experts
here. The Inquiry is now expected to run until the end of the year and we
eagerly await the Inspector’s recommendation to the Welsh Government
Minister Ken Skates, who has the final say on whether or not the M4
project goes ahead. Mr Skates can agree or disagree with the inspector
whichever way he recommends, so ultimately the decision will be a
political one.
Summer of discovery for rare insects in the Cairngorms
– RSPB Future conservation efforts for two endangered species of insect have
been given a boost after important discoveries in the heart of the
Cairngorms National Park. The pine hoverfly and the small scabious
mining bee were being surveyed by the Rare Invertebrates in the
Cairngorms, a three year partnership project between RSPB Scotland,
Cairngorms National Park Authority, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation
Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage, launched earlier this year to
save six of Scotland’s rarest insects. A nest site of the small scabious mining bee has been recorded for
the very first time in the Cairngorms. This means that more can be
learnt about the bee’s life cycle and the conditions it needs to breed
due to the observations of it made by volunteer surveyors, and
a film of a bee entering its
burrow being recorded, a first for Scotland. Further survey work
also located three new sites for these bees with a nest recorded at all
of them.
Plant! reaches 300,000 tree milestone –
Natural Resources Wales A tree planting initiative dreamed up by a Cardiff schoolgirl nine
years ago has led to the creation of 15 new woodlands in Wales with the
planting for the 300, 000th tree.
(image: Natural Resources Wales / Plant!) Every month, Natural Resources, who run the programme on behalf of
Welsh Government Wales and the Woodland Trust, receives the numbers of
babies born and adopted in Wales, and arranges for a mixture of native
broadleaf trees to be planted, including oak, ash, birch, cherry, rowan
and willow. They also receive a certificate soon after their birth or adoption,
stating that a tree has been planted for them. “Trees are an important part of our environment. They soak up
floodwater, absorb carbon and other pollutants, provide a home for
wildlife, help us enjoy the outdoors as well as providing a source of
sustainable energy and house-building material. “Plant! is helping to create new community woodlands for the children
of Wales to visit with their families and watch them grow as they do. We
hope it will encourage young people to think about their environment and
the role they have in managing it sustainably." Rebecca Good, the Woodland Trust’s site manager for Coed y Foel, one
of the Plant! sites, says: “What better way is there to mark that most important of events, the
birth or adoption of a child, than to plant a native tree, one that will
grow with the child and help to create a beautiful and sustainable
environment for the future, enriching everyone’s lives. If you have a
child, born or adopted in Wales from 2008 onwards, why not visit their
Plant! site and connect them with their legacy?” For more information on Plant! please visit the website
New report reviews role of trees in flood alleviation
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Further calls for the inclusion of natural solutions in flood
alleviation schemes were made following the severe floods in Cumbria,
December 2015. Acknowledging ongoing debates around the evidence for
tree cover as an effective flood mitigation measure, the UK’s Centre for
Ecology & Hydrology today have published results of a systematic review
of the current evidence in order to inform policy and planning
decisions, and to identify knowledge gaps and areas for priority
research. The review, conducted in collaboration with Forest Research, the
National Farmers’ Union (NFU), National Trust, Woodland Trust, WWF-UK,
Environment Agency, Coed Cymru and Lancaster University Environment
Centre, looked specifically at the influence of trees in a catchment on
flood peak (the maximum river discharge recorded during a flood event).
Based on the 71 studies examined by the authors, there is broad support
for the conclusion that increased tree cover in catchments results in
decreasing flood peaks, while decreased tree cover results in increasing
flood peaks. Considering just observational studies (approximately half of the
total number of studies), the authors note that the difference between
the numbers of studies reporting an influence and those reporting no
influence of trees on flood peak becomes less clear. Analysis of the
small number of observational studies that differentiate on the basis of
flood magnitude suggests that whilst there is strong evidence of an
influence during small floods, the majority of observational studies
relating to large floods report that trees have no observable influence
on flood peak. The authors call for an examination of the role of key factors
including those associated with characteristics of the forest, catchment
and climate, which might explain the more mixed results from
observational studies. There is also a need for more empirical data and
improved measurement of high flows, to better quantify the effects of
woodland creation and evaluate flood risk model outputs. Lead author, Charlie Stratford, cautions against “the expectation
that tree planting is the panacea to all flooding and recommends further
research to better understand optimal deployment of natural solutions,
their likely downstream impacts on flows, and the role they play in an
integrated approach to flood risk management.” Download the ‘Do trees in UK-relevant river catchments influence fluvial flood peaks?’ report
BASC chairman highlights benefits of shooting ahead of start of pheasant
season - British Association for Shooting &
conservation BASC’s chairman Peter Glenser has extolled the virtues of shooting
ahead of the start of the pheasant season. He said: “The game season unites those who have a common love for
shooting, the countryside and the traditions that make our sport such a
fantastic presence in our lives. The start of the season is such an
exciting time. It’s a chance to look forward to fantastic days with
fantastic company. Shooting takes us to such special places we would
likely not otherwise see and personally, I’m looking forward to
introducing others to my sport over the course of the season. Throughout
the season we should use every opportunity to highlight sporting
shooting’s undeniable benefits to our health, conservation and to rural
economies.” Game shooting provides habitat and conservation management, delivers
high-quality landscapes and provides tasty food. More than 280,000 people work on shoots each year. The effort put
into game management and pest control is equivalent to 7,800 full-time
jobs and predator control contributes to reversing the declines seen in
farmland birds.
A BASC infographic highlighting the benefits of game shooting can be
found here. (PDF) New consultations invite you to get involved in shaping 21st century Scottish environment regulations - Scottish Environment Protection Agency Everyone with an interest in Scotland’s environment, health &
wellbeing, and economy is being encouraged to take part in important
consultations that will shape the future of environmental regulation. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Scottish
Government have published consultation documents for the next stages of
the journey to an integrated authorisation framework - designed to bring
real benefits to the environment, communities, businesses, and SEPA
itself. SEPA is currently consulting on three key areas:
Everyone is encouraged to make their views known, whether you respond
to all questions or only the areas you are most interested in. The consultation is in two parts:
The integrated authorisation framework will bring together
environmental authorisations relating to water, waste, radioactive
substances and pollution prevention and control. The regulations will
standardise, simplify and streamline the process for complying with
environmental legislation in Scotland, providing clarity for businesses
about the authorisations they need and what is required of them to
comply - and a better understanding for communities about how we will
regulate the sites they live beside.
A stinging report: FSU research shows climate change a major threat to
bumble bees - Florida State University New research from a team of Florida State University scientists and
their collaborators is helping to explain the link between a changing
global climate and a dramatic decline in bumble bee populations
worldwide. In a study published Friday, Sept. 29, in the journal Ecology
Letters, researchers examining three subalpine bumble bee species in
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains found that, for some bumble bees, a changing
climate means there just aren’t enough good flowers to go around.
The team analyzed the bees’ responses to direct and indirect climate
change effects. “Knowing whether climate variation most affects bumble bees directly
or indirectly will allow us to better predict how bumble bee populations
will cope with continued climate change,” said FSU postdoctoral
researcher Jane Ogilvie, the study’s lead investigator. “We found that
the abundances of all three bumble bee species were mostly affected by
indirect effects of climate on flower distribution through a season.” As the global climate changes gradually over time, delicately poised
seasonal cycles begin to shift. In the Rocky Mountains, this means
earlier snowmelts and an extended flowering season. On the surface, these climatic changes may seem like a boon to bumble
bees — a longer flowering season might suggest more opportunity for
hungry bees to feed. However, Ogilvie and her collaborators found that
as the snow melts earlier and the flowering season extends, the number
of days with poor flower availability increases, resulting in overall
food shortages that are associated with population decline. Access the paper: Ogilvie, J. E., Griffin, S. R., Gezon, Z. J.,
Inouye, B. D., Underwood, N., Inouye, D. W. and Irwin, R. E. (2017),
Interannual bumble bee abundance is driven by indirect climate effects
on floral resource phenology. Ecol Lett. doi:10.1111/ele.12854
New survey on street trees - Woodland Trust Almost three-quarters of city people want access to greenspace or
parkland within walking distance from their home, a new survey shows. Seventy-eight per cent believe that trees are essential for relaxing
and making them feeling happier. A similar percentage cited their
importance for health and removing air pollution. The survey (click
through to see more results) was commissioned by the Woodland Trust
and comes as it launches a nationwide 'neighbourhood watch scheme' for
trees – to inspire city people to value and protect the natural wonders
on their doorstep. People are urged to join forces with their neighbours and apply for
one of 500 Street Trees Celebration Starter Kits. They’ll get bunting,
badges and funky wheelie-bin transfers to show their appreciation for
their trees. The scheme was initially piloted with success in Wrexham,
Leeds and Glasgow, with some exciting events already taking place. Joseph Coles, Project Lead for Street Trees, said the scheme, which
is funded by a £500K boost from players of People’s Postcode
Lottery, aims to rally people to look after threatened trees on their
doorstep. A recent report showed Councils are felling more than 50 trees
a day nationwide. He said: “Street Trees face unprecedented threats. Be it climate
change, tree disease, development or council budgets. However, they
bring a huge array of benefits to people – from recreation to combating
pollution. With 80 per cent of the UK’s people living in urban
settlements, street trees are their main daily contact with nature. If
we are to keep people connected with nature we need to preserve it on
their doorsteps.
Scientific Publications Hauke Koch, Philip C. Stevenson
Do linden trees kill bees? Reviewing the causes of bee deaths on silver
linden (Tilia tomentosa)
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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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Red
Admiral (image: Butterfly Conservation)
The
new figure follows an initial rescue operation on Newgale beach, where
some 144 of the seabirds were saved following a mass landing.
CTD
device used to measure Conductivity, Temperature and Depth being
recovered to RSS Discovery (Credit: Rachel Hale)
Cambridge
University Botanic Garden (CUBG) 
An
example of an Asian hornet. (image: defra)
Water
vole on Gwent Levels (image: © Neil Aldridge via Wildlife Trusts)
Small
Scabious Mining Bee (image: Gabrielle Flinn)
In
2008 the Welsh Government made a pledge to plant a native Welsh
broadleaf tree for every child born or adopted in Wales. The scheme is
called Plant! – the Welsh word for children. 
Bombus
bifarius, one of the three species of bumble bees studied by researcher
Jane Ogilvie and her team. (image: FSU)
