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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
The tragedy of the seagrass commons - Swansea
University Urgent action is required to stem the loss of the world's seagrass
meadows to protect their associated fisheries. Writing in the Journal Fish & Fisheries, Dr Richard Unsworth of
Swansea University (together with colleagues at Cardiff University and
Stockholm University) examine the global extent to which these meadows
of underwater plants support fishing activity. “Wherever seagrass exists in proximity to people, our research finds
that it’s used as a key targeted fishing habitat” said Dr Unsworth, who
is based at Swansea University’s Biosciences department. Our research is
for the first time recording how globally extensive the use of seagrass
meadows as a fishery habitat is. In developing countries this activity
tends to have a major significance for daily food supply and general
livelihoods. In developed countries the role of this activity is more
for recreation or species specific targeted fisheries (e.g. clams).”Dr
Nordlund from Stockholm University added “The ecological value of
seagrass meadows is irrefutable, yet there loss continues at an
accelerating rate. Now there is growing evidence globally that many
fisheries associated to seagrass are unrecorded, unreported and
unmanaged, leading to a tragedy of the seagrass commons”. In their article, the researchers highlight that because of their
nearshore, shallow water distribution in sheltered environments seagrass
meadows make great places to fish in all conditions. This leads to high
intensity of fishing effort often all year round. Read the paper (open access):
Taste of Game “Game Changer” project takes off
- British Association for Shooting and
Conservation Students from Brookfield School in Southampton have been among the
first to take part in the “Game Changer” initiative which aims to teach
60,000 students how to cook game by 2020. The pupils were shown
how to pluck and prepare a pheasant, as well as how to cook it, before
enjoying pheasant tacos and fajitas. Michelle Nudds, regional officer for BASC South East, was on hand to
demonstrate the plucking of the birds, which were sourced locally and
supplied by Blackmoor Game, Hampshire. BASC’s Taste of Game and
The Food Teachers Centre launched the initiative in June and it has
already engaged with more than 200 schools. Annette Woolcock from Taste of Game said: “The response we have had
to the project so far has been incredible, both from the schools and the
game dealers and shoots who have donated the pheasants. We have
also received some excellent feedback from pupils and teachers who have
found the demonstrations and the tasting sessions informative and
enjoyable.”
Does the early bird catch the caterpillar? -
British Trust for Ornithology The time that birds decide to breed has a strong impact upon the
likely success of raising their young to independence. Pairs of birds
will generally time egg laying to maximise the availability of food for
their chicks. However, one of the strongest impacts of climate change so
far has been to alter the timing of spring. In response to milder
temperatures, flowers and insects are all appearing earlier than they
used to. Whilst many songbirds are also nesting earlier in warmer
springs, conservationists have become concerned that they are
nevertheless struggling to match their timing of breeding to their main
insect prey, which could be driving population declines.
Willow
Warbler by Chris Knights To test this, the BTO, in collaboration with The Woodland Trust,
Rothamsted Research, Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology
& Hydrology (CEH), have collated some of the most comprehensive
long-term data on the timing of spring from across the UK. They have
related changes in the timing of leaf and flower emergence as well as
aphid, butterfly and moth emergence, to changes in the timing of
egg-laying, tracked by the BTO/JNCC Nest Record Scheme. As
expected, in warmer springs, birds do tend to breed later than normal
relative to the timing of spring, and the most sensitive species to
changes in timing, such as Willow Warbler and Linnet are suffering the
greatest population declines. However, by using data from the BTO/JNCC
ringing scheme to monitor changes in the number of fledglings produced
by each species per year, the study’s authors found no evidence that
these mismatched species were also suffering a long-term decline in
breeding success. This suggests that the population declines observed
in many British songbirds are not directly caused by the effect of
mismatch on breeding success. Access the paper:
Climate change models of bird impacts pass the test
– University of Adelaide A major study looking at changes in where UK birds have been found
over the past 40 years has validated the latest climate change models
being used to forecast impacts on birds and other animals.
300 forest bags for families in central belt
– Forestry Commission Scotland Children and families across five local authority areas in central
Scotland are set to benefit from 300 Forestry Commission Scotland Forest
Family Bags, which will enable families to borrow a rucksack full of
advice, ideas, resources and fun activities to support and encourage
safe outdoor play in the woodlands. Glasgow, Renfrewshire, East Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire and
Edinburgh nurseries who have completed Forestry Commission Scotland’s
Forest Kindergarten training and are actively following the Forest
Kindergarten programme will receive their bags by the end of March 2018. The rucksacks include advice and information for families while
visiting their local woodland area, as well as tools to support outdoor
play including tarpaulin, pegs and a sitting mat. The bags also enable
children to explore using their senses and imagination, through a range
of fun activities, including activity sheets, a story book, finger
puppet, binoculars, bug viewer and magnifying glass. Marian Cairns, forest kindergarten officer at Forestry Commission Scotland, said: “Forestry Commission Scotland is committed to extending the responsible use of woodlands and green spaces. These forest family bags support children in enjoying their local woods alongside their parents. The contents of the bags support understanding, learning and enjoyment. This initiative builds upon our existing training for nursery staff and enhances the benefits of learning in woodlands.”
Refining pesticides to kill pests, not bees –
Michigan State University
Pyrethroid
pesticides are effective. Sometimes too effective. MSU has unlocked a key to maintain pyrethroid insecticide's
effectiveness in eliminating pests without killing beneficial bugs, such
as bees. Photo by Bill Ravlin Researchers at Michigan State University’s entomology department have
unlocked a key to maintain the insecticide’s effectiveness in
eliminating pests without killing beneficial bugs, such as bees. The
study, featured in the current issue of Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, shows that molecular tweaks can make the
difference. Pyrethroids target the voltage-gated sodium channel, a protein found
in nerve and muscle cells used for rapid electrical signaling.
Pyrethroids basically work by binding to the voltage gate of the sodium
channel and prevent it from closing. The nervous system becomes
over-stimulated and the insect is killed. These pesticides, however,
don’t have the same effect on humans, or other mammals for that matter. Ke Dong, MSU insect toxicologist and neurobiologist and co-author of
the paper, honed in on a single protein that could afford bumble bees
the same resistance as humans – tau-fluvalinate, a pyrethroid
insecticide. Dong worked with Shaoying Wu, lead author from Henan
Agricultural University (China), who conducted the research in Dong’s
lab as a visiting scholar. “For the first time we are showing that unique structural features in
bee sodium channels interfere with the binding of tau-fluvalinate to
bumble bee sodium channels,” Dong said. “This opens the possibility of
designing new chemicals that target sodium channels of pests but spare
bees.”
Autumn Budget 2017 - HM Treasury The Chancellor of the Exchequer presented his Autumn Budget to
Parliament on 22 November 2017. Responses from Wildlife Trusts & National
Trust
New housing must respect environmental limits and help bring back
wildlife Today’s budget highlights need to adopt a new nature-led approach to
housing. In today’s budget, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced plans for
300,000 new houses to be built every year by mid 2020s. The Wildlife Trusts believe that today’s announcement on house
building will put huge pressure on our wildlife and wild places, because
it fails to acknowledge our limited environmental resources and
catastrophic wildlife declines. The Government has committed to be the first generation to leave the
environment in a better state than we found it. To achieve this, a more
strategic approach to land use that focuses new housing in the right
places is crucial – so that vital wild places are not damaged any
further. We need new housing that contributes positively to climate
change mitigation and to nature’s recovery as well as being affordable.
The Wildlife Trusts have demonstrated how nature can be integrated and
built into housing developments – but this thinking is not yet
mainstream and will not be unless there is a clear statement of intent
issued by the government. We want to see homes built that are energy and
water efficient and which also provide a home for birds, wildflowers and
bees. Our vision is founded on decades of experience of working with
planners and housing developers. For more details and case
studies, see
A Vision for Housing and Nature. The Wildlife Trusts welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to
investigate a single-use plastic tax. Joan Edwards, Director of Living Seas at The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“This is welcome news which the Government will need to back up with
action. Every year 12.2 million tonnes of plastic enters the marine
environment and is doing real damage to our seas and wildlife. As with
the plastic bag tax, an ambitious single-use plastic tax could make a
major change to our polluting habits.”
National Trust response to 2017 Budget The National Trust outlines its response to the 2017 Budget
announcements made today. On housing Richard Hebditch, Government Affairs Director, National
Trust, said, “We support action to encourage the build out of planning
permissions already granted, and the Chancellor’s welcome pledge to
continue to protect the Green Belt. When it comes to finding additional
land for development, the real challenge for Ministers is ensuring that
the houses we need go in the right places, in a way that doesn’t spoil
our valued countryside or historic areas in our town centres. How
Government divides up its 300,000 home aspiration between councils could
end up putting even more pressure on sensitive landscapes, such as Areas
of Outstanding Natural Beauty or the Green Belt, unless current
approaches are redesigned.” On plastics he said "we welcome the Chancellor’s commitment to
consult on taxes for throwaway plastics. This, alongside the
consultation on a deposit scheme for single use drinks containers and
the successful carrier bag charge already in place, could have a really
positive impact on our environment.”"
Seal rescued after amazingly CLIMBING 60 foot away from shore
- RSPCA Cymru A seal has been rescued by RSPCA Cymru after he amazingly climbed 60
foot up a steep cliff near Bull Bay, Amlwch in Gwynedd. RSPCA Cymru was contacted on Monday, 20 November following concerns
for the grey seal pup which had been spotted close to the cliff edge on
the coastal path.
Edmund
the climbing seal (image: RSPCA) RSPCA animal collection officer (ACO) Will Galvin said: “The seal had
somehow climbed up 60 foot which would have been really difficult for
him. It isn’t normal behaviour for them to move so far away from the
water, so he must have been confused or in distress. He looked quite
lost. We were gobsmacked when we saw him there." The seal, nicknamed Edmund – after Sir Edmund Hillary who climbed
Mount Everest – has been transferred to a specialist facility at RSPCA’s
Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre where he will be cared for until he is
well enough to be released back into the wild. “Edmund is very lively so he wasn’t too tired after his massive
climb, but he was underweight,” said ACO Galvin.
Rare newts bred in the UK - Biaza Conservationists at Chester Zoo have successfully bred one of the
world’s rarest amphibians in a bid to save it from extinction – the
first time the feat has ever been achieved outside the species’ native
Catalonia. The mountains, which are approximately 100km north of Barcelona, are
the only place where wild Montseny newts live. See a video of the news on Chester Zoo's website here.
European experts demand better dolphin and porpoise bycatch measures
- Sea Watch Foundation World leading scientific experts have called for European fisheries
legislation to be strengthened to ensure protection for whale, dolphin,
and porpoise and turtle species threatened by fishing. For decades, incidental catches of dolphins, seabirds, seals and
turtles in fisheries have been a major cause of concern, with tens of
thousands continuing to die each year in European waters. Despite existing EU legal requirements to monitor and reduce bycatch
(the incidental entanglement of marine life in fishing gear), monitoring
and mitigation has been insufficient in most fisheries. Legislative requirements are currently being revised, with the
European Commission’s proposal for a
Regulation on the Conservation of Fishery Resources and the Protection
of Marine Ecosystems through Technical Measures (2016/0074(COD)),
currently under scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council of the
European Union. The reform of fisheries legislation provides a critical
opportunity to improve existing EU measures. However, proposals have been made in the European Parliament to
remove the ban on driftnets in the Baltic Sea – even though recent
scientific assessments found that bycatch in gillnets continues to
adversely affect the critically endangered population of Baltic Sea
harbour porpoises, estimated to number fewer than 500 individuals. Other
amendments propose to remove all bycatch monitoring and mitigation
measures in South Western Waters despite evidence of high bycatch. The
European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH) voted on amendments
on the 21st November.
Appeal for information after hen harrier disappears on North Yorkshire
moorland - North Yorkshire Police North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information following the
loss of a hen harrier on Threshfield Moor. John, a sub-adult hen harrier, fledged in Northumberland in 2016. He
was fitted with a satellite tag in July 2016 by a hen harrier expert
from Natural England. This was John’s second outward migration – he
wintered in the same approximate area of Yorkshire in 2016/17, returned
to Scotland and the Borders in spring/summer 2017, then back to
Yorkshire in September 2017. His tag stopped transmitting on 1 October
2017 in the Threshfield Moor area of North Yorkshire. A search of the
area has been carried out but no trace of the bird or equipment has been
found. Natural England reported John’s disappearance to North Yorkshire
Police and is working closely with wildlife crime officers, local
landowners, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority. The loss of another juvenile hen harrier brings the total to six
within fourteen months across northern England – and is a serious blow
to the small English hen harrier population. Interference with hen
harriers is a criminal offence. Sergeant Stuart Grainger, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural
Taskforce, said : “Those responsible for bird of prey persecution,
either directly or indirectly, should be ashamed – these birds belong to
everyone and are part of our natural heritage. It is a disgrace that
these beautiful birds appear to be relentlessly destroyed. The fate of
this particular hen harrier remains unsolved at this time, but we are
appealing for any information to assist the investigation.” Rob Cooke, a Director at Natural England, said: “The sudden
disappearance of the hen harrier, John, is a matter of grave concern. We
urge anyone with information to get in touch with North Yorkshire
Police.”
New figures reveal £91billion value of London’s parks and green spaces
- Health Lottery Fund
London’s
network of public parks and green space provide the equivalent of
£91billion of economic value and social benefits boosting the, health,
resilience and economy of the capital, according to a report published
today. Clissold Park in London. (credit: Greater London
Authority) The research, undertaken by economists at Vivid Economics, and
commissioned by the Mayor of London, HLF and National Trust determines
the monetary value of public green spaces in relation to people’s
physical and mental health, recreation and amenity. This could aid
decisions about future strategy, management and levels of investment in
public parks and greenspaces. The report provides a compelling set of evidence about the functions
of green space that are most important to London’s economy. Key
findings include: London’s public green spaces have a gross asset value of £5b a year,
amounting to £91b over 30 years of value, appropriately discounted.
Individuals, public services and businesses all benefit from the whole
network of public green spaces across the city. Every £1 spent on public green space equates to £27 in value for the
public proving expenditure in green spaces provides exceptional value
for money for Londoners. Londoners avoid £950m a year in NHS health costs thanks to accessible
public green space. Parks create opportunities for people to exercise,
socialise, relax and enjoy being part of the community. In doing
so, people improve their physical and mental health. This total
cost is made up of £580m per year by being in better physical health and
£370m from better mental health. The health benefits of London’s
public parks amount to 20% of their total economic value. Public parks help the environment – providing temperature regulation
and carbon storage. Green space in urban areas counter higher
temperatures in summer months and natural and semi-natural parkland also
provide global benefits as a store of carbon in soil and trees.
Orcadians to help shape wildlife project
- Scottish Natural Heritage A lottery-funded project set up to protect Orkney’s native wildlife
from invasive non-native stoats is encouraging the community to get
involved and help shape the development of future work. The Orkney Native Wildlife Project has launched a community
consultation today (23 November) to gather the thoughts and ideas of
Orkney’s residents and invite people to give their views on a range of
proposed opportunities for people to engage with the project, including
wildlife surveys, workshops, family events, evening talks and cultural
events. Amy King, the Project Development Officer, hopes the consultation
will also encourage Orcadians to find out more about the project and why
Orkney’s incredible native wildlife needs protecting. During the
consultation Amy and the project team will be travelling around the
islands talking to local community groups and holding a range of public
events. Amy said: “We all need to work together if we are going to
successfully safeguard Orkney’s fantastic native wildlife and so I am
really keen to hear if people have additional ideas that we might add to
the project plan. We also want to hear people’s thoughts on the
activities we are developing as part of the project to give as many folk
as possible the chance to get involved.” The Orkney Native Wildlife Project is a partnership between Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH) and RSPB Scotland, with funding from the Heritage
Lottery Fund. The project aims to ensure that Orkney’s native wildlife
is protected from the impact of invasive non-native stoats and continues
to provide benefits for the islands’ residents, visitors and economy.
Golf course sets the wrong course - National Trust for Scotland
The
National Trust for Scotland has challenged the proposed destruction of a
key Highland coastal habitat to make way for a golf course. Coul Links (image: National Trust for Scotland) The Trust has weighed in by submitting a formal objection to a
planning application made by Coul Links Limited to build an 18-hole golf
course, clubhouse and associated buildings, in addition to an access
road, on top of a protected sand dune system. The Trust’s objection adds to many others made by people and
organisations concerned at the loss of Coul Links and also questions the
economic value claimed for the project. The National Trust for Scotland’s Head of Natural Heritage Policy,
Stuart Brooks said: “The Coul Links are an example of an increasingly
rare coastal habitat of international significance.
Tree-mendous renewable energy boost -
Forestry Commission Scotland Scotland’s national forest estate now has installed capacity of over
1 GW of renewable energy, generating enough electricity for around
500,000 homes each year. More details of Forest Enterprise Scotland’s renewables programme here.
New byelaw announced to protect marine wildlife
- Dorset Wildlife Trust Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) welcomes a long-awaited byelaw for
protecting sensitive seabed habitats and marine life. This
legislation will extend areas closed to mobile fishing (such as trawling
and dredging), to cover features within Dorset's two inshore Marine
Conservation Zones (MCZs), Poole Rocks and Chesil Beach and Stennis
Ledges.
European
lobster hiding in the rocky reef at Poole Rocks MCZ (image:
Matt-Doggett via DWT) This new byelaw will now help ensure the safety of these vulnerable
sites. Research has shown that when rocky reefs and their
associated marine life are damaged by heavy fishing gear it can take
many years to recover. Emma Rance, DWT Marine Conservation officer said, "We are very
pleased to hear that this byelaw has been confirmed. It will
protect Dorset's most prized and sensitive marine habitats from the most
damaging fishing methods representing 31% of Dorset's inshore waters - a
great step forward for conservation. This byelaw will maintain the
health, productivity and economic value of the marine environment for
future generations of divers, anglers and inshore fishers."
Record Numbers of Migrant Dragonflies Sighted Across Britain
- British Dragonfly Society Throughout 2017, the British Dragonfly Society has been flooded with
reports from members of the public, across the county, of migrant
dragonfly sightings.
The
male Scarlet Darter can be identified by its bright red body, head, legs
and wing veins ©Christophe Brochard July saw the first confirmed UK recording of a Scarlet Darter
Dragonfly for 13 years, at Longham Lakes in Hampshire. This is only the
8th recording of this stunning species in Britain; Scarlet Darters are
usually found across central Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Western
Asia. It is one of the most generalist Dragonfly species, able to live
in a variety of standing-water habitats, ranging from brackish pools to
freshwater ditches. Male Scarlet Darters can be easily identified,
living up to their name with their uniform vivid red colouration, while
females are a more inconspicuous yellowish brown. This year has also seen the second largest ever immigration of
Red-veined Darters into the UK. This species is usually found in the
wetlands of southern Europe and Africa, but during 2017 it has been
recorded at over 80 sites in Britain, as far north as the Orkney
Islands. In addition, there have been multiple influxes of both Vagrant
Emperor and Lesser Emperor Dragonflies. Adrian Parr, Co-ordinator of the Migrant Dragonfly Project, has been
compiling the sightings recorded by the British Dragonfly Society’s
troop of volunteer recorders. Adrian remarks that “unlike the situation with birds, whose
migrations are well-known, our understanding of insect (and particularly
Dragonfly) migration is still in its infancy. It is clearly, however, an
important phenomenon, and one that tells us a lot about the living
world. The Migrant Dragonfly Project aims to co-ordinate the recording
of migrant Dragonflies, and so provide an insight into the underlying
causes and mechanisms, as well as following changing trends. If you would like to take part in Dragonfly recording, or find out
more about the Migrant Dragonfly Project,
click here Scientific Publications Clermont, J., Réale, D. & Giroux, J. F. (2017)
Plasticity in laying dates of Canada Geese in response to spring
phenology. IBIS. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12560
Rebollo, S. et al (2017)
Prey preferences and recent changes in diet of a breeding population of
the Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis in Southwestern Europe.
Bird Study. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2017.1395807
Franziska Komossa, Emma H. van der Zanden, Catharina J.E. Schulp,
Peter H. Verburg,
Mapping landscape potential for outdoor recreation using different
archetypical recreation user groups in the European Union,
Ecological Indicators, Volume 85, 2018, Pages 105-116, ISSN 1470-160X,
doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.10.015. Theresa McKenzie, Lionel Normand, Natalie Iwanycki, Gavin Miller,
Paul Prior,
Assessing the utility of a novel terrestrial biodiversity quality
indicator with 10 years of monitoring data, Ecological Indicators,
Volume 85, February 2018, Pages 422-431, ISSN 1470-160X, doi:
10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.09.049.
Ting Zhou, Eric Koomen, Eveline S. Leeuwen,
Residents’ preferences for cultural services of the landscape along the
urban–rural gradient, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, ISSN
1618-8667, DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2017.11.011. Coker, M. E., Bond, N. R., Chee, Y. E. and Walsh, C. J.,
Alternatives to biodiversity offsets for mitigating the effects of
urbanization on stream ecosystems. Conservation Biology. Accepted
Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/cobi.13057 Albert Bertolero, Joan Ll. Pretus, Daniel Oro,
The importance of including survival release costs when assessing
viability in reptile translocations, Biological Conservation, Volume
217, January 2018, Pages 311-320, ISSN 0006-3207, DOI:
10.1016/j.biocon.2017.11.023.
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