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Headlines from week beginning 5 November 2018 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
The British Wildlife Photography Awards proudly announce the winners
for 2018. The awards celebrate both the work of amateur and professional
photographers and the beauty and diversity of British wildlife. Winning
images are chosen from thousands of entries in fifteen separate
categories including a category for film and two junior categories to
encourage young people to connect with nature through photography. The Overall Winning Image
Ghostly contrails reveal the flight paths and wing beats of
Daubenton’s bats. An infrared camera and lighting system that were 14
months in development overcame the challenge of photographing the high-
speed flight of these small mammals in the dark. The in-camera double
exposure caught the foreground bat milliseconds before insect intercept.
As these bats are a protected species they were photographed in the wild
following advice from the Bat Conservation Trust and Natural England. “No other image in my portfolio had been so clearly conceived and yet
so difficult to achieve. My artistic intent was to capture this
extraordinary little bat’s speed of movement and hunting flight path,
but the journey to success was littered with disappointing failures.
Fortunately, fellow photographers encouraged imaginative experimentation
and taught me to anticipate setbacks as a reasonable price for ultimate
success. In hindsight, I experienced a huge gradient of emotion.
There were the lows felt during months of long, cold and exhausting
dusk-to-dawn sessions, sometimes waist deep in water and often without
getting a single useable image. And then the natural highs of those
light bulb moments, when new ideas blossomed, problems were solved and
the project inched closer towards the potential to win this exceptional
accolade.” – Paul Colley. Naturalist, Author and Wildlife TV Producer Stephen Moss comments; View all the winning Images, including the video winner and a selection of highly commended entries on the BWPA website. CJS has been delighted to support and sponsor the Awards since they
first launched. We have been sponsoring the Botanical Britain
category for many years. This year it's been won by another
wonderful image.
We often forget the algae family when it comes to plants, they don’t
comprise the expected root, stem and green leaves combination but are an
intrinsic part of the eceosystem, especially in marine environments. This lovely image is beautifully balanced with the water channel
leading your eye through the photo to the sea and horizon beyond without
distracting from either the main subject of the kelp itself or
distorting the reflections on the milky water. The kelp blades
have not yet begun to dry out and the watery sheen on the blades
reflects the sky and, if you look carefully, the photographer too!
Another watery image was highly commended by the judges, freshwater
this time of a chalk stream, the image is half above and below the
waterline giving the appearance of a split screen with both halves in
perfect focus showing the green underwater foliage and above the surface
the lovely white flowers of the water crowfoot which almost merge into
the clouds in the clear blue sky above. Another highly commended image
in our category is breath taking - literally if you're a hay fever
sufferer like me! - featuring a cloud of windblown pollen from a pine
tree. A very simple composition but with incredible detail. Congratulations to all the award winners but from CJS a special
congratulations to the five winners of our category.
We have been posting more details throughout
the week
£5 million project to turn former coal mine into woodland
- Woodland Trust
In 2016 coal production at Lodge House open cast mine ceased and the mine was closed. Since then, work on the site has included filling in the mining area and improving the path and bridleway network. The land sits in a fantastic position; south of Heanor and adjacent to the very popular Shipley Country Park, which itself is near to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Woodside Farm. Together, these three areas would make more than 500 hectares (nearly 1,300 acres) of connected, wildlife friendly space for people to enjoy. Lodge House (Photo: Chris Belton/WTML) The site, currently owned by the Howarth Group, already boasts a
wealth of paths and bridleways. The charity will look to retain these as
well as planting trees to increase biodiversity and improve the
experience visitors can have on site. The Trust is initially buying a quarter of the land – thanks to a
cash boost from The Veolia Environmental Trust, through the Landfill
Communities Fund and Pears Foundation – but it will need to raise
further funds to buy the remaining land. The charity will be launching a
fundraising campaign in the New Year to help raise the cash.
Researchers assess the value of National Parks to our health and
happiness - University of York Researchers have for the first time put a price on the value of
taking a break from our overloaded modern lives to spend time in one of
the UK’s National Parks. The study, by researchers at the University of York, estimates that
for every £1 invested, the North York Moors National Park generates
approximately £7.21 of health and well-being benefits for visitors and
volunteers.
National
Parks play an important role in connecting people with nature, raising
activity levels, facilitating outdoor recreation and providing space for
tranquillity. Credit: Russell Burton. The research marks an important first step in understanding how
National Parks can measure their impact on society. Co-authors of the study, Professor Philip Linsley and Professor
Robert McMurray from the Management School at the University of York,
said: “Our report highlights the value National Parks provide through
their role in connecting people with nature, raising activity levels,
facilitating outdoor recreation and providing space for tranquillity,
among other things. However, while this figure is important, it can
never truly convey what a National Park means to individuals,
communities and indeed the nation. It is therefore important that the
results of our study are considered carefully alongside stories of what
it means to be a visitor or volunteer in a National Park.” The researchers calculated the social return on investment in the
North York Moors National Park by assigning monetary values to the
impacts upon health and well-being for visitors and volunteers who
engaged in activities funded through the National Park grant from Defra.
Four rare hen harriers disappear on Scottish grouse moors
– RSPB RSPB Scotland is appealing for information following the suspicious
disappearance of four satellite tagged hen harriers over the last 10
weeks. All of the birds were tagged at various nest sites, three this summer
and one in 2017, in Scotland and Northern England as part of the RSPB’s
EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project. The last known locations of all four
birds were over land managed for grouse shooting. Satellite tagging technology is increasingly being used to follow the
movements of birds of prey, allowing scientists to identify areas
important for their feeding, roosting and nesting. The tags are fitted
by licensed, trained fieldworkers and are designed to transmit
regularly, even after a bird has died. In all four cases, the tags had
been functioning without any issues before they suddenly and
unexpectedly stopped transmitting, suggesting criminal interference has
taken place.
Scots want their scenic landscapes better protected
- National Trust for Scotland A new survey finds overwhelming support for greater measures to
protect Scotland’’ most scenic landscapes. A survey commissioned by conservation charity the National Trust for
Scotland reveals overwhelming support for greater measures to protect
Scotland’s most scenic landscapes. The online survey of a sample of 1,229 people representative of
Scotland’s population by age and gender was commissioned by the Trust
from Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research to mark four decades of
National Scenic Areas. National Scenic Areas (NSAs) were first identified by the then
Countryside Commission for Scotland in 1978. This followed publication
of Highland Landscape by W H Murray, commissioned by the National Trust
for Scotland in 1962, which was the first national assessment of
Scotland’s most scenic areas. It came from a strong desire to protect
the beauty of Scotland’s landscape and enable ‘economic’ and ‘amenity’
factors to be weighed evenly on the scales. Among the findings of the survey are:
This is a strong consensus voice. Location, social background, age
and gender made virtually no difference to the opinions expressed
through the survey. It was also clear that respondents were unaware of or confused by the
many different designations intended to protect landscapes in Scotland:
for example, 88% were ‘definitely aware’ of National Parks whereas the
percentage for National Scenic Areas was only 20% and 23% for Wild Land
Areas.
Wildlife experts concerned for natural environment as oil well drilling
in Poole Bay begins
- Dorset Wildlife Trust
Short Snouted Seahorse (image: Paul Naylor) Following DWT’s concerns, all contaminated cuttings will now be
safely disposed of onshore and the drilling will occur during the winter
to reduce impact on migratory species, spring and summer time spawning
fish and foraging seabirds. DWT continue however to be worried about the remaining drill cuttings
that will be discharged on the seabed with the potential to impact
species within the vicinity. Short-snouted seahorses (protected
under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981) are recorded within the
licenced area in Poole Bay. Experts from DWT are also worried that drilling will occur with a
potential risk of pollution, albeit small, in such a highly prized
natural environment. DWT Chief Executive, Dr Simon Cripps said,
“Poole Bay is not the place for such activities. The time, effort,
money and research necessary to conduct such a project would be better
used on renewable energy alternatives and not drilling in such a
sensitive area.”This is particularly relevant just a few weeks after the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a stark warning
on the consequences of carrying on burning fossil fuels as we are today.
Peter Tinsley, DWT Living Seas Manager says: “Globally we already have
enough oil and gas to go way beyond the IPCC target – we don’t need to
explore for more.”
Beavers to return to Essex for the first time in 400 years - Environment Agency A pair of beavers will be heading to a new home in North Essex as
part of a pioneering natural flood management scheme for East Anglia. It is hoped the Eurasian Beavers will improve biodiversity and help
to reduce local flood risk as part of a new approach to flood prevention
at the historic Spains Hall Estate, just upstream of the picturesque
village of Finchingfield. The Environment Agency is working in partnership with Spains Hall
Estate, the Essex & Suffolk Rivers Trust, Essex Wildlife Trust and
others, with funding from partners including the Anglian Eastern
Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC). The whole story will be captured in a documentary series, due to be
screened next year, overseen by renowned wildlife filmmaker Russell
Savory for independent film company Copper Productions. The beavers will
have a territory covering 4 hectares, with plenty of trees to get their
teeth stuck into and a boundary fence helping to keep them safe. Beavers
have not been found in Essex for 400 years since they were hunted to
extinction, although they have been reintroduced in small numbers in
other parts of the country in recent years. A second element of the project will involve man-made natural flood
management measures being introduced on a separate strand of
Finchingfield Brook at Spains Hall Estate. As well as helping to slow
the flow after heavy rain, the scheme should also create wetland that
will slowly release water in drier periods.
‘Terning’ the tide – protecting a small seabird from multiple threats
- RSPB
The UK’s second rarest breeding seabird has been given a helping hand
by a five-year project to protect them at coastal sites where they nest
on beaches. The project funded by EU LIFE has resulted in almost three thousand
little tern chicks successfully fledging at 26 sites around the UK over
the past five years as well as identifying the main risks to the tern
population and ways these could be reduced. The little tern – one of our rarest and smallest breeding seabirds –
nests on open sand and shingle beaches around our coasts between May and
August each year. Their numbers have declined by almost a fifth since
2000 due to reduced breeding success and to the many threats they are
exposed to on our beaches. In 2013, ten partner organisations began working together nationally
and regionally, with 50% funding from the EU LIFE Nature funding
programme, to identify the reasons for little tern declines and to
implement trial solutions with the aim of beginning to turnaround the
fortunes of the species. Threats to the nesting terns were found to include recreational
disturbance, the impact of predators, a lack of suitable
Rare beetle discovered at second site in Wales - Buglife The Blue ground beetle (Carabus intricatus), a rare and
globally threatened beetle, has been discovered at just its second known
site in Wales, coinciding with the launch of a new project aimed to
protect it and the ancient woodland habitat in which it is found.
Funded by the National Lottery, the ‘Blue
Ground Beetle Project’, led by the invertebrate conservation charity
Buglife Cymru, and in partnership with The Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw),
will deliver habitat management work at Coed Maesmelin ancient woodland
in Skewen, Neath Port Talbot, to improve habitat conditions for this
extremely rare beetle. Surveys for Blue ground beetle will also been
conducted in other suitable woodlands within the vicinity, and it is
hoped that these will uncover further populations of this threatened
beetle. Growing to over an inch long, the Blue ground beetle is a large
and distinctive beetle with metallic blue markings, long legs and
sculptured wing-cases. It has always been considered a rarity in
Britain, and was once even thought to be extinct - until it was
rediscovered in Dartmoor in 1994. Until recently, the Blue ground beetle was seemingly confined to just
handful of UK sites in Devon and Cornwall. In 2012, however, the beetle
was discovered in a woodpile of a garage by a member of the public in
Skewen. After contacting Buglife, the specimen was confirmed to be the
Blue ground beetle and subsequent surveys found it to be present in
nearby Coed Maesmelin - an ancient oak woodland owned and managed by The
Woodland Trust (Coed Cadw). Until its discovery at Coed Maesmelin, it
had never been recorded in Wales.
RFS Insight Report into Planting for Resilience
- Royal Forestry Society Climate change, Ash Dieback and damage by grey squirrels are driving
UK woodland owners to diversify the species of trees they are planting.
These changes have emerged in an Insight Survey by the Royal Forestry
Society of members managing woodland in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland, which has found that more than 60 different species are now
being planted to mitigate threats to tree resilience. Chief Executive Simon Lloyd said: “The species list represents a snap
shot of those being chosen by respondents but does not include some like
Tulip Tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) which the RFS knows is also being
planted as an alternative to Ash. There is concern that some woodland
managers are gravitating to species based primarily on personal
preferences rather than making more evidence-based choices suitable for
their locations and soil types as well as for their particular
management objectives. A scatter gun approach risks the sustainability
of woodland in the long term. Whether land managers choose to go down
the novel route or stick to more tried-and-tested choices probably
depends a little on how willing they are to try new ideas. Species like
Cherry and Sweet Chestnut have known qualities and end markets, whereas
the early adopters are choosing more unusual and exotic alternative
species are relatively untested in woodlands in the UK. As confidence in
the performance of these new species grows, we can probably expect to
see an uplift in their popularity. Overall, this Insight Survey suggests
the messages of preparing now for climate change are being heard.” Of those who responded, almost half are already planting more
species than five years ago, and of those who are not, 63% are actively
planning to do so in the next five years. Only 14% said they were not
considering diversification. Among popular broadleaved varieties listed by respondents were
native species such as Wild Service Tree, Cherry, Field Maple, Hornbeam
and Lime alongside ‘familiar’ non-natives such as Sweet Chestnut and
Black Walnut. There were also early adopters of less familiar species
like Eucalyptus, Italian Alder and Southern Beech. More than 20
conifer species were mentioned, with known timber producing species such
as Douglas Fir predominant but with some lesser known species also being
tried, including Chinese Fir and Swamp Cypress. Download the report (PDF)
Single-use. Is the 2018 word of the year the new taboo?
- Marine Conservation Society An independent study commissioned by Sky Ocean Rescue has found that
nearly six in 10 Brits believe single-use plastic will become a social
taboo by 2021. The research has been revealed on the day the Collins English
Dictionary announced ‘single-use’ is the
2018
Word of the Year. The Sky Ocean-commissioned research also revealed that seven in 10
think single use plastics should carry cigarette style warning labels
whilst almost three quarters of those questioned have reduced the amount
of single use plastics they use over the last year. It also suggested that swigging from a single-use plastic water
bottle will soon become as unacceptable as smoking, with consumers
supporting use of tobacco packet shock tactics to drive change. Collins Dictionary lexicographers named single-use the word of the
year, after a four-fold rise in its use over five years – which they
suggest is down to widespread news coverage. But despite the increased awareness boosted by programmes like BBC1s
Blue Planet II and the Sky Ocean rescue coverage and campaigns, many
people still use single use plastic items without a second thought
because they’re so much a part of our daily lives. Almost two thirds
(64%) of those questioned admitted to still buying or accepting single
use plastics multiple times a week. Four in 10 (42%) say they now feel embarrassed being spotted with
single use plastic items and almost a third (29%) have even called
others out for using these disposable items.
Decline in shorebirds linked to climate change, experts warn
- University of Bath Research from the Milner Centre for Evolution has found that nest
predation of shorebirds in the Arctic has trebled over the last 70 years Climate change could be responsible for a substantial decline in
populations of shorebirds, say researchers from the Milner Centre for
Evolution at the University of Bath, following a study published in
Science analysing population data over a period of 70 years. Historically, the rates of nest predation - eggs being stolen from
nests by predators – are higher in the tropics, presumably due to higher
variability of potential predators. To counter this, shorebirds such as plovers and sandpipers migrate to
the Arctic to lay their eggs as a safe place in which to build their
nests and raise their young. Tropical birds, on the other hand, tend to
have longer lifespans and longer periods of seasonal reproduction so
their populations can generally withstand higher nest predation.
A sharp increase in nest predation in the Arctic
and North Temperate zones has caused a substantial decline in shorebird
populations in these regions. (image: University of Bath) The data suggest that the marked increase in nest predation in the
Arctic and North Temperate Zone, in contrast to a smaller change in the
tropics and Southern hemisphere, is linked to climate change. The reasons for the increase in nest predation however are still
unclear. The authors suggest it could be due to shift in the diet of
predators towards eating more eggs instead of other food sources or
perhaps change in predator species composition. For example, lemmings, a key part of the Arctic food web have
experienced a crash in numbers due to altered snow cover as a result of
increased ambient temperature instability over several decades. With a
lack of lemmings at many Arctic locations, predators may be searching
for alternative prey in bird nests. The authors also suggest that changes in vegetation or changes in
behaviour or distribution of nest predators such as foxes may also be a
factor contributing to the increased predation of shorebird nests. Access the paper: Vojtěch Kubelka, Miroslav Šálek, Pavel Tomkovich, Zsolt Végvári, Robert P. Freckleton, & Tamás Székely (2018) Global pattern of nest predation is disrupted by climate change in shorebirds. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aat8695
A team of marine scientists have discovered a very rare shark nursery,
200 miles west of Ireland while investigating Ireland’s deep ocean
territory - Marine Institute The announcement was made at the INFOMAR Seabed Mapping Seminar in
Kinsale today, where video highlights were debuted of this rare
occurrence, discovered during the recent “SeaRover” survey by the Marine
Institute’s remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Holland 1 deployed onboard
the ILV Granuaile. The INFOMAR Programme is a Government of Ireland
initiative, funded by Department of Communications, Climate Action and
Environment and is a deliverable under Project 2040, Ireland’s National
Development Plan.
Koen Verbruggen, GSI Director said “We are delighted that this
discovery has been unveiled at todays’ event, demonstrating the
importance of mapping our seabed habitats in understanding and managing
our vast and valued ocean resources. Our data and team continue to
make significant contributions to harnessing our ocean wealth.” Very large numbers of egg cases, commonly called mermaids purses,
were filmed on the seafloor at depths reaching 750 m. Such large
concentrations of egg cases, are rarely recorded and indicate females
may gather in this particular area on the seafloor to lay their eggs. A large school of Blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus), abundant
in the northeast Atlantic were present at the site, and it is likely the
eggs are of this species. A second more unusual and solitary species,
the Sailfin roughshark (Oxynotus paradoxus) was also observed. “Both
species are of scientific interest as Ireland has an obligation to
monitor deepwater sharks under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive”,
said Maurice Clarke from the Fisheries Ecosystem Advisory Services at
the Marine Institute. “No pups were obvious at the site and it is believed that the adult
sharks might be utilising degraded coral reef and exposed carbonate rock
on which to lay their eggs. A healthy coral reef in the vicinity, may
act as a refuge for the juvenile shark pups once they hatch. It is
anticipated that further study of the site will answer some important
scientific questions on the biology and ecology of deep water sharks in
Irish waters,” explained David O’Sullivan.
Pollution in cities damaging insects and ecosystems
- University of Sheffield High levels of pollution found in many of the world’s major cities
are having negative effects on plants and insects, according to new
research from the University of Sheffield. The study, published in Nature Communications, reveals that plants
exposed to high levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – similar to levels
recorded in major urban centres – are able to better defend themselves
against herbivorous insects. Led by Dr Stuart Campbell from the University’s Department of Animal
and Plant Sciences, the research has discovered that plants exposed to
increased levels of pollution produce more defensive chemicals in their
leaves. Results from the study show that insects feeding on these leaves grew
poorly, which suggests high levels of air pollution may be having
cascading negative effects on communities of herbivorous creatures. Dr Campbell, who is also part of the P3 Centre – a centre of
excellence for translational plant science at the University of
Sheffield, said: “Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant that causes severe
health problems in humans, but our research has found that it may also
be having a significant impact on plants and insects. Read the paper: Stuart A. Campbell &
Dena M. Vallano. Plant
defences mediate interactions between herbivory and the direct foliar
uptake of atmospheric reactive nitrogen. Nature Communications
volume 9, Article number: 4743 (2018) doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-07134-9
(Open Access)
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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
British Wildlife Photography Awards 2018
The Woodland Trust is hoping to acquire a 162 hectare site in a
post-industrial area of Derbyshire. 
The study adds to a growing body of evidence about the benefits of
connecting with nature and is the first to calculate the social return
on investment in terms of the impact upon health and well-being of
people using National Parks.
Corallian
Energy limited has been granted consent to drill the Coulter Appraisal
Well in Poole Bay, starting this month. However, Dorset Wildlife Trust
(DWT) still has concerns, despite positive comments from Corallian over
limiting the dumping of oiled drill cuttings on the seabed in an area
with vulnerable features and bird foraging.
(image:
Buglife)
While
some are reverting to familiar varieties such as Cherry and Wild Service
Tree that have fallen out of favour in recent times, others are planting
exotic alternatives such as Eucalyptus and species from the Americas and
continental Europe.
However
an international team of researchers, led by the Milner Centre for
Evolution at the University of Bath, has found that rates of daily nest
predation have increased globally, but this is particularly marked in
the Arctic, where they have increased threefold in the last 70 years.
(image:
Marine Institute)
