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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Government launches world leading plan to tackle air pollution
- Defra Government has launched an ambitious new strategy to clean up our air
and save lives.
Environment
Secretary Michael Gove today (Monday 14 January) launched an ambitious
new strategy to clean up our air and save lives. Clean Air Strategy (defra) Air pollution is one of the biggest threats to public health in the
UK - behind only cancer, obesity and heart disease - and the measures
set out in the Clean
Air Strategy will cut the costs of air pollution to society by £1.7
billion every year by 2020, rising to £5.3 billion every year from 2030. The UK will set an ambitious, long-term target to reduce people’s
exposure to particulate matter (PM), which the World Health Organization
(WHO) has identified as the most damaging pollutant. To inform
development of this new target, the government will publish evidence
early this year on what action would be needed to meet WHO guidelines. This comes on top of a commitment to halve the number of people
living in areas breaching WHO guidelines on PM by 2025. The UK is the
first major economy to adopt air quality goals based
on WHO recommendations, going far beyond EU requirements. Launching the Clean Air Strategy, Environment Secretary Michael Gove
said: Read the policy paper: This strategy sets out our plans for dealing with all sources of air
pollution, making our air healthier to breathe, protecting nature and
boosting the economy.
Response: Clean Air Strategy: Progress For Wildlife And People On Ammonia - The ‘Poor Cousin’ Of Air Pollution - Plantlife Twelve nature charities, including Plantlife, RSPB and Friends of the
Earth, have welcomed new regulations to cut ammonia emissions announced
in the Clean Air Strategy today. This move is vital and long overdue given the ravaging effect ammonia
has on wild plants, woodlands and meadows, and the wildlife that rely on
them, and the disastrous impact of ammonia on people’s health. Cutting
ammonia emissions by 50% could prevent the equivalent of around an
estimated 250,000 premature deaths globally each year. Jenny Hawley, Senior Policy Officer at Plantlife, said: "Air
pollution from farming has been neglected by policymakers for too long –
with year-on-year increases in ammonia emissions. Voluntary measures
haven’t worked, so the commitments to new regulation are a positive step
forward. But the devil will be in the detail and the Clean Air Strategy
must be translated into legislation without delay if it is to protect
some of our rarest plants, lichens and fungi from extinction. Runaway
ammonia emissions are contributing to unnaturally nutrient-rich soil
conditions that are having a chilling impact on plant diversity. Many
rare and threatened wildflowers like harebell and bird's-foot trefoil
are being crowded out of the countryside by a marauding gang of
'nitrogen guzzlers' such as brambles and stinging nettles. The knock-on
effects of habitats becoming nitrogen-rich ‘badlands’ can be lethal, for
example the marsh fritillary butterfly feeds almost exclusively on
Devil's-bit scabious, a plant that simply cannot survive in these
conditions."
Research provides quality check on air pollution strategy
Environmental Physicist Dr Eiko Nemitz of the Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology, who was involved in hosting the launch of the UK Government’s
Clean Air Strategy, explains the role of the BT Tower Observatory in air
pollution monitoring.
Roaming cats prey on their owners’ minds –
University of Exeter Many cat owners worry about their pets wandering the streets, but
perceive cats hunting mice and birds to be unavoidable
instinct, researchers at the University of Exeter have found. Owners often dislike their feline companions’ compulsion to catch
wildlife but feel unable, or unwilling, to control it.
Credit
Jennifer Barnard The researchers interviewed cat owners about their pets’ roaming and
hunting behaviour, what worried them, and what they felt responsible
for. Hunting, and the resulting corpses on the kitchen floor, were seen as
natural behaviour outside owners’ control. Those who did want to limit
hunting felt this was difficult to achieve without locking cats indoors
– and hardly any owners wanted this. “We found a spectrum of views on hunting, from owners who see it as
positive for pest control to those who were deeply concerned about its
consequences for wild animal populations,” said lead author Dr Sarah
Crowley, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on the
University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. Cats vary in the amount they hunt, with some catching multiple birds
and small mammals every week, while many others stay indoors or rarely
lift a predatory paw. Read the paper: Crowley SL, Cecchetti
M, McDonald RA.
Hunting behaviour in domestic cats: An exploratory study of risk and
responsibility among cat owners. People Nat. 2019;00:1–13. doi:
10.1002/pan3.6 (open access)
Cities could play a key role in pollinator conservation
– University of Bristol Given the pressures that pollinators face in agricultural land,
cities could play an important role in conserving pollinators, according
to a new study. The research, carried out by scientists at the
Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds and Reading in collaboration
with Cardiff
University
and the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), has
revealed that gardens and allotments are good for pollinators, and
lavender and borage are important garden plants that pollinators use as
food sources. Image credit: Nadine Mitschunas The study, published today [Monday 14 January] in Nature Ecology and
Evolution, has assessed all major urban land uses for pollinators.
While there have been a few small-scale studies on pollinators in some
urban land uses, this is the first-time scientists have considered
cities in their entirety. The research found that residential gardens and allotments (community
gardens) are particularly good for pollinators, and lavender, borage,
dandelions, thistles, brambles and buttercups are important plant
species for pollinators in urban areas. The team also designed a new measure of management success, based on
community robustness, that considers the stability of whole communities
of pollinators, and not just individual species. Robustness is a
measure of how a community responds to species loss; robust communities
can survive the disappearance of some species but species loss in
fragile communities leads to a domino effect of other extinctions. Read the paper: Baldock, K. C. R.
et al (2018)
A systems
approach reveals urban pollinator hotspots and conservation
opportunities. Nature Ecology & Evolution (2019) DOI:
10.1038/s41559-018-0769-y (open access)
Spring 2019 arrived in November 2018, says Woodland Trust
- Woodland Trust
The
Woodland Trust’s Nature’s Calendar project has received over 64 records
of early spring activity that started in November 2018 – including
insects that have been spotted active up to 5 months earlier than
normal. Flowering snowdrops are among the early records
(Photo: Philip Formby/WTML) Mild weather seems to have temporarily disturbed insects from
hibernation. A small tortoiseshell butterfly appeared flying outdoors on
Christmas Day in Merthyr Tydfil, and a red tailed bumblebee on Boxing
Day in Somerset. The average date for small tortoiseshells is 14 April,
and bumblebees 26 March – making both over three months early. Even
earlier still, a red admiral was seen on 17 December in Cambridgeshire;
the average emergence date is 7 May, making it nearly five months ahead
of schedule.1 Members of the public have sent in many other signs that spring has
sprung:
Even birds have made an early appearance. The song thrush has been
heard in eleven locations since 5 December and is increasingly reported
singing all winter, though expected mid-late March. Blue tits were also
seen exploring a nesting box on 26 December, though the UK average date
for nesting is 4 April.
Committee urges Government action to stop using seas as a sewer
- Environmental Audit Committee The Environmental Audit Committee Sustainable Seas Report highlights
action needed on climate change, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture,
and marine conservation. The MPs call on Government to bring forward the
UK’s 2042 target date for achieving zero avoidable plastic waste and to
rapidly decarbonise our economy to meet net-zero emissions by 2050. Committee urges Government action to stop using seas as a sewer
The Government’s ‘out of sight, out of mind’ treatment of the oceans
puts marine resources at great risk. Climate change poses a triple
whammy of threats to oceans from warming, deoxygenation and
acidification. Read the full report:
Sustainable seas
Map of chemicals in jellyfish could be the future to protecting UK
waters and marine life - University of
Southampton
Scientists
at the University of Southampton have developed maps of chemicals found
in jellyfish which could offer a new tool for conservation in British
waters and fisheries. The maps will also be able to detect fraudulently
labelled food in retail outlets by helping to trace the origins of
seafood. Jellyfish caught in UK waters were used to map
chemical variations in marine life (image: University of Southampton) The Southampton based research team including Dr Clive Trueman, Dr
Katie St. John Glew and Dr Laura Graham, built maps of the chemical
variations in jellyfish caught in an area of approximately 1 million km2
of the UK shelf seas. These chemical signals vary according to where the
fish has been feeding due to differences in the marine environment’s
chemistry, biology and physical processes. Dr Katie St john Glew explains “The chemical differences detected in
the jellyfish are also present in other animals throughout the food
chain, like seabirds, seals and fishes. This means that we can measure
the same signals in, for example feathers from seabirds or fresh fish
fillets, then match them back to the jellyfish map and work out where
the birds have been feeding or where the fish was most likely caught.”
Big Farmland Bird Count returns to Scotland -
GWCT
Farmers,
landowners and game keepers across the country are being urged to take
part in the Big
Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), which is back for the sixth successive
year.
The nationwide citizen science project calls on farmers, land
managers and gamekeepers to spend 30 minutes spotting species on their
patch of land between the 8 and 17 February 2019 and the results will
aim to establish which farmland birds are thriving due to good
conservation efforts whilst identifying the ones in need of most help. Dave Parish, GWCT Scotland’s Head of Lowland Research said: “Many
farmers do a lot on their farms to encourage birds and other wildlife,
but the wider public doesn’t yet really seem to appreciate that. All we
want is for as many individual farmers as possible to spend just half an
hour counting birds on a part of their farm so that we can tell everyone
about the good work that is going on.” Last-year saw a record-breaking 1,000 responses to the UK count,
recording 121 species across 950,000 acres.
New study shows nationally important New Forest wildlife sites under
pressure - New Forest National Park A new study calculates that the New Forest now has over 15 million
recreational visitor days each year – up 12% from the last study in
2004. This means there are more visitor days per square mile of protected
conservation area than any other English national park. The visitor research by RJS Associates was commissioned by the
National Park Authority and its partners*. It predicts that by 2037
there will be over 17 million recreational visitor days a year to the
National Park. Over half (56%) of the New Forest National Park is designated as a
Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – areas which are protected
because of their rare habitats and wildlife. This is a higher proportion
than all the nine other English national parks (the next highest is the
Peak District at 35%). The new visitor calculations therefore equate to
an average of 39,000 visitor days a year per square mile of protected
habitat. New Forest National Park Authority Chairman Oliver Crosthwaite-Eyre
said: ‘I think people will be surprised to read just how much pressure
the New Forest is under and the huge number of visits to these protected
habitats. There are important health and economic benefits to this
recreational activity. The New Forest is also home to some of the UK’s
and Europe’s rarest wildlife species and habitats. This is why all the
organisations responsible for caring for this precious area are working
together to manage it for both people and wildlife. This new study will
help inform future decisions.’ Further survey work is currently under way, with thousands of people
being interviewed about how they use the New Forest for recreation.
Download the study and comparisons with other English National Parks.
South Scotland Golden Eagle Project news release: Scottish Scouts launch
new initiative to safeguard the future of golden eagles in the UK
- Scottish Natural Heritage Working closely with the groundbreaking South of Scotland Golden
Eagle Project, a Scottish Scout group is launching the first ever Golden
Eagle Champions initiative to help safeguard the future of golden eagles
in the UK.
SSGEP
eagle sketch (via SNH) The Scottish Borders Innerleithen Scout Group will become the UK’s
first-ever Golden Eagle Champions, learning from experts and getting to
see some of these iconic birds themselves. The Borders’ Scouts will
also be designing a special badge that the group can earn as part of
their work on this project. Speaking on the launch of the initiative Philip Munro, Community
Outreach Officer for the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project said:
“It is fantastic to see our golden eagles thriving and fending for
themselves only five months after their release. Significant community
support has been key to this early success and will continue to play a
vital role in ensuring that golden eagles truly flourish in the south of
Scotland. “We are absolutely delighted to be working with the Scottish Borders
Scouts, and their trailblazing Innerleithen Group, on the UK’s first
ever Golden Eagle Champions initiative. The future of conservation
depends on initiatives like this that encourage young people to get
involved and make a difference. Their involvement will truly lead
the way for other local Scout Groups and make a huge contribution to
helping to safeguarding the future of this iconic species in the south
of Scotland and beyond.” For the latest news on the project visit:
www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk
Local focus could help tackle global problems
- University of Exeter People’s love for their local areas could be harnessed to tackle
global environmental problems, researchers say. Parochialism (a focus on a local area) is often viewed negatively,
and is sometimes seen as being akin to “nimbyism” – characterised by
insularity and selfishness. But researchers from the University of Exeter argue that “positive
parochialism” could be a foundation for environmental concern and
action. Their study revisits the Parish Maps project instigated in 1987 by UK
arts and environment charity Common Ground, and finds the project offers
a “foundation for ecological concern that remains relevant today”. “The Parish Maps project was hugely popular at the time, but has been
somewhat overlooked since it ended,” said Professor Patrick
Devine-Wright, of the University of Exeter. “It led to a huge upswell in local environmentalism and the creation
of thousands of maps across the UK and beyond. We argue that it
represents parochialism without the negative connotations many people
associate with that word. Read the paper (open access pdf): Devine-Wright P, Smith J, Batel S.
“Positive
parochialism,”local belonging and ecological concerns: Revisiting Common
Ground's Parish Maps project. Trans Inst Br Geogr. 018;00:1–15. doi:
10.1111/tran.12282
Salmon found in River Don at Sheffield -
Environment Agency adult salmon has been found in the River Don at Salmon Pastures
confirming the species’ return to Sheffield city centre after an absence
of 150 years. The body of the 79cm (31 inches) salmon was reported to the
Environment Agency by a member of the public on Wednesday 2 January. It
appears to have died from natural causes.
Fisheries
officer Jerome Masters with the salmon at the River Don in Sheffield
(image: Environment Agency) Coincidentally, January marked the beginning of the International
Year of the Salmon, an initiative to support the conservation and
restoration of wild salmon species. Following the recent push to improve water quality and introduce more
fish passes to facilitate the migration of our native fish, the
re-colonisation of salmon in the Don is now becoming a reality.
The Environment Agency’s partnerships with the Don Catchment River
Trust, Yorkshire Water, Canal and River Trust and Sheffield City Council
has introduced multiple new fish passes. Examination by Environment Agency fisheries specialists confirmed the
female fish had recently spawned. Salmon often die after spawning,
consequently, there is no reason to suspect anything other than a
natural cause of death. Prior to spawning, the fish probably weighed
between 10 to 12 lbs (4.5 to 5.5 kg). Growth patterns in the
scales showed the salmon spent two years in freshwater before spending
two years at sea. Most salmon return home to the river where they were
born, but some will stray up the ‘wrong’ river. This is how they can
recolonise rivers where they may have become locally extinct, such as
the River Don. Scientific Publications Santini, L. , Butchart, S. H., Rondinini, C. , Benítez‐López, A. , Hilbers, J. P., Schipper, A. , Cengic, M. , Tobias, J. A. and Huijbregts, M. A. (2019), Applying habitat and population‐density models to land-cover time series to inform IUCN red list assessments. Conservation Biology. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/cobi.13279
MacDonald MA, Angell R, Dines TD, et al.
Have Welsh agri-environment schemes delivered for focal species? Results
from a comprehensive monitoring programme. J Appl Ecol.
2019;00:1–12. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13329 |
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