|
|
|
||||||
|
Headlines from week beginning 18 March 2019 |
|
A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Last chance for Sussex butterfly – Butterfly
Conservation Hundreds of Sussex schoolchildren and college students have joined
forces to save a rare butterfly from local extinction, wildlife charity
White-letter Hairstreak butterfly by Bob Eade Volunteers aged from six to 18 are creating new habitat for the
rapidly declining White-letter Hairstreak at Lancing College near
Shoreham airport. The butterfly, identified by a distinctive ‘W’ marking on the
underside of its wing, has experienced a 93% decline in numbers across
the UK since the 1970’s and is at risk because its caterpillar will only
feed on elm. Millions of elm have been lost across Sussex and other parts of the
country over the last 40 years due to Dutch elm disease, an infection
first brought over to the UK on imported logs from Canada. At least 550 disease-resistant elm trees will be planted to help the
White-letter Hairstreak as part of the Elms for Adur Hairstreaks project
by BC’s Sussex Branch, with support from the South Downs Volunteer
Ranger Service and local young people. Children from Sussex primary schools, special educational needs
schools, cubs and scouts groups, college students and teenagers working
towards their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award will all be involved in tasks
from planting to learning more about the butterfly.
Illegal songbird trapping in Cyprus at ten year low on UK military base
– RSPB
An estimated 121,000 songbirds, such as blackcaps and robins, are
estimated to have been illegally killed on a British military base in
Cyprus last autumn, according to a new report by BirdLife Cyprus and the
RSPB. However, this number was down from 260,000 in 2017 and 880,000 in
2016. The success in the reduction of illegal trapping on the base is
believed to be primarily due to the impact of covert surveillance work
undertaken by the RSPB and BirdLife Cyprus with the Sovereign Base Area
(SBA) Administration. Since the work started in 2016, some 21 trappers
have been caught on camera and prosecuted, with courts imposing three
years suspended jail sentences and fines as high as 6000 Euros. More
individuals caught in 2018 are due to appear in court later this year.
The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS) have also continued to
provide crucial support in identifying trapping sites as highlighted by
TV Presenter and campaigner, Chris Packham, during the last three
autumns. Along with increased enforcement and heavier sentences, the SBA
authorities are also using a range of civil and criminal sanctions
against the trappers meaning they now face a double deterrent. Songbirds are illegally trapped and killed to provide restaurants
with the main ingredient for the local and expensive delicacy of
ambelopoulia - a plate of cooked songbirds. Organised criminal gangs are
driving this illegal activity on a huge scale and it is estimated they
earn hundreds of thousands of Euros every year from the songbirds they
kill on British territory.
Rivers of plastic: Photographs reveal UK river wildlife habitats invaded
by plastic pollution – Greenpeace A new collection of photographs show iconic British wildlife like
otters, voles and kingfishers surrounded by plastic pollution in UK
rivers;
Greenpeace is carrying out the most thorough survey of plastic in UK
rivers to date – testing river water in 13 rivers nationwide and
analysing the plastics found with state of the art technology; Campaigners, scientists, actor Bonnie Wright and 70,000 members of
the public are urging the government to set and enforce reduction
targets for single-use plastics The world has seen the impacts of plastic pollution on our oceans –
turtles eating plastic, seabirds feeding plastic to chicks. Now a new
collection of photographs published today (Monday 18 March) by
Greenpeace UK shows that plastic pollution is also invading the habitats
of Britain’s most iconic river wildlife. The pictures – some of them new, some rarely-seen or previously
unpublished – show otters swimming through plastic bottles, voles eating
plastic, and swans, moorhens and coots with plastic in their nests. The images are released as Greenpeace is carrying out the most
thorough survey of plastic in UK rivers to date. Campaigners are
gathering water samples from 13 rivers across the UK and scientists will
be analysing the plastics found using state of the art infrared
technology at the University of Exeter.
World's largest study to monitor air quality exposure of 250 children
– Kings College London A new study by King's scientists will monitor air quality exposure of
250 children on their way to school and in the classroom. The
announcement was made today at Haimo Primary School in Greenwich by the
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who is funding the study.
Led by Dr Ben Barratt from the Environmental Research Group at
King's, the study will use state-of-the-art toxic air monitoring
backpacks developed by Dyson, to help monitor and better understand the
levels of toxic air young Londoners are exposed to during their journeys
to school and in the classroom. 250 pupils from five London primary schools, situated across five
boroughs (Southwark, Richmond, Greenwich, Haringey and Hammersmith and
Fulham) will take part in the project, wearing specially adapted
backpacks to and from school for a week. Weighing just over 1kg, the sensors fit into lightweight bags and
measure particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
levels. The children involved will use the backpacks like a normal bag
(the monitor takes up one pocket, leaving plenty of room for school
equipment), allowing the monitors to record pollutant levels on each
child’s journey to school and throughout the school day. The data from this study will allow King’s scientists to analyse at
which point of their journey to school (or which part of their school
day) children are exposed to the most pollution. They will also be able
to the compare the exposure of children who have similar journeys but
take different routes and travel modes and then make recommendations of
how children can reduce their exposure in future.
Capturing the arrival of spring in a nationwide crowd-sourced nature
diary –
National Trust Led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), researchers
from the Land Lines research project examining the history of nature
writing, and supported by the National Trust, Natural England and the
Field Studies Council, the digital diary aims to encourage people across
the UK to document their observations of wildlife, their favourite
places, and what spring means to them. For generations, poets and prose writers have put pen to paper to
express the importance of the arrival of spring and the burst of colour
and busyness in the animal kingdom. Entries could be a description of an early morning encounter with an
urban fox on the way to work or capturing the wonderful sounds of
birdsong when walking in the woods. All of the diary entries, which can be up to 150 words, will be live
curated from dawn to dusk, and could take the form of a poem or
something about the symbolism or meaning of spring. People can upload their diary entries and any accompanying images to
the AHRC website and
also share them on social media using the hashtag #springnaturediary. Writer Abi Andrews will then select the entries from across the UK
that best capture the arrival of spring for a specially produced ebook. Dr Pippa Marland, part of the Land Lines research team, based at the
University of Leeds, said: “The crowd-sourced spring diary will give
nature lovers around the country the chance to participate in an event
that combines the best traditions of citizen science with the
opportunity to produce their own nature writing. “It will offer a unique snapshot of the beginning of spring this year
and mark an important moment in the history of nature writing in the
UK.”
Beavers arrive in Essex to play their part in flood prevention
– Environment Agency After an absence of 400 years, the Eurasian beaver is back in Essex,
with a pair now released into an enclosure on a historic country estate.
The mixed pair of beavers are now getting to know their new home - a
fenced enclosure covering 4 hectares of woodland on the Spains Hall
estate in Finchingfield, near Braintree. It is hoped the beavers, sourced from an established fenced colony in
Devon, will help reduce the risk of flooding in the village by building
dams along the brook flowing through the enclosure. The beavers are expected to get to work quickly, but the results of
their labour may take a few months to be felt downstream. Their enterprising activities are being complemented by a man-made
natural flood management scheme on a second strand of Finchingfield
Brook, which features a ‘leaky dam’ approach. This consists of securing
tree branches or trunks across a watercourse, which helps slow the flow
after heavy rain. The scheme should also create wetland that will
release water in drier periods. Eventually, using data collected by Environment Agency equipment
stationed along the watercourses and other sensors installed around
individual leaky dams and the beaver enclosure, scientists will be able
to establish if this approach is more successful than more conventional
flood prevention methods.
Study suggesting widespread illegal killing of hen harriers on English
grouse moors published
– Natural England
Image of a brown he harrier flying across a field
(image: Natural England) A new study reveals that young hen harriers in England suffer
abnormally high mortality compared to populations in Orkney and mainland
Scotland and the study provides compelling evidence that the most
likely cause is illegal killing in areas associated with grouse moor
management. Published today in Nature Communications this paper represents the
culmination of a 10-year Natural England study involving 58 satellite
tagged hen harriers. The analyses have been led by the University of
Cape Town and Aberdeen University with the provision of land use data by
the RSPB. The study showed the likelihood of hen harriers dying, or
disappearing, was ten times higher within areas predominantly covered by
grouse moor, compared to areas with no grouse moor. The study revealed
that 72% of tagged harriers were either confirmed or considered very
likely to have been illegally killed. BASC has welcomed the results of a study which shows there are
serious limitations to alternative uses of land currently used for
driven grouse shooting in Scotland. The association was involved in the research project commissioned by
the Scottish Government to examine the socioeconomic and biodiversity
impacts of driven grouse moors in Scotland. BASC Scotland director Dr Colin Shedden said the research, carried
out by the James Hutton Institute and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC),
showed that the land, identified in the study by the presence of grouse
butts associated with driven grouse shooting, has a low capability for
agricultural use. He said: “Sheep grazing on unimproved pasture could be considered but
is unlikely to be feasible. Improving the land for permanent pasture
would be expensive and could be in conflict with the many conservation
designations associated with heather moorland used for grouse shooting. “The other alternative land uses for grouse moors that are frequently
referred to are commercial forestry and rewilding, but the report
clearly states that ‘the areas considered unsuitable for trees with any
expectation of delivering harvestable timber are substantially greater
than the areas considered as having very little agricultural value’. “It also states that there is limited evidence of the socio-economic
benefit of rewilding”.
Peak District National Park bird of prey project wins National Lottery
support - RSPB A nature conservation project aimed at reversing the fortunes of
birds of prey in the Peak District National Park has received National
Lottery support. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded a development grant of
£91,900 to a partnership made up of the RSPB, National Trust, Derbyshire
Wildlife Trust, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust and Peak District
National Park Authority. This funding will enable the partnership to
progress plans for the Upland Skies project and apply for a full
National Lottery grant next year. Birds of prey should be a common sight on the hills and moors of the
Peak District National Park but they are in trouble. For some species -
most notably peregrines, goshawks and hen harriers - there is mounting
evidence showing that illegal persecution is an important factor
affecting these birds. For other birds of prey such as merlin and owls, the picture is less
clear with declines potentially linked to habitat quality and climate
change. Taking place in Sheffield and the Peak District National Park, Upland
Skies will raise public awareness of the threats these birds face and
inspire local people and visitors to take action to help increase the
numbers of birds of prey in the Peak District National Park. The project
will inspire, educate and engage children and young people about this
precious wildlife, the landscapes on their doorstep. Upland Skies
will also champion positive land management techniques, which will
provide habitats to help birds of prey thrive once again.
Public fears for countryside and environment over devastating
Oxford-Cambridge development plan - CPRE
River Ivel in Bedfordshire (image: Derry Brabbs) The poll, which was carried out by research company Survation on the
behalf of the countryside charity, interviewed 1,500 residents across
five counties (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire,
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire) on development proposals known as the
Oxford-Cambridge Arc. The plans could see one million new homes built
across the region by 2050. A CPRE analysis from last year demonstrated that in order to build the one million new houses, an area of countryside greater than the size of Birmingham would be lost to development. Despite the scale of the development, the government has given the project its backing without a formal public consultation, or weighing up its impact on the countryside, people’s health, and climate change.
The Wildlife Trusts call for more investment in badger vaccination
- The Wildlife Trust The Wildlife Trusts' response to new figures released by the
government. Today the government released figures on the numbers of badgers
vaccinated last year, in 2018. Their figures show that 641 were
vaccinated – with half of these through the Badger Edge Vaccination
Scheme (BEVS), the government-sponsored badger vaccination programme. There is robust scientific evidence to prove that badger vaccination
reduces the transmission of bTB in badgers. Several studies demonstrate
that vaccinating badgers reduces the progression, severity and the
likelihood that the infection would be passed on, once a badger is
infected. Whilst the data released today indicates progress of sorts, when
compared to the numbers of badgers culled in 2018 – at least 32,602 – it
represents a very small proportion. Vaccination has the potential to
reduce bTB infection prevalence in the badger population, and hence bTB
risks to cattle, without the harmful effects associated with culling
such as increased prevalence of TB in badgers plus spreading the
disease. Much more needs to be done – and The Wildlife Trusts have
demonstrated that badger vaccination is do-able. Twelve Wildlife Trusts
across England and Wales conducted badger vaccination programmes between
2011-2015. In this time, we vaccinated more than 1500 badgers. The
largest programme is run by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust who also hosted
training for lay vaccinators carried out by the Animal and Plant Health
Agency (APHA) in 2018.
Survey enables better understanding of pressures on UK’s plant species
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology The dedication of volunteers across the UK is creating an impressive
resource on plant communities, thereby assisting scientific
investigations into changes to our countryside.
The National Plant
Monitoring Scheme, run by a partnership of organisations including
the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, relies on hundreds of people across
the country – including walkers, amateur wildlife enthusiasts and
mountaineers – recording the different wildflowers they see in their
local area. It oversees the UK’s biggest wild plant survey, taking place
from the Spring Equinox – which this year is March 20 – to the end of
September. Although the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS) was only set up
four years ago, the early records collected by members of the public are
already helping to improve scientists’ understanding of the
environmental pressures on plants and habitats. The annual survey covers about 30 types of habitat found in the UK,
from woodland and hedgerows to blanket bog, flushes, heathland and
streams, plus more than 400 species of wildflowers. Dr Oli Pescott, an ecologist at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
(CEH), says: “The National Plant Monitoring Scheme helps us to detect
pressures on habitats and may also allow us to understand how these vary
across time and space. “Early findings are already providing much-needed data on the
abundance of wild plants at local levels. We very much hope that, over
time, the NPMS will allow us to understand more about how our wild flora
is changing in response to pressures such as nitrogen pollution and
invasive species.”
Urban meadow trial to reach new sites – Rugby
Borough Council A more environmentally friendly way of managing grasslands introduced
to parts of Rugby last year has seen significant improvements for
wildlife and is to be extended to more parts of Rugby.
Boughton Road urban meadow (Rugby Borough Council) Cllr Lisa Parker, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for the
environment and public realm, said: “While regularly mowed areas of
short grass are appropriate for roadside verges and parks, longer grass
and meadow areas are better for the environment and support wildlife. On
some of the sites we will leave longer grass around the edge of the
site, while at other sites we will create larger grassland meadows with
pathways cut through to follow footpaths and desire lines. We hope that
this new approach will help support wildlife such as insects, bees and
hedgehogs, many of which have had a hard time in our towns and cities in
recent years.” The UK will miss almost all the 2020 nature targets it signed up to a
decade ago, according to a report
by the government’s official advisers JNCC Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency on Tuesday
warned that England is set to run short of water within 25 years,
as reported in The Telegraph An idea for water conservation from University of East Anglia
Highlighting social identity and peer group norms can increase water
conservation – University of East Anglia New research suggests that targeted use of behavioural ‘nudges’ can
encourage people to conserve water. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) found that rather
than giving people general information about the importance of saving
water, emphasising the water conserving actions of others in the same
social group - for example university students or local residents -
encourages similar behaviour changes and reduces water demand. Water scarcity is a growing global issue and within the UK water
shortages are recognised as one of the greatest climate change-related
threats. This week the UK’s Environment Agency warned that England will
not have enough water to meet demand within 25 years. The new study explored the use of social norms in campaigns to
motivate people to save water. Previous research has found that these
behavioural-based approaches, or ‘nudges’ can impact on other
pro-environmental behaviours, for example around saving energy and
encouraging recycling. Scientific publications Finch, T., Green, R. E., Massimino, D., Peach, W. J. & Balmford, A.
Bird conservation and the land sharing-sparing continuum in
farmland-dominated landscapes of lowland England. Conservation
Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13316
Termaat, T. et al.
Distribution trends of
European dragonflies under climate change (open access) Diversity &
Distributions DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12913
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
Butterfly
Conservation (BC) can reveal.
Common
Kingfisher perched above discarded litter near Deptford Creek, London. ©
Tomos Brangwyn
Image:
Kings College London
(image:
Environment Agency)
Research
published today in Nature Communications shows the likelihood of hen
harriers dying, or disappearing is ten times higher in areas covered by
grouse moor
Three-quarters
(74%) of residents living on a corridor between Oxford and Cambridge
believe that plans for major new development across the region will lead
to damage of the local countryside and environment, according to new
public polling published today (21 March) by the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE).
Bluebells
are the most frequently-seen wildflower in the woodlands surveyed as
part of the National Plant Monitoring Scheme (Picture: Beth
Newman/Plantlife
Urban
meadows that were created in Rugby last year saw new species of plants,
moths, butterflies and dragonflies on the sites for the first time, and
now the council is to create urban meadows in other areas of the town.
