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Headlines from week beginning 28 September 2015 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Offshore wind farms could be more risky for gannets than previously
thought, study shows – University of Exeter Offshore wind farms which are to be built in waters around the UK
could pose a greater threat to protected populations of gannets than
previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at the
universities of Leeds, Exeter and Glasgow. It was previously thought that gannets, which breed in the UK between
April and September each year, generally flew well below the minimum
height of 22 metres above sea level swept by the blades of offshore wind
turbines.
However, while this is the case when the birds are simply commuting
between their nest sites and distant feeding grounds, this new study
shows that they fly at an average height of 27 metres above sea level
when actively searching and diving for prey. Crucially, the study also shows that the birds' feeding grounds
overlap extensively with planned wind farm sites in the Firth of Forth,
heightening their risk of colliding with turbine blades. The researchers estimate that up to 12 times more gannets could be killed by turbines than current figures suggest, although they stress that the figure is based on calculations using current typical turbine sizes, which could be different to those actually installed, and that there is great uncertainty over actual turbine avoidance rates. Professor Keith Hamer, of the School of Biology at Leeds, oversaw the
study, published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology. His research
group, together with colleagues from Exeter and Glasgow, based their
work at Bass Rock, the world’s largest colony of gannets with some
70,000 breeding pairs, situated in the Firth of Forth in south-east
Scotland, less than 50 kilometres from several planned wind farm sites. Dr Ian Cleasby, of the University of Exeter and lead author of the
study, said: “Previous data had seriously underestimated the number of
birds potentially at risk of colliding with turbine blades. There’s a
lot of uncertainty over how many birds would actually be killed this
way, but our predictions – if realised in the field – are high enough to
cause concern over the potential long-term effects on population size. You can read all about the Gannets on Bass Rock in our Focus article here (page 4)
A greener future for Ceredigion metal mine
– Natural Resources Wales Work by Natural Resources Wales to tackle pollution from an old metal
mine in Ceredigion is giving the local environment a new lease of life. Image: Before and after (NRW) And it’s not just water quality and river life that will benefit. The
landscape at Frongoch is already turning greener, improving habitats for
rare mosses and lichens, and making it a better place for wildlife, the
local community and visitors to the area. Natural Resources Wales is holding an Open Day on Friday 2 October
2015, inviting everyone with an interest to come and see the
transformation for themselves. Paul Edwards, Project Manager said: “Our work at Frongoch is
reversing more than 100 years of contamination stretching back to the
1800s, when Frongoch Mine was one of the most productive lead and zinc
mines in Wales, employing hundreds of people from as far afield as
Italy.
South West National Parks essential for the region’s economy –
Dartmoor National Park Authority The contribution made by Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks to the
region’s economy has been highlighted in a new economic prospectus. The two National Parks are living, working landscapes that are home
to approximately 44,000 people and 3,145 businesses with an annual
turnover of £770m a year. National Parks are also world renowned brands, recognised for quality
of environment and visitor experience. Dartmoor and Exmoor attract over
8 million visitor days and generate £428 million for the greater
Dartmoor and Exmoor areas annually. The prospectus highlights the high quality of the National Park
environment underpins economic activity both within the National Parks
and the wider Heart of the South West area. National Park Authorities
bring together key players to support and enable sustainable economic
growth within these deeply rural landscapes. Dartmoor and Exmoor National Park Authorities have been at the
forefront of supporting pioneering new ways to unlock economic growth
within the National Parks, the prospectus highlights some of these
success stories.
Pine
martens arrive in Wales – The Vincent Wildlife Trust Britain’s first carnivore recovery scheme on a nationwide scale is
underway. Native pine martens from Scotland are beginning a new life in
Leading this project is The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT), a charity
with 30 years’ experience of pine marten research, and today (29
September) the Trust is delighted to announce that the translocations to
Wales have started. Pine Marten by James A Moore The VWT’s ‘Pine Marten Recovery Project’ has involved meticulous
planning by a charity renowned for its expertise with this elusive
mammal – a mammal that carries the title of Britain’s second rarest
carnivore after the wildcat. Pine martens are thriving in Scotland, but in England and Wales the
pine marten population is in danger of extinction. To help Wales’ marten
population recover, the Trust aims to translocate 20 pine martens to
woodlands in mid Wales, with a further 20 animals next autumn. This
number should result in a self-sustaining population that over time will
spread to other forests of Wales and across the border into England. Natalie Buttriss, VWT’s CEO said “My team of mammal conservationists
has been working tirelessly over the last two years to make this happen.
We have left no stone unturned to ensure that our approach is rigorous,
and we have involved a wide range of people in the planning of this
project including numerous experts in the field of mammal conservation.
In our many conversations, we have been boosted by the positive response
and support we have received at every stage of the project’s
development.”
Otter dies after being caught in illegal crayfish trap
- Environment Agency The Environment Agency has warned of the dangers of illegal crayfish
traps after an otter was found drowned near Bridport, Dorset. The remains of the otter were discovered by a dog walker in the River
Asker. The animal entered the trap, but was unable to escape because the
device hadn’t been fitted with an otter guard. This is the second
incident in recent weeks. A drowned otter was found in a similar trap in
Cornwall. Sandie Moors for the Environment Agency said: “It is tragic this
otter met its end by drowning in such a horrendous way. The trap was
being used illegally on an unauthorised site. Eel nets and crayfish
traps can only be used with permission from the land owner and the
consent of the Environment Agency. Illegal traps put other species such
as water voles and small dogs at risk.” Eel nets and crayfish traps are licensed by the Environment Agency in
a similar way that anglers need to licence their fishing rods. Each
net/trap should display a numbered tag to allow identification and be
fitted with a guard to prevent otters entering and becoming trapped. If found guilty of an offence you could be sent to prison for up to 6
months and be fined £5,000 for each offence. Anyone who sees illegal nets, or who has information about this
incident should contact the Environment Agency’s free 24 hour incident
hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Watch out for Nuthatches; new online tool reveals the garden birds to
look out for - BTO Autumn is always an interesting time of year for garden birdwatchers
and up-to-date movements of birds into gardens can now be tracked, for
the first time, using the new interactive Garden BirdWatch results
pages. Developed by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), these
tools show that Nuthatches, in particular, are taking refuge in gardens
this autumn, showing their second-highest monthly peak in twenty years.
The average numbers of seed-eating bird species vary dramatically
every year depending on the amount of natural food available in the
wider countryside. The last two years have seen low numbers of many
seed-eaters in gardens thanks to spectacular crops of seeds like beech
and Sitka Spruce. This year, however, seems to be a different story. Many seed-eating birds are already being seen in surprisingly high
numbers for early autumn, suggesting that the seed crops may be poor
this year. The most exciting increase is that of Nuthatch which has
already been reported from a quarter of BTO Garden BirdWatch gardens,
the second highest reporting rate since the survey started in 1995. Coal
Tit and Siskin are also using garden resources more this autumn, both
having been seen in the highest average numbers since 2012.
Free app will help track UK’s dragonflies -
CEH iRecord Dragonflies, a free mobile phone app to help monitor the UK’s
dragonflies and damselflies, is launched today, 30 September. The new app will help people to identify dragonflies and damselflies
and record sightings to support study and conservation. The results will
go to the Dragonfly Recording Network whose work has already shown the
dramatic changes in distribution of many dragonfly species within the
UK, and to the UK from the continent, due to our changing climate. Colourful dragonflies and damselflies zooming about over water is one
of the quintessential sights on warm summer days. They can be very
numerous in some habitats and play an essential ecological role as
predators of flying insects, helping to control pests such as
mosquitoes. They are also important indicators of water quality and
wetland health. Karolis Kazlauskis from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, who
helped to create the app, said, "Many species have expanded their
distributions in recent years and some have arrived from the Continent.
The British Dragonfly Society maps and analyses distributions,
identifies important sites and monitors population changes due to
wetland condition and climate. This work would not be possible without
the help of people reporting where they find dragonflies, and we hope
the app will make this easier." Since its launch in 1999 thousands of people have already contributed
to the Dragonfly Recording Network and, with assistance from the new
app, the public will continue to support the study and conservation of
dragonflies and damselflies. Within the app each species has a distribution map and habitat
information to give guidance on where they are most likely to be found.
Additional information, including photos, is provided to assist
identification. The App is now available for both mobile (iOS, Android, Blackberry)
and desktop users with any modern browser. The app is available to install here:
http://www.brc.ac.uk/app/irecord-dragonflies A video explaining more about the app is available to watch on YouTube Find out more about citizen science projects and surveys here. And there will be a full list of the most recent updates in this week's edition of CJS Weekly, information here.
Annual wildlife crime report, Reduction in number of wildlife crimes.
- Scottish Government Recorded wildlife crime dropped by 20 per cent in the period 2013-14,
according to a report published on Wednesday 30/9. The full report can be read on the Scottish Government website here.
Reaction:
Scottish Land & Estates welcomes publication of annual wildlife crime
report Scottish Land & Estates has welcomed today’s publication of the
Scottish Government annual wildlife crime report that shows recorded
wildlife crime dropped by 20 per cent in the period 2013-14. In welcoming the decrease in recorded incidents, the organisation
said that momentum needed to be maintained and that government and
police should continue to devote resources to the issue, especially in
offences linked to organised poaching. Douglas McAdam, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates and member
of PAW Scotland Executive, said: “We welcome the publication of the
annual wildlife crime report which provides an authoritative update on
the range and volume of wildlife crime in Scotland. “It is pleasing that
there has been a significant reduction in incidents of wildlife crime
across most different categories of offence. Working with government and
police, I believe that the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime
(PAW) Scotland, through which Scottish Land & Estates plays an active
role, is having a real effect on wildlife crime on the ground and we
need to maintain this momentum that has been built up, with all
stakeholders playing a full role in the partnership."
Environmental factors changing our woodlands say UK owners and foresters
- Sylva 9/10 woodland owners and other forestry professionals who responded
to a national survey about environmental change in British woodlands say
they had observed at least one form of impact in the past 10 years. Woodland owners reported increases in vertebrate pests such as deer
and squirrels while among professional managers and agents, pathogens
and pests were the most commonly-reported impact on the woodlands that
they manage. More than 1470 people responded to the survey. The figures are among
the first results revealed by a British Woodlands Survey on Resilience
and are being announced today (1 Oct) at a Conference hosted by the
Royal Forestry Society and Woodland Trust, Resilient Woods: Meeting the
Challenges. The survey results emphasised that in the past only 44% had specified
provenance (origin) when buying trees for new planting. This highlights
there may be a lack of awareness of the importance of provenance, and
tree genetic diversity in general, when planning resilient woodlands.
69% of owners stated a preference in future for sourcing material grown
in UK nurseries, possibly reflecting recent issues around infected
imported plants – ash dieback was originally identified in the UK on
plants imported from nurseries in continental Europe. Looking to the future, most respondents believe that climate change
will significantly affect our forests, although there is considerable
uncertainty among private woodland owners among whom more than 50% are
uncertain or don’t believe it will affect forests in the future. This is
despite risks highlighted including flooding, drought, wind and fire. Simon Lloyd, Chief Executive of the Royal Forestry Society (RFS),
says : “The survey shows that most woodland owners are already
experiencing the adverse impacts of pests and disease in their woods and
expect this trend to continue in future. Survey respondents recognise
the need to improve the resilience of their woods to environmental
change. The challenge is to provide woodland owners with the evidence
base to support long term decisions on species choice and management
systems. A lot more work is required in this area.” Of the survey respondents, 821 (56%) were private woodland owners,
with professional agents responsible for managing 3473 woodlands and 13
specialist tree nurseries with a combined annual turnover of more than
£7.5m also taking part. The information from the survey will be used by organisations, policy
makers and researchers to help improve the resilience of the nation’s
forests, and how better support can be provided to woodland owners and
managers. The results will also inform the government’s National
Adaptation Programme for England. A full report will be published before the end of the year and made
freely available at
www.sylva.org.uk/bws
Protecting marine life in Europe’s seas -
European Environment Agency Europe´s seas are under pressure. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can
act as a key management measures to safeguard marine ecosystems and
biodiversity so to maintain their potential to deliver key services to
our societies and economies. European countries have been extending
marine protected areas across Europe’s seas. More effective management
of these marine protected areas and a convergent implementation of
related legislation now constitute important challenges. A new report by
the European Environment Agency assesses the progress made and concludes
with perspectives for the future. The regional seas surrounding Europe include vast, open oceans as
well as almost entirely landlocked seas, covering 5.7 million km2. They
are home to a diverse range of habitats, sustaining thousands of species
of plants and animals. However, human activities at sea as well as on
land are impacting Europe’s seas and putting pressure on marine species:
damage and loss of habitats, extraction of resources, introduction of
non-indigenous species, pollution and the effects of climatic change.
The cumulative effect of these pressures is damaging the state of marine
ecosystems. To safeguard biodiversity in areas vital for the health of
the seas and to address increasingly complex threats to marine
ecosystems, EU Member States have designated networks of marine
protected areas. How much progress has the EU made in designating marine protected
areas? Can we assess if marine protected areas work? Are Europe’s MPA
networks ecologically coherent and well-managed? The EEA report ‘Marine
protected areas in Europe’s seas — an overview and perspectives for the
future’ addresses these questions by providing an overview of MPAs
in Europe´s seas and the relevant EU policy framework. The report aims
to support the
European Commission’s progress report on MPAs. According to the report, Europe needs to implement a more holistic
approach to MPA design, management and evaluation. With a better
implementation of existing legislation across Europe’s seas, as well as
more effective management, MPA networks could play a crucial role in
reversing systemic changes observed in Europe’s seas. They can help halt
biodiversity loss, achieve clean, healthy and biologically diverse seas,
and secure sustainability. The EEA will also publish a technical report further documenting the
methodology and data used for the spatial analysis of EU marine
protected areas later in 2015.
Protecting Europe's nature: more ambition needed to halt biodiversity
loss by 2020 – European Union The mid-term review of EU biodiversity strategy shows progress in
many areas, but highlights the need for greater effort by Member States
on implementation to halt biodiversity loss by 2020. The mid-term review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy assesses whether
the EU is on track to achieve the objective of halting biodiversity loss
by 2020. The results show progress in many areas, but highlight the need
for much greater effort to deliver commitments on implementation by
Member States. Nature's capacity to clean the air and water, to
pollinate crops and to limit the impacts of catastrophes such as
flooding is being compromised, with potentially significant unforeseen
costs to society and our economy. An
EU-wide opinion poll, also published today, confirms that the
majority of Europeans are concerned about the effects of biodiversity
loss and recognise the negative impact this can have on human health and
wellbeing, and ultimately on our long-term economic development. The EU adopted a Strategy to stop this loss of biodiversity by 2020.
Today's assessment, which comes midway through the strategy, highlights
that much more needs to be done on the ground to translate the EU's
policies into action. Firstly, EU nature legislation needs to be better
implemented by Member States. More than three quarters of the important
natural habitats in the EU are now in an unfavourable state, and many
species are threatened with extinction. Halting biodiversity loss will
also depend on how effectively biodiversity concerns are integrated into
agriculture, forestry, fisheries, regional development and trade
policies. The reformed Common Agricultural Policy provides opportunities
for enhanced integration of biodiversity concerns, but it will be the
extent to which Member States put in place the measures, nationally,
that will determine the success of the CAP. Ultimately, our natural
capital needs to be recognised and appreciated, not only within the
limitations of our protected areas, but more extensively throughout our
lands and seas. The Commission is currently undertaking a fitness check
of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives to assess whether it is
achieving its valuable objectives in the most efficient way. Restoring natural habitats and building green infrastructure remains
a challenge for Europe. The EU Green Infrastructure Strategy – once
implemented – should deliver multiple benefits across a range of sectors
including agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Invasive alien species
are also one of the fastest growing threats to biodiversity in Europe,
causing significant damage to agriculture, forestry and fisheries,
costing the EU at least EUR 12 billion a year. A new
EU Regulation has entered into force to fight the spread of invasive
alien species and work is underway to establish a list of invasive
species of EU concern by early 2016. For more information:
The Mid-Term Review of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 – Commission
Report
EU biodiversity strategy to 2020 Reaction:
Five years left to tackle Europe's wildlife crisis, warns RSPB Europe’s wildlife remains in crisis, that’s the clear finding from
the European Commission’s latest assessment of nature, published today. The mid-term review of the EU 2020 Biodiversity Strategy shows
limited progress towards many of the key targets to restore wildlife set
at the start of this decade, and time is running out. The RSPB is urging the European Commission to take pressing action to
reverse the decline in wildlife, as many species, such as the Balearic
shearwater, kittiwake and black-tailed godwit, listed as being under the
threat of extinction within the European Union. The black-tailed godwit is listed A bright spot in an otherwise gloomy review is the success of the
European Union’s nature directives, which are helping to underpin the
favourable conservation status of several threatened species, including
birds of prey, Dalmatian pelican, Iberian lynx and Mediterranean monk
seal. The European Commission’s review matches warnings from the RSPB and
BirdLife Europe earlier this year that the continent’s nature remains in
crisis and needs urgent action to save it. In June the organisations
published a review entitled Halfway There? that highlighted the need to
do more to tackle the ecological crisis facing wildlife, especially
those species reliant on agricultural habitats across the EU. There have
been huge reductions in the number of farmland birds, such as shrikes,
storks, skylarks and buntings, in the EU since 1980 and these negative
trends show no sign of reversing. Martin Harper is the RSPB’s Conservation Director. He said: “This
review sadly confirms our analysis that the EU’s formerly splendid
wildlife tapestry is becoming increasingly threadbare, with many of the
greatest holes appearing because of intensive agriculture. We
remain anxious that Europe is not on track to protect its wildlife
treasures. However, the review does confirm that when the Birds and
Habitats Directives are properly implemented they play a pivotal role in
the recovery of threatened species.”
Scientific papers Atwood, T. B. et al (2015)
Predators
help protect carbon stocks in blue carbon ecosystems. nature climate
change. doi: 10.1038/NCLIMATE2763 Cleasby, I. R., Wakefield, E. D., Bearhop, S., Bodey, T. W., Votier,
S. C. & Hamer, K. C. (2015)
Three-dimensional tracking of a wide-ranging marine predator: flight
heights and vulnerability to offshore wind farms. Journal of Applied
Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12529
Li, S. et al (2015)
Interactive effects of seawater acidification and elevated temperature
on biomineralization and amino acid metabolism in the mussel Mytilus
edulis. The Journal of Experimental Biology. DOI:
10.1242/jeb.126748
Tamburini, G., De Simone, S., Sigura, M., Boscutti, F. & Marini, L.
(2015) Conservation tillage mitigates the negative effect of landscape
simplification on biological control. Journal of Applied Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12544
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12544/abstract Cordingley, J. E., Newton, A. C., Rose, R. J., Clarke, R. T. &
Bullock, J. M. (2015)
Can landscape-scale approaches to conservation management resolve
biodiversity–ecosystem service trade-offs? Journal of Applied
Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12545
Méndez, V. et al (2015)
Use of environmental stratification to derive non-breeding population
estimates of dispersed waterbirds in Great Britain. Journal for
Nature Conservation. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2015.09.001
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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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Credit
Tom Bodey
Streams
have been diverted away from the mine, and areas of contaminated waste
have been capped with soil and clay. The scheme could prevent up to 15
tonnes of toxic metals from entering streams and polluting the River
Ystwyth each year. The work was completed in June 2015 and NRW will
continue to monitor the water quality and ecology in these streams to
see how well it has worked.
Wales,
and more are on the way.
Nuthatch
by Mark R Taylor/BTO
