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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Trust hails Stronelairg a victory for wild land protection
- John Muir Trust Judicial review overturns consent for Stronelairg wind farm
Stronelairg in winter (image John Muir Trust) The John Muir Trust today (4/12/15) expressed its delight after
winning a crucial judicial review against the Scottish Ministers and
Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) regarding Ministers’ consent for an
industrial-scale wind farm at Stronelairg in the Monadhliath mountains. The 67-turbine development, which would have extended over an area
the size of Inverness, was given the go-ahead by the Energy
Minister in June 2014. Seventy per cent of the Stronelairg site consists
of wet peatland, Scotland’s miniature version of the rainforest, which
would have faced severe disruption as a result of the excavation of 22
million cubic feet of stone from the area. Lord Jones ruled in his decision released today (4 December)
that members of the public had been denied the opportunity to comment on
a revised planning application for the proposed wind farm, and that
Scottish Ministers did not take into account Scottish Natural Heritage’s
objection in principle to any wind farm development at Stronelairg. Due to these errors, Lord Jones reduced the Ministers’ decision to
grant consent for the wind farm. The decision was welcomed by the National
Trust for Scotland and Mountaineering Council of Scotland NTS said:
Trust welcomes outcome
of judicial review on “city-sized” windfarm Conservation charity the National Trust for Scotland today welcomed
the news that the John Muir Trust had won its judicial review against
Scottish Ministers and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) over planning
consent for an “industrial-scale wind farm” at Stronelairg in the
Monadhliath mountains, near Fort Augustus.
Stronelairg Wind Farm: MCofS welcomes findings of the Judicial Review The MCofS has welcomed the findings of the Judicial Review, which
found that the Scottish Ministers' decision to approve the application
was 'defective', saying that permission should never have been granted
to such a large and potentially damaging wind farm in such a valuable
wild land area.
It’s Official: Snowdonia – International Dark Sky Reserve
- Snowdonia Society In Abergynolwyn today (Friday, December 4th), it was announced that
Snowdonia is now an International Dark Sky Reserve, the tenth in the
world. This designation is given by the International Dark Sky Institute to
select destinations that have proven that the quality of their night air
is outstanding and real efforts are being made to reduce light
pollution. Currently, International Dark Sky Reserves can be found in 9
locations throughout the world and in addition to this announcement for
Snowdonia, out of all the countries of the world, Wales is the country
with the highest percentage of its dark sky designated as an
International Dark Sky. Emyr Williams, Chief Executive of Snowdonia National Park Authority
added, “Receiving this designation is very good news for the residents,
businesses, visitors and the wildlife of Snowdonia. Unfortunately, the
opportunity to enjoy the night sky and its stars is in decline, the
living patterns of nocturnal creatures are dwindling and as light
pollution is rising, it contributes to these deteriorations. However,
with this designation, the area’s wildlife will be improved, the quality
of the environment will be protected, there will be a new natural
attraction to attract new visitors to Snowdonia on quiet periods of the
year, the local economy will be improved and the dark sky above
Snowdonia will be protected for future generations.” Announcing the news from its headquarters in Tucson Arizona, on
behalf of the Dark Sky Institute Directors, John Barentine said, “I
sincerely congratulate Snowdonia National Park on becoming an
International Dark Sky Reserve, the tenth throughout the world. Wales
now leads the world in the percentage of its territory enjoying
protected status for its night skies: as of today, these protections now
encompass nearly 18% of the Wales’ land area. Nowhere else has achieved
comparable success in recognizing the value of night time darkness and
taking concrete steps to safeguard it for future generations.”
Invasive non-native species: draft code of practice for the use of
species control provisions in England - defra
Open consultation We want to know your thoughts about our draft code of practice which
sets out how we’ll use new controls on invasive non-native species. We’ve got new powers - known as species control provisions - which
allow Defra and its agencies to require owners to take action against
invasive non-native species. If an owner has refused to act or allow
access, it also allows us to take action. Access the consultation here, Runs from 7 Dec 2015 to 28 Feb 2016.
SGA report highlights unthinking loss of moorland in Scotland –
Scottish Gamekeepers Association Scotland’s gamekeepers have launched a new report aimed at halting
the ‘unthinking’ loss of Scotland’s globally rare moorland landscapes. Seventy five per cent of the world’s remaining heather is found in
the UK, with most found in Scotland.
Image:
Scottish Gamekeepers Association Yet despite the defining role open moorland landscapes of all types
have played in the nation’s history and psyche, Scotland has never had a
unified national policy to retain its signature treasure. The dramatic open moors lure international tourists, generate vital
rural employment, are home to threatened bird species and have inspired
artists, writers and film-makers. However, a lack of a policy vision has seen huge areas of open
moorland being lost in this country since the 1940s, with afforestation
and reclamation for farming hastening its fragmentation. An estimated 20 per cent of heather moorland disappeared between 1940
and 1970, a decline which continues today with new emphasis on energy
and woodland expansion. Indeed, if the Scottish forestry strategy target of 25 per cent of
land under trees by 2050 is realised, potentially a further 5000 sq km
of moorland will be lost, as trees will have to be planted on open
moors. The Scottish Gamekeepers Association say the devaluation of one of
Scotland’s greatest national assets cannot be allowed to continue
blindly, through the lack of a unifying objective. Today (Dec 8th) it launched, A Future for Moorland in Scotland: The
need for a locational strategy at an event in Edinburgh, attended by
heritage bodies and MSPs. The 34 page report, authored by independent ecologist, Dr James
Fenton – who previously worked for NTS and SNH- maps the extent of the
moorland left in Scotland, highlighting the obligations Scotland has to
its conservation.
Biggest analysis of British nature ever rings alarm bells -
University of Reading Scientists have warned that British wildlife is at its most perilous
state ever recorded in the past 40 years, after conducting the biggest
ever nationwide analysis of biodiversity trends. Using tens of millions of records dating back to 1970, scientists
found that UK native biodiversity has not only suffered an overall
continuous
decline,
but that some species groups are under particular threat. In some species groups fulfilling critical roles, including
pollination and pest control, the number of declining species is neither
offset by those native species which are increasing in occurrence, nor
by the arrival of new species to Britain. Image: Nadine Mitschunas Dr Tom Oliver, an ecologist at the University of Reading, led the
research. He said: "There have been many efforts to track the changing
prospects of wildlife, but this is the biggest and most comprehensive
report ever assembled for any country in the world. Read the paper here:
A natural way to look at floods – Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust WWT’s thoughts and best wishes are with those affected by Storm Desmond who are our immediate concern – including WWT supporters and volunteers.
We
often design our WWT reserves to store rain water – like this field at
Slimbridge (WWT) Pressure to spend money on individual flood relief schemes is getting
in the way of the Government finding long-term solutions for whole river
catchments, says the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. The damage to homes and businesses caused in Cumbria and Lancashire
by Storm Desmond this winter are the latest in an average of £1 billion
flood damage suffered in England each year. The political debate after
the floods is focussing on how much money the Government either spent or
cut on individual relief schemes. But WWT points out that many water management experts say flood risks
can be eased in the first place by working with natural processes to
slow down water flow – alongside the expensive concrete constructions
that manage flooding once it’s happened. WWT Head of Community Working Wetlands, Andy Graham told BBC Radio
4’s Farming Today: “We need to think about working with the land,
working with nature so that the land can soak up water before it creates
a problem downstream. NGOs and farming communities are a long way along
the line but we do need supporting and we need to be able to develop
coherent solutions – land owners have to make a living. We need a
package of intelligently designed support for land owners to deliver
over and above food production, so they’re delivering flood risk
management that will link the uplands to the lowlands.”
Putting SIMs on seals - SMRU and Vodafone announce partnership - NERC Seal with smart tag. Copyright SMRU/Vodafone. The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) and Vodafone UK are working
together to learn more about the rapid decline in many UK seal
populations by fitting them with mobile phone-based tracking tags. Scientists at SMRU, funded by NERC and based at the University of St
Andrews, already use Vodafone SIM cards in the trackers, which attach
harmlessly to the animals' backs. But the official partnership will give
them better access to the UK phone operator's network. As well as illuminating seal behaviour - essential if we're to
protect them from the threats they face - the transmitters also provide
information on ocean conditions. They turn the seals into something like
much cheaper research vessels, although admittedly ones with minds of
their own that don't always go where scientists would like. The partnership will mean more reliable network coverage and faster
transmission of data. It will also give access to Vodafone's partner
networks, making it easier to use SMRU's tracking devices anywhere in
the world and control them all from any computer. The scientists aim to
produce around 100 tags a year, both for their own use and for sale to
other researchers abroad, so easy operation anywhere is a major
advantage. SMRU researchers use wireless tags to track seals as they go about
their business around the UK coast, keeping tabs on where they go and
what they do. The tags are no bigger than a mobile phone and connect to
base when their host comes to the surface to breathe. They can stand
depths of up to 200 metres and last a few months before dropping off
harmlessly during the seal's annual moult. Their findings will help conserve some of the dwindling harbour seal
populations around the UK. In some places numbers of this seal, one of
our two resident species, have declined by up to 90 per cent in the last
decade. SMRU provides advice to government on seal conservation, and to
the offshore renewable energy industry about how to mitigate the effects
of construction and operation on marine wildlife. To find out more, you can watch a
short film about the Connected Seals project.
The Parks Alliance response to GLA’s Natural Capital report On Wednesday 9 December the Greater London Authority’s Green
Infrastructure Task Force published its report ‘Natural Capital:
Investing in a Green Infrastructure for a Future City‘. The report
identifies why green infrastructure is increasingly necessary, and the
changes to policy, governance, valuation and funding that are needed to
ensure long-term investment in London’s green infrastructure.
Recommendations include the need to appoint a Green Infrastructure
Commissioner; further refinement of the All London Green Grid; new
approaches to revealing the economic value of green infrastructure; and
working with others, such as the National Park City initiative, for
example, to find better ways of engaging the public. The Parks Alliance welcomes the report. Access the Green Infrastructure Task Force report here
National Park budget slashed again: no celebrations in Wales.
- Snowdonia Society Champions of National Parks in England were celebrating two weeks ago
with the Chancellor’s announcement of a flat budget for National Parks
and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Campaign for National Parks said : ‘We’re absolutely
delighted that today [25th Nov] in the spending review Chancellor George
Osborne has protected over £350 million funding for English National
Parks, AONBs and forests.’ Today in Wales the situation could not be more different. There
will be no Christmas celebrations for those who value our National
Parks. Budgets for 2016/17 confirmed the worst fears with Welsh
National Parks facing 5.3% cuts, on top of savage cuts in the last two
years. John Harold , Director of the Snowdonia Society says:
Stakeholder Report on Dog Fouling Published -
Keep Scotland Beautiful Keep Scotland Beautiful has published a report summarising the
outcomes from the First National Stakeholder Event on Dog Fouling, which
took place in September. The event brought together a broad range of stakeholders for the
first time to participate in an open discussion on how dog fouling can
be tackled more effectively in Scotland. Local environmental quality is of huge importance to communities –
evidence from research shows it is consistently one of the most
important issues to people across Scotland. The research also
shows that communities across Scotland, both urban and rural, are
blighted by the problem of irresponsible dog ownership and dog fouling -
and it is a problem that is getting worse.
Access the report. (PDF)
Better water quality helping save the Freshwater Pearl Mussel
- Natural Resources Wales Improved water quality in a river shows that a £3.5 million project
to safeguard Freshwater Pearl Mussels is having a positive impact. Freshwater Pearl Mussels (Image: Natural Resources Wales) Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is working in Snowdonia to help
safeguard the rare mussel as part of a UK-wide project. Over the last hundred years numbers of Freshwater Pearl Mussels have
fallen dramatically. They are now one of the most critically
endangered molluscs in the world and as a result are highly protected
under national and international legislation. In a bid to change
the mussels’ fortunes, Pearls in Peril (PIP) a Life + Nature
conservation project is constructing wetland, settlement ponds, fencing
the riverbanks to stop livestock entering the river and reducing
pollution. Water samples now show that the amount of oxygen in the
river is improving and that there is less silt in it. NRW project officer, Elain Gwilym, is leading the project at Afon Eden near Trawsfynydd. She explained: “Good water quality is essential for the mussels which can live for well over 100 years. The figures show that the project is heading in the right direction. Our sampling shows that the level of oxygen in the gravel - where it’s needed for the mussels - is improving. This shows that the river is cleaner, there’s less silt and more oxygen. This will improve the habitat for young pearl mussels and fish.”
At the height of beauty Saving Scotland's mountain plants Some of Scotland's most iconic habitats are found in the mountains.
Caught between the warm and wet weather from the Atlantic and the cold
dry weather from Europe, these mountains are home to a unique community
of plants - the arctic-alpines - with species characteristic of European
alpine mountains growing alongside others from arctic Scandinavia. But a
significant number of these species are in decline, faced with
challenges such as climate change and unsuitable land management. On
International Mountain day, Plantlife Scotland is publishing some new
management advice, aimed at ensuring that future generations can enjoy
these special mountain plants. Many of the species that live here, such as Sibbaldia, moss campion,
mountain azalea, are rare, fragile and slow-growing. They are robust
enough to survive the harsh conditions, which at the same time, keeps
down competition from quicker growing plants that thrive at lower
altitudes. But these slow growing species are at risk from a number of
factors including climate and management... Key threats facing Scottish arctic-alpine plant communities:
Deborah Long, Head of Plantlife Scotland, says "These high-altitude
Scottish specialist plants are part of our mountain heritage. With
climate change, they need, more than ever, the sort of land management
that creates and maintains a habitat where they can survive and thrive -
What they actually need most is a kind of benign neglect, where there is
no burning and a bit of grazing. The Scottish public can also help: we require more data on how these
plant communities are doing. You can help by taking part in the
National Plant Monitoring Survey
next year and by visiting a mountain area every year to keep track of
how mountain species like blaeberry, ling cowberry and mossy saxifrage
are doing." To download Plantlife Scotland's management leaflet please visit
here.
Reconnecting Nature and People in Nidderdale Dallowgill Heather moorlands (image credit: GX Megson via HLF) The Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, one of Yorkshire’s
most beautiful and best-loved landscapes has received initial support
from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a new project unveiled today,
called Reconnecting Nature and People in Nidderdale. People and communities in Nidderdale will have the chance to
reconnect with the natural heritage on their doorstep, and to make a
more meaningful and more useful contribution to conserving the world
around them, thanks to National Lottery players. The Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is a nationally
significant landscape, incorporating striking wildlife habitats and a
remarkable variety of species. The heather moorlands of the AONB are
internationally important for conservation because of their rich
concentration of rare plants and wildlife, and the area also includes
cultural heritage sites such as Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal
World Heritage sites. The citizen science project will gather data relating to the habitats
and wildlife of Nidderdale, engage people with nature, and create
natural heritage action plans for nationally threatened wildlife
species. It will help communities to get involved in their local natural
heritage in lots of different ways, whether that is hedgehog spotting,
surveying rare plants or learning new skills in natural history and
nature conservation. Local people and visitors to the area will be able
to have an enjoyable experience, learn something new and feel more
connected to nature. The project has the potential to make a real difference, both to
species in the area and for the communities themselves. The data
collected will help the team to understand how they can take targeted
conservation action to best affect, and help protect the future of
much-loved species, once a common sight but now increasingly threatened
and rare.
Upgrade to Tree Alert pest reporting tool
Asian
Longhorn Beetle (image: Forestry Commission) Tree Alert, the Forestry Commission’s on-line tool for reporting
suspected tree pests and diseases of concern, has had an upgrade. Dr John Morgan, Head of the Commission’s Plant Health Service,
explained, “Tree Alert has been a valuable tool for forestry and other
tree professionals and people with knowledge of trees and woods to help
us monitor key pests and diseases of trees. It has enabled many people
who care about Britain’s trees and woodlands, and want to help us tackle
pests and diseases, to provide valuable intelligence about the location
of several of concern to us. These include Chalara, acute oak decline,
Ramorum disease of larch, and oak processionary moth. It has been
used to particularly good effect by the ‘Observatree’ group of trained
volunteer surveyors around the country. In a very practical application
of ‘citizen science’, these volunteers have used it to report suspected
problems to us. This has included, notably, alerting us to an outbreak
of Oriental chestnut gall wasp in sweet chestnut trees in St Albans,
Hertfordshire, last summer. Without Observatree, that outbreak might not
have been detected until it was a much bigger problem. The Tree Alert on-line facility is available on the Forestry
Commission website at
www.forestry.gov.uk/treealert. Information about individual tree
pests and diseases of concern is available at
www.forestry.gov.uk/pestsanddiseases
Scientific Publications Ives, C. D. et al (2015)
Cities are hotspots for threatened species. Global Ecology and
Biogeography. DOI: 10.1111/geb.12404 Swan, K. D., McPherson, J. M., Seddon, P. J. & Moehrenschlager, A.
(2015)
Managing marine biodiversity: The rising diversity and prevalence of
marine conservation translocations. Conservation Letters.
DOI: 10.1111/conl.12217
Brodie, J. F., Paxton, M., Nagulendran, K., Balamurugan, G, Clements,
G. R., Reynolds, G., Jain, A. & Hon, J. (2015)
Connecting science, policy, and implementation for landscape-scale
habitat connectivity. Conservation Biology. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12667 Thaxter, C. B. et al (2015)
Contrasting effects of GPS device and harness attachment on adult
survival of Lesser Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus and Great
Skuas Stercorarius skua. Ibis. DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12340
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