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Headlines from week beginning 4 April 2016 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
The search is on to find the nations’ top community meadow
- Plantlife Award launched for the most successful “Meadow Makers” across
Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales in 2016. Bursting with colour, seductive scents, the buzz of insects and alive
with animals - a wildflower meadow is a jewel in nature’s crown that
puts on a spectacular show in summer.
So it’s frightening to think that something so precious and vital is
in real danger. Since the 1930’s we have lost 97% (nearly 7.5 million
acres) of meadows and grasslands and the wildflowers and wildlife
associated with them. Every year more and more meadows are lost through
neglect, change of land use or development and with them our native
wildflowers such as oxeye daisies, snakes head fritillary and bee
orchids, to name but a few. To reverse this loss, the search is on to find England's most
successful “Meadow Makers” across Scotland, England, Northern Ireland
and Wales. As part of the Save Our Magnificent Meadows project,
Plantlife and partners want to celebrate the work of the unsung heroes
in our communities and schools who are setting a fantastic example of
how to protect our meadow heritage and who are inspiring others to
follow suit. Marian Spain, CEO of Plantlife, says: “Meadows were once a common
feature of our countryside throughout the UK. We want to showcase the
work of those in our communities and schools, who are showing commitment
to the conservation of our last surviving pockets of meadows and are
helping to conserve the remaining ones, whether it be on a small parish
meadow, road verge, school field, or even a village green, they will be
playing a vital role in reversing a lifetime of loss” Entries for ‘Meadow Makers’ are welcome from now to 31 July with the
winners for each nation (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
announced in September 2016. For more information and details on how to
enter, visit
www.magnificentmeadows.org.uk.
£600,000 to improve accessibility to Wales’s National Parks
- Welsh Government Natural Resources Minister Carl Sargeant has announced funding of
£600,000 to support a range of projects that will improve accessibility
in Wales’s three National Parks and to help Natural Resources Wales
repair storm damage on the Wales Coast Path. The Minister has allocated £126,000 for the improvement of two
sections of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail and £104,500 to
a further seven sections of the Wales Coast Path to repair damage that
was caused during the winter and make the routes more sustainable for
future years. The remaining £369,500 is split between the three Welsh National Park
Authorities as follows:
Kew’s value and impact revealed - Royal Botanic Gardens Kew In an independent assessment of the value of the Royal Botanic
Gardens (RBG), Kew, a new Oxford Economics report highlights the myriad
ways the 257 year old institution contributes to the UK economy and
society today (4 April). 2014/15 activities valued at £182m, just 90p cost per taxpayer From the economic value generated by visitors to the gardens at Kew
and Wakehurst, to the societal value generated by its contribution to
education and scientific research, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is found
to be incredibly good value for money, delivering £182m of value in the
UK at a cost of just 90p per taxpayer in 2014/15. In 2014/15, more than 1.5 million visitors, including 85,000 school children, visited Kew Gardens and its sister gardens at Wakehurst, which together comprise the RBG Kew. The report also quantifies the value to science of Kew’s vast work as a global resource for plant and fungal knowledge. Kew’s unique combination of extensive collections, databases, scientific expertise and global partnerships was valued at £56.2 million to the UK for 2014/15.
A record early return for the Kielder Ospreys – Forestry Commission Bird lovers in Northumberland are celebrating an early start to their
season with the earliest ever sighting of a bird on the Kielder Osprey
nest and now the safe return of two pairs of birds.
Since the first sighting, Nest 1 has seen the return of “YA”, on the
26 March, another record early return date for this male, with his
partner arriving shortly after. Meanwhile, on Nest 2, Yellow 37 didn’t
have to wait too long for his mate to arrive, with “Mrs 37” arriving
safely back on the 30 March. This rare species were extinct in England
for 150 years but have bred successfully in Kielder Water and Forest
Park every season since they returned to north east England in 2009.
Quality of environment explains why some birds choose to neglect their
hungriest chicks – University of Oxford Scientists have long been aware that in some species of bird, parents
will prioritise feeding the neediest chicks, whereas in others they will
focus on the strongest offspring. Until now, though, the reason behind
this discrepancy has remained a mystery.
A comprehensive new study from the University of Oxford finds that
the quality of the local environment can explain which chicks in a nest
a parent bird decides to feed. This helps resolve a long-standing
question in ecology about whether parents respond to signals of need
(such as how much a chick begs) or signals of quality (such as a chick's
colour) when making feeding decisions. For example, species living in favourable, predictable environments
(such as tree swallows in North America) choose to feed begging chicks
that are in poorer condition relative to their siblings, whereas parent
birds in unfavourable, unpredictable environments (such as blue-footed
boobies in the Galápagos Islands) preferentially feed chicks that are in
the best condition, regardless of how much other siblings in the nest
beg. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications. Shana Caro, a PhD student in Oxford's Department of Zoology who led
the research, said: 'There have been hundreds of studies looking at the
phenomenon of begging in birds, many of which have found strange results
and contradictory patterns. Our analysis of these studies found that
there is a universal explanation for these discrepancies: the
predictability and quality of the local environment.' Access the paper 'Unpredictable
environments lead to the evolution of parental neglect in birds' is
published in Nature Communications.
Major new project maps out woodland biodiversity – University of
Stirling An innovative joint project between the University of Stirling,
Forest Research and Natural England is using woodland creation and maps
from 1840 to the present day to assess the impact of past land use
change on current biodiversity. Initial findings from the Woodland Creation and Ecological Networks
(WrEN) project are published this week in the open access
journal Ecology and Evolution and outline how British woodlands can be
used as a study system to inform landscape-scale conservation.
Image: University of Stirling Dr Kevin Watts from Forest Research, the research agency of the
Forestry Commission and lead author of the study, explained:
“Experimental studies to inform how best to restore landscapes for
wildlife conservation are really hard to do due to the large scales of
time and distance required but the combination of a long history of
woodland planting in the UK, coupled with comprehensive historical
mapping, provides an excellent, possibly unique, opportunity to develop
such experiments.”
Nature connection at the heart of a happy and healthy life
- Wildlife Trusts People who do something ‘wild’ every day for a month change their
attitude to nature and report improvements in their physical and mental
wellbeing, according to new research which places nature connection at
the heart of a happy and healthy life. An impact study, by the University of Derby, of 30 Days Wild - the
UK’s first ever month-long nature challenge, run by The Wildlife Trusts
in June 2015 - reveals sustained increases in participants’ happiness,
health, connection to nature and positive environmental behaviours, such
as feeding the birds or growing flowers for pollinators like bees. Dr Miles Richardson, Head of Psychology at the University of Derby,
conducted the study. He says: “Two months after taking part in 30 Days
Wild, the number of people reporting their health as excellent increased
by over 30%. And that improvement in health was influenced by the
improvements in happiness and connection with nature. The impact of 30
Days Wild adds to the compelling argument for bringing nature into our
everyday lives. Our grand challenges, such as health and declining
biodiversity, require large-scale interventions and the evaluation of 30
Days Wild provides good evidence that time in, and a connection with
nature can bring sustained benefits to public health, reducing demands
on our health services, while also improving pro-nature behaviours.
Even in urban areas, nature can provide a simple solution to complex
problems.”
Lucy McRobert, The Wildlife Trusts’ Nature Matters campaigns manager,
said: “Last year, thousands of people undertook Random Acts of Wildness
everywhere, from the centre of London to the Outer Hebrides. The
results of our study show that taking part in 30 Days Wild makes people
happier, healthier and more connected to nature in the long-term.
Importantly it also showed that by looking out for nature on a regular
basis people became more likely to care about and protect it – and
that’s what we’re all about. We’re here to inspire everyone again -
every day throughout June. Whatever their age, wherever they live, we
want everyone to feel they can take part and join thousands of others
making nature part of their life.” Access the study results: Richardson M,
Cormack A, McRobert L, Underhill R (2016)
30 Days Wild: Development and Evaluation of a Large-Scale Nature
Engagement Campaign to Improve Well-Being. PLoS ONE 11(2): e0149777.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0149777
Exploring links between woodland age and biodiversity
- Forestry Commission The evidence for the effects on woodland biodiversity of differing
lengths of forestry crop rotations and stand ages is explored and
discussed in a new Research Note published by the Forestry Commission. Entitled “Biodiversity and rotation length: economic models and
ecological evidence”, the Research Note is intended to support forest
planners and researchers. It reports on a study exploring the links between biodiversity and
stand age with a view to including it in stand-level models for optimal
rotation lengths, and associated forest management tools. The
investigation was conducted through literature reviews and
re-examination of UK Biodiversity Assessment Plan (UK BAP) data. Overall, it found limited published ecological evidence to link
biodiversity to stand age, or economic modelling to account for such a
link. It revealed no simple or universal response of biodiversity to stand
age. However, there was more evidence of biodiversity increasing with
stand age than falling. There was also evidence that after a brief
initial increase, bird and mammal biodiversity declines until the stand
is about 20 years old, and increases again thereafter. Upland Sitka spruce stands were an exception, where biodiversity
levels were higher in young forests and more-mature forests, and at a
minimum when the forests were about 40 years old. The authors explain that biodiversity is a major focus of
international environmental policy and practice. It is widely recognised
that biodiversity in woodlands varies across different bio-geographical
zones and depends upon the tree species mix, forest management approach
and stand structure. Read the research (PDF): N. Barsoum, R.
Gill, L. Henderson, A. Peace, C. Quine, V. Saraev, G. Valatin.
Biodiversity and rotation length: economic models and ecological
evidence. Forestry Commission Research Note. Ref: 978-0-85538-944-4
Peat bog restoration work continues at Cors Caron
- Natural Resources Wales NRW is repairing three peat bogs at Cors Caron National Nature
Reserve (NNR) to protect wildlife and help fight climate change.
The peat bogs are located north of Tregaron and formed over five
thousand years ago. Historically peat at the edges of the bogs was
harvested by locals for domestic heating purposes. This has damaged them
and made them drier, making it difficult for water to be held close to
the surface of the bogs. The damage has also caused a decline in
rare bog wildlife which is why Cors Caron was declared as a NNR and
European Special Area of Conservation. NRW is working to slow down and stop water loss from the three bogs
and restore their ability to keep water levels close to the surface.
This will enable them to form new peat, which traps carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and benefits rare & unique bog wildlife. Andy Polkey, Senior Reserves Manager for NRW, said: “Healthy peat
bogs are rare, provide habitats for special wildlife and bring a huge
benefit when it comes to climate change so it’s important to maintain
them as best we can. A healthy peat bog doesn’t just store carbon in
peat laid down over thousands of years, but constantly forms new peat,
locking up more carbon each year. The bogs at Cors Caron also make a big
contribution to the local economy as maintaining these three sites has
provided work for local contractors for over twenty years.”
World Heritage supports millions, but threatened worldwide
- WWF Nearly half of all natural World Heritage sites are threatened by
harmful industrial activities, according to a new WWF report. These
sites provide vital services to people and the environment, but are at
risk worldwide from activities including oil and gas exploration, mining
and illegal logging. The report, produced for WWF by Dalberg Global Development Advisors,
shows how natural World Heritage sites contribute to economic and social
development through the protection of the environment, but also details
global failures to protect these areas of outstanding universal value. According to the study, 114 natural and mixed World Heritage sites
out of 229 either have oil, gas or mining concessions overlapping them
or are under threat from at least one other harmful industrial activity. “World Heritage sites should receive the highest levels of
protection, yet we are often unable to safeguard even this important
fraction of the Earth’s surface,” said Marco Lambertini, Director
General of WWF International. “We all agree that these are some of the
most valuable and unique places on the planet, now we need to work
together to let these sites provide for the well-being of people and
nature.” The study, Protecting People through Nature: Natural World Heritage
Sites as Drivers of Sustainable Development, also shows that over 20
percent of natural World Heritage sites face threats from multiple
harmful industrial activities. Among other measures listed in the report, WWF is asking the private
sector to make no go commitments to refrain from activities that
threaten to degrade World Heritage sites. Financing should also be
withheld from projects involving harmful industrial activities in World
Heritage sites or the companies conducting them. National governments should ensure that no harmful industrial
activities are permitted in World Heritage sites or in areas that could
negatively affect them. Governments should hold multinational
enterprises headquartered or operating in their territories to the
highest standards of corporate accountability and stewardship. The WWF report establishes five global principles that are
fundamental to well-managed World Heritage sites. These principles –
valuation, investment decisions, governance, policymaking and
enforcement – can help decision makers achieve an appropriate and
equitable balance between conservation, sustainability and development
and reduce the threats to our shared World Heritage. Access the report: Protecting People through Nature: Natural World Heritage Sites as Drivers of Sustainable Development
Nearly half of all natural World Heritage sites are threatened by
industrial activities, according to a new report drawing heavily on data
from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s World
Heritage Outlook. Activities such as mining, illegal logging, oil and gas exploration
threaten 114 out of 229 natural World Heritage sites, according to the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) survey, Protecting people through nature.
These sites are recognised as the world’s most important protected areas
and include iconic places like the Grand Canyon and the Great Barrier
Reef. The survey highlights their enormous contribution to sustainable
economic and social development, and to achieving the sustainable
development goals agreed by UN Member States last year.
New Vision for England’s urban forest -
Forestry Commission England’s National Forestry Forum will be challenged to play their
part in growing the importance, protection and size of England’s urban
forest on 12 April following the publication of ‘Our Vision for a
resilient urban forest’. Hosted by Defra and the Forestry Commission the forum is the chance
for more than 60 forestry organisations and individuals to hear progress
on the Government’s forestry policy and discuss how they will take this
and other key activities forward. The Vision is a call to action for a resilient urban forest and was
produced by a network of urban forestry specialists from the Forestry
Commission’s Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committees (FWACs). The
document was launched at the England Community Forest Conference on 23
March 2016. Setting out what could be achieved by seeing all the trees in our
urban environment as a single collective forest, Jane Carlsen, the Urban
FWAC Network Chair said: At the Community Forest conference she called upon the urban forestry
sector to work closely with planners, highway engineers and landscape
and health professionals to ensure that trees are included in their
thinking and planning.
Groundwork and greenspace scotland sign partnership agreement
Groundwork and greenspace scotland have signed a strategic
partnership agreement that will boost collaboration between both
organisations over the next three years. The two charities have
previously worked together on UK-wide opportunities including the Tesco
Bags of Help grant scheme. The partnership agreement formalises this relationship and will see
both charities working closely on the development and delivery of
UK-wide programmes relating to community greenspaces. It sets out
a number of key principles around collaborative working, cobranding and
communications on any jointly delivered activity. Both charities hail the signing of the agreement as a significant
step towards ensuring communities across the UK continue to get the
support they need at a time of significant funding reductions.
RSPB goes off the straight and narrow to give salmon a home in Cumbria The RSPB is helping to give spawning salmon and other wildlife a home
in Cumbria by restoring part of a Lake District river to its former
glory. A tributary of the River Eden, Swindale Beck runs through Swindale
Valley, forming part of the RSPB’s landholding at Haweswater. A sizable
stretch of the river was straightened at least 200 years ago in an
attempt to provide more land for grazing and hay making. However,
this modification has caused serious problems for Atlantic salmon as the
straightened and fast flowing channel does not provide the different
habitats, normally found in natural meandering rivers, which they need
to successfully spawn. The UK is a stronghold for Atlantic salmon,
however, the numbers returning to spawn have halved since the 1970s. Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, landowners United
Utilities and Natural England, the RSPB is restoring part of this
artificial stretch of the river, enabling it to revert to its former
slower-flowing, meandering course. This is being achieved by
digging a new channel along a carefully mapped route, redirecting the
water flow, then filling in the old straightened section to create a
more suitable and productive meadow that will help support the farm, as
well provide a home for wildflowers and insects. The RSPB will also plant trees along the river, providing much-needed
natural shade for spawning salmon and other fish species including brown
trout. The restored Swindale Beck will support a greater range of
breeding fish and insects, which in turn, will help wildlife further up
the food chain, including otters and a range of birds such as herons and
kingfishers.
Operation EASTER 2016 ~ stopping egg thieves and egg collectors
- National Wildlife Crime Unit Wild birds are now nesting – many have already laid eggs – and the
national campaign to protect them is underway. Egg thieves will go to
any lengths to raid the nests of rare species but Operation EASTER is
determined to stop them in their tracks. Operation EASTER is a campaign which was developed in Scotland and is
now facilitated by the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) in
conjunction with UK Police Forces and partner agencies. The
operation targets egg thieves, egg traders and egg collectors by sharing
intelligence across the UK to support enforcement action. The taking of wild bird eggs is a serious crime yet it remains the
pastime of some determined individuals. Whole clutches of birds’
eggs can be taken from some of the UK’s rarest birds with potentially
devastating impacts. If you have information on any wild bird’s egg thieves, or those who
disturb rare nesting birds without a licence, or anyone trading in eggs
on the internet you should contact your local or nearest police station
by dialing 101 and ask to speak to a wildlife crime officer if possible.
Information can also be passed in confidence to Crimestoppers via 0800
555 111.
Yoesden nature reserve just got bigger! -
BBOWT
From 6 April, the Wildlife Trust is now managing a larger
Yoesden nature
reserve which will benefit butterflies, rare chalk grassland plants
and woodland wildlife, thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our
members and supporters who helped to buy three plots of land adjacent to
the reserve increasing the size of the reserve, providing enormous
long-term benefits for local wildlife. Our fantastic team of
volunteers and staff can now begin work to help encourage the specialist
flora, and the wildlife it supports, helping to boost its biodiversity
and encouraging the wild flowers and butterflies to extend their ranges
across the area of restored grassland. The three plots of land that extend the original nature reserve are:
Scientific Publications Rémi Fay, Christophe Barbraud, Karine Delord & Henri Weimerskirch. Paternal
but not maternal age influences early-life performance of offspring in a
long-lived seabird. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological
Sciences. Published 6 April 2016.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2318 Rafael P. Leitão, Jansen Zuanon, Sébastien Villéger, Stephen E.
Williams, Christopher Baraloto, Claire Fortunel, Fernando P. Mendonça, &
David Mouillot.
Rare species contribute disproportionately to the functional structure
of species assemblages. Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological
Sciences. Published 6 April 2016.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0084
Saija Piiroinen & Dave Goulson
Tenley M. Conway,
Tending their urban forest: residents motivations for tree planting and
removal, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, ISSN 1618-8667, DOI:
10.1016/j.ufug.2016.03.008.
Walton, Laura, Marion, Glenn Davidson, Ross S., White, Piran C.L.,
Smith, Lesley A., Gavier-Widen, Dolores, Yon, Lisa, Hannant, Duncan &
Hutchings, Michael R. The
ecology of wildlife disease surveillance: demographic and prevalence
fluctuations undermine surveillance. Journal of Applied Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12671 Brown, Julian, York, Alan, Christie, Fiona, & McCarthy, Michael.
Effects of fire on pollinators and pollination. Journal of Applied
Ecology DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12670 Lopez-Antia, Ana, Feliu, Jordi, Camarero, Pablo R., Ortiz
Santaliestra, Manuel E. & Mateo, Rafael.
Risk assessment of pesticide seed treatment for farmland birds using
refined field data. Journal of Applied Ecology DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12668
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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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Devils
Bit Scabious meadow (image: Trevor Dines
Yellow
37 – one of the ringed Kielder males - was first seen at Nest 2 on the
24 March, coinciding with one of the Osprey volunteer training days, an
unexpected bonus sighting for the team of Northumberland Wildlife Trust
volunteers who were busy preparing for the season ahead. Not only is it
the earliest return of any Kielder Osprey to the nest, Yellow 37 was the
second male home across all UK osprey projects.
Image:
University of Oxford
Families
at Kingcombe (image: Katharine Davies, Wildlife Trusts)
Piling
installation at Cors Caron on 9 February 2016 (image: NRW)
