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Headlines from week beginning 27 February 2017 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
SNH report on game bird hunting published –
Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has published a report comparing the
game bird hunting regulations in 14 European countries. This report reviews regulations on game bird hunting in 14 European
countries. It focuses specifically on the legal controls on game bird
hunting, including licensing and permitting arrangements, as well as on
the requirements for monitoring, protecting and managing game birds. The report found that all 14 countries regulate game bird hunting
through legislation, including licensing individual hunters, with the
strictest requiring harvest quotas and bag reporting. All 14 countries
are able to revoke hunting licences if the legislation is contravened
and most also penalise serious breaches of hunting law. In many of the
countries examined, hunters must pass a two-part practical and
theoretical examination in order to qualify for a hunting licence. Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform,
Roseanna Cunningham, said: “I welcome the publication of this report. It
shows that there is more regulation of gamebird hunting in many other
countries than we have in Scotland. We will be looking very carefully at
these different management approaches to see whether they offer the
means to address issues such as raptor persecution. Already we have
committed to a number of new measures to tackle wildlife crime within
Scotland including; increases in criminal penalties, a prevention review
and the creation of a dedicated investigative support unit within Police
Scotland. These measures clearly demonstrate our resolve to tackle
raptor persecution. This new report and the forthcoming review of
satellite tagging data will help determine our next steps.” SNH chairman, Ian Ross, added: “This review provides an in-depth look
at how other countries in Europe control game bird hunting to make sure
it’s safe and sustainable. It can also inform our thinking on tackling
wildlife crime.” The Scottish Government requested this report as part of a package of
work to tackle wildlife crime and, particularly, the illegal killing of
raptors. It also forms part of an ongoing, broader discussion about how
land is owned and managed for public benefit. Access the report: SNH Commissioned
Report 942:
A Review of Game Bird Law and Licensing in Selected European Countries
Reponses:
Birds, bees, ponds and trees: threats facing natural world gain National
Lottery attention – Heritage Lottery The decline of pollinators, threats facing trees and new habits for
birds of prey are the subjects of projects across the East of England
receiving funding thanks to National Lottery players. More than £300,000 has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
(HLF) to the five projects which focus on how local communities can get
involved in securing a bright future for their natural heritage. Robyn Llewellyn, Head of HLF East of England, said: “Whether roosting
in a cathedral, buzzing round a pond or growing in a park, our natural
world is something to be treasured and enjoyed. It is also something
that we all need to play a role in protecting for the future.Thanks to
money raised by National Lottery players, we’re pleased to support these
projects which will equip people of all ages with the skills – and the
inspiration – to appreciate, celebrate and protect our wonderful
natural heritage.”
Fish killed in pollution incident –
Natural Resources Wales Hundreds of fish have been killed in a pollution incident on a
tributary of the river Gwili in Carmarthenshire. Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is investigating the incident after
receiving reports of pollution of the tributary near Llanpumsaint. About
200 trout, 40 lamprey and hundreds of bullheads have been killed. NRW
officers identified the pollution as slurry from a nearby farm and put
measures in place to stop further pollution entering the tributary. Kimberley Redman, Natural Resource Management Team Leader for NRW,
said: “Our rivers provide a home to rich, diverse and valuable species
of plants and animals so it’s important to deal with pollution as
quickly as possible. The pollution has had a significant impact on
the fish in the river. Following quick action from our officers to
identify the source and stop the pollution, it’s unlikely that we’ll see
further impact." Watching birds near your home is good for your mental health – University of Exeter & BTO People living in neighbourhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are
less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress, according to
research by academics at the University of Exeter, the British Trust for
Ornithology and the University of Queensland.
The study, involving hundreds of people, found benefits for mental
health of being able to see birds, shrubs and trees around the home,
whether people lived in urban or more leafy suburban neighbourhoods. The study, which surveyed mental health in over 270 people from
different ages, incomes and ethnicities, also found that those who spent
less time out of doors than usual in the previous week were more likely
to report they were anxious or depressed. After conducting extensive surveys of the number of birds in the
morning and afternoon in Milton Keynes, Bedford and Luton, the study
found that lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress were
associated with the number of birds people could see in the afternoon.
The academics studied afternoon bird numbers - which tend to be lower
than birds generally seen in the morning – because they are more in
keeping with the number of birds that people are likely to see in their
neighbourhood on a daily basis. In the study, common types of birds including blackbirds, robins,
blue tits and crows were seen. But the study did not find a relationship
between the species of birds and mental health, but rather the number of
birds they could see from their windows, in the garden or in their
neighbourhood. Access the paper: Daniel T. C. Cox,
Danielle F. Shanahan, Hannah L. Hudson, Kate E. Plummer, Gavin M.
Siriwardena, Richard A. Fuller, Karen Anderson, Steven Hancock, Kevin J.
Gaston;
Doses of Neighborhood Nature: The Benefits for Mental Health of Living
with Nature. BioScience 2017; 67 (2): 147-155. doi:
10.1093/biosci/biw173
Planned protection area would help basking sharks
– University of Exeter and SNH A proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) off Scotland’s west coast
would help basking sharks, researchers say. Scientists from the University of Exeter and Scottish Natural
Heritage (SNH) satellite tracked 36 basking sharks in summer months of
2012-2014 and found 86% showed “some degree of residency” in the
proposed Sea of the Hebrides MPA. Sharks also returned year after year, and the scientists believe the
area provides conditions for key activities such as foraging and
possibly breeding, making it an area important for essential parts of
the shark’s life cycle for which MPAs can be designated. Dr Suzanne Henderson, managing the project for SNH, said: “We have
known for some time that basking sharks are frequently seen in Scottish
waters during the summer, and they are a big attraction for visitors to
our west coast. “But this research shows for the first time that some individuals
return to the Sea of the Hebrides in consecutive years, emphasising the
importance of the area for sharks.” Scottish government ministers are currently considering proposals for
an MPA in the Sea of the Hebrides, from Skye to Mull, to protect the
basking sharks – which are officially endangered in the north-east
Atlantic – and minke whales. “Understanding the conservation potential of an area is key to the
successful creation of MPAs,” said lead author Philip Doherty, of the
Environment and Sustainability Institute on the University of Exeter’s
Penryn Campus in Cornwall. “It is important to gather data to ensure the evidence-base that
underpins the design of MPAs is robust. The data from this project,
along-with information gathered over many years by boat-based surveys
and from public reports helps to demonstrate the importance of this
region for this species”. Access the paper: P.D. Doherty, J.M. Baxter, B.J. Godley, R.T. Graham, G. Hall, J. Hall, L.A. Hawkes, S.M. Henderson, L. Johnson, C. Speedie, M.J. Witt, Testing the boundaries: Seasonal residency and inter-annual site fidelity of basking sharks in a proposed Marine Protected Area, Biological Conservation, Volume 209, May 2017, Pages 68-75, ISSN 0006-3207, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.01.018.
New housing will impact bat populations –
British Trust for Ornithology New research led by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows how
data collected by volunteers taking part in the BTO’s Norfolk Bat Survey
can inform planning decisions nationwide. Housing is expected to increase both in Norfolk and throughout the
country over the next 10 years or so, resulting in a wave of government
planned housing developments. These developments will potentially have
an impact on local wildlife due to loss of habitat as new roads and
houses are constructed, so it is vital to examine their effects on local
wildlife whilst they are still at the planning stage. The BTO researchers, working with Norfolk County Council used data
from the Local Planning Authorities to investigate the impact of the
proposed housing on bat distribution and found that different species
respond differently.
Planned housing is expected to reduce the activity and distribution
of all bat species in Norfolk. At a local level the impact of housing is
likely to be severe, with loss for some species as high as 40%. However,
at a county level the impact is likely to relate to a maximum 1-2%
reduction in bat activity and occupied range, as a result of loss of the
bats' preferred habitat. Importantly, the study showed that the impact of new housing could
definitely be reduced; the habitats of least importance for bats could
be developed first. Local Authorities could develop areas less likely to
impact the bat populations, for example by avoiding forest clearance and
instead building more houses in existing city centres. Lead author, Dr Jenni Border of the BTO, said of the research, “The
effect of housing depended on the type of habitat that was replaced. For
example, new developments around forest habitats would have greater
impact than developing in existing urban areas.”
Cities taking action, learning from each other to adapt to climate
change – European Environment Agency Despite budgetary challenges, cities and towns across Europe are
taking action to put in place measures that will help them adapt to the
impacts of climate change. A new European Environment Agency (EEA)
report released today (Monday 27 Feb) highlights the opportunities
Image © Areal picture: Mathias Friedel, vision:
Triebhaus Landschaftsarchitekten Hamburg, montage: Rolf Kuchling The EEA report “Financing urban adaptation to climate change,” takes
a closer look at innovative funding options now being used, such as
green bonds and crowdfunding, alongside traditional funding channels.
The report includes case studies that analyse how 11 cities across
Europe are developing, funding and implementing urban adaptation
measures. The case studies outline various projects that will help
cities better protect themselves from the damage caused by extreme
weather events. These include building more green spaces and installing
green roofs, which enhance water retention and provide cooling as well
as thermal insulation. The publication is meant to serve as a resource for adaptation
financing providers and project developers from international, national
or regional public bodies and private institutions. The report also
includes a helpful annex providing an overview of European-level
financing options available to municipalities.
How to reduce the environmental impact of a loaf of bread?
– University of Sheffield
With an estimated 12 million loaves sold in the UK every day, bread
remains a staple of the British diet. In a groundbreaking study
researchers from the University of Sheffield have now calculated the
environmental impact of a loaf of bread and which part of its production
contributes the most greenhouse gas. The group of interdisciplinary researchers from the University’s
Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, analysed the complete process
from growing and harvesting the wheat; milling the grain; producing the
flour; baking the bread and the production of the final product, ready
to be sold by retailers. The findings, published today (27 February 2017) in the journal
Nature Plants, show ammonium nitrate fertiliser used in wheat
cultivation contributes almost half (43 per cent) of the greenhouse gas
emissions – dwarfing all other processes in the supply chain. Dr Liam Goucher, N8 Agrifood Research Fellow from the University of
Sheffield who carried out the study, said: “Consumers are usually
unaware of the environmental impacts embodied in the products they
purchase - particularly in the case of food, where the main concerns are
usually over health or animal welfare.
Farmers help protect rare bird, leading to hopes of long-term recovery
– RSPB Success for rare stone-curlews after four-year collaboration between
farmers, RSPB and Natural England Nearly 300 safe nest plots created each year and 3000 hectares of
habitat – the size of a small city – for this beguiling bird, reducing
dependency on labour-intensive conservation methods RSPB hopes the UK stone-curlew population will be self-sustaining
within five years – but support from land owners and government schemes
still crucialto enable farmers to continue to create safe nesting
habitat. Farmers in the UK, together with the RSPB and Natural England, have
helped secure the long-term recovery of a rare bird. Thanks to their
work as part of a four-year EU LIFE+ project, stone-curlews now have
more safe nesting habitat away from crops, leading to hopes that their
UK population will become sustainable within the next five years. Stone-curlews are crow-sized birds with large, yellow eyes which help
them see at night when they are most active. Once widespread across
farmland and heathland, numbers crashed by 85% between the 1930s and
1980s due to habitat loss and changes in farming methods. Today, most of
the breeding population is concentrated to small areas in the Brecks on
the Norfolk/Suffolk border, and around Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire. After a series of rescues were reported in
the national press
Mountain rescue team blames ill-equipped charity fundraisers for spate
of farcical call-outs - Telegraph
No matter how experienced or careful you are, in the blink of an eye
you can find yourself in need of rescue - your life in the hands of a
rescue team. And, should you be unfortunate enough to need their help,
you'll receive a professional, world-class service - from a group of
highly trained, highly motivated individuals. This article includes details of some simple precautions you can take
before and during your trek out into the great outdoors, so take five
minutes to read it and to make sure you won’t feature in the latest
incident report Written by Andrew Simpson, MREW Press Officer, in 2011 but just
as relevant today.
Revealed: only 1 in 10 think their air quality is bad despite toxic
levels of air pollution across the UK –
Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth is calling on the UK public to take part in a
ground-breaking nationwide experiment on air pollution as a YouGov poll
reveals that although nearly two thirds of British adults (61%) say they
are concerned about air pollution, only 1 in 10 (11%) rate their own air
quality as bad, on a scale of 0 to 10 - despite large parts of the
UK breaking pollution limits. Friends of the Earth is today (1 March) launching what they hope will
be the biggest ever citizen science air pollution experiment to help
people find out more about the air they’re breathing. Friends of the
Earth’s ‘Clean Air Kits’ enable people to test the air quality near
them, as well as providing people with tips on how to avoid air
pollution and what they can do to help support the fight for clean air. The environmental charity is hoping thousands will join in the
experiment so that they can create a comprehensive national air
pollution picture. The data generated by the experiment will feed into a
national map which will help create a “state of the nation” report on
air pollution. Oliver Hayes, Friends of the Earth air pollution campaigner, said:
“With only 1 in 10 British adults rating their air quality as poor
despite swathes of the country breaking legal limits for air pollution,
it seems the message about the scale and danger of air pollution isn’t
getting through. Often you can’t see it, or smell it, but it’s there –
and air pollution is risking the health of an entire generation of
children. Our Clean Air Kits help people to find out about the air
quality in the places they care about most: on the street where they
live, where they work, where their children go to school and at the
heart of their communities. The results will help us build up a
localised picture of the state of our nation’s air to really bring home
why everyone, from individuals, to businesses and politicians must do
all they can to make the air we breathe safer.” Dr Benjamin Barratt, Air Quality Science Lecturer at King’s College
London, said: “Friends of the Earth’s Clean Air Kits are a valuable tool
in enabling people to discover what air pollution is like in places that
matter to them. If enough people take part, the data they gather could
shed new light on the reality of pollution at a local level throughout
the country.” Order your Friends of the Earth’s Clean Air Kit here.
Countryside Alliance says “countryside should play its role” in Digital
Strategy – Countryside Alliance The Countryside Alliance has called for rural connectivity parity so
that the countryside can play its part in the Government’s newly
launched Digital Strategy. The Government’s new strategy aims to create an exceptional digital
economy “that works for everyone”, and recognises that the UK’s digital
sector is world-leading and a major driver of growth and productivity.
The Strategy will place digital skills, infrastructure and innovation at
the heart of the economy and includes proposals to offer digital skills
to millions of individuals and businesses. The bold ambitions of the Digital Strategy are welcomed by the
Countryside Alliance as we recognise the benefits that digital
innovation and skills can bring to the rural economy. However, we are
concerned that this is not a long term commitment to the education and
skills that will be crucial to support the UK economy post-Brexit. We
are also concerned that rural areas could be left further behind as
there are still 1.4 million premises unable to access broadband speeds
over 10 Mbit/s and only 59% of homes in rural areas are able to access
superfast speeds. Countryside Alliance Head of Policy Sarah Lee commented: “The
Countryside Alliance believes the rural economy should play a
significant role in the UK economy and the Digital Strategy could enable
it to do so, but for the countryside to play its role to the fullest we
must also ensure that rural areas are connected. It is still
unacceptable that 960,000 homes in rural areas still cannot get an
adequate broadband connection. With the drive for digital by default and
the ambition for the UK to have a world-leading digital economy we must
get the basics right first by ensuring connectivity in the countryside
or it will be left behind in the digital age.
Over-half of the world’s curlew and godwit species face extinction from
habitat loss and other pressures. – British
Trust for Ornithology A new ground-breaking assessment published today in the journal Bird
Conservation International has revealed that loss of habitat could lead
to the extinction of a number of species of curlew and godwit, some of
which are found in the UK.
The world’s godwit and curlew species occur on all continents except
Antarctica, but breed only in the Northern Hemisphere. Over half are of
global conservation concern, including two (Eskimo Curlew and
Slender-billed Curlew) that are Critically Endangered and may even be
extinct, and two others (Far Eastern Curlew and Bristle-thighed Curlew)
also threatened with extinction. A further three that all occur in the
UK, the Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit, are
globally Near Threatened. A recent assessment has canvassed the views
of over 100 experts and reviewed the scientific literature, to help
highlight the many threats they face. Top of the list is the loss of non-breeding habitats. Most species
rely on coastal estuaries and wetlands outside of the breeding season,
many of which face increasing development and disturbance. James Pearce-Higgins, Director of Science at the British Trust for
Ornithology (BTO), and lead author of the paper said "These long-lived
wader species require wild open landscapes for breeding, and generally
occupy undisturbed coastal habitats at other times of the year. Many are
long-distance migrants and vulnerable to change throughout their annual
cycle. In many ways, they are among the most sensitive bird species to
global change. That over half of the species studied are rapidly
declining globally should emphasise to us the impact we are having upon
the planet. Their long-term future may well depend upon how well we
coordinate international efforts to adopt the recommendations of this
paper and support their conservation." Nicola Crockford, Principal Policy Officer, RSPB, said “The Eurasian
Curlew is an iconic species; its appearance in spring is announced by
one of nature’s most evocative calls. Sadly like many UK species the
Eurasian Curlew is in trouble, their numbers have dropped dramatically,
putting them at risk of disappearing completely from the UK. The paper
recommends that achieving conservation success at the national or
international scale will likely require dedicated programmes targeting
species at risk, like we have developed for the Eurasian Curlew in the
UK where steep declines have been a major factor in the listing of the
species as globally Near Threatened with extinction.” Through RSPB’s
Curlew Recovery Programme and BTO’s programme of Curlew research, we are
working together, in partnership with a range of people from farmers and
land owners to statutory nature conservation bodies, to reverse this
decline.” Download the paper (PDF) James W.
Pearce-Higgins et al
A global threats overview for Numeniini populations: synthesising expert
knowledge for a group of declining migratory birds Bird Conservation
International (2017) 27:6–34. © BirdLife International, 2017
doi:10.1017/S0959270916000678
Be Moor aware of new life on Dartmoor –
Dartmoor National Park The breeding season for moorland birds on Dartmoor coincides with the
lambing season and, with the arrival of spring, the moorland will be
full of new life, so it is particularly important for all of us to be
Moor aware. Many visitors and local people exercise their dogs when enjoying
Dartmoor. Although a dog may not be actively chasing livestock, its
presence can still cause disturbance. During the lambing and
calving season, expecting ewes or cows are particularly vulnerable.
A frightened animal may abort or abandon its young – a tragedy for the
animal and a financial loss to the farmer. The worrying of livestock by dogs is a year round concern and the law
requires that dogs be kept under close control at all times. It is
a criminal offence for dogs to worry livestock. The dog owner can be
fined and in some cases have their dog destroyed. Young animals are often at the roadside and when vehicles approach
may run across the road to join parents. It is important to be Moor
aware when driving and keep speeds down to enable safe stopping. If you see a young animal which appears to be on its own out on the
moor, please do not attempt to move it. You may be separating it from
its parent which may be grazing some distance away and will return.
Fly tipping in England - Defra Official
Statistics Annual incidents of fly tipping in England. This publication summarises the number and type of incidents of
illegally deposited waste, the cost of dealing with them and the actions
taken against fly tipping in England. Local councils and the Environment Agency (EA) both have a
responsibility in respect of illegally deposited waste. Local councils
deal with most cases of fly tipping on public land, whilst the EA
investigates and enforces against the larger, more serious and organised
illegal waste crimes. Download the report:
Fly-tipping statistics for England, 2015 to 2016 (PDF) Response:
LGA responds to new fly-tipping statistics Responding to new fly-tipping statistics, which show councils dealt
with 936,000 fly-tipping incidents in 2015/16, (a 4 per cent increase on
the previous year), and the annual clear-up cost for councils is £50
million, LGA Environment spokesperson Cllr Judith Blake said: "At a time
when social care faces a funding gap of at least £2.6 billion by 2020
and councils' overall funding shortfall is predicted to reach £5.8
billion within three years, local authorities are having to spend a vast
amount each year on tackling litter and fly-tipping. This is money that
would be better spent on vital front line services. Litter and
fly-tipping is environmental vandalism – it's unpleasant, unnecessary
and unacceptable. The Government has responded to our call for councils
to be able to apply Fixed Penalty Notices for small scale fly-tipping –
and this is a big step in the right direction. We need a new streamlined
system which helps councils - one that is nimble, flexible and
effective. Not only does fly-tipping create an eyesore for residents, it
is also a serious public health risk, creating pollution and attracting
rats and other vermin. There are a number of additional changes that
would help tackle littering and fly-tipping, including sharing more of
the responsibility with product producers. This includes manufacturers
providing more take-back services so people can hand in old furniture
and mattresses when they buy new ones." Scientific Publications Schuler, M. S. et al (2017)
How common road salts and organic additives alter freshwater food webs:
in search of safer alternatives. Journal of Applied Ecology.
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12877
David Baines, Michael Richardson, and Philip Warren Wu, X., Cao, R., Wei, X., Xi, X., Shi, P., Eisenhauer, N. and Sun, S.
(2017),
Soil drainage facilitates earthworm invasion and subsequent carbon loss
from peatland soil. J Appl Ecol. Accepted Author Manuscript.
doi:10.1111/1365-2664.12894
Michaël C. Fontaine, Oliver Thatcher, Nicolas Ray, Sylvain Piry, Andrew Brownlow, Nicholas J. Davison, Paul Jepson, Rob Deaville, Simon J. Goodman Mixing of porpoise ecotypes in southwestern UK waters revealed by genetic profiling R. Soc. open sci. 2017 4 160992; DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160992
Marta Maziarz, Richard K. Broughton, Tomasz Wesołowski, Microclimate in tree cavities and nest-boxes: Implications for hole-nesting birds, Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 389, 1 April 2017, Pages 306-313, ISSN 0378-1127, DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2017.01.001.
Richard K. Johnson, David G. Angeler, Simon Hallstan, Leonard Sandin,
Brendan G. McKie,
Decomposing multiple pressure effects on invertebrate assemblages of
boreal streams, Ecological Indicators, Volume 77, June 2017, Pages
293-303, ISSN 1470-160X, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.02.020. Sherley, R. B., Botha, P., Underhill, L. G., Ryan, P. G., van Zyl,
D., Cockcroft, A. C., Crawford, R. J.M., Dyer, B. M. and Cook, T. R.
(2017),
Defining ecologically relevant scales for spatial protection with
long-term data on an endangered seabird and local prey availability.
Conservation Biology. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/cobi.12923
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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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Being
able to see birds, shrubs and trees around the home benefits mental
health. (image: University of Exeter)
Noctule
by Jan Svetlik
open
to municipalities to share best practices and how they can support
projects like green roofs or expanding city parks to help alleviate the
negative effects of climate change.
Read
our in-depth feature:
Curlew
by Amy Lewis (via BTO)
