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Headlines from week beginning 9 April 2018 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
UK pledges protection for corals - defra The UK has officially joined the Coral Reef Life Declaration,
committing to safeguarding coral reefs.
The UK has joined a global battle to safeguard the world’s coral
reefs from climate change and rising sea temperatures, Environment
Minister Thérèse Coffey announced today. International work to protect these vital marine habitats is
gathering momentum as coral reefs come under increasing pressure from
climate change and human activity – and today the UK officially joined
the Coral Reef Life Declaration, committing to safeguard coral reefs and
bolster scientific research into the threats they face. The announcement comes just one week ahead of the Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting, where member states will gather in London to
agree further global measures to protect our oceans. From Australia’s
iconic Great Barrier Reef, to 8,000 year-old cold-waters corals off the
coast of the UK, the countries of the Commonwealth account for nearly
half the world’s coral reefs – and over 250 million people across the
Commonwealth depend directly on coral reefs for food and income. Speaking from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, where
High Commissioners and members of the UK’s science community gathered
today to celebrate marine science across the Commonwealth, the
Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: "Few people know the waters
around the UK contain riches to rival the tropics – with our waters home
to a vast array of cold water coral reefs that protect important marine
life. Through tapping into the UK’s world-leading marine science and
working with our partners across the Commonwealth, we will help to
safeguard this vital habitat and protect our oceans for future
generations."
"It's better in the forest" – sport study reveals remarkable success
- Forestry Commission England A three-year pilot programme by Forestry Commission England and Sport
England saw an increase of 246% in sporting visits to five sites in the
nation’s forests. Creating a sporting habitat for life is a key
commitment for the Forestry Commission and the success of the pilot has
allowed them to develop the programme to a total of 14 sites across
England thanks to National Lottery funding from Sport England. You wouldn’t normally expect to play table tennis, football and
volleyball in forests, but these were introduced as part of the
programme, alongside the forests’ core activities such as cycling and
running.
Being physically active in nature was the main motivation for people
to get involved in these activities (85%) and results have shown that
what greatly enhanced the experience for many visitors were the
aesthetics of the forest. Participants talked about the atmosphere of
the forests; the beauty, scenery, wildlife and the opportunity it gave
them to be in the fresh air, and the sense of freedom this gave. One visitor said: “Yes its better in the forest, it would be boring
otherwise. This is lovely; I think being in the forest adds to the
enjoyment. You can hear the birds; there are changes in the seasons. You
are more observant of what is around you; you look and listen for
things.” The programme also demonstrated the forests’ ability to get less
active people doing more frequent activity with 49% of people changing
to being active once a week or more. Another benefit was participants
began to change their behaviour, making social and family connections
and enhancing their wellbeing.
Species hitch a ride on birds and the wind to join green roof
communities - University of Plymouth New research suggests that species that live on green roofs arrived
by hitching lifts on birds or by riding air currents. While green roofs are seen as being great for biodiversity, adding
habitat to what would otherwise be a bare roof, they can be harsh
environments with high winds and extremes of temperature that make them
vulnerable to drought. Because they are high, they can also be
inaccessible to species that can’t fly, in particular soil organisms
which are crucial for nutrient cycling and sustainable plant growth. Yet previous research shows that these species do live on roofs. So
how do they get there? The study, by Dr Heather Rumble, Senior Lecturer in Environmental
Geography at the University of Portsmouth and Dr Paul Finch and
Professor Alan Gange from Royal Holloway, University of London, aimed to
find out whether soil organisms, such as mites, springtails (tiny
insect-like creatures), bacteria and fungi are introduced to green roofs
in their building materials or arrive on a green roof via other
mechanisms, like travelling on birds or in “aerial plankton” (tiny
creatures riding air currents).
Dr Rumble said: “We found that while there was a healthy soil
community in construction materials, most species died off soon after
the roof was constructed due to the harsh conditions. This means that
green roof soil species must arrive via another mechanism, such as by
hitching lifts on birds or by coming in the aerial plankton.” The researchers provide two important recommendations from the study.
The first is that engineering soils for green roofs needs more work to
ensure that not only the physical aspects (like the soil structure) are
right, but also that the biology is right. Ensuring soil biology is
adapted to green roofs from the start could make green roofs more
sustainable. Access the paper:
Minotaurs unearthed in Ayrshire - Scottish
Wildlife Trust
The
minotaur beetles were found at Dundonald Links and at Gailes Marsh
Wildlife Reserve near Irvine. The species has only been recorded a
handful of times in Scotland in the past 50 years. Minotaur beetles are found in sandy grassland and heathland. They are
most active at night and feed on dung, particularly rabbit droppings.
They use their strong front legs to push dung into deep burrows where
they feed their larvae. Minotaur beetle © Jonathan Groom via Scottish Wildlife Trust Gill Smart, Reserves Manager, Scottish Wildlife Trust said: “It’s
really exciting to find a new rare species on our reserve. I’d heard
from local naturalists that they are present on the Ardeer peninsula and
that they were also likely to be found around Irvine. Once I learned the
giveaway signs, I knew I’d seen their burrows before. We set up pitfall
traps surrounded with rabbit poo to confirm that they were there and
sure enough, two fell into our traps on the very first night." Click through to watch footage of the beetles.
A local council ignores national outcry by ploughing ahead with plans
that threaten one of the last bastions for nightingales in England
– The Wildlife Trusts
Last year over 12,000 people wrote to Medway Council to object to
proposals that could see thousands of houses built at Lodge Hill, the
most important site for nightingales in the UK With nightingale numbers in the UK declining by around 90% in the
last 50 years Lodge Hill is hugely important to preventing the
much-loved songbirds from disappearing from the UK completely Lodge Hill is already recognised as a Site of Special Scientific
Interest specifically for its nightingales, and the latest plans could
not only jeopardise the rare wildlife at Lodge Hill but threaten beauty
spots and wildlife sanctuaries across the UK This month Medway Council in Kent has responded to the 12,000 plus
people that objected to Lodge Hill being made available for housing by
publishing a new draft Local Plan that continues to designate land at
and around Lodge Hill as being suitable for thousands of new houses. The decision to include Lodge Hill flies in the face of national
planning rules designed to protect important natural spaces, and the
local authority’s own pledge to protect important wildlife sites,
sparking concerns that other protected sites could be under threat.
Pioneering new approaches to Exmoor’s invasive species problem
– Exmoor National Park Authority Castration and electrocution are two ground-breaking new ways of
tackling invasive plant and animal species being trialled in Exmoor
National
Japanese and Himalayan Knotweed are two of Britain’s most invasive
weeds and have caused extensive damage to several of Exmoor’s most
precious watercourses, such as the Lyn, Heddon and Barle - all Sites of
Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Image: Exmoor NPA A ten year collaboration between Exmoor National Park Authority, the
Environment Agency, Natural England and the National Trust to try and
control the problem has proved highly successful, with the plant now
being controlled across an area the size of six Wembley football
pitches, thanks to the support from local landowners. Exmoor is now among a handful of UK sites where a pioneering new
method of control is being trialled, involving electrocuting the weed’s
root system. It is hoped the new approach will avoid the need for repeat
spraying with herbicides, which can impact the environment, although not
nearly so much as the plants themselves.
Epic mystery of Lancashire’s willow tits –
Lancashire Wildlife Trust The discovery of Britain’s most endangered small bird on two nature
reserves in Preston has delighted conservationists.
Willow tit by Peter Smith NW Wild Images However, Wigan and South Lancashire is where hopes of a revival of
this remarkable tiny bird are the highest. In recent years, willow tits have appeared in woodland at Brockholes
and at the nearby Fishwick Bottoms Local Nature Reserve near the Ribble
at Preston. Wildlife Trust Project Officer Chris Taylor said: “We know the Wigan
Flashes area is a stronghold for willow tits, but Wigan to Preston would
represent a journey of epic proportions to a willow tit. They stick to
their territory, travelling just a couple of miles in their lifetime.” The willow tit is black, pale brown and white tit with a pale panel
on the wings and a dull black cap. It has a distinctive nasal zee, zee,
zee call which is often the most reliable way to identify the bird. Wigan Projects Manager Mark Champion believed that there must be
populations between Wigan and Preston after finding historic records and
from more recent anecdotes from local birders. But there was little real
evidence to prove that these secretive birds lived in areas like Chorley
and Coppull. The Wildlife Trust, supported by a grant from the Lancashire
Environmental Fund, recruited a team of volunteers to survey likely
sites. Chris said: “In our first year we found willow tits, in Yarrow Valley
Park, Cuerden Valley Park, Great Knowley and a number of other sites.
Plotted on a map they formed that chain between Wigan and Preston we had
been hoping for. During the next survey season, they found willow tits in all the same
spots and a couple of new ones, but still nothing in Preston. By the
time the project finishes this month, they will have planted over 1,000
trees.
Butterfly revival dashed by wet, gloomy weather
– Butterfly Conservation Two declining butterflies suffered their worst year on record in 2017
after hopes of a butterfly revival were dashed by a chilly snap in
spring and a gloomy, wet summer, a study has revealed. Grayling and Grizzled Skipper recorded their lowest numbers since
records began as difficult weather conditions caused problems for some
of the UK’s species. There had been hopes that UK butterflies would bounce back after the
summer of 2016, the fourth worst on record. And although butterfly numbers last year were up on 2016, they were
still way below average with 2017 being the seventh worst year on
record, the annual UK
Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS) led by
Grizzled Skipper and Grayling had their worst year on record for the
second year running. Grizzled Skipper was down 9% compared to 2016 and
the population has now more than halved since the 1970s. Grayling
declined by 6% compared to 2016; its numbers have shrunk by 63% over the
last decade. Grizzled Skipper by Iain H Leach The threatened Dingy Skipper saw numbers fall by 22% compared to 2016
and the rare Marsh Fritillary experienced a decline of 12% over the same
period. But it wasn’t just rare species that struggled – the Large White one
of the UK’s most well-known and widespread butterflies - saw its numbers
tumble by 19%. This common butterfly is now also in a state of long-term
decline. There had been hopes for a good butterfly year as many spring species
emerged earlier than usual following a warm start to 2017. Butterflies
need warm, dry weather during their flight periods in order to feed and
mate.
New Peak District woodland set to bring big benefits for people and
wildlife – RSPB RSPB staff and volunteers at Dove Stone have created a new woodland
in a valley at the Peak District site that will provide a range of
public benefits, as well as help local wildlife. Over the past three months, the team at Dove Stone, including 15
hardy volunteers has planted more than 12,000 trees across 20 hectares
(49 acres). The mixture of native UK trees including oak, birch and
willow will help stabilize the soil and prevent erosion, which in turn
will improve water quality, help lock up harmful carbon in the ground
and reduce the risk of downstream flooding. In the long term, the trees will also provide a home to a range of
woodland birds including redstarts and flycatchers, as well as
butterflies, bumble bees and even deer. The RSPB project has been supported by land owner United Utilities,
Peak District National Park Authority, Natural England, Forestry
Commission and the local tenant farmer. Kate Hanley, the RSPB warden who led the project, said: “It's
exciting that so many people have come together to help deliver a
landscape-scale conservation project, and our amazing volunteers should
have special mention as they have worked so hard in all weathers to help
us plant over 12,200 trees. Nothing stops them, not even the Beast from
the East! The valley is going to be transformed, and we're looking
forward to seeing the woodland grow to support some of our declining
woodland wildlife.”
Record numbers of toads helped across the road to Bodenham Lake
- Herefordshire Wildlife Trust A dedicated team of volunteers has been patrolling the lane alongside
Bodenham Lake Nature Reserve all spring, helping over 1,000 toads safely
across to the lake to breed.
Toad (Image by Sophie Cowling) Toads instinctively head to the same ponds and lakes each spring on
the migratory routes followed by their ancestors. As the roads which
these routes cross become busier each year, the toads find themselves in
mortal danger as they make their migration. In addition to this peril,
many ponds are also being lost from our landscapes through development
and because they are largely redundant as watering ponds for livestock
on farms. This has led to a serious national decline in toad numbers: a
recent study by Froglife and partners from The University of Zurich and
using data collected by Toads on Roads volunteer patrollers has shown
that on average common toads have declined by 68% over the last 30 years
in the UK.
Droughts mean fewer flowers for bees
– The University of Manchester Bees could be at risk from climate change because more frequent
droughts could cause plants to produce fewer flowers, new research
shows. Droughts are expected to become more common and more intense in many
parts of the world, and researchers studied the impact on flowering
plants using a field experiment. They found that drought roughly halved the overall number of flowers.
This means less food for bees and other pollinators, which visit flowers
for the nectar and pollen that they provide. The research was carried out by scientists at the Universities of
Exeter and Manchester, and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. “The plants we examined responded to drought in various ways, from
producing fewer flowers to producing flowers that contained no nectar,”
said lead researcher Ben Phillips, of the Environment and Sustainability
Institute on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. Bees are already under pressure from a variety of threats including
habitat loss, the use of particular pesticides, and the spread of
diseases and alien species. “Not only are these insects vital as pollinators of crops and wild
plants, but they also provide food for many birds and mammals,” said
joint lead researcher Dr Ros Shaw, also of the University of Exeter.
Snakes alive! ZSL ranks the world’s most Evolutionarily Distinct and
Globally Endangered reptiles – ZSL Turtles that breathe through their genitals and chameleons the size
of a human thumbnail are amongst the weird and wonderful reptiles
heading for extinction unless urgent action is taken, according to the
latest ranking from international conservation charity ZSL’s (Zoological
Society of London) pioneering
EDGE of
Existence programme.
Mary River Turtle (Copyright: Chris Van Wyk) Iconic species featuring on
ZSL’s EDGE Reptiles List include the world’s largest sea turtle, the
leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) which weighs in at #85, and
the Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus), which can stay
underwater for up to three days by breathing through its reproductive
organs and sits at #30. Other stand-outs include the gharial (Gavialis
gangeticus), a freshwater crocodile once common across much of Asia
but now confined to a handful of rivers in northern India and Nepal.
Classified as Critically Endangered by the
IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species, fewer than 235 are believed to survive in the
wild, contributing to its EDGE ranking of #16.
Be ‘frog friendly’ and let nature take its course this spring
- Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust Gardeners and wildlife lovers are being urged to be ‘frog friendly’
and leave frogspawn alone. Please do not be tempted to move it as you
could be spreading potentially fatal diseases to frogs and other
wildlife. A female frog may lay thousands of eggs each year but only a tiny
percentage will survive into adulthood. This is because spawn, tadpoles
and froglets have numerous natural predators, including some of our
favourite garden birds, and they are also very susceptible to disease
and pollution. In the late 1980s, unusual mortalities of common frogs were reported
in the south east of England. Frogs were found to be suffering from a
variety of symptoms, sometimes with secondary bacterial infections. The
culprit was identified as Ranavirus*, possibly spread from North America
through the commercial importation of bullfrogs or goldfish. Trust Senior Conservation Officer Neil Pilcher says, “If you think
there’s a huge amount of frogspawn in your pond you may be tempted to
move some to another pond or stream, particularly local ones that
already have spawn. But this can be extremely damaging to frogs, toads
and other wildlife too. Diseases such as Ranavirus are a very real
concern, but also is the fact that the contents of your bucket could
accidentally transfer invasive non-native plant species to new locations
where they could do significant damage to the natural environment. “It’s a tough life being a frog, but nature knows best. Please help
by doing absolutely nothing!”
LI publishes new vision for Green Belt -
Landscape Institute The briefing calls for completely fresh thinking on the future of the
controversial planning policy The Landscape Institute (LI) has published a new briefing on the
future of the Green Belt. The briefing seeks to address the housing crisis, lead debate on the
UK government’s
25-year environment plan, and
inform revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). It calls for fresh thinking on Green Belt policy that:
Green Belt policy predates the NPPF ‘presumption in favour of
sustainable development’. ‘As a single-issue designation’, the
briefing argues, ‘Green Belt does not sit well with current
evidence-based policy-making’. The LI advocates a strategic review of Green Belt policies and
guidance. It urges the UK Government to use the proposed revision to
NPPF to align Green Belt policy with current planning guidance. We
also call on the Welsh Government and Scottish Parliament to undertake a
strategic review of Green Belt policies and guidance. While successful in its original aim to keep land around urban areas
permanently open, Green Belt requires ongoing re-evaluation to ensure
its continued relevance. ‘The public deserve a system for protecting the Green Belt that they
can trust’, said LI President Merrick Denton-Thompson. ‘We all want
beautiful, functional green land around our towns and cities. A review
that firmly reestablishes Green Belt principles might allow new
development in some areas. But it equally could mean new Green Belts in
places that don’t have them.’
Read the briefing document here.
Picking wild flowers is a good thing? -
Plantlife This Spring, Plantlife launches this year’s Great British Wildflower
Hunt, with 21 new spring species to spot and a new code of conduct on
when it is OK to pick wild flowers…
Plantlife’s Botanical Specialist Trevor Dines commented ‘Research we
carried out with YouGov within the last year shows that 70% of the
public want to know their wild flowers better, and this is such an easy
way to do it: 15% of our hunters started out saying they couldn’t name
any wildflowers and were ‘unsure’ of their identification abilities so
that was particularly thrilling when they completed the Hunt. At the
other end of the scale, thirteen of our hunters scored a full house,
finding all the species on their spotter sheets and scoring the maximum
37 points.’ This year, the charity has also highlighted a dozen species within
the Hunt that are so abundant that they are OK to pick and is publishing
a new Code of Conduct to give people confidence when picking Read Plantlife’s
“Code of
Conduct” for picking wildflowers here. Find out more about the Wildflower Hunt here
Crowded urban areas have fewer songbirds per person
- University of Exeter People in crowded urban areas – especially poor areas – see fewer
songbirds such as tits and finches, and more potential “nuisance” birds,
such as pigeons, magpies and gulls, new research shows. The University of Exeter and the British Trust for Ornithology
examined ratios of birds-to-people and found areas of high-density
housing have fewer birds overall – and the birds people do see are just
as likely to cause a nuisance as to make them happy.
Meanwhile, people in green and leafy suburbs see up to three and a
half times more songbirds and woodpeckers – which are associated with a
positive impact on human wellbeing – than birds whose behaviours can
cause a nuisance. Previous research has suggested that people living in neighbourhoods
with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from
depression, anxiety and stress. “For most people, birds provide their most common encounter with wild
animals,” said research fellow Dr Daniel Cox, of the Environment and
Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in
Cornwall. “Understanding the relationship between the numbers of birds
and people is important for how we manage nature and wildlife in towns
and cities to promote positive nature experiences, while minimising the
potential for conflict. There are many ways for people to attract birds
to the garden to gain positive nature experiences, not only for you and
your family but also for the households around you who will also have an
increased chance of seeing these birds." Read the paper (open access)
Scientific Publications Vicky Bérubé, Line Rochefort, Production and decomposition rates of different fen species as targets for restoration, Ecological Indicators, Volume 91, August 2018, Pages 105-115, ISSN 1470-160X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.03.069. Marcelino Fuentes,
Trends of biodiversity and species richness at local and global scales,
Biological Conservation, Available online 8 April 2018, ISSN 0006-3207,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.032.
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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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An
image of tropical coral. (image: defra)
Moss
on the green roof. (image: University of Plymouth)
Rare dung beetles have been unearthed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust
at two locations in North Ayrshire.
Local
Plan that continues to designate land at and around Lodge Hill as being
suitable for thousands of new houses.
Park,
highlighted as part of Invasive Species Week this week.
After
a decline of more than 90 per cent in 15 years the willow tit has been
described as Lancashire’s Siberian tiger.
Butterfly
Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH), British Trust
for Ornithology(BTO) and Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC)
revealed.
Following
the Go Toads project begun by Herefordshire Wildlife Trust in 2016 with
funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, toad patrols have been running
each year in Bodenham between February and April to try and prevent them
from being run over as they cross the lane from where they have
overwintered in the woodland on the way to the lake where they mate and
spawn.
Backed
by a study published in journal
Last
year, from the Channel Islands to the Orkney Islands, more than 15,200
wild flowers were spotted by the British public in the first year of
this annual Hunt. Over 60 common species were included last summer and
this year, Plantlife is adding 21 spring woodland flowers, including
anemone, ramsons and early purple orchid. Despite an arctic winter and a
cold spring so far, celandines, primroses, violets and stitchwort are
all in bloom!
(image:
University of Exeter)
