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Headlines from week beginning 21 May 2018 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Dolphin attacks on Moray Firth harbour porpoises Two dolphin attacks on harbour porpoises, a rare sight to actually
observe in British waters, have been recorded by local photographers,
Bottlenose dolphin tossing a harbour porpoise up in the air on
May 9th. Copyright: Jamie Muny Researchers at Sea Watch Foundation, a national charity that monitors
the numbers and distributions of whales, dolphins and porpoises around
the British Isles, have been alerted to a series of unusual sightings of
bottlenose dolphin attacks upon porpoises in the Moray Firth this past
week. Instantly, the staff at the research organisation realised that
Jamie and Alister had managed to take some exceptional photographs. Jamie and Alister have been photographing dolphins for over a decade
and although they had heard about these attacks before, this was the
first time they had witnessed something like that. On May 9thand
May 11th, pods of bottlenose dolphins were seen attacking harbour
porpoises, with each attack lasting around 5 to 10 minutes. On both
occasions, the photographers thought the dolphins were throwing a large
salmon up into the air, as they often feed on this species of fish in
the area. It was only when they reviewed their images afterwards that
they realized it was in fact a porpoise. On May 9th, while being tossed
in the air, the porpoise appeared motionless as the dolphin pushed it up
out of the water with their beaks seemingly across the stomach. On one
occasion, a dolphin appears out of the water with a porpoise resting on
its beak.
Campaign branches out to protect UK's mighty oaks Action Oak contributes to the Government’s 25-year Environment Plan
by helping to protect the country's 121 million precious oak trees for
future generations A major new campaign to protect the UK’s mighty oak trees from
threats including pests and diseases has been officially launched at the
2018 Chelsea Flower Show by Lord Gardiner, Defra’s Biosecurity
Minister. The Action Oak Partnership -
made up of charities, environmental organisations and landowners – is
seeking to raise £15 million for research and monitoring to help
safeguard the 121 million oaks in UK woodlands. Work will include capturing the first detailed picture of the current
health of oaks trees, helping to gain a greater understanding of how to
preserve their iconic position in our landscape for generations to come. The campaign contributes to the
Government’s 25-year Environment Plan, which was launched by the
Prime Minister in January, by helping to strengthen biosecurity and
build resilience to protect oaks for future generations. It also builds
on the £37 million the Government is already investing in tree and plant
health research.
Managed hunting can help maintain animal populations
– University of Cambridge Researchers studying the hunting of ibex in Switzerland over the past
40 years have shown how hunts, when tightly monitored, can help
Alpine ibex Credit: Reto Barblan, Bergün The international team of researchers, led by the University of
Cambridge and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape
Research (WSL), studied the hunt of Alpine ibex – a type of wild goat
with long, curved horns – in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden by
examining the horn size of more than 8,000 ibex harvested between 1978
and 2013, to determine whether average horn growth or body weight had
changed over the last 40 years. Their results,
published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, reveal that unsurprisingly,
ibex with longer-than-average horns are more likely to be shot than
animals of the same age with shorter horns. However, due to tight
controls placed on the hunt by the Swiss authorities, hunters tend to
shoot as few animals as possible, to avoid violating the rules and
incurring large fines. Hunting for specific traits can place selective pressure on certain
species, resulting in a negative evolutionary response. In their study,
the researchers investigated whether the targeting of ibex with large
horns would lead to a lower average horn size across the entire
population. They found that while even tightly-managed hunts cannot prevent
hunters from targeting longer-horned animals, no long-term changes were
found in the horn length of male ibex in Graubünden, which is most
likely related to the fact that the numbers of ibex removed from the
population by hunters is too small to have an evolutionary effect.
Securing the natural environment for future generations
– British Ecological Society The British Ecological Society and the UK’s statutory nature
conservation agencies are holding a conference at Manchester
Metropolitan University this week, bringing together policy officials,
practitioners, natural and social scientists from across the UK and
internationally to set a new direction of travel for nature conservation
in the UK. Climate change, population growth, increasing land use and
competition for resources all impact heavily on nature and wildlife. The
changing political landscape in the UK, which is in part driven by
Brexit, creates additional uncertainties and opportunities. Along with a host of invited speakers, delegates will be presenting
their conservation and biodiversity research and taking part in debate
sessions to address these challenges.
New Clean Air Strategy has been launched by Environment Secretary
Michael Gove - Defra Today (Tuesday 22 May) Environment Secretary Michael Gove has
launched an ambitious new clean air strategy to tackle air pollution. Today the Environment Secretary Michael Gove has published a Clean
Air Strategy which aims to cut air pollution and save lives, backed
up through new primary legislation. Air pollution is the fourth biggest threat to public health after
cancer, obesity and heart disease and the new government strategy sets
out how we will go further and faster than the EU in reducing human
exposure to particulate matter pollution. These proposals are in
addition to the government’s £3.5 billion plan to reduce air pollution
from road transport and diesel vehicles, set out in July last year. It is estimated that the action set out will reduce the costs of air
pollution to society by an estimated £1 billion every year by 2020,
rising to £2.5 billion every year from 2030. The new strategy, which is now out for consultation, is a key part of
our 25 Year Plan to leave our environment in a better state than we
found it.
Scotland leads the way in international nature targets
– Scottish Natural Heritage On International Biodiversity Day, Scotland is leading the way in
progress towards meeting international nature targets. Positive results in key areas that tackle decline in Scotland’s
nature are revealed in the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) report,
‘Scotland’s Biodiversity Progress to 2020 Aichi Targets’. Scotland has exceeded nature targets in key areas, including: Scotland is a world leader in developing the concept of natural
capital - Scotland’s stocks of natural assets which include
geology, soil, air, water and all living things - with nature values
integrated into Scotland’s mainstream planning, policy and reporting
frameworks. Bringing nearly one-fifth of Scotland’s seas area into the Marine
Protected Area network Restoring some of Scotland’s most threatened habitats, including
rivers, and some 10,000 ha of peatlands since 2012 Increasing awareness of the value of nature to two-thirds of the
Scottish public Across the world, countries are dealing with species declining 1000
times faster than expected in normal ecological conditions. In Scotland,
the report shows the nation is on track to meet seven of the targets,
with a further twelve needing further action to reduce key pressures on
nature arising from pollution, land-use change, the spread of invasive
species and climate change.
In a New Biomass Census, Trees Rule the Planet
– Weizmann Institute of Science The study reveals, among other things, our impact on the Earth’s
biosphere
What are the most abundant animals on Earth? How do plants stack up
against fungi, animals or bacteria? How does the mass of life in the
oceans compare to that on land? A new type of global census based on the
total biomass of different life forms on Earth suggests that much of
what we think we know about such questions is based on outdated
research, incomplete estimates or simply unfounded anecdotes. In
addition to providing answers to such questions, the biomass census can
help researchers address larger issues, for example, about the way that
carbon cycles through the environment. This study was conducted at the
Weizmann Institute of Science and published in the Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Yinon Bar-On, a research student in the group of Prof.
Ron Milo of the Weizmann Institute’s Plant and Environmental
Sciences Department began this study with a different research project
for which he wanted to compare certain proteins in various organisms and
their overall influence on the biosphere. So he went to the existing
literature, but the figures he needed were lacking.
A two year project celebrating Norfolk’s commons and their wildlife
and heritage has begun, run by Norfolk Wildlife Trust in
partnership with Norfolk County Council and University of East Anglia.
It will empower local people to connect with their common land, and
ultimately may lead to the creation of new commons in Norfolk.
World’s biggest fisheries supported by seagrass meadows
– Swansea University Scientific research, led by Dr Richard Unsworth at Swansea
University, has provided the first quantitative global evidence of the
significant role that seagrass meadows play in supporting world
fisheries productivity. The study provides
evidence that a fifth of the World’s biggest fisheries, such as Atlantic
Cod and Walleye Pollock are reliant on healthy seagrass meadows. The
study also demonstrates the prevalence of seagrass associated fishing
globally.
image: Swansea University Dr Cullen-Unsworth said: “The chasm that exists between coastal
habitat conservation and fisheries management needs to be filled to
maximise the chances of seagrass meadows supporting fisheries, so that
they can continue to support human wellbeing”. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants that form extensive meadows in
shallow seas on all continents except Antarctica. The distribution of
seagrass, from the intertidal to about 60m depth in clear waters, makes
seagrass meadows an easily exploitable fishing habitat. Dr Richard Unsworth from Swansea University’s Biosciences department
said: “Seagrass meadows support global fisheries productivity by
providing nursery habitat for commercial fish stocks such as tiger
prawns, conch, Atlantic cod and white spotted spinefoot”.
Environment Agency calls for action on water efficiency
- Environment Agency Rivers and wildlife could be left without sufficient water unless
action is taken to reduce water use and wastage, according to an
Environment Agency report published today. The first major report on water resources in England states that
climate change and demand from a growing population are the biggest
pressures on the availability of water. Without action to increase
supply, reduce demand and cut down on wastage, many areas in England
could see significant supply deficits by 2050 – particularly in the
south east. The State of the Environment: Water Resources report highlights
unsustainable levels of water abstraction, leakage from water companies
– currently estimated at 3 billion litres per day – and demand from
industry and the public as three of the issues to tackle in order to
protect the water environment. Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency said: “We need to
change our attitudes to water use. It is the most fundamental thing
needed to ensure a healthy environment but we are taking too much of it
and have to work together to manage this precious resource. Industry
must innovate and change behaviours in order to reduce demand and cut
down on wastage – and we all have a duty to use water more wisely at
home. With demand on the rise, water companies must invest more in
infrastructure to address leakage instead of relying on abstraction and
the natural environment to make up this shortfall”.
The report shows that current levels of water abstraction are
unsustainable in more than a quarter of groundwaters and one fifth of
rivers, leading to reduced flows which could damage local ecology and
wildlife.
‘Virtual safe space’ to help bumblebees -
University of Exeter The many threats facing bumblebees can be tested using a “virtual
safe space” created by scientists at the University of Exeter.
‘Virtual safe space’ to help bumblebees (Photo
credit Matthias Becher) The tool lets researchers, farmers, policymakers and other interested
parties test different land management techniques to find out what will
be most beneficial for bees. Field experiments can be very timely
and costly, so results from Bumble-BEEHAVE can help refine and reduce
the number of experiments needed. Bumble-BEEHAVE – which is freely available online – is a powerful
tool that can make predictions, according to a new study. “We know that pollinator decline is a really big problem for crops
and also for wildflowers,” said Dr Grace Twiston-Davies, of
the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of
Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. “Bumble-BEEHAVE takes into account
the many complicated factors that interact to affect bumblebees. This
provides a virtual safe space to test the different management options.
“It’s a free, user-friendly system and we’re already starting to work
with land managers and wildlife groups on the ground.” Disentangling the many factors that affect bumblebee colonies is
incredibly complicated, meaning real-word testing of different methods
by land managers is often not feasible. This problem prompted the
Exeter scientists to create the BEEHAVE (honeybees) and Bumble-BEEHAVE
computer models. Bumble-BEEHAVE can simulate the growth, behaviour and
survival of six UK bumblebee species living in a landscape providing
various nectar and pollen sources to forage on. Read the paper: Matthias A. Becher,
Grace Twiston-Davies, Tim D. Penny, Dave Goulson, Ellen L. Rotheray,
Juliet L. Osborne.
Bumble-BEEHAVE: A systems model for exploring multifactorial causes of
bumblebee decline at individual, colony, population and community level
Journal of Applied Ecology https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13165
Supermarkets challenged to act faster on plastic, as new survey launches
to rank their efforts - Greenpeace The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace UK are
conducting a survey of major UK grocery retailers, their use of
single-use plastic packaging and their targets to reduce it. The
results, due in the autumn, are expected to reveal the volume of
single-use plastic packaging each retailer puts onto the market every
year, their targets to reduce plastic packaging, and their approach to
tackling plastic pollution across their supply chains. The detailed survey, which is believed to be the largest ever survey
of UK grocery retailers and plastic, has been sent to the 11 largest
supermarkets by market share and grocery retailers with more than 1000
stores across the UK. The results will provide a benchmark for current
commitments and actions on curbing plastic pollution. As well as collecting data about volumes of plastic and reduction
targets, the survey intends to look at how retailers are planning to
meet their targets, and to reveal some of the challenges faced by
retailers and solutions that are being developed. The results will also
highlight where further innovation is needed. Sarah Baulch, Senior Ocean Campaigner, Environmental Investigation
Agency (EIA), said: “Single use plastics and packaging are a major
contributor to the plastic pollution that is having a devastating impact
on our oceans. Retailers need to take a lead in reducing the amount that
they’re putting into the market. Our survey will highlight those
supermarkets who are demonstrating leadership by reducing their plastic
footprint and conversely those who are lagging behind.”
Puffin numbers may be down 12 per cent on Farne Islands as census begins
– National Trust Puffin numbers on Britain's remote Farne Islands may have fallen by
an average of 12 per cent in potentially grim news for the struggling
seabird, according to early figures in the National Trust's five-yearly
count. Initial numbers suggest the population has fallen by up to 42 per
cent on one of the islands – much worse than expected since the last
count in 2013 when nearly 40,000 breeding pairs were recorded.
Puffins return to the Farne Islands for breeding season (National Trust Images / Paul Kingston & NNP) The puffins have also returned four weeks later than usual to their
nesting grounds on the windswept islands off the Northumberland due to
the prolonged, harsh winter. “So far we’ve surveyed four of the eight islands where we conduct the
census[1]. Figures from the two largest islands are vastly
contradictory with numbers on Brownsman 42 per cent down, while
recordings on Staple show an 18 per cent increase. We will now do
some further investigations as to why this might be. Figures across the
two smaller islands are more consistent, but numbers are still down by
up to 33 per cent. We will hopefully have a much clearer picture
towards the end of the count in late June. If the final results reflect
this drop, this will increase the need for us to monitor these beautiful
‘clowns of the sea’ more frequently.”
Extinct butterfly flies again – Butterfly
Conservation
Wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation, working in partnership with
the Forestry Commission has released Chequered Skipper butterflies at a
secret location in Rockingham Forest, Northamptonshire, as part of the
project. The Back from the Brink project, made possible thanks to the National
Lottery and People’s Postcode Lottery, aims to save 20 species from
extinction and benefit over 200 more through 19 projects that span
England. The first Chequered Skipper collected in 2018
(image: Dan Hoare) The Chequered Skipper, although always scarce, became extinct in
England in 1976 as a result of habitat loss due to changes in woodland
management that saw a decline in coppicing and management of long,
narrow tracks (rides) and an increase in conifer plantations which were
unsuitable for the butterfly.
Commitment to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions
– Scottish Government New legislation set to be ‘toughest in the world’. Scotland will become one of the first countries to achieve a 100%
reduction in carbon emissions, Climate Change Secretary Roseanna
Cunningham has said. The new Climate Change Bill will immediately set a target of a 90%
reduction by 2050, which the UK Committee on Climate Change (UK CCC)
states is currently “at the limit of feasibility.” The draft Bill sets
out that the Scottish Government intends to go further still and achieve
a 100% reduction in emissions, known as ‘net-zero’, as soon as possible. Ministers will be legally required to keep the net-zero target date
under review by seeking expert advice on the issue every five years. The
target date will become legally-binding, subject to the consent of the
Scottish Parliament, as soon as there is sufficient evidence to
demonstrate the date is credible and achievable. As well as increasing long term ambition, the new Bill also includes
the most ambitious interim targets in the world, as well as stretching
annual targets for every year between now and 2050. This means action
will need to increase immediately, across every sector of the Scottish
economy. It will also require action by individuals, communities and
businesses – as well as government.
Exciting osprey news from Kielder –
Northumberland Wildlife Trust Following a slow start to the Kielder Water & Forest Park osprey
season, hampered by the Beast from the East, the breeding season is well
underway with three eggs in each of the four nests. There was a question mark over whether this would happen as
unfortunately, the male from nest three did not return from migration.
However, a new male found the nest and has formed a successful new
partnership with the female. Joanna Dailey, Kielder Osprey expert volunteer, said, “Sadness at the
loss of the original Nest three male is tempered by the arrival of an
unringed male, who is doing well as a probable first time breeder.
Sometimes, a new pairing will have only two eggs, so we’re thrilled to
see the three eggs on Nest 3.” The first eggs will begin hatching at the end of May and into June.
Woodland Trust slams HS2 tunnel decision
- Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust has slammed a decision to plough ahead with
proposals for two tunnels on Phase 2a of HS2 that will destroy nearly
seven hectares of ancient woodland.
Whitmore Wood (Photo: Luci Ryan/WTML)
Trust ecologist Luci Ryan said: “This decision has signed the death
knell for irreplaceable ancient woodland. How on earth can they have
come to this decision at a time when Government is pushing for greater
protection of ancient woodland as part of its consultation into the
revised National Planning Policy Framework? It beggars belief.
This is the single biggest loss of ancient woodland on the entire route
and results in Phase 2a destroying more ancient woodland per kilometre
than Phase 1.”
New quarantine proposals to protect England's trees
- defra Environment Secretary launches first Tree Health Resilience Strategy
to protect England’s trees from pests and diseases for generations
to come.
Proposals to consult industry on new quarantine arrangements for
high-risk plants are among the measures set out today (Friday 25 May) in
the Government’s plan to protect the UK’s precious trees. Currently quarantine is used by some horticulture businesses as part
of strong biosecurity measures against high-risk species. We want to
explore how this targeted approach can be broadened out so we have
better protection against harmful pests and diseases right across the
industry. Once we leave the EU we will have the chance to tighten biosecurity
measures further and take swifter, more targeted action against serious
threats like Xylella. The Tree Health Resilience Strategy, the first major publication to
come out of
the 25-Year Environment Plan, sets out a new proactive approach to
tree health, with landowners, charities, the public and government
working together to take actions to build resilience against pests and
diseases to protect the nation’s trees – worth an estimated £175billion. As part of this approach, a new senior cross-industry Plant Health
Alliance to strengthen biosecurity practices across industry has been
established. The Alliance brings together the country’s leading
nurseries, retailers, tree suppliers, landscapers, foresters, the RHS
and Defra to ensure an effective response to threats such as Xylella and
Emerald Ash Borer.
Tree health resilience strategy 2018 - defra
policy paper This strategy explains how the government will work with others to
protect England’s tree population from pest and disease threats.
This strategy sets out plans to reduce the risk of pest and disease
threats. It also sets out how we will strengthen the resilience of our
trees to withstand threats. This strategy includes a National Action Plan. The plan sets out what
we’re already doing and what we and others will need to do to protect
our trees and the important services they provide. In “our goals”, we’ve summarised what we hope to achieve over the
next 5 years. Access:
Tree health resilience strategy: our goals Download
Tree health resilience strategy report (PDF)
A Blooming Future for Green Angels: Award-winning and free environmental
training programme hailed a success in South Yorkshire National land management charity the Land Trust, introduced its
award-winning, Green Angels, environmental training programme to adults
across South Yorkshire in the autumn, giving them the chance to gain
practical skills through hands-on learning. 8 trainees joined the
Green Angels course in Environmental Education which was delivered by
the Land Trust in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).
The course explores the practicalities of working with children, from
lesson planning to risk assessment, and considered environmental
education initiatives such as Eco-Schools and Forest School. All
trainees received DBS certificates and a highlight of the course was
working outdoors with children from the local primary school, where
trainees made their own lunch over a camp fire and crafted tools and
Christmas decorations from logs and twigs. Since completing the environmental education course many Green Angels
trainees have developed their new skills further and are helping with
Forest School and family activities with TCV. One trainee has been
offered formal training at the local primary school. You can read more about the
Green Angels programme and its success in Liverpool in this article
written by The Land Trust which was published in CJS Focus on
Volunteering: Green Angels create magic in Liverpool Park
Rare eggs hatch after spring flooding rescue A total of 15 godwit eggs rescued from muddy farmland in East Anglia
have hatched successfully so far.
Collecting eggs for rear and release, known as head-starting, was
already planned in the area as part of a five-year EU funded project.
When flooding forced wild birds to nest away from the safety of their
wetland habitat in the Nene Washes, the project team launched a rescue
operation to help even more eggs. Rebecca Lee, Principal Species Conservation Officer at WWT, welcomed
the news. She said: “Conditions were so bad that we were concerned that
they might not survive. A number of the eggs that we did manage to
collect were in such bad condition that they resembled muddy potatoes.
Thankfully, the majority of these eggs have shown signs of life and many
have hatched successfully despite our reservations. Flooding forced our
ground-nesting birds off important nesting areas and they have been
laying their eggs on nearby farmland where mud is widespread and tall
crops can hide potential predators. Thankfully we have been able to work
together with the landowners in the area to avoid the worst outcome.” A total of 32 eggs were collected from farmland as part of the
pioneering nature-conservation scheme Project Godwit – a partnership
between WWT and RSPB, which aims to restore the UK breeding population. Hannah Ward, RSPB Project Manager at Project Godwit, added: “The
decision to intervene was not taken lightly. The extreme weather and the
dire state of these precious, rare eggs meant they had almost no chance
of survival in the wild. Luckily, as our project already includes
helping godwits by collecting eggs and head-starting chicks, we were in
a position to also help these extra eggs. With less than fifty pairs of
godwits breeding in the UK, every egg that successfully hatches could be
critical for the future of the population. This was a real team effort
and we thank the farmers who worked closely with us to rescue the eggs.”
Scientific Research Martín, B., Perez-Bacalu, C., Onrubia, A. et al.
Impact of wind farms on soaring bird populations at a migratory
bottleneck. Eur J Wildl Res (2018) 64: 33. Doi:
/10.1007/s10344-018-1192-z
Scientific publications Fuller, L., Shewring, M. & Caryl, F.M.
A
novel method for targeting survey effort to identify new bat roosts
using habitat suitability modelling Eur J Wildl Res (2018) 64: 31.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-018-1191-0
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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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Jamie
Muny and Alister Kemp, close to the shore of Chanonry Point in the Moray
Firth, NE Scotland!
maintain
animal populations at optimal levels. 
(l-r)
Yinon Bar-On and Prof. Ron Milo compiled a biomass distribution for all
life on Earth
The
study, carried out in partnership with Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth at
Cardiff University and Dr Lina Mtwana Nordlund at Stockholm University,
demonstrates for the first time that seagrasses should be recognised and
managed to maintain and maximise their role in global fisheries
production.
Bumble-BEEHAVE
provides a computer simulation of how colonies will develop and react to
multiple factors including pesticides, parasites and habitat loss.
The
Trust, which has been looking after the islands for 93 years, will step
up monitoring in a bid to help better understand the alarming decline.
A
previously extinct butterfly will fly in its former English stronghold
for the first time in more than 40 years as part of the ambitious
conservation project, Back from the Brink.
Some
6.7 hectares of irreplaceable habitat will be destroyed as a result of
two separate twin-bore tunnels being built between Whitmore and Madeley
in Staffordshire, with six hectares lost at Whitmore Wood alone.
(Image:
Natural England)
Conservationists,
trying to protect the rare black-tailed godwit, teamed up with local
farmers to save the eggs, which were found in poor condition due to
heavy spring downpours.
