|
|
|
||||||
|
Headlines from week beginning 25 June 2018 |
|
A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Rural communities left behind by LEPs - CPRE Survey shows Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) neglect rural
areas, have a negative impact on the countryside, and need to reach out
more to the public
Image:
CPRE CPRE asked its local groups about LEP activity regarding issues
affecting rural communities and the countryside. These business-led
partnerships between the private and public sector are designed to
support and promote growth in their areas. However, the research found
that LEPs may be entrenching inequalities within and between English
regions rather than removing them, with investment three times more
likely in an already economically buoyant area than one in social need. The results demonstrate that many LEPs are failing rural communities
by ignoring their economic potential, as well as social and
environmental needs. Despite having a key responsibility in
administering the Rural Development Programme for England, only 21% of
LEPs featured in the survey were perceived as aiding the development of
affordable rural housing and just 14% work to address or improve rural
transport. This lack of housing and infrastructure for those who work
for and support rural businesses could hinder the growth of those
economies. The absence of investment in rural economies, which provide 13% of
England’s employment, exacerbates issues facing much of the country,
such as the need for more regeneration, housing, sustainable transport,
broadband connectivity and support for new entrants into farming. It
contributes to a growing inequality, which leaves many rural areas
behind economically and socially.
€8.3m boost to protect precious peatlands and wetlands in Ireland and
Scotland - Ulster Wildlife Trust An €8.3m EU funded environmental project, which will help to restore
natural habitats and protect endangered species across a range of
project sites throughout Northern Ireland, Ireland and Scotland is now
underway. Ulster Wildlife is one of the partners in the new
Collaborative Action for the Natura Network (CANN), which is funded by
the EU‟s INTERREG VA Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes
Body.
The launch event was held in Co. Monaghan on Tuesday 12 June, and was attended by representatives from the project's major funding bodies and partners. The CANN Project Team, a team of leading scientists, researchers,
local authorities, charities and community organisations, is led by
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. Ulster Wildlife is one of the
CANN partner organisations who will carry out actions to help improve
the condition of valuable habitats, to help protect vital species, and
to work with local people and communities to manage these unique
peatland and wetland landscapes and iconic species. Welcoming the funding, Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU
Programmes Body, which manages the INTERREG VA Programme said: “The EU
is committed to the protection of our shared natural environment across
Europe as demonstrated through its Birds and Habitats Directives. Under
the current INTERREG VA Programme approximately €84 million has been
allocated to support a wide-range of cross-border environmental
protection projects. This project, CANN will serve to further this
European environmental policy by improving the conservation status of
3,150 hectares of natural habitats found across Northern Ireland, the
Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.” Overall, the project will focus on seven protected habitats, as well
as seven priority species including birds such as the hen harrier,
golden plover and red grouse, insects such as the marsh fritillary
butterfly, and freshwater species such as white-clawed crayfish.
HS2 launches plans for unprecedented ‘green corridor’ stretching
alongside the railway - High Speed 2 (HS2)
Ltd
Animation depicting a green bridge along the HS2 route (HS2) The scale of planned works will be largest ever undertaken by an
infrastructure project in the UK, with a network of environmental
projects stretching from London to the North of England. Along the Phase One route, which covers 216km from London to the West
Midlands, the green corridor will encompass:
Work on the pioneering initiative is expected to set new standards
for how Britain and the rest of Europe builds the next generation of
major infrastructure projects. Responses:
Our response to HS2 Ltd's plans for a 'green corridor' stretching
alongside the railway – National Trust
HS2 green corridor nothing more than greenwash nonsense
– Woodland Trust
UK urban forest can store as much carbon as tropical rainforests
– University College London
Large
Tree, Highgate Cemetery (Credit: UCL) Protecting and planting urban forests is central to building liveable
and sustainable cities in a future where global populations are set to
become increasingly urbanised. This research sheds new light on the
value of urban trees for their potential to store carbon and mitigate
climate change. The new study, published in Carbon Balance and Management, used
publicly-available airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data
collected by the UK Environment Agency, combined with ground-based LiDAR
measurements, to generate a map of carbon stored in an estimated 85,000
trees across the London Borough of Camden. The UCL team found that areas such as Hampstead Heath store up to 178
tonnes of carbon per ha, in comparison to the median value for tropical
rainforests of 190 tonnes of carbon per ha. More evidence to push for your Council to
quantify the benefits of urban trees using i-Tree Eco. Find out more in
the Forest Research article in May’s CJS Focus on Greenspace at
https://c-js.co.uk/2J9eFaL
Government sets out next steps for Heathrow expansion
– Department for Transport MPs decisively backed plans for a new north-west runway at the
airport – in a significant move for a global Britain. In the House of Commons last night, MPs voted in favour of the
Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) by 415 votes to 119. Construction on a third runway at Heathrow could start within 3 years
following the historic vote in Parliament yesterday. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (26 June 2018) formally
designated the Airports NPS,
paving the way for Heathrow to now submit a formal planning application. It triggers the next step in a process that could see building work
start in 2021 and the runway operational by 2026. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “This marks a critical step
towards ensuring future generations have the international connections
we need, as well as strengthening the links between all parts of
the UK and our global hub. I have always been clear that this issue goes
beyond party politics, and this result demonstrates the clear desire to
get on with delivering this vital scheme. There is still much to be
done, including defending this decision against the potential legal
challenges, but we are absolutely committed to working closely with
local communities and ensuring Heathrow stick to their promises on
addressing the local and environmental impacts of expansion.”
More woodland management needed to help save dormice
– University of Exeter Managing woodlands to a greater extent could help stop the decline of
Britain’s dormice, new research suggests.
Dormouse numbers are falling in Britain – down
by 72% in just over 20 years – and the scientists say this could
reflect changes in climate and the composition and structure of woodland
habitats. The findings, from two new studies led by the University of Exeter,
show dormice favour woodland with varied heights and areas of regrowth,
including species such as hazel and yew that provide the flowers, fruits
and nuts they enjoy. The researchers call for a return to active woodland management,
which can include coppicing, glade creation and small-scale tree
felling, to create a “mosaic” of trees of different ages and sizes,
especially areas of new growth and medium-height trees. Dormouse numbers are higher in woodlands with more varied tree
heights and scrubby areas, and they prefer to use areas of woodland
edge, and dense trees and shrubs, when they move around at night.
Habitats that we found to be good for dormice have been in decline,”
said lead author Dr
Cecily Goodwin, of the Environment
and Sustainability Institute on the University of Exeter’s Penryn
Campus in Cornwall. Professor Robbie McDonald, who directed the research, said ““There
has been a decline of woodland management that creates diverse forests,
and an increase in large stands of mature, single-age trees, which are
not such good habitats for dormice or various other declining woodland
species, such as some birds and butterflies.”
Raising the bar: improving nature in National Parks
– Campaign for National Parks
Wildlife is a critical part of the beauty of the National Parks and
the purposes for which the sites are designated. However the report
highlights that the condition of nature in our National Parks is not
good enough. Nearly 75% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
in the English National Parks are in an ‘unfavourable condition’. This
compares to 61.3% of the total SSSIs in England. (image: Campaign for National Parks) In England’s National Parks 88.5% of SSSIs in the North York Moors,
84.7% in Exmoor and 83.9% of the Peak District’s SSSIs are in an
unfavourable condition. And wildlife continues to decline across Wales. Television presenter, naturalist and vice president of Campaign for
National Parks, Iolo Williams said: “The status quo isn’t good enough.
National Parks need to urgently pull their socks up and turn around the
unacceptable loss of nature from the Parks. National Parks are important for wildlife. 56% of the New Forest
National Park is designated of international value for nature
conservation, for example, and Snowdonia National Park contains 107
SSSIs, covering around 30% of the Park. But if we are to buck the
national trends of wildlife decline, they could and should be doing
better. Many species found in the 13 National Parks, including red squirrels,
curlew and heath fritillary butterflies, are struggling for survival in
England and Wales. The report recommends that the Westminster and Welsh Governments work
with the National Park Authorities to pilot a fundamentally different
approach to nature conservation. Such a change would move away from the
intense protection and management of individual sites for specific
species and instead focus on a landscape scale approach that prioritises
the re-establishment of natural, ecological processes.
The 2017 Polli:Nation results are in!
- OPAL Scientists at Butterfly Conservation and the wider Polli:Nation team
have been busy little bees working hard to analyse and interpret the
results that you collected from the first two years of the Polli:Nation
Survey. The main finding is that small changes that you have made to your
local outdoor spaces have had a significant positive impact on
pollinators! Check out the full
report and/or the highlight
document where you can discover which school topped the charts,
whether honeybees remain the most frequently recorded pollinator and how
you can help with next steps.
Bring back the colour to East Ridings’ roads
– RSPB The RSPB wants to bring back the colour to the roadsides of East
Riding by returning verges to their former glory. Road verges in the UK are home to around 700 species of wildflower,
many of which are important for a range of birds and insects. But poor
management of verges in recent years means that many of these flowers
are vanishing, together with much of the wildlife that depends on them. In East Riding, a lot of the verges are designated as nature reserves
and East Riding of Yorkshire County Council (ERYCC) managed them
specifically for the benefit of plants and wildlife. However, this has
largely stopped in recent years owing to funding cuts. RSPB volunteers Gayna Wallis and Gill Reid surveyed 22 miles (35km)
of verges in East Riding and found that a lot of them were in poor
condition. This was either the result of too much cutting, which has
prevented plants from flowering and setting seed or not enough cutting,
which has resulted in the dominance of only a few species like cow
parsley. The pair did find some verges with a good variety of plants such as
orchids, cranesbills and lady’s bedstraw but these still need to be
cared for in a different way to secure their long-term future.
Apply the lessons of the past decade, or risk a poor deal for the public
in the next - Committee on Climate Change Ten years after the Climate Change Act came into force, the Committee
on Climate Change (CCC) says the Government must learn the lessons of
the last decade if it is to meet legally-binding targets to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions in the 2020s and 2030s. Unless action is taken
now, the public faces an unnecessarily expensive deal to make the shift
to a low-carbon economy. Scientific evidence of a changing climate continues to mount. Recent
observations have catalogued evolving changes to the climate in the UK
and around the world, highlighting the urgent need for further measures
to reduce harmful emissions. Overall, UK emissions are down 43% compared to the 1990 baseline
while the economy has grown significantly over the same period. Since 2008, the UK has seen a rapid reduction in emissions in the
electricity sector, but this achievement masks a marked failure to
decarbonise other sectors, including transport, agriculture and
buildings. In the last five years, emissions reductions in these areas
have stalled. As a result, the UK is not on course to meet the fourth
(2023-2027) or fifth (2028-2032) carbon budgets. Nor will it be on
course unless risks to the delivery of existing policies are reduced
significantly and until Government brings forward effective new policies
to deliver commitments beyond the achievements in electricity generation
and waste. Read the report ‘Reducing UK emissions – 2018 Progress Report to Parliament’ Reaction:
Govt action to cut carbon slammed as climate advisor warns of missed
targets - Friends of the Earth Delaying action to slash emissions will increase human and financial
costs Government plans for slashing carbon emissions have been slammed
today by Friends of the Earth after the Committee on Climate Change
(CCC) warned that the UK isn’t on course for meeting its climate
targets. Reacting to today’s report Oliver Hayes, climate campaigner at
Friends of the Earth, said: “This report highlights the government’s
dangerously inadequate approach to tackling climate change. Confirmation
that the UK is off course for meeting its climate targets makes this
week’s decisions to expand Heathrow and scrap the tidal lagoon at
Swansea Bay even less justifiable. Lives and livelihoods are already
being lost due to devastating climate breakdown. The climate committee
is clear that urgent action is not only essential, but also low-cost.
Delaying action will increase the human and financial costs for
everyone. There are huge opportunities here, but the government is
dropping the ball.”
Mammals on Roads 2018 - People's Trust for
Endangered Species
This summer we are calling on the public to record sightings of
mammals, dead or alive, whilst driving along Britain’s road network as
part of our Mammals on Roads 2018 survey. The information will help to
spot changing trends in populations and identify where conservation
action is needed most. Mammals on roads 2018 photo credit: Emily Jones According to a recent report by the Mammal Society, compiled with our
help, one in five wild mammal species in Britain is at risk of
extinction. But getting an idea of the size of populations and how
numbers are changing remains difficult. David Wembridge, our Surveys Officer explains: “At the moment, a lot
of what we know is still a ‘best guess’ and what we really need are good
records of mammals and of all sorts of species, more generally. Better
estimates of numbers will help us understand our wildlife and the
‘natural health’ of the nation.” This year, the survey runs from Sunday 1st July through to Sunday
30th September and participants in this citizen science project can take
part either online or via an app on a smart phone or tablet.
Wildlife devastated in moorland inferno -
Lancashire Wildlife Trust The huge fire that is ravaging Saddleworth Moor will have dire
consequences for wildlife and will mean major habitat work in future
years. Burning peat by Alan Wright Director of Conservation at the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire,
Manchester and North Merseyside Tim Mitcham said: “The heat generated by
the fires is devastating to the fragile upland moorland. Only the most
mobile of animals escape and of course we are in peak breeding period
for many - from curlew to ant. These animals are on the moors because
they like the conditions they find there and ultimately depend upon the
plants, many species depend upon specialist moorland plants like
cotton-grass and heather. It will have devastating consequences on birds
like the curlew which are feeding chicks at the moment. Meadow pipit
also nest in tussocks of grass, nests and chicks will not have survived
a fire like this. Mammals like the field vole will have perished. They
will try to dig deep into the ground to escape the fire but then they
will be starved of oxygen. This means predators like short-eared owl,
kestrel and merlin will have no food on the burned-out moorland.” Campaigns Manager Alan Wright said: “These fires have devastating
consequences on our moorland wildlife. The moors are a brilliant
wilderness for wildlife to flourish and for millions of people to enjoy.
“If this fire was started by arsonists or just the selfish, clumsy
actions of a couple of people then they will have caused damage that
will affect our region for years to come. People know that the hot, dry
summer will leave the moors vulnerable to fire, but they should think
about the damage they are causing by their actions, whether deliberate
or not. We are asking visitors to the moors, and other vulnerable areas,
to take care and think of the wildlife.”
NSA warns of link between upland rewilding and devastating wildfires
- National Sheep Association With devastating scenes of wildfires raging over Saddleworth Moor
across the news this week the National Sheep Association (NSA) is
warning of the increased risk of similar disasters if proposals to
rewild many of the UK’s upland areas are pursued. Combined risk factors of predicted climate change and weather
patterns with removal of grazing animals that have in the past protected
uplands from out of control fires by creating natural firebreaks could
mean the fires causing distress amongst people living and working in the
area could become more widespread. NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker comments: “Wildfires are becoming
more common across the UK, in part due to a loss of grazing animals and
an increase in high volumes of dry vegetation. The result is causing
immense environmental damage including the loss of peat and release of
carbon into the atmosphere, the destruction of mammals and young birds,
the potential loss of domesticated livestock and of course, a risk to
human health. The grazed nature of most of our uplands has, in the past,
protected us from out of control fires, meaning that when fires occur as
they inevitably will, they are short lived and relatively easy to get
under control. This is a practical example of how sheep farming has an
integral relationship with our planet and connects our landscape, our
people and our wildlife and environment through natural and traditional
land management whilst also producing food and fibre from plants and
regions that would not otherwise feed and clothe us.”
North York Moors on fire alert - NYMNPA
Staff from the Authority have been putting fire risk warning signs up
on moorland sites this week, advising people how they can help to reduce
the risk. The signs will remain in place until the fire risk passes. The key message from the Park’s Rangers is to enjoy the Park but
please be extra careful. The sunny weather is set to continue over the weekend and this,
coupled with a lack of rain and very dry ground vegetation such as
heather and bracken, has prompted the decision by the Authority to put
the North York Moors on fire alert. There are similar alerts being issued across
the country
Operation FireWatch underway in the Peak District National Park
Dry weather sparks fire concern in Yorkshire Dales National Park
Fire in the Open Norwood (Harrogate) - North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Sparks from bullets start grassland blazes at Otterburn firing range in
Northumberland - Ministry of Defence on
SkyNews
Heathland area the size of 70 football pitches conserved
- South Downs National Park Authority
Heathland conservation includes scrub removal and creating patches of
bare ground needed by many rare amphibians and reptiles found on the
heath. Without conservation management heathlands would disappear along
with the internationally rare species that rely on them. The 50 ha of heathland includes:
Other successes during the year included:
The only way is pup for first-ever Thames seal breeding survey
- Zoological Society of London Marine biologists will be keeping their eyes peeled for new arrivals
as the first-ever survey of seal pups in the Thames Estuary ‘swims’ into
action via sea, land and air this coming weekend. Led by international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of
London), this year’s study – running from 1-4 July – will for the first
time count seal pup numbers in key colonies along the Kent and Essex
coasts, shedding further light on the importance of this critical
habitat for the UK’s native harbour seals (Phoca vitulina).
Commenting on this year’s Thames seal survey, ZSL conservation
biologist Thea Cox said: “The outer Thames Estuary has long been known
as an important habitat for adult harbour seals – now, our first survey
specifically of pupping in the outer Thames Estuary will hopefully also
show how vital this habitat is as a breeding habitat for these
charismatic marine mammals. Last year, we estimated populations of 1,104
harbour seals and 2,406 grey seals across the Estuary – an increase of
14% and 19% respectively against 2016’s figures. These positive findings
support the idea that today’s Thames is not the same polluted,
biologically dead ‘open sewer’ it was in the 1950s, but is in fact
thriving with wildlife once again. There’s still a lot of work to do,
however, so launching our first-ever pupping count this year should
yield further invaluable evidence to support the ongoing renaissance of
London’s river as a living, breathing ecosystem.”
Take part in more citizen science projects and
report your sightings,
find out
more here.
Marine protected areas often expensive and misplaced
- University of Queensland Many marine protected areas are often unnecessarily expensive and
located in the wrong places, an international study has shown. The University of Queensland was part of research which found
protected areas missed many unique ecosystems, and have a greater impact
on fisheries than necessary.
Kelp forest (image: Oliver Dodd, via University of Queensland) UQ’s School of Biological Sciences researcher Professor Hugh
Possingham said international marine preservation targets are falling
short. “International conservation targets such as the
United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals call for protection of
at least 10 per cent of all the world’s oceans and all marine
ecosystems,” he said. “Despite a tenfold increase in marine protected
areas since the year 2000 – a growth of 21 million square kilometres –
half of all marine ecosystems still fall short of the target, with 10
ecosystems entirely unprotected.”
2018 Park Protector Award searches for its' next winner!
- Campaign for National Parks Projects contributing to our beautiful National Parks could receive a
£2,000 boost in recognition of their work thanks to the Campaign for
National Parks’ Park Protector Award. The Award, sponsored by Ramblers Holidays Charitable Trust,
celebrates the work being done to protect and improve National Parks
across England and Wales with the winner receiving a £2,000 bursary and
a runner up receiving £500. Nominations are being invited until Tuesday 31 July. Nominated
projects must be seeking to conserve or enhance the biodiversity or a
heritage site, improve access to the Parks, or protect an area in a
National Park. Fiona Howie, chief executive of Campaign for National Parks, said:
“The Park Protector Award is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate
amazing projects happening across the English and Welsh National Parks.
The Ramblers Holiday Charitable Trust and Campaign for National Parks
urge you to submit a nomination if you know of or are involved in a
project doing important work.” Click here for application form
Scientific Publications Reif J, Vermouzek Z.
Collapse of farmland bird populations in an Eastern European country
following its EU accession. Conservation Letters. 2018;e12585. doi:
10.1111/conl.12585
Bianchi, C. N. et al (2018)
The park never born: Outcome of a quarter of a century of inaction on
the sea - floor integrity of a proposed but not established Marine
Protected Area. Aquatic Conservation. doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2918
Denerley, C. , Redpath, S. M., Wal, R. , Newson, S. E., Chapman, J. W. and Wilson, J. D. (2018), Breeding ground correlates of the distribution and decline of the Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus at two spatial scales. Ibis. . doi:10.1111/ibi.12612
Isaac, N. J., et al (2018),
Defining and delivering resilient ecological networks: nature
conservation in England. J Appl Ecol. Accepted Author Manuscript. .
doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13196 Ash E. Samuelson, Richard J. Gill, Mark J. F. Brown, Ellouise
Leadbeater
Lower bumblebee colony reproductive success in agricultural compared
with urban environments Proc. R. Soc. B 2018 285
20180807; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0807. Nathan R. Senner, Maria Stager, Mo A. Verhoeven, Zachary A.
Cheviron, Theunis Piersma, Willem Bouten
High-altitude shorebird migration in the absence of topographical
barriers: avoiding high air temperatures and searching for profitable
winds Proc. R. Soc. B 2018 285
20180569; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0569.
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
A survey published today (Monday 25 June) by the Campaign to Protect
Rural England (CPRE) shows that Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are
perceived, by almost two-thirds (60%) of respondents, as having a
negative impact on issues affecting the countryside. 
Curran
Bog, near Bellaghy – a raised bog being targeted through CANN (Ulster
Wildlife Trust)
HS2
set out plans to deliver a ‘green corridor’ consisting of new wildlife
habitats, native woodlands and community spaces to help integrate the
new line into its surrounding landscape and environment.
Pockets of urban forest can contain as much carbon as tropical
rainforests, according to new research led by UCL. 
More
woodland management needed to help save dormice (Photo credit Pat
Morris)
A
new report by Campaign for National Parks, published today, calls for a
fundamentally new approach to nature conservation in our National
Parks. Raising the bar: improving nature in our National Parks argues
that a change is urgently needed to enable the Parks to halt, and
reverse the loss in wildlife seen across England and Wales.
The
drive to survey Britain’s mammals: roadkill sightings can help
conservation efforts
It
is not the only fire that we have had this year, there have been
problems at Rivington and over the past decade Heysham Moss has been a
target for arsonists.
Dry conditions over recent weeks have forced the North York Moors
National Park Authority to announce a fire alert.
An
area of heathland the size of 70 football pitches (50 ha) has been
conserved over the past year through the Heathlands Reunited project –
a partnership of 11 organisations in the South Downs National Park
working together to create bigger, better, more joined up heathlands.
The five-year project which started in 2016 covers 34 heathland sites
and is supported by a £1.44 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
A
seal from the 2018 seal survey (image: ZSL)
A
collaboration with the University of Hamburg, Wildlife Conservation
Society and The Nature Conservancy assessed the efficiency of marine
protected areas, which now cover 16 per cent of national waters around
the world.
