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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Major boost for Trust’s marine work –
Scottish Wildlife Trust
The
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s marine conservation work has received a major
boost thanks to the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. A £771,417 grant from
the Foundation will allow the Trust to expand its Living Seas project
over the next five years. Launch event for the North Harris Snorkel Trail © Daryll Brown This support will allow the Trust to continue and increase its
advocacy for a healthier marine environment and establish a hub of
excellence for marine community engagement in Ullapool – building on
work in the North West Highlands started in 2015, which included the
development of Scotland’s first-ever snorkel trail and an innovative
remote litter station. Living Seas Communities Manager Noel Hawkins said: “Initiatives like
our North West Highlands Snorkel trail and the litter station at Dun
Canna have generated interest from coastal communities all around
Scotland’s coastline.
Seeds of success as agri-environment scheme benefits bird species on NI
farms – RSPB Three key farmland bird species increased in number over a five-year period in response to an agri-environment scheme (AES), according to a study by the RSPB. Yellowhammer photo (C) Alan Bates
Greater species diversity boosts meadows’ resistance to parasitic
invaders, university ecologists find –
Manchester Metropolitan University Research findings may influence land management policy of grasslands
Yellow
rattles from the Manchester Metropolitan University study into genetic
and species diversity in plants (Manchester Metropolitan University) Grasslands enjoying a wider biodiversity have more resilience against
parasitic plants, university researchers have found, in a study that
could have important ramifications for active land management and
conservation. The Manchester Metropolitan University-led team explored how the
survival and spread of the common parasite yellow rattle (Rhinanthus
minor) was affected by the species diversity of its host plants - a
controlled mix of grasses, legumes and forbs reflecting those typically
found in Britain’s hay meadows – and by genetic diversity among the
yellow rattle plants themselves. The study, co-authored by lead academic Dr Jennifer Rowntree, Senior
Lecturer in Ecological Genetics and Applied Conservation at Manchester
Metropolitan University, and PhD student Hayley Craig of the University
of Manchester, was published online today (Tuesday 21 August) in
the Journal of Ecology. Its findings may influence how landowners, conservationists and
farmers manage their grasslands to promote parasitic plants, which leads
to greater biodiversity in the long term, or reduce or eliminate them,
according to land management needs. Access the paper
Research identifies all the different ways the sea supports human
wellbeing - University of Liverpool A study led by the University of Liverpool that catalogued all of the
links between marine biodiversity and the different ways we rely on the
sea found more than 30 ways it supports well-being including providing a
source of nutrition, supplying raw materials and supporting recreational
activities. A team of researchers explored the different ways that European seas
including North East Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic
Sea and the Black Sea support and link to human wellbeing. It is known that marine biodiversity supports human wellbeing in many
ways and that people benefit from links between the flora and fauna of
the sea and the ‘ecosystem services’. However, such an extensive
catalogue of the links between marine ecosystems and human wellbeing has
not previously existed. The study found 31 different ecosystem services including providing a
source of nutrition through supply of seafood, providing raw materials,
for example marine plants used in cosmetics, producing oxygen (the sea
is estimated to produce half of the oxygen we breathe), providing
natural flood defences and also providing opportunities for recreation,
artistic inspiration and enhancement of spiritual wellbeing. Some of these, like seafood, have significant economic value and
others enrich our lives in other essential and non-essential ways. Read the paper: ‘Linking marine
ecosystems with the services they supply: what are the relevant service
providing units?’ is published in the journal Ecological Applications
and can be found
here.
Study reveals 'intriguing' data on popular bird
- The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Breeding woodcock are more common in larger, better connected and
more varied woodland areas in Britain, a new study has shown. Researchers looking to understand how management could affect
woodcock breeding success have discovered that a mixture of different
tree types create an ideal environment for the much-loved wading bird.
Habitat
correlates of Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola abundance in
a declining resident population is a new paper that compares a wide range
of different woodland sites across the UK with relation to the number of
breeding woodcock present. GWCT PhD student Chris Heward tagging a
woodcock (image: GWCT) Birch trees formed a key part of much of their preferred habitat,
possibly because their dense trunks create safe feeding ground and their
leaf litter support more earthworms on which woodcock can feed. The
combination of mixed woodland, interspersed with open spaces, provides a
variety of habitats for the various stages of the breeding season. This
information could help to inform future woodland management advice.
Hundreds of volunteers visited pre-selected woodland sites across the UK
and recorded ’roding’ woodcock at dusk during May and June – the period
when this unique display behaviour is at its peak. Access the paper here
Record-breaking year for UK’s rarest seabird
- RSPB The UK’s rarest breeding seabird, the roseate tern, has enjoyed its
most successful nesting season in the last 40 years on RSPB Coquet
Island with 118 pairs raising chicks at the Northumberland site. This beats the previous joint record of 111 pairs in 2015 and 2017
and tells the story of saving the species from a brink of extinction. Roseate terns were once widespread with breeding colonies in each of
the four UK countries. However, their population crashed a staggering
80% in the 1970s, when only 16 pairs were left on Coquet Island.
Currently, this small island, off the Northumberland coast, is their
only regular UK breeding colony. This breeding success at RSPB Coquet Island is owed to a programme of
ongoing conservation work over the past 18 years on the island, aimed at
reversing the fortunes of the threatened seabird. Roseate terns (affectionately known as rosys) have elegant tail
streamers and handsome, light, rose-coloured breast feathers. Unlike other tern species, which nest in the open, roseate terns
prefer to nest in crevices and small holes. For this reason, the RSPB
introduced nest boxes on specially created shingle terraces in 2000 when
the breeding population was only 34 pairs. This improved the birds’
chances of nesting and raising chicks by providing shelter against
predators and bad weather. The conservation efforts have been given a boost over the past three
years through the EU-funded Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project. This
initiative has provided over 200 new nest boxes, as well as a special
hide, which enables wardens on the island to protect and monitor the
nests.
£900k awarded to engage young people with heritage parks
- Groundwork Leading community, greenspace and youth charities, Groundwork, Fields
in Trust and National Youth Agency, have today launched
'Future
Proof Parks', a £900k National Lottery-funded programme that will
engage friends of park groups with young people in an innovative bid to
protect heritage parks. Future Proof Parks will engage 880 young people across the UK in the
West Midlands, East of England, West of England, North West and North
East, to learn more about their local historic park heritage, encourage
young people to join their local friends of park groups and volunteer to
preserve the local spaces that matter to the communities they live in. The programme will work with 60 friends of park groups to give them
informal youth work skills to engage and work with young people, in
order to share ideas and combine the talents of established friends of
park groups, with the passion and skills of young volunteers. The three-year programme has been awarded funding through the
Heritage Lottery Fund’s Kick the Dust programme, which aims to enable
more young people to be involved in the UK’s heritage.
National Park seeks seed collectors for major tree project
- North York Moors National Park The North York Moors National Park Authority is looking to recruit a
team of volunteer seed gatherers to help build a collection of native
seeds from ancient woodlands and veteran trees. The project will see up
to 40,000 seeds collected from species including oak, hazel, holly,
juniper and rowan. Following collection, the seeds will be grown on by
local nurseries, and then used in future woodland creation projects in
the National Park. Evidence shows that the North York Moors was almost entirely covered
in woodland before humans started clearing them; now, only 4% of the
area is woodland of ancient origin. The planting of new woodland
habitats is a key element of the National Park Authority’s conservation
efforts. However, sourcing seeds of local provenance - those that are
genetically similar to the native trees of the local area - is extremely
challenging. Alasdair Fagan, Woodland Creation Officer at the North York Moors
National Park Authority, explains the importance of provenance:
“Planting seedlings of local provenance has long been encouraged, as it
is generally believed that these trees will be genetically adapted to
best cope with local climate, pests and diseases. In particular, we are
interested in collecting as many seeds as possible from ancient and
veteran trees, sometimes aged up to 400 years old, as the genetic makeup
of these trees has clearly allowed them to withstand the test of time.
Having said that, the threat of climate change means that planting for
current local conditions may no longer be the best approach, not if we
wish to maximise the chances of these trees living for 100 years plus.
We are therefore aiming to plant all our new woodlands with a healthy
mix of local provenance trees, along with trees from other areas of the
UK, particularly further south.”
Nuthatches arrive at Loch of the Lowes -
Scottish Wildlife Trust A small woodland bird which is spreading northwards through the UK
has been recorded at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve near Dunkeld for
the first time.
Nuthatch
at Loch of the Lowes (photo: Marion Moore via Scottish Wildlife Trust) Nuthatches were first recorded in Scotland in 1989 and they are
gradually increasing their range northwards. This spring a nesting pair
was recorded in Inverness-shire. Their spread is believed to be a result
of climate change. Paul Anderson, Assistant Ranger at Loch of the Lowes said: “We
regularly see climbing birds including tree creepers and greater spotted
woodpeckers at the reserve but these colourful new arrivals have been
causing quite a stir at our viewing window. The nuthatch has been
increasing its range north for decades. We were aware that they had been
seen relatively close by at Killiekrankie in recent years so it was
really just a matter of time until we started to see them at Loch of the
Lowes and it is a delight to have our first pair. However, while it’s
great to have another colourful and interesting bird to show visitors we
are conscious that their presence here is likely down to climate change,
something which could have other less welcome effects on our native
wildlife as temperatures increase.”
Home to roost: largest hibernation of pipistrelle bats recorded at
Seaton Delaval Hall - Bat Conservation Trust
The largest common pipistrelle bat winter roost in the UK has been
found at Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland, revealing previously
unknown information about the bats’ hibernation habits. Sixty-one pipistrelle bats were recorded in stone crevices and in the
arches of a balcony at the hall earlier this year.
Common
Pipistrelle bat (image: Chris Damant / National Trust Images via BCT) Significantly, the discovery also turns on its head ecologists’ long
held belief that the pipistrelle prefers to hibernate in very dark, damp
conditions, with these bats found hanging out in a dry, arid, relatively
well-lit area of this grand 18th Century building. The discovery comes following a £3.7million award from the National
Lottery to repair and conserve the 18th-century Hall. The National Trust
commissioned an ecological survey ahead of the work starting in
November. Tina Wiffen, bat ecologist said: “We discovered the bats when we were
undertaking an ecological survey to assess the possibility of
introducing new art and visitor information installations into the
Central Hall of the building – a project being supported by the Heritage
Lottery Fund. On finding the bats, we conducted a formal survey and at
least 61 bats were counted in early March – with more visits then needed
for verification. It’s likely that even more bats are here, hidden in
deeper crevices. As a result the site will now be even more closely
managed and monitored to ensure that the bats can continue to use the
hall as their winter roost.”
The first test for the National Planning Policy Framework
- Woodland Trust blog By Victoria Bankes Price, Planning Advisor The Government's revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is
already making big waves. Published in July, it puts the protection of
ancient woodland and ancient and veteran trees in England on par with
the best of our built heritage. Damage or destruction is now only
permitted in ‘wholly exceptional’ circumstances. But while this has
already resulted in rejected applications, other cases might be more of
a challenge. Councils are already turning down applications where no wholly
exceptional reasons justify the loss of ancient woods and trees. For
example, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council has refused an
application for the erection of a detached dwelling and associated
works. It stated that ‘the application site falls within…an area of
ancient semi-natural woodland…there are no wholly exceptional reasons
for such loss in this instance. The development is therefore contrary to
Section 15 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2018).’ It's great to see local planning authorities using the NPPF. But some
applications are more complicated. Maidstone Borough Council is
wrangling with one such application.
Scientific Publication Pessarrodona A, Foggo A, Smale DA.
Can ecosystem functioning be maintained despite climate driven shifts in
species composition? Insights from novel marine forests. J Ecol.
2018;00:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13053 |
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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. |