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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
WWF and Sky launch Wasteshark – WWF Today (Monday 4 March) we are launching the UK’s first WasteShark, in
collaboration with our partner Sky Ocean Rescue. WasteShark is a marine
robot, designed to help clean up our seas!
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WWF WWF and Sky Ocean Rescue have launched an autonomous marine robot in
north Devon to help clear Ilfracombe harbour of waste. The
WasteShark® will be roaming through distances of up to 5km of water,
capturing plastics, microplastics, oils and other pollutants. If used
five days a week the WasteShark can collect in excess of 15 tonnes of
waste a year, with the plastic recycled to make products. This is the first time that a WasteShark has been used in the UK,
following successful launches in five countries. The WasteShark, which
is created by RanMarine Technology, is the world’s first marine robot
designed specifically to eat waste and collect data. It is designed to
be harmonious with the environment. As it navigates the water the
WasteShark emits no carbon, produces no noise or light pollution, and
poses no threat to wildlife.
National Park’s Young Naturalists Graduate –
Northumberland National Park Authority A group of environmentally-minded teenagers from Hexham and Morpeth
are celebrating after completing a special outdoor education scheme led
by Northumberland National Park Authority and receiving the prestigious
John Muir Explorer Award.
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Northumberland National Park Authority The group of eight students, seven from King Edward VI High School in
Morpeth and one from Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, are aged
between 13 and 15 years old. They have each achieved the nationally acclaimed John Muir Explorer
Award after completing Northumberland National Park’s Ranger-led New
Naturalist Education Programme. The programme is designed to give youngsters with a passion for
nature and the environment an opportunity to learn new skills and gain a
valuable insight into pursuing a career in the environmental or
countryside sectors. Using different sites throughout the National Park, the group
attended 10 sessions over a six month period involving different aspects
of natural history from mammals, invertebrates and wildflowers to
ancient trees, fungi and river life. Describing her time on the programme, Georgia Gorbould, a year 11 student at King Edward VI High School in Morpeth, said: “I have always had an interest in wildlife, both close and far from home. I decided to sign up after seeing it advertised. It was one of the best experiences of my life. From plants, to birds, to lichens and wax caps, to moths and spiders, I enjoyed every last minute."
‘A gift from the city to itself’ – study creates a blueprint for city
marine parks – University of Plymouth Experts in maritime law, marine ecology, marine policy, social
science and ecological economics led new research Coastal cities are among the fastest growing population centres on
the planet and half of the global population now lives within 100km of
the coast. One potential solution is to create a city marine park, connecting
urban areas on the coast and their people with the reciprocal benefits
the marine environment can offer. Plymouth is currently going through this process with city officials
having committed to designating the seas around Plymouth as the UK’s
first National Marine Park. Now researchers from the University of Plymouth, writing in Marine
Policy, have detailed how other cities – in both developed and
developing countries across the world – can follow in its footsteps. The study has been led by experts in maritime law, marine ecology,
marine policy, social science and ecological economics from the
University’s Marine and Coastal Policy Research Unit. It proposes a collaborative approach that would see communities taking the lead in creating initiatives that help people harness and promote the benefits of their unique marine environment. The full study – Pittman et al:
Marine Parks for
Coastal Cities: A concept for enhanced community well-being, prosperity
and sustainable city living – is published in Marine Policy,
doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2019.02.012.
Marine heatwaves threaten global biodiversity
– Marine Biological Association Extreme weather events occur in the oceans as well as the atmosphere.
Marine heatwaves – periods of anomalously high temperatures – are
increasing in frequency, with 54% more heatwave days per year from
1987–2016, than from 1925–1954, yet their impacts on species and
ecosystems are poorly known. A paper published online this week in Nature Climate Change is the
first to quantify and contrast the magnitude and impacts of several
prominent marine heatwaves using the same methods and metrics. In doing
so, the researchers show that marine heatwaves have negative effects on
a broad range of marine organisms, with major socioeconomic and
political ramifications. The study, led by Dr Dan Smale of the Marine Biological Association
(UK) and involving scientists from 7 different countries representing 19
different institutes, found that marine heatwaves vary in their physical
manifestations, yet all affect key species and alter ecosystem structure
and functioning. The research team used the existing MHW framework to quantify trends
and attributes of MHWs across all ocean basins, and examined their
biological impacts from species to ecosystems. They found that multiple
regions within the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans are particularly
vulnerable to MHW intensification, due to the co-existence of high
levels of biodiversity, a prevalence of species found at their thermal
limit, or concurrent non-climate human impacts. Although the MHWs varied
considerably, all were harmful across a range of biological processes
and organisms, including critical species like corals, seagrasses and
kelps Read the paper: Smale, D. A. et al.
Marine
heatwaves threaten global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem
services. Nature Climate Change (2019)
Plant hedges to combat near-road pollution exposure
- University of Surrey Urban planners should plant hedges, or a combination of trees with
hedges – rather than just relying on roadside trees – if they are to
most effectively reduce pollution exposure from cars in near-road
environments, finds a new study from the University of Surrey. In a paper published in Atmospheric Environment, researchers from
the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) looked at how three
types of road-side green infrastructure – trees, hedges, and a
combination of trees with hedges and shrubs – affected the concentration
levels of air pollution. The study used six roadside locations in
Guildford, UK, as test sites where the green infrastructure was between
one to two metres away from the road. The researchers found that roadsides that only had hedges were the
most effective at reducing pollution exposure, cutting black carbon by
up to 63 percent. Ultrafine and sub-micron particles followed this
reduction trend, with fine particles (less than 2.5 micrometres in
diameter) showing the least reduction among all the measured pollutants.
The maximum reduction in concentrations was observed when the winds were
parallel to the road due to a sweeping effect, followed by winds across
the road. The elemental composition of particles indicated an
appreciable reduction in harmful heavy metals originating from traffic
behind the vegetation. Read the paper: Abhijith, K.V., Kumar,
P., 2019. Field
investigations for evaluating green infrastructure effects on air
quality in open-road conditions. Atmospheric Environment DOI:
10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.12.036
Local greenspaces important for children of all ages and backgrounds
– Natural England New data from Natural England shows how children are engaging with
nature New data published today by Natural England shows the majority of
children and young people are regularly spending time outdoors. Natural England’s Monitoring of Engagement with the Natural
Environment (MENE) report found that 70% of all children in England
under the age of 16, and 64% of young people aged 16-24 are said to be
spending time outside at least once a week. However, there are still
clear inequalities with children living in lower income areas being less
likely to visit the natural environment compared with those living in
areas of higher income. The findings highlight the importance of local greenspaces, including
urban parks, recreation grounds and playgrounds for children’s play and
experience of the natural world. Across all age groups and backgrounds,
local greenspaces provide an important opportunity for children to
experience the natural environment on a regular basis, with these spaces
becoming even more vital for children who are least likely to visit the
natural environment frequently. This is one of the reasons why Natural England is leading a new
cross-government project to review and update standards for green
infrastructure, in addition to working with the Parks Action Group, to
overcome barriers to access, and to ensure England’s public parks and
green spaces meet the needs of communities now and in the future.
Adders are facing near extinction in Britain according to study of
national adder population trends – University
of Reading The adder could all but disappear from the UK countryside by 2032,
according to new research conducted with the help of citizen
scientists. The findings, published in The Herpetological Journal, are the
culmination of 11 years of nationwide monitoring and showed that 90% of
adder populations surveyed were declining. Experts warn that, if these
trends continue, within just 10-20 years adders could be restricted to
just a handful of sites in the UK.
Image:
University of Reading The adder is a conservation priority species in the UK. Although
concern has been growing among reptile experts for decades that our
native adder populations are in decline, this study is the first time
that national adder population trends have been measured, and the data
confirm that our adders are in serious trouble. The data were collected by Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK
(ARG UK) through the ‘Make the Adder Count’ project, a citizen science
survey to monitor adder populations across the UK, which was set up in
2005. Each spring, volunteer surveyors visit their local adder sites to
count the numbers of animals, in order to assess whether populations are
changing. Dr Emma Gardner, a researcher from the University of Reading,
has analysed the first 11 years of monitoring data. “Our analysis shows
that 90% of the sites surveyed have small populations and on average
these small populations are declining.” said Dr Gardner. “When surveyors
visit these sites, they typically record less than 10 adders. Only 10%
of sites have large populations, which seem to be doing ok. If these
trends continue, within 10-20 years, adders will be restricted to just a
few sites in the UK, significantly increasing the extinction risk for
this priority species in Britain.”
East West Rail tries to silence the Woodland Trust – Woodland Trust The Woodland Trust has refused to be gagged by the company behind a
proposed new railway over outrageous efforts to keep key route
information out of the public domain. The charity has repeatedly asked East West Rail (EWR) for detailed
maps of five proposed options for the central section of the railway
linking Oxford to Cambridge as they threaten precious ancient woodland. But EWR has chosen to withhold them unless the Trust signs a
non-disclosure agreement promising not to share the details with its
legion of supporters. Director of conservation and external affairs Abi Bunker said:
“Actively withholding information from a public consultation that they
know may sway opinion is flawed and inappropriate. We have never been
gagged when it comes to standing up for ancient woodland and we are not
about to start now. “EWR’s decision makes a mockery of the planning
process. People cannot understand the impacts and make an informed
decision if they do not have all the facts. “With centuries-old woods
and trees potentially in serious danger, it is simply unacceptable to
hold back important information from a public consultation.” The current consultation, which closes on Monday 11 March, concerns
five route options for the central section of the project, which
stretches between Bedford and Cambridge. The project falls under the
wider umbrella of the Oxford to Cambridge growth arc. 12 areas of ancient woodland, at least six ancient and veteran trees
and five Woodland Trust sites are under threat from the central section
of the project.
Monster Mower - brand new wetland harvester machine arrives in mid Wales
– Natural Resources Wales A project to restore some of Wales’ most important wildlife habitats
has received a boost as conservationists at Natural Resources Wales
(NRW) take delivery of a machine to help restore sites across Wales. Raised bogs are home to rare plants and animals, but have
deteriorated as invasive plants moved in. Now, as part of the EU-funded LIFE project, NRW has taken delivery of
a purpose-built machine to cut back the invasive grasses which choke
native plants in these areas. Weighing 4.5 tonnes and reaching more than 3 metres tall, the machine
will be a prominent part of these sites for the next four years of the
project. But despite its size and weight, the machine can float on the raised
bogs because it has low ground pressure due to the extra wide tracks. It
also carries a range of tools for cutting and harvesting wetland
vegetation, chipping timber and applying herbicide. It will reduce the dominance of purple moor-grass and other invasive
plants and scrub on seven raised bog sites in Wales, including Cors
Caron and Cors Fochno in Ceredigion, and will help to restore the bogs
to favourable condition.
Offshore wind energy revolution to provide a third of all UK electricity
by 2030 - Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry announced today the
launch of the new joint government-industry Offshore Wind Sector Deal.
Clean, green offshore wind is set to power more than 30% of British
electricity by 2030, Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry
announced today (7 March 2018) with the launch of the new joint
government-industry Offshore Wind Sector Deal. This deal will mean for the first time in UK history there will be
more electricity from renewables than fossil fuels, with 70% of British
electricity predicted to be from low carbon sources by 2030 and over £40
billion of infrastructure investment in the UK.
RSPB & The Wildlife Trusts Joint Statement The RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts have welcomed the “Sector Deal”
partnership announced today between the UK Government and the offshore
wind sector. However, they called for more action to reduce
impacts of offshore wind on wildlife. The UK’s offshore wind sector has already achieved astonishing
growth, generating huge quantities of renewable energy. Today’s sector
deal shows no let-up in ambitions, with the sector set to triple in size
by 2030. However, with this unprecedented growth could come
unprecedented risks to marine wildlife. For instance, offshore wind
farms can harm seabirds and marine mammals by displacing animals and
birds from feeding areas or through collisions with turbines. These new
pressures are additional to the widespread and, in some cases, long-term
impacts of human activities in the marine environment. Balancing the
ambitions of the offshore wind sector with the needs of marine wildlife
will be essential if the sector is to be truly successful as a green
industry. The RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts have therefore welcomed the UK
Government and the sector‘s acknowledgement of these issues within the
Deal and the clear commitments to take action to address and overcome
the challenges, particularly the cumulative environmental impacts. We
look forward to a constructive discussion with Government and developers
to deliver positive outcomes for offshore wind and the marine
environment.
Microplastic pollution widespread in British lakes and rivers - new
study -
New
research by Bangor University and Friends of the Earth has found
microplastic pollution in some of Britain’s most iconic and remote
rivers and lakes. Dr Christian Dunn collecting samples in
Ullswater. image: Carlotta Dunn The study, believed to be the first of its kind, looked at ten sites
- including lakes in the Lake District, waterways in the Loch Lomond and
Trossachs National Park, a wetland and Welsh reservoir - and found
microplastics in all of them. Friends of the Earth and Dr Christian Dunn, of Bangor University (who
led the research) say the findings suggest that microplastics should now
be considered as an emergent contaminant - and that routine monitoring
of all UK waters must now take place. Friends of the Earth is also urging MPs to support new legislation,
currently before Parliament, to phase out plastic pollution within 25
years – including an end to non-essential single-use plastic by 2025. Using a fluorescence lighting system, researchers were able to
identify and count microplastic pollutants (less than 5 mm in size) per
litre of water, such as plastic fragments, fibres and film. The preliminary findings revealed microplastic pollution levels
ranging from over a 1,000 pieces of plastic per litre in the river Tame
in Greater Manchester, to 2.4 pieces per litre in Loch Lomond.
Improved regulation needed as pesticides found to affect genes in bees
- Queen Mary University of London
Scientists
are urging for improved regulation on pesticides after finding that they
affect genes in bumblebees, according to research led by Queen Mary
University of London in collaboration with Imperial College London. Bumblebee colony. Credit: TJ Colgan For the first time, researchers applied a biomedically inspired
approach to examine potential changes in the 12,000 genes that make up
bumblebee workers and queens after pesticide exposure. The study, published in Molecular Ecology, shows that genes which may
be involved in a broad range of biological processes are affected. They also found that queens and workers respond differently to
pesticide exposure and that one pesticide they tested had much stronger
effects than the other did. Other recent studies, including previous work by the authors, have
revealed that exposure even to low doses of these neurotoxic pesticides
is detrimental to colony function and survival as it impairs bee
behaviours including the ability to obtain pollen and nectar from
flowers and the ability to locate their nests.
Hopeful signs of limited Rum wildfire damage
- Scottish Natural Heritage A wildfire on the Isle of Rum last April has been assessed as having
a low to medium impact, according to a report published by Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH). The fire, which began at about 1pm on 4 April 2018, raised concerns
about the impact it would have on the habitat and animals in the area.
A helicopter was deployed which slowed the spread of the fire, with the
flames eventually going out during the night as temperatures dropped and
some rain fell. The report found there were mainly low to medium impacts with less
than 1% of the 7km2 area suffering any high impacts. Thirty-five
percent of the habitat was judged to have suffered low impact, and 58%,
medium impact.
Rum
NNR wildfire spread from helicopter ©Lorne Gill/SNH SNH was concerned that potential loss of habitat quality since April
could affect ground-nesting birds, reptiles, mammals and insects - but
so far, signs are promising. Sea eagles have continued to nest
close the area of the fire, breeding of red-throated divers has been
similar to other years, and other birds which are monitored regularly
have shown no noticeable changes. In fact, some birds, such as
merlin, had more breeding territories in 2018 than in previous years. However, the report also found the habitats will take anywhere from 5
to 20 years to recover. Although the severity of this fire was low
to medium, wildfires like this can still increase the risk of soil
erosion, encourage less desirable plant species, dry out naturally wet
habitats, and inhibit natural processes such as carbon storage in bogs. SNH used satellite imagery and Geographic Information System (GIS)
technology to determine the effect of a fire on habitat for the first
time, and hopes to apply the methods that have been developed elsewhere
in the future. While a ground impact assessment was also
completed, satellite analysis gave more efficient and complete mapping,
showing the areas that need more attention to recover.
Rare Seahorse found in Fal fishery – proof that sustainable oyster
fishing has a bright future - Cornwall
Wildlife Trust
Short-snouted
seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus) found during a survey, by Matt Slater Seahorses are extremely rare in Cornish waters, and very rarely
recorded. Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Marine Officer, Matt Slater, came
face to face with one while helping on a survey of the Fal oyster beds
being run by Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority
(IFCA). The annual oyster survey monitors the catch rates of oysters and
other shellfish giving an indication of the health of the estuary.
Finding a rare seahorse adds to growing evidence that the Fal estuary,
with its well managed sustainable fishery, is still productive and in
reasonable health. Matt Slater says, “I had heard that oyster fishers occasionally see
seahorses but didn’t want to even hope that we might see one as the
chances are so small. However, just an hour into the survey and Cornwall
IFCA’s, Principle Scientific Officer Colin Trundle, yelled out
‘seahorse!’ and sure enough this little beauty had come up in the
dredge. We were all amazed!” The seahorse was identified as a female, short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus). It was photographed and then swiftly returned unharmed to the sea in the same position that it was found.
Waste Dumping Proves Fatal to Deer - British
Deer Society Waste dumping is becoming an increasing problem in our UK
countryside. While some people may simply see this as an eyesore, it
presents a very real danger to our wildlife.
One
of our members Martyn Hobrough was recently out enjoying his local area
when he discovered a most distressing scene. Martyn explains:
“There are three roe buck skulls entangled in this pile of discarded
rope and the whole “package” is caught in a barbed-wire fence. The
remains of the carcasses are scattered around the site... These animals
will have died the most slow and horrific death.” Martyn contacted
us to highlight the issue and provide photographs that the BDS could use
to raise awareness and assist with both training and education.
Fencing of all types - string, rope, electric fence tape, and round
bale plastic wrapping or tennis court nets can cause enormous damage
when wild animals like deer become entangled or enmeshed in them. Careless disposal of materials can be prevented through more
awareness of the impact these have on the environment and greater care
in there use and removal.
Read more about field fencing hazards to deer
Scientific Publications Kidd, L. R., Bekessy, S. A. & Garrard, G. E.
Neither Hope nor Fear: Empirical Evidence Should Drive Biodiversity
Conservation Strategies. Trends in Ecology & Evolution. DOI:
10.1016/j.tree.2019.01.018. Blackburn, T. M., Bellard, C. & Ricciardi, A.
Alien versus native species as drivers of recent extinctions.
Frontiers in Ecology & The Environment. DOI: 10.1002/fee.2020
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