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Headlines from week beginning 15 April 2019 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Thousands of species at risk from native oak decline
– The James Hutton Institute Oak trees have long had a reputation for supporting a range of
biodiversity, however, research published today (Monday 15 April) has
uncovered just how many species depend on British oak to survive. The
decline of these iconic trees, currently threatened by pests, diseases
and climate change, could put a total of 2,300 species at risk.
A £1.25m study called ‘Protecting Oak Ecosystems’ has produced the
most comprehensive list yet of all species known to use native oak
trees. The 2,300 total species are made up of invertebrates, birds,
mammals and fungi, to name just a few. This figure does not include any
of the bacteria and other micro-organisms that are associated with oak
so the real number, although unknown, is likely to be much greater. Lead author Dr Ruth Mitchell, of the James Hutton Institute’s
Ecological Sciences group, said: “Our really old large oak trees support
the greatest number of species. We are currently benefiting from trees
established hundreds of years ago. We hope that this work will help us
start thinking now about how our woodlands could look in hundreds of
years and the biodiversity they might support.” The project found of the total number of species affected, 326 were
completely dependent on oak, with 229 being highly reliant on the tree.
Examples of such species included the moth oak lutestring, fungi oak
polypore and the beetle oak leaf-roller. These 555 species were
considered most at risk from a decline in oak health. The work has been published in the journal Biological Conservation and is available here
Increase in seagrass meadow good for marine life
– Natural Resources Wales A marine survey has shown an increase in the area of seagrass off
Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire. Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) team of marine scientists conducted
repeat surveys between 1997 to 2018, to monitor the health of seagrass
within the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone. A team of volunteer divers supported the survey, monitoring both the
size of the seagrass meadow and the density of the seagrass plants. Phil Newman, NRW Senior Marine Conservation Officer said: “Seagrass
meadows provide nursery areas for commercially important species such as
cod, pollack and flat fish but are declining by 7% per year globally.
Our survey showed that the seagrass meadow was healthy, it had both
expanded and the density of plants is the highest ever recorded at this
site. This is a great result, bucking the trend and giving a boost to
marine life. Seagrass meadows act as vast filters, recycling nutrients
and reducing microorganisms that can cause disease in our seas. We lost
90 per cent of seagrass through disease, across the whole of the North
Atlantic in the 1930s. This resulted in massive declines in clams,
lobster, scallops, crab, cod and flounder. Seagrass is also an effective
breakwater and sediment stabiliser and its loss causes coastal erosion
and increased pollution.”
Computer games for fish uncover why some prey lead and others follow
– University of Bristol
Leadership offers both opportunities and risks. Fortune may favour
the bold when it comes to leaders influencing group decisions about what
to do and where to go next, but these individuals will also be the first
to run into any danger that awaits. Behavioural scientists have long suspected that leaders in groups of
animals are more vulnerable to attack from predators. This new research
now provides the first experimental evidence to confirm this
long-standing assumption. By studying real predatory fish attacking groups of virtual prey, Dr
Christos Ioannou and colleagues showed that the risk of an individual
being targeted is strongly influenced by its relative position within a
group. Prey leading from the front were more likely to be attacked by
predators than followers situated in safer positions towards the group’s
centre.
Park Protector and Year of Green Action awards seek out projects making
a difference - Campaign for National Parks Campaign for National Parks has joined forces with the Government’s
Year of Green Action to seek out the very best projects making a
difference in the National Parks. Winning projects will receive either a £1500 or £2000 boost in
recognition of their work safeguarding the most beloved landscapes in
the country in the first ever joint Park Protector and Year of Green
Action Awards. Minister for National Parks, Lord Gardiner of Kimble said: “National
Parks are incredibly important and it is essential that we celebrate the
people who work hard to protect these special landscapes for all of us,
and future generations, to enjoy. “These awards are open to anyone making a difference to the future of
these fantastic natural spaces.” Nominations are open until Friday 31 May. Nominated projects must be
seeking to connect people with the environment, conserve or enhance the
biodiversity or a heritage site, improve access to the Parks, or protect
an area in a National Park. More
information and nominations form.
The Forestry Commission is inviting people to join the largest ever
survey of England’s forest wildlife -
Forestry England The Big Forest Find is taking place in the nation’s forests, as
volunteers and visitors embark on a journey of discovery through
England’s wooded landscapes. The project is launched as part of the
Forestry Commission centenary in 2019.
Tawny owl (credit: Forestry Commission / Simon Bound) From seasoned naturalists to budding wildlife enthusiasts, the
Forestry Commission is encouraging people from all walks of life to take
part. The Big Forest Find will be also supported by specialists from a
host of other wildlife organisations including Plantlife, the Hawk & Owl
Trust and Butterfly Conservation.
Help us enjoy a starry night says CPRE, as cosmic census reveals the
scale of light pollution - Campaign to
Protect Rural England The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is calling for action to
tackle light pollution and enable more people to enjoy the beauty of a
starry sky, as it publishes the results of CPRE’s Star Count 2019. A
record 2,300 people took part in this year’s star count, which ran for
the first three weeks of February.
The cosmic census, which was supported by the
British Astronomical Association,
aimed to promote dark skies and engage people in the wonders of
stargazing. Star-spotters submitted the number of stars that they could
see within the constellation of Orion and the results used to create an
interactive map displaying
people’s view of the night sky. But it also demonstrated the impact
that light pollution is having on people’s view of the stars. Well over half of all participants (57%) failed to see more than ten
stars, meaning that they are severely impacted by light pollution. In
contrast, only 9% of people experienced ‘dark skies’, counting between
21 and 30 stars, and just 2% experienced ‘truly dark skies’ and were
able to count more than 30 stars – half the proportion of people able to
do so during the previous Star Count, in 2014. The countryside charity suggests the results show we can do more to
combat light pollution. Given its detrimental impact – not just on
people’s view of the night sky, but also the behaviour of nature and
wildlife, as well as human health – CPRE is urging the government, local
councils and general public to do more to limit the impact of artificial
light from streets and buildings.
Environment Agency announces new green legacy for £2.6bn flood and
coastal risk management programme. -
Environment Agency The Environment Agency has announced a set of new supplier
arrangements and partnerships which will increase efficiency, value for
money and the green legacy of its £2.6 billion capital investment
programme. The programme aims to better protect 300,000 homes from
coastal erosion and flooding up to 2021 and beyond. Effective from April 2019, the Environment Agency’s Next Generation
Supplier Arrangements (NGSA) will form the basis of new ways of working
which will help better protect people and the environment whilst
ensuring that sustainable development is at the core of Environment
Agency projects. The new NGSA arrangements have been developed using the EA’s long
experience in the Flood and Coastal Risk Management sector as well as
learning from other leading public and private infrastructure providers.
The new arrangements promote innovative ways of collaborative working
with delivery partners and local communities from the initial planning
stages of a project right through to its completion. The new supplier arrangements will also lead to longer term team
working and new ways of engaging with local organisations and
communities. This closer working will ensure that homes, communities and
businesses are receiving the best possible flood and coastal management
for the challenges facing their area. At the same time flood and coastal
defence projects will promote economic growth, social wellbeing and will
seek to enhance levels of natural capital within the local community,
making sure that each scheme brings long-lasting benefits for future
generations.
National Park visitors urged to ‘take it home’ as litter and rubbish
collection costs hit £37,000 per year - Peak
District National Park National Park rangers are asking visitors to think twice before
leaving litter in the Peak District, as figures estimate more than 60
tonnes of rubbish a year is being removed from some of the most popular
locations. The Peak District National Park Authority, who manage 45 car parks
and seven visitor centre and cycle hire facilities, say more than 50
tonnes of general waste and 10 tonnes of recyclable waste is collected
by teams each year. The costs of dealing with litter and rubbish
at National Park Authority-managed sites have now been estimated at
almost £37,000 a year. National Park rangers say that simple measures such as visitors
taking home what they bring into the National Park means that money can
instead be spent on looking after the same locations where litter is the
biggest problem. A Sheffield Hallam University graduate study undertaken in 2018,
suggested that one in four items of plastic-based litter observed by
visitors in the Peak District were single-use plastic bottles, with
around one in five items being crisp or sweet wrappers, or plastic bags.
Over 80% of visitors said they had seen plastic litter at some point
during their visit.
Beavers arrive for Yorkshire trial - Forestry
England Forestry England has brought a pair of Eurasian beavers from Scotland
to Cropton Forest in Yorkshire for a revolutionary trial in natural
flood management.
The pioneering project between Forestry England, Forest Research,
Exeter University, and beaver experts Dr Roisin Campbell-Palmer and
Derek Gow is building on the “Slowing the Flow” project, north of
Pickering. Slowing the flow has been hailed as a big success and a
potential model for other flood prone areas across the country. Over 40 volunteers have been involved in the project so far doing
baseline wildlife surveys, including birds, butterflies, bats, small
mammals, otters, fungi, aquatic and terrestrial plants, fish, spiders
and reptiles. The surveys will be repeated every year after release.
RZSS wrote an article for us in 2015
discussing Roisin's work on the Scottish Beaver Trial read
it here
Revealing the true value of Orkney’s marine environment
- Scottish Wildlife Trust A new approach to valuing the marine environment will be piloted in
Orkney by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, in collaboration with Heriot Watt
University, over the next two years. The Oceans of Value project aims to highlight the important link
between a healthy marine environment and human prosperity, and
investigate how combining two different ways of valuing the marine
environment can collectively provide useful insights for decision makers
in marine planning.Our Marine Planning Manager Dr Sam Collin said:
“Marine planning is increasingly recognised as an essential approach to
managing the many pressures on our environment. To ensure management is
effective, it is essential to understand and identify the different
values of the marine environment. This project will provide
opportunities to incorporate local knowledge, identify ‘hidden values’,
and improve our ability to tailor marine plans to meet societal,
economic and environmental needs. Ultimately we want to identify
opportunities for coastal communities to thrive alongside healthy living
seas.” Scientific Publications Matthiopoulos Jason, Field Christopher and MacLeod Ross. Predicting population change from models based on habitat availability and utilization. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences doi:10.1098/rspb.2018.2911 Ikin Karen, Barton Philip S., Blanchard Wade, Crane Mason, Stein John
,and Lindenmayer David B. Avian
functional responses to landscape recovery Proceedings of the Royal
Society B: Biological Sciences doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0114 Fabien Claireau, Yves Bas, Julie Pauwels, Kévin Barré, Nathalie
Machon, Benjamin Allegrini, Sébastien J. Puechmaille, Christian
Kerbiriou,
Major roads have important negative effects on insectivorous bat
activity, Biological Conservation, Volume 235, 2019, Pages 53-62,
ISSN 0006-3207, doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.04.002. Catry, T. & Catry, I.
Nest-site provisioning re-shapes species interactions within bird
assemblages. (open access) IBIS DOI: 10.1111/ibi.12731
We're ending the week with this lovely coati at
London Zoo enjoying some Easter treats.
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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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British
oak trees support a rich biodiversity © James Hutton Institute 
For
the first time, researchers have shed new light on the evolution of
different social roles within animal groups by exploring how fish
predators target and attack groups of virtual prey. The study, led by
the universities of Bristol and Oxford and published today [Monday 15
April] in the journal PNAS, found leaders in groups of animals are more
vulnerable to attack from predators.
With
wildlife facing challenges including climate change, pests and diseases,
these records will help the Forestry Commission to enhance its forests
for wildlife for generations to come.
Results
of the survey, published today (16 April) by CPRE, reveal that just 2%
of participants experienced the wonders of a truly dark sky full of
stars, due to the impact of light pollution caused by street lighting
and other artificial lights, even in the countryside.
Spanning
five years the trial will assess will the impact of the beavers’
activity on the long-term sustainability and maintenance of the “slowing
the flow” artificial wooden dams. The dams have been helping to protect
areas including nearby Pickering from flooding. This will be the first
time in the United Kingdom that the effects beaver have on artificial
dams has ever been studied.
