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Headlines from week beginning 20 May 2019 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Government delivers new £10m fund to plant over 130,000 urban trees
- defra Environment Secretary Michael Gove announces grants will be made
available over the next two years to green town and city spaces. A new £10 million plan will see more than 130,000 trees planted
across England’s towns and cities, Environment Secretary Michael Gove
announced today.
Planting more trees is crucial in the fight against climate change,
because trees store carbon and can help make our towns and cities more
resilient. Trees in urban areas improve health and wellbeing, connect
people with the outdoors, absorb noise, reduce flood risk, lower
temperatures through shading, and create green spaces for communities to
come together. The scheme, which will be administered by the Forestry Commission
will be open to individuals, local authorities, charities and NGOs.
Grants will fund the planting of trees and the first three years of
their care to ensure they can flourish into the future.
Hopes flying high for seeing rare dragonflies in north Cumbria
- Cumbria Wildlife Trust An exciting conservation project is introducing one of Britain’s
rarest dragonflies to Drumburgh Moss. The white-faced darter, a small, dark dragonfly with a distinctive
white head, is currently only found in a handful of sites across
England. Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the British Dragonfly
Society and Natural England have launched a programme to introduce this
rare species at Drumburgh Moss National Nature Reserve near Carlisle.
Phase one started in April when staff and volunteers collected over 100
dragonfly larvae from a healthy donor population and released them into
specially created pools at the nature reserve. The decline of white-faced darters in Britain is linked to the
destruction of the habitat they depend on – peatlands with deep
bog-pools. Drumburgh Moss was chosen for the dragonfly
introduction project as it has over 150 hectares of restored peatbogs,
the ideal breeding ground for this species, with quantities of
floating Sphagnum moss, which the dragonflies need for laying their
eggs. The Trust has already successfully reintroduced the white-faced
darter (Leucorrhinia dubia) at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve in the south
of the county.
Moo-ving on down: Scottish cattle come to Lyme
- National Trust The sights and sounds of Scotland have come to North Cheshire this
year, with the arrival of a dozen highland cattle at Lyme. Part of the National Trust’s major long-term conservation project,
these cattle will increase the diversity of grassland plants and
wildlife across 1400 acres.
Importantly, the cattle will also graze dry grass in an effort to try
to reduce the risk of fire, such as the one that broke out five weeks
ago, destroying 15 hectares of moorland, home to several species of bird
such as lapwing, curlew and skylarks and mammals including red deer and
hares. Chris Dunkerley, Lead Ranger at Lyme said: “Cattle have been grazed
at Lyme seasonally in the past through agreements with local farmers,
but this is the first time that these distinctive, docile animals will
be living in the park year-round. Unlike other breeds, they are
perfectly adapted to the harsh winter conditions of the moorland area,
which they will be roaming in alongside Lyme’s famous historic herd of
red deer.” Chris continued: ”These Highland cattle will graze
happily on a wide range of vegetation and are one of the few breeds
which can do well eating poor quality grass that has low nutritional
value; like that found across the moorland here at Lyme. “By
grazing in relatively low numbers they will help to slowly improve the
condition of our grasslands and increase biodiversity. During the
winter months they will eat much of the dead grass which, as we saw
recently, can become a serious fire hazard too. What comes out of
the other end of the cows is also an amazing habitat in itself, dung
will attract flies and beetles which in turn becomes food for birds and
bats.” Pollinators in Peril - Climate Change Threat to UK Bees - Buglife and WWF
Climate change, habitat loss, pollution and disease are pushing some
bees to extinction, a new report by WWF and Buglife reveals. The
scientific research, published on World Bee Day (May 20), looks at bee
populations in the East of England and finds many species are on the
brink of extinction, with 17 species lost from the region entirely. (image: Wayne Godfrey on unsplash) The ‘Bees Under Siege’ report analysed data recorded for 228 species
of bees and concluded that:
The ‘Bees Under Siege’ report recommends a number of conservation
actions to help stabilise populations of bees and reverse declines.
These include the protection and sensitive management of bee friendly
habitats such as grasslands, coastal areas, brownfield sites and
farmland. Download:
Full Report or the shorter
Summary report (both pdf)
Atlantic Woodland Alliance launched to save Scotland’s rainforest
- Woodland Trust on behalf of the Alliance Some of Scotland’s largest nature conservation organisations are
coming together in a bid to save the country’s dwindling rainforests -
found on the west coast from Wester Ross down to Argyll. Members of the Atlantic Woodland Alliance will gather at the Royal
Botanic Garden Edinburgh today (Monday) for the launch of a State of
Scotland's Rainforest report outlining the current condition of these
rare woodlands. The partners will now work to implement a strategy
to save and expand them.
“Scotland’s rainforest is just as lush and just as important as
tropical rainforest, but is even rarer,” said Adam Harrison of Woodland
Trust Scotland. “It is found along the west coast and on the inner isles
and is a unique habitat of ancient native oak, birch, ash, pine and
hazel woodlands and includes open glades and river gorges. Our
rainforest relies on mild, wet and clean air coming in off the Atlantic,
and is garlanded with a spectacular array of lichens, fungi, mosses,
liverworts and ferns. Many are nationally and globally rare and
some are found nowhere else in the world.” The new report reveals that there is as little as 30,325 hectares of
rainforest left in Scotland. The remnant oak, birch, ash, native pine
and hazel woodlands are small, fragmented and isolated from each other.
They are over mature and often show little or no regeneration. They are
in danger of being lost forever. Almost all of the rainforest is overgrazed to a degree that will
prevent it from re-growing. Invasive rhododendron can be found in 40% of rainforest sites where
it threatens to choke the woodlands and prevent the distinctive
rainforest flora from surviving. One in every five sites has been planted up with exotic conifer
plantations which lower their value as rainforest habitat. Ash dieback threatens the future of our northern and western most ash
woods. Climate change and air pollution are set to decimate the last refuge
for the rare plants that make the rainforest so special to us and the
rest of the world. The Alliance is made up of Butterfly Conservation
Scotland, the Community Woodlands Association, Forestry and Land
Scotland, Future Woodlands Scotland, John Muir Trust, Loch Lomond and
Trossachs National Park Authority, the National Trust for Scotland,
Plantlife Scotland, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, RSPB Scotland,
Scottish Forestry, Scottish Land and Estates, Scottish Natural Heritage,
the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Trees for Life and the Woodland Trust
Scotland. Download The State of Scotland's rainforest report.
Bradford Council seeks PSPO to ban BBQs and fires on moorland
– Bradford Council Bradford Council is looking to bring in a Public Spaces Protection
Order (PSPO) which bans barbeques, fires, Chinese lanterns, fireworks
and other dangerous items from moorland in the district. The move comes in the aftermath of recent wildfires on Ilkley Moor
and at Marsden Moor in Kirklees. Ilkley Moor is owned by Bradford Council and wildfires pose a
considerable cost in terms of resources deployed by West Yorkshire Fire
and Rescue Service (WYFRS), the Council, West Yorkshire Police and other
agencies, not to mention the environmental damage and risk to property. Bradford Council has been working for sometime looking at ways to
reduce the amount and impacts of wildfires in the district including
working in partnership with the South Pennine Fire Operations Group,
which brings together neighbouring local authorities, fire and rescue
services, major landowners and land managers. As part of this approach and in line with neighbouring authorities,
Bradford Council has, at a meeting of the Regulatory and Appeals
Committee this morning, approved the start of a consultation on the
introduction of a Public Space Protection Order to prohibit fires and
barbecues on certain sites in the Bradford district. The need to carry out consultation on the introduction of a PSPO is a
requirement of the regulations (Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and
Policing Act 2014, Section 59). The consultation will run for four weeks
which is the minimum requirement. Danny Jackson Bradford Council’s Countryside and Rights of Way
Manager, said: “Our moorland areas are a precious resource and the
impacts of wildfire are devastating and can last for a significant
amount of time. We want people to enjoy these areas but at the same time
people need to be responsible and respect the moors. Prohibiting
barbeques and fires in these area sends a clear and strong message that,
especially at times of hot, dry weather, we can not take any chances and
must reduce the risk of wildfire as much as we can.” Rewilding Britain have today (Tuesday 21 May) released a report:
How restoring nature can help decarbonise the UK - Making
nature-based changes to our land use can reduce emissions and draw
carbon back out of the atmosphere.
Boom time at Britain's bird feeders
- British Trust for Ornithology The latest research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO),
published today in the journal Nature Communications, reveals the
considerable consequences of an innocuous national pastime. Britain’s
growing love affair with feeding the birds has significantly altered the
composition of our garden bird communities over the past 40 years,
helping the populations of some species grow in number and increasing
the variety of birds visiting feeders. Many people in Britain feed birds in their gardens but, until now,
the wider effects of this activity have been largely unknown. As a
nation we spend an estimated £200-300 million on bird feeding products
each year. The sheer amount of food provided could potentially sustain
up to 196 million birds – more than the combined total population of
many common garden species. This study provides strong evidence that
garden bird feeding has supported population growth in some bird
species, and has increased the diversity of species visiting our
feeders. The authors examined bird food adverts to show how the number and
variety of products available has increased since the early-1970s. They
used this information alongside results from the BTO’s long-running
Garden Bird Feeding Survey (GBFS), through which dedicated volunteers
have collected the most comprehensive long-term dataset on bird feeding
in the world. Read the paper: Kate E. Plummer, Kate Risely, Mike P. Toms & Gavin M. Siriwardena The composition of British bird communities is associated with long-term garden bird feeding. Nature Communications volume 10, Article number: 2088 (2019)
Gove takes action to ban plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton buds
- Defra The government confirms a ban on plastic straws, stirrers, and cotton
buds to slash plastic waste
(image: pixabay) Following an open consultation, a ban on the supply of plastic
straws, drinks stirrers and cotton buds will come into force in April
2020. The ban will include exemptions to ensure that those with medical
needs or a disability are able to continue to access plastic straws. The government’s response to the consultation published today (22
May) reveals over 80% of respondents back a ban on the distribution and
sale of plastic straws, 90% a ban on drinks stirrers, and 89% a ban on
cotton buds. There are instances where using plastic straws is necessary for
medical reasons and the government will therefore ensure that those that
need to use plastic straws for medical reasons can still access them.
Registered pharmacies will be allowed to sell plastic straws over the
counter or online. Catering establishments such as restaurants, pubs and
bars will not be able to display plastic straws or automatically hand
them out, but they will be able to provide them on request. The
government believes this strikes the right balance between reducing
environmental impact while protecting the rights of people with medical
conditions and disabilities. The government will carry out a stocktake
after one year to assess the impact of these measures and whether the
balance is correct. Response:
CPRE reaction to ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds
- CPRE The Environment Secretary Michael Gove has today (22 May) announced a
ban on plastic straws, drinks stirrers and plastic stemmed cotton buds
in England, which will come into force in April 2020. CPRE welcomes the ban but criticises the government’s failure to ban
these single-use items altogether. The countryside charity warns that by
allowing manufacturers to simply use alternative materials for these
unnecessary single-use products, without any charges or taxes to drive a
reduction in their use, will do little to prevent their littering and
does not encourage a move to a circular economy. Exemptions are in place for the use of plastic straws for people with
medical conditions and disabilities, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds can
still be used for medical and scientific purposes, where these are often
the only practical option. CPRE supports these exceptions.
Fields in Trust Launch Green Space Index -
greenspace Scotland Fields in Trust have today published the Green Space Index which for
the first time uses new Ordnance Survey data to comprehensively analyse
park and greenspace provision across Great Britain. Using the Index,
they calculate that over 300,000 people across Scotland are more than
ten-minutes walk from a park or greenspace. The Green Space Index shows that, although Scotland has a total of
24,285 hectares of publicly accessible local parks and greenspace, less
than 9% of this space is legally protected with Fields in Trust. With
public sector funding cuts leading to pressure on parks and green
spaces, the charity highlights the risk that a lack of legal protection
could lead to more being sold off or developed. The Green Space Index also ranks Britain’s nations and regions
against a minimum standard of park and greenspace provision. According
to the Index, Scotland performs better than all other nations in terms
of parks and greenspace provision, as well as outperforming each of the
English regions. Scotland both provides more greenspace per person than
any other part of Great Britain (45.86 square metres per person) and has
the most legally protected greenspace (2,143 hectares). In comparison,
England falls just below the minimum provision. Access the Green Space Index here.
Help endangered
stag beetles this summer Creating log piles and recording sightings of adult stag beetles (or
larvae), are just two ways you can help endangered stag beetles –
Britain’s largest land beetle – this summer. Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) has
been recording stag beetle sightings for two decades. You can report any
stag beetle sightings to PTES at
www.ptes.org/gsh. Now, this May, PTES is calling for anyone who
lives in a known stag beetle area to carry out a more in depth survey as
part of an ongoing study – the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network –
to build on the 21 years of records PTES has already collected for this
species. Taking part in this European study couldn’t be easier – all
volunteers need to do is walk 500 meters, on six occasions between June
and July on warm, summer evenings, recording any stag beetles they see.
Families, individuals, or groups of friends can all help – whether
you’re on your evening dog walk or walking to your local pub! To find
out more, visit:
www.stagbeetlemonitoring.org The European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network is co-funded by PTES, and
was set up by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest in 2008. It
comprises partner institutes and universities from 14 European countries
including the UK, Spain, France and Germany. The network aims to assess
population levels across Europe, monitoring the stag beetle’s full
range.
Study predicts shift to smaller animals over next century -
University of Southampton Researchers at the University of Southampton have forecast a
worldwide move towards smaller birds and mammals over the next 100
years.
How to measure the condition of Europe's ecosystems?
- European Environment Agency Healthy forests, soils, seas and other ecosystems form Europe’s
‘natural capital’, which is vital for our well-being and the economy.
The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) new analysis, published today,
looks at how to measure the condition of Europe’s natural capital and
provides a first overview of the state and trends of Europe’s
ecosystems. The report also highlights the need for better data on the
condition of ecosystems in Europe. The EEA report ‘Natural
capital accounting in support of policymaking in Europe’ presents
the EEA's work on natural capital accounting and discusses the use of
such analysis in support of policymaking. The accounting methodology
helps to organise ecological data and provides a better basis for
spatial analysis. The report also reflects on the intrinsic value of
biodiversity, which needs to be respected in addition to the economic
benefits from nature. The report states that the distribution and location of ecosystems in
Europe is generally stable. However, urban areas and other
infrastructure are expanding at the expense of farmland and semi-natural
ecosystems. For water quantity and fish biomass, the EEA has developed
accounts that analyse the use of renewable water resources and marine
fish stocks. Both of these are heavily exploited and need to be closely
monitored. Further work is also required to better measure the condition
of Europe’s land and sea ecosystems.
Animal Friends Insurance supporting the National Bat Helpline
- Bat Conservation Trust
The Helpline plays a critical role in educating enquirers about the
legal protection of bats, the fact that they pose no threat to buildings
or their human occupants, and their importance to the UK’s environment
and economy. A large proportion of the enquiries that the helpline
receives every year relate to roost enquiries within England, this work
is currently carried out on behalf of Natural England (NE) and is
partially funded directly by them in the form of a contract. For the
rest of the enquiries, the Helpline relies on generous donations from
Bat Conservation Trust members, supporters and donors as well as from
charitable trusts and foundations.
North Yorkshire Police officer takes on national badger protection role
- North Yorkshire Police A national group which aims to protect badgers from persecution has a
new lead from North Yorkshire. Inspector Kevin Kelly, of North Yorkshire Police, has taken on the
high-profile role in the Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group,
part of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU).
As plan owner, Insp Kelly will lead the group’s work to improve and
increase the recording of incidents, crimes and intelligence for badger
persecution, improve the investigation process and increase awareness of
badger persecution across the UK. Badger persecution is one of six national wildlife crime priorities.
The term covers the cruel practice of badger baiting, as well as the
avoidable disturbance or destruction of setts which can occur when
people carry out otherwise legal operations on land, such as forestry or
agricultural tasks. Insp Kelly was named Wildlife Enforcer of the Year, a national award,
in November 2017, and in December 2018 won a national commendation from
the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for Operation Owl, a rural crime
operation aimed at tackling raptor persecution through partnership
working. Inspector Kelly is operational lead for wildlife crime at North Yorkshire Police, leading a team of 41 Wildlife Crime Officers across the force. Keep up to date with Kevin by following his new twitter account @NYAnimalCop
Discover more with National Map Reading Week 2019
- Ordnance Survey From novices to experienced adventurers, National Map Reading Week
has something for everyone.
Run by Ordnance Survey (OS), National Map Reading Week (27 May - 2
June) aims to encourage people of all ages to understand the importance
of map reading and how this vital life skill can unlock the outdoors. Commissioned by OS, research into millennials (23-38 age bracket)
compared with people over 39, found stark differences between how the
two generations understand the maps they are using. According to the research, 60% of over 39s believe that map reading
is a skill people should have and 41% of them ‘worry’ that people are
growing up without basic navigational skills. In contrast only 20% of
millennials wish they were better at reading maps. In addition, 60% of millennials admitted they ‘rely’ on their mobile
map when going somewhere new and in day to day life, over one quarter of
them find themselves ‘very reliant’ on digital maps. Those above this
age bracket only seek help from their mobile phone map twice a month. Nick Giles, Managing Director of Ordnance Survey Leisure, said:
“Digital mapping, through apps and websites, has transformed the way in
which we navigate. Everyday millions of people use digital mapping to
get from A to B often just following a dot on a screen. Many people
believe that they can read digital maps but there is so much more to
explore beyond a mobile phone screen. “At OS we are passionate about making the outdoors enjoyable,
accessible and above all safe. Through National Map Reading Week, we
want to encourage people to better understand how good map skills, both
paper and digital, can unlock and inspire people to safely discover new
places and adventures.”
Social media data reveal where visitors to nature locations provide
potential benefits or threats to biodiversity
- University of Helsinki Understanding how people use and experience important places for
living nature is essential for effectively managing and monitoring human
activities and conserving biodiversity. In a new article published in the journal Science of the Total
Environment, a team of researchers assessed global patterns of
visitation rates, attractiveness and pressure to more than 12,000
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), which are sites of
international significance for nature conservation, by using geolocated
data mined from social media (Twitter and Flickr).
The study found that Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas located in
Europe and Asia, and in temperate biomes, had the highest density of
social media users. Results also showed that sites of importance for
congregatory species, which were also more accessible, more densely
populated and provided more tourism facilities, received higher
visitation than did sites richer in bird species. “Resources in biodiversity conservation are woefully inadequate and
novel data sources from social media provide openly available
user-generated information about human-nature interactions, at an
unprecedented spatio-temporal scale”, says Dr Anna Hausmann from the
University of Helsinki, a conservation scientist leading the study. “Our
group has been exploring and validating data retrieved from social media
to understand people´s preferences for experiencing nature in national
parks at a local, national and continental scale”, she continues, “in
this study, we expand our analyses at a global level”. “Social media content and metadata contain useful information for
understanding human-nature interactions in space and time”, says Prof.
Tuuli Toivonen, aco-author in the paper “Social media data can also be
used to cross-validate and enrich data collected by conservation
organizations”. Read the paper: Hausmann, A., Toivonen,
T., Fink, C., Heikinheimo, V., Tenkanen, H., Butchart, S., Brooks, T.,
Di Minin, E. 2019.
Assessing global popularity and threats to Important Bird and
Biodiversity Areas using social media data. Science of the Total
Environment, doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.268. (open access)
HKU Conservation Biologists Urge for Needs of Win-win Strategies to
Tackle Proximal and Horizon Threats to Biodiversity
- Hong Kong University With an ever-growing list of threats facing biodiversity on multiple
scales, conservationists struggle to determine which to address. A
common reaction is to prioritise their efforts on threats to individual
species or management areas, HKU conservation biologists argue that this
narrow-minded approach is detrimental to the overall goal of saving
species and ecosystems worldwide. Instead, in an article published in
the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution on May 23, they urge for the
needs of large-scale, long-term collaboration to tackle proximal and
horizon threats to biodiversity. “We are in a pivotal moment when we cannot just protect species from
immediate and localised threats,” said Dr Louise Ashton from the School
of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), “We also
need to prepare for future threats and protect against threats that
function at large spatial scales.” However, the limited resources
available in conservation disciplines hinder the ability for broader
collaboration with other scientists as well as between local, regional,
and international agencies. In fact, it is not uncommon that due to
limited resources, conservation biologists must downplay the importance
of other research to secure funding for their own. “Ultimately, if we can aim for win-win conservation interventions,
which mitigate the impacts of multiple threats, then it doesn’t matter
which threat is perceived to be the biggest,” said Dr Ashton. Read the paper: Bonebrake, Timothy C.
et al.
Integrating Proximal and Horizon Threats to Biodiversity for
Conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution DOI:
/10.1016/j.tree.2019.04.001 (open access)
And finally for this week:
Nominate wildlife recorders who have made a significant difference.
The National Biodiversity Network wants to recognise significant
achievement and celebrate success in wildlife recording and information
sharing. The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) is accepting nominations for
the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2019. These awards were developed in 2015 by the National Biodiversity
Network Trust, the
National Forum
for Biological Recording and the
Biological Records
Centre to celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups in
our sector. Following the success of the last four years’ awards, we are excited
by the prospect of even more nominations for amazing people in 2019! There are five categories of awards:
Nominations open on 8 May and close on 11 August 2019.
Click through for more information and the nomination forms.
Scientific Publications Fraser, M. D., Stanley, C. R. & Hegarty, M. J.
Recognising the potential role of native ponies in conservation
management. Biological Conservation
Arneill, G. E., Critchley, E. J., Wischnewski, S. , Jessopp, M. J. and Quinn, J. L. (2019), Acoustic activity across a seabird colony reflects patterns of within-colony flight rather than nest density. Ibis. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1111/ibi.12740 Callaghan, C. T., Major, R. E., Lyons, M. B., Martin, J. M.,
Wilshire, J. H., Kingsford, R. T. and Cornwell, W. K. (2019),
Using citizen science data to define and track restoration targets in
urban areas. J Appl Ecol. Accepted Author Manuscript.
doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13421
Lovisa Nilssona, Nils Bunnefeld, Jens Persson, Ramūnas Žydelis, Johan
Månsson
Conservation success or increased crop damage risk? The Natura 2000
network for a thriving migratory and protected bird (open access)
Biological Conservation doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2019.05.006 Clay, TA, Small, C, Tuck, GN, et al. A
comprehensive large-scale assessment of fisheries bycatch risk to
threatened seabird populations. (open access) J Appl
Ecol. 2019; 00: 1– 12. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13407
Gillian Gilbert, Fiona S. MacGillivray, Clive R. McKay & Helen S. Robertson (2019) Foraging habitat of a declining Scottish Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax population in the post-breeding period Bird Study, doi: 10.1080/00063657.2019.1608155
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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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Through
the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, grants will be made available over the
next two years to green urban areas and help meet the government’s
target to plant one million urban trees by 2022.
A
National Trust ranger tempts a dozen Highland cattle into their new home
at Lyme in Cheshire. Credit Mark Waugh / National Trust
New
Report on World Bee Day Paints Bleak Picture of Extinction and Decline 
Bryophyte-rich
ravine at Beinn Eighe (Photo: Stan Phillips/Scotland Natural Heritage)
Environment
Secretary Michael Gove has today confirmed a ban on plastic straws,
drinks stirrers, and plastic stemmed cotton buds in England, following
overwhelming public support for the move.
The
White-browed Sparrow-weaver is one of the 'winners'. Credit: Robert
Cooke
We
are pleased to announce that the National Bat Helpline Out of Hours
Service is launching today (24 May 2019). Just in time too, since we
heard about the first wild born bat baby (known as a pup) this week. One
of the organisations that have lent their support to the work done by
the National Bat Helpline is
Insp
Kevin Kelly with a badger that was separated from its mum and is
currently being rehabilitated (Image: NY Police)
King
penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at Volunteer Point, East Falkland,
the largest breeding site for the species and one of the most important
tourists’ destinations in the archipelago. Photo: Anna Hausmann /
University of Helsinki
NBN
Awards for Wildlife Recording
