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Headlines from week beginning 27 May 2019 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
UK moths battling unfair reputation –
Butterfly Conservation Around three quarters of the UK population (74%) have some negative
opinion of moths, with many people believing the majority eat clothes
and are pests, a study has revealed. A YouGov poll for wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation revealed
that 64% of people associated moths with eating clothes and one in three
(33%) with being pests. Moths have long suffered an unfair reputation as the devourers of
clothes despite the fact that only two out of more than 2,500 UK species
are known to regularly feed on some fabrics. And rather than being
pests, the vast majority of moths play important roles in the food chain
and as pollinators. Research found that 17% of people thought moths were ugly and 12%
believed they were scary. But, some held more positive views with one in
five people (21%) believing moths were important and almost a third 29%)
that they were interesting. In a bid to make the UK mad about moths Butterfly Conservation is
launching #MothsMatter, a campaign to overturn their unfair reputation. Moths Matter will reveal how moths are a key food source for many
other species, how they are fascinating and beautiful and how they play
an important role as pollinators of wildflowers and garden plants.
Seabird success! - The Landmark Trust Super news for seabird numbers on Lundy An exciting new study led by the RSPB has revealed that the total
number of seabirds on the island of Lundy has now tripled to over
21,000. Key species such as Manx shearwater have increased from just 297
pairs to more than 5,500 and puffins from 13 to 375 birds.
This growth over the past 15 years has been the result of the island
being declared rat-free in 2006. The eradication of rats was necessary
after evidence from other important seabird islands revealed that the
biggest threat to burrow-nesting birds such as Manx shearwaters and
puffins on Lundy was predation of eggs and chicks by rats. In 2002, a partnership between Natural England, The Landmark Trust,
the National Trust and the RSPB was formed to eradicate the rats on
Lundy, which are not native to Britain but imported unwittingly on ships
visiting the island or from shipwrecks. Lundy Warden, Dean Jones said 'It is exciting to see this level of
recovery in Manx shearwaters, one of our most important seabirds. In
spring, the island comes alive at night with the sound of these amazing
birds. The increase in puffins, guillemots and razorbills is also very
encouraging for the future of seabirds on Lundy and we are maintaining
our vigilance to ensure rats cannot return to the island.'
Antibiotics found in some of the world’s rivers exceed ‘safe’ levels,
global study finds – University of York Concentrations of antibiotics found in some of the world’s rivers
exceed ‘safe’ levels by up to 300 times, the first ever global study has
discovered. Researchers looked for 14 commonly used antibiotics in rivers in 72
countries across six continents and found antibiotics at 65% of the
sites monitored. Metronidazole, which is used to treat bacterial infections including
skin and mouth infections, exceeded safe levels by the biggest margin,
with concentrations at one site in Bangladesh 300 times greater than the
‘safe’ level. In the River Thames and one of its tributaries in London, the
researchers detected a maximum total antibiotic concentration of 233
nanograms per litre (ng/l), whereas in Bangladesh the concentration was
170 times higher. Trimethoprim The most prevalent antibiotic was trimethoprim, which was detected at
307 of the 711 sites tested and is primarily used to treat urinary tract
infections. The research team compared the monitoring data with ‘safe’ levels
recently established by the AMR Industry Alliance which, depending on
the antibiotic, range from 20-32,000 ng/l. Ciproflaxacin, which is used to treat a number of bacterial
infections, was the compound that most frequently exceeded safe levels,
surpassing the safety threshold in 51 places.
2018’s extreme weather led to a tough year for the UK’s bumblebees
– Bumblebee Conservation Trust 2018 was a tough year for many of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species
according to a report released today by the Bumblebee Conservation
Trust. The new report summarises trends in the UK’s bumblebee populations,
using data gathered every year from 2010 by a country wide network of
hundreds of ‘BeeWalker’ citizen scientists. The cold weather of the ‘Beast from the East’ in late February and
early March delayed the beginning of the 2018 bumblebee season. Most
bumblebee species got off to a slow start and only reached normal
numbers in July, suggesting bumblebee queens were late out of
hibernation and subsequently slow to produce big numbers of bumblebee
workers. As a result many of the UK’s bumblebee species declined
more quickly than normal as the year progressed, particularly as the
summer heatwave reduced the available food as flowers wilted in the
unusual warmth. The spring specialist Early bumblebee (B. pratorum) had a
particularly bad year, its worst since the near-constant rain of 2012.
Several other species, normally common in people’s gardens. had poor
years, including the Garden bumblebee (B. hortorum), the
Buff-tailed bumblebee (B. terrestris), the Heath bumblebee (B.
jonellus), and the White-tailed bumblebee (B. lucorum aggregate) The full BeeWalk annual report can be downloaded
here.
Rare
butterfly returns after 52-year absence -
Butterfly Conservation
The Grizzled Skipper has declined by 55% across the UK over the last
40 years and disappeared from its former stronghold in Derbyshire – the
National Trust’s Calke Abbey near Ticknall – in 1967. Grizzled Skipper - Iain H Leach A joint project was launched between Butterfly Conservation East
Midlands, Natural England and the National Trust to re-establish the
Grizzled Skipper in Derbyshire and bring the butterfly back to Calke
Abbey. Vital conservation work has also taken place at the property over the
last year to restore the habitat in preparation for the arrival of the
new Grizzled Skippers. The butterfly needs lots of sunny, open areas to thrive and breed, so
some tree cover has been removed and grassy areas have been raked to
expose bare soil. This encourages the growth of the caterpillars’ food
plant, wild strawberry and at least 600 strawberry plants have been
added to the estate over the last year.
30 Days Wild returns for a fabulous fifth year
– The Wildlife Trusts Thousands take up challenge to go wild every day in June The Wildlife Trusts’ annual challenge – 30 Days Wild – calling on
everyone to go wild every day in June starts this weekend. This year
looks set to be bigger and wilder than ever and so far a record number
of 60,000 people, families, schools, businesses and care homes
throughout the UK have signed up to receive a free pack of ideas and to
take part. 30 Days Wild encourages everyone to enjoy nature in our
neighbourhoods through daily Random Acts of Wildness: listening to bird
song, gazing at butterflies, growing borage for bees and making the most
of our parks, gardens and school grounds. Evidence shows that taking
part can also make us happier and healthier.
Common crane successfully breeds at Wicken Fen for the first time in at
least 120 years - National Trust A rare common crane chick has hatched at the National Trust’s Wicken
Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire for the first time since the
conservation charity acquired the nature reserve in 1899 and started
species records.
The Trust suspects that it could actually be the first chick to be
born at the reserve in over 500 years. The common crane is on the UK’s amber conservation list and is one of
Britain’s rarest breeding birds with only around 54 pairs recorded in
2018. The adults can grow to over one metre tall and are mostly grey with a
black, white and red feathered head. There is a small breeding
population in Norfolk, and small numbers pass through Britain in spring
and autumn. But, at Wicken, cranes can actually be seen at any time of
year. Martin Lester, countryside manager at Wicken Fen said: “UK cranes
typically nest in wetland habitats using materials found in the area.
As with most species, the female does most of the incubation and cares
for the chicks when they’re young. The successful breeding of this chick
is a reflection on the conservation work that we have been carrying out
particularly over the last 20 years. This work includes extending the
reserve, and allowing diverse habitats to evolve that have resulted in
the return of other species such as otters and water vole.”
Leading retailers not embracing wet wipe ‘flushability’ standard
- Marine Conservation Society MCS says that own-brand ‘flushable’ wet wipes, which can be bought
from 10 leading High Street retailers and supermarkets, can’t carry the
new ‘Fine to Flush’ logo - which denotes an official UK water industry
standard identifying which wet wipes are safe to be flushed down the
toilet. These ‘flushable’ wipes are marketed under a range of descriptions -
from moist toilet tissue, dispersible wipes, to toddler training wipes -
but could be contributing to sewer blockages, so-called ‘fatbergs’ and
marine pollution. MCS says it strongly urges the public not to buy these
wipes and to choose alternatives. This new MCS research, is all the more shocking in the light of a
YouGov poll conducted on behalf of MCS2 which revealed 72% of people in
Britain said they used wet wipes in 2016. Household cleaning wipes were
used by 43% of people in Britain, baby and toddler wipes by 36%, facial
and skincare wipes by 35%, and moist toilet tissue were used by 24% of
Brits.
Local charities could receive £1 billion in deposits from cans and
bottles - Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE survey shows 20% of people would donate deposits to charity with
a deposit return system.
A reverse vending machine in action in Norway
(image: CPRE) A further 19% of respondents said they would donate their deposits
most of the time, and more than a third (34%) would donate at least some
of the time. This could lead to a further £1.3 billion in donations to
local charitable causes from the deposits on glass and plastic drinks
bottles and aluminium cans, the analysis by CPRE found. The donations could be even higher if drinks cartons and pouches are
also included in England’s deposit system – something which environment
secretary Michael Gove is currently considering. The countryside charity states that by including an option for the
public to donate their deposits – something that is part of most other
deposit systems around the world – we could build on the huge success of
the carrier bag charge, which, as well as reducing plastic bag usage by
over 80%, raised £66 million for good causes in 2016/17.
Some songbird nests are especially vulnerable to magpie predation - new
study suggests - Game & Wildlife Conservation
Trust
(image: GWCT) Researchers from University of Exeter and the Game & Wildlife
Conservation Trust (GWCT) placed 460 artificial nests on typical
farmland in Warwickshire to study predator behaviour. They found magpies were the most common predators, accounting for 70%
of visits where the predator could be identified. Nests inside magpie breeding territories were predated by magpies
more often, especially late in the season when magpies themselves had
young in their nests. Intriguingly, some specific nest locations were repeatedly highly
predated. The findings come amid controversy over the rules governing which
birds can be killed to protect wild birds, crops and livestock. Read the paper: published in the
European Journal of Wildlife Research, is entitled: “Predation
of artificial nests in UK farmland by magpies (Pica pica):
interacting environmental, temporal, and social factors influence a
nest’s risk.”
England's Marine Life Protected With Blue Belt Expansion
- defra Environment Secretary Michael Gove has today created 41 new Marine
Conservation Zones, marking the most significant expansion of England’s
‘Blue Belt’ of protected areas to date.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has today created
41 new Marine Conservation Zones, marking the most significant
expansion of England’s ‘Blue Belt’ of protected areas to date. Stretching from Cornwall to Northumberland, the new protections
safeguard 12,000 square kilometres of marine habitat, an area almost
eight times the size of Greater London. Today’s announcement follows the
government’s manifesto commitment to create a Blue Belt of marine
protection for Britain’s overseas territories and its own coast, and
builds on the ambition of the
25 Year Environment Plan. The rare stalked jellyfish, short-snouted seahorse and blue mussel
beds are among the species and habitats that will benefit from the
protections. With 50 zones already designated in 2013 and 2016, the UK now has 355
Marine Protected Areas of different types, spanning 220,000 square km –
nearly twice the size of England. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: Responses:
Expanded Blue Belt welcomed - But Government must champion its
protection - Wildlife and Countryside Link Conservation and environment groups welcome the new Marine
Conservation Zones but warn they will be little more than 'paper parks'
without effective management and well-resourced enforcement The conservation sector welcomes the announcement by Defra today of
41 new Marine Conservation Zones. Nearly doubling the number of
conservation zones in English and Secretary of State Waters is a big
step forward, but 12 charities, co-ordinated by Wildlife and Countryside
Link, are warning that without effective management and well-resourced
enforcement these sites will be little more than ‘paper parks’ and sea
life will continue to decline. Just this month the Environmental Audit Committee slammed the lack of
protection for these areas as part of its
Sustainable Seas report – outlining concerns that “Government is
doing little more than putting lines on a map’ with very few
restrictions on harmful activities such as pulse fishing in many
protected areas. This report coincided with the UN IPBES biodiversity
report which showed the alarming declines in nature and the huge impact
of human activities on the biodiversity of marine ecosystems.
New wave of protection for the sea announced today
- The Wildlife Trusts The Wildlife Trusts call for effective management of 41 new Marine
Conservation Zones Today The Wildlife Trusts welcome the news that the Government is designating a third phase of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). This historic move will help protect the seas around our shores and follows on from previous announcements of 50 MCZs (in 2013 and 2016). It is the third of three phases promised by the Government in order to fulfil the remit of the Marine and Coastal Access Act.
Joan Edwards, Director of Living Seas at The Wildlife Trusts, says: “It’s fantastic news that now we have 91 Marine Conservation Zones – they will form a vital series of underwater habitats which can be nursed back to health. The Wildlife Trusts have been calling for the government to give real protection to a network of diverse sea-bed landscapes since 2009 and over 22,000 people joined our call for better protection of our seas during last summer’s consultation. Huge thanks to everyone who has supported this change! Now we need to see good management of these special places to stop damaging activities such as beam-trawling or dredging for scallops and langoustines which harm fragile marine wildlife.”
41 New Marine
Conservation Zones Welcomed By Marine Conservation Society But the real challenge is now making them matter for people and
wildlife says charity . The UK’s leading marine charity, the Marine Conservation Society
(MCS), says it welcomes today’s announcement by the government of the
creation of 41 new Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), but warns that
proper investment in their management and monitoring must be made if
they are to benefit both people and wildlife. Other news today: Good news from our Featured Charity
Canal and River Trust:
Major Leap Forward For Montgomery Canal Restoration Unique project protects rare wildlife as canal restored for boats Waterways and well-being charity, the Canal & River Trust has taken a
major leap forwards this spring in the mammoth task to restore the
beautiful Montgomery Canal on the Shropshire Welsh border. Thanks to a four-year, £4 million project, boats should soon be
returning to a section of the canal near Oswestry for the first time
since the canal was closed due to a breach in 1936.
The Trust, which cares for the Montgomery and 2,000 miles of canals,
has been working with volunteers from the Shropshire Union Canal Society
and contractors to upgrade nearly five miles (8km) of towpath, restore
1¼ miles (2km) of the canal to navigation from Maesbury to Crickheath
and create a dedicated turning point for narrowboats, known as a
‘winding hole’. Construction of the winding hole has just been completed
and the basin is currently being filled with water, which will take
about three weeks. For the first time in a canal restoration, two nature reserve lakes
have been constructed parallel to the canal channel at Aston Locks, near
Queens Head, to provide a protective home for rare aquatic flora and
fauna removed from the canal. Wildlife such as damselflies, dragonflies,
otters, water voles, and rare aquatic plants like Floating Water
Plantain Luronium natans are now successfully colonising their new
home.
Funding secures exciting addition to RSPB Marshside
- RSPB Thanks to funding from Biffa Award, the RSPB is taking even more
birds under its wing on the Ribble Estuary after recently purchasing
Crossens Inner Marsh, a wet grassland area adjacent to their existing
Marshside reserve in Southport. The marsh, which is already home to over-wintering birds such as
wigeons, pink-footed geese, black-tailed godwits and golden plovers,
covers an area about the size of 38 football pitches. Over £464,000 funding from Biffa Award enabled the RSPB to purchase
the land and will also fund major improvements to the marsh, which will
benefit rare and unusual wildlife including nesting lapwings, redshanks,
and avocets - which are the emblem of the RSPB, along with brown hares.
The habitat works, which will take place after the breeding season this
summer, will also improve the control of water levels on the reserve
helping to prevent prolonged flooding of the rare coastal grassland. Tony Baker, Site Manager for the RSPB Ribble Reserves said:
“Purchasing Crossens Inner Marsh is the final piece of the jigsaw for
us, not only as an extension to our well known Marshside reserve, but
also in the completion of the Ribble Estuary National Nature Reserve
(NNR). We’re working in partnership here with Natural England who
oversee England’s NNRs, which enables us to do more for nature by
creating opportunities for bigger, better and more joined-up management
of these vital wild spaces.”
Woodland Trust recognised for its work with volunteers
- Woodland Trust From wildlife whizzes to willing writers, public speakers to plucky
photographers - the Woodland Trust has been recognised for the
opportunities it gives to volunteers. The charity has been awarded the Investing in Volunteers* Quality
Standard after being assessed against a range of best practice standards
and having proved to excel in the areas of recruitment, safety
standards, management, support, recognition and value. The charity has 3,226 roles for volunteers who undertake invaluable
work for trees and woods and nature across the UK. Without them its
fight to protect and create woodlands would not be as strong.
Paul Taylor, National volunteering manager at the Woodland Trust
said: “We appreciate every volunteer that gives their time freely.
They’re the lifeblood of the organisation. Every volunteer adds value to
our organisation and helps us to achieve our goals. We have 3,226
volunteer roles which account for 174,000 hours of work, which is worth
£1.7m annually. The scope of volunteering opportunities is broad; from
office based roles such as researchers to trustees, to practical outdoor
roles such as woodland working groups and tree health surveyors who
highlight instances of tree disease - something that has been especially
important in recent years with so many cases of ash dieback.” That the Trust has been awarded this nationally recognised quality
standard offers potential volunteers assurance that if they decide to
volunteer that they can feel confident that the Trust will support them
and value their contribution, and that they will always being treated
with respect.
Scientific publications Capstick, L.A., Sage, R.B. & Madden, J.R.
Predation of artificial nests in UK farmland by magpies (Pica pica):
interacting environmental, temporal, and social factors influence a
nest’s risk. Eur J Wildl Res (2019) 65: 50. DOI:
10.1007/s10344-019-1290-6
Javier Rivas-Salvador, David Hořák, Jiří Reif,
Spatial patterns in habitat specialization of European bird communities,
Ecological Indicators, doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.05.063. Froidevaux, JSP, Boughey, KL, Hawkins, CL, Broyles, M, Jones, G.
Managing hedgerows for nocturnal wildlife: Do bats and their insect prey
benefit from targeted agri-environment schemes? J Appl Ecol. 2019;
00: 1– 14. doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13412
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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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A
juvenile Manx shearwater on Lundy. Photo by David Price
A rare butterfly has been reintroduced to a site in Derbyshire where
it’s not been seen for 52 years, thanks to an ambitious project by the
National Trust and wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation (BC).
(credit
Michael Holdsworth)
One
in five people (20%) using a UK-wide deposit return system would donate
deposits they’d paid on drinks cans and bottles to charity all of the
time, according to a new survey carried out by ICM Unlimited and
published today (30 May) by the Campaign to Protect Rural England
(CPRE). This could result in annual donations of more than £1 billion to
good causes. 
A
NEW study has revealed a range of factors that cause a variation in
predation by magpies on farmland songbirds.
A
picture of Birling Gap looking over the Beachy Head West MCZ. (Credit:
Natural England.
Dragonflies
are abundant at the new Aston Locks nature reserve lakes. (image: CRT)
Young
farmer volunteers at Penn Wood (Photo: Natalia Szcyzgielska / WTML)
