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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
RSPB Scotland calls for immediate halt to mountain hare culls on back of
shocking new report Government agency statement on status of protected species and
habitats shows alarming decline in species’ population New data published by the EU revealing the condition of Scottish
protected species and habitats has revealed the country’s mountain hare
populations have experienced a major decline. As a result the status of the mountain hare has been downgraded to
unfavourable, meaning that special conservation action needs to be
undertaken to arrest further declines and aid their recovery. The main cause of this reclassification has been identified as
hunting and game management. Lesser pressures include the impacts of
agriculture and habitat loss. The Article 17 Report requires the Scottish Government to give
information on the status of European protected habitats and species.
Scottish Natural Heritage, the government’s own natural heritage
advisors, have taken the action on the back of new evidence revealing
catastrophic mountain hare declines particularly in areas managed for
intensive driven grouse shooting activity. RSPB Scotland have lobbied for many years to improve the protection
for mountain hares in Scotland - calling for a moratorium in 2015 on the
unregulated culling. Since then shocking new evidence has shown the
species – a true emblem of Scotland’s wild places – has declined by over
90% in some sites managed for driven grouse shooting in spite of claims
from the shooting industry that numbers remain healthy. Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB
Scotland, said: “We have been extremely concerned about the state of our
mountain hare populations for many years.”
New barnacle goose scheme opens in the Hebrides
– Scottish Natural Heritage
Applications
are now open for a new £60,000 barnacle goose management scheme in North
Uist, Coll and Tiree, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) announced today
(26 August).
The scheme will compensate farmers who allow Greenland barnacle geese
to graze undisturbed in protected areas of the islands, so they will
cause less damage elsewhere. Scotland hosts around 60% of the world’s population of Greenland
barnacle geese. These internationally important birds are a conservation
success story, with increased numbers across the country over the last
20 years. However, this impacts crofters and farmers, as high numbers of
geese feed on productive agricultural land and cause significant damage
in some areas. In the late 1990s, the barnacle goose population totalled 3000 on the
islands of North Uist, Coll and Tiree. This has now increased to more
than 10,000 – with 6,000 geese on North Uist, and 4,700 on Coll and
Tiree. Johanne Ferguson, SNH’s Outer Hebrides Operations Manager, said:
“Wild geese are an important part of Scotland’s nature, but their
increased numbers have been challenging for farmers and crofters. It’s
still a significant issue in some areas, with a difficult balance to
make between conservation and farming. I’d encourage crofters and
farmers to see if they’re eligible for this new scheme, which will both
reduce goose damage to crops elsewhere and help conserve geese. We’re
happy to answer any questions and help with applications at our local
offices in Uist and Lochgilphead.” The scheme covers approximately 400 hectares on North Uist and 250
hectares on Coll and Tiree, and will run from October 2019 to May 2021. To be eligible, agricultural land must lie within an area of high
barnacle goose use, be permanent or rotational grassland and in a
suitable condition to attract barnacle geese. On Uist, eligible land
must be outside mainland areas of North Uist, as agreed with the Uist
goose group.
Hundreds of trees planted in a pilot to help reduce flood risk
– Environment Agency Launch of a natural flood management pilot project to help reduce the
risk of flooding from the River Aire Hundreds of trees have been planted as part of the first project to
trial natural flood management techniques to help improve protection for
the people of Leeds and living near the River Aire. The pilot site on a working farm at Eshton Beck, Gargrave now has 650
new trees planted by staff and trainees from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
and volunteers. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust has also worked on three further pilots on
the same site, with a whole host of volunteers from the Environment
Agency, Leeds City Council, Yorkshire Water, The Conservation
Volunteers, Craven Conservation Group and SCAPA, a firm based in
Gargrave. They were also helped by students and staff from Leeds
University and NVQ trainees from Craven College. The flood alleviation
work involved building 66 log and brash leaky dams, planting a further
850 trees, undertaking 0.5ha of woodland management, building a 20m-long
log revetment – using timber to prevent bank erosion and installing 200m
of fenceline and a water gate to protect the new trees from nearby
grazing stock. The aim is to see how natural techniques can slow the flow of water
and reduce the risk of flooding downstream. The trees include dogwood,
guelder rose, downy birch, alder, and willow which will be planted along
with hedgerows of hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel. Other measures carried
out at part of the project include fencing works, creating leaky
barriers and woody dams and stabilising river banks. The natural flood
management pilot forms part of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, led
by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, which
has a catchment wide approach to flood risk as it enters its second
stage.
Beaver reintroduction key to solving freshwater biodiversity crisis
– University of Stirling Reintroducing beavers to their native habitat is an important step
towards solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis, according to experts
at the University of Stirling. New research from the Faculty of Natural Sciences has provided
further support to previous work that has shown beavers have an
important impact on the variety of plant and animal life. The latest study, led by Dr Alan Law and Professor Nigel Willby,
found that the number of species only found in beaver-built ponds was 50
percent higher than other wetlands in the same region. Dr Law, Lecturer in Biological and Environmental Sciences, said:
“Beavers make ponds that, at first glance, are not much different from
any other pond. However, we found that the biodiversity – predominantly
water plants and beetles – in beaver ponds was greater than and
surprisingly different from that found in other wetlands in the same
region. Our results also emphasise the importance of natural disturbance
by big herbivores – in this case, tree felling, grazing and digging of
canals by beavers – in creating habitat for species which otherwise tend
to be lost. Reintroducing beavers where they were once native should
benefit wider biodiversity and should be seen as an important and bold
step towards solving the freshwater biodiversity crisis.” Beavers are one of the only animals that can profoundly engineer the
environment that they live in – using sticks to build dams across small
rivers, behind which ponds form. Beavers do this to raise water levels
to avoid predators, such as wolves and bears: however, numerous other
plants and animals also benefit from their work.
Welsh dragons receive National Lottery funding lifeline
– Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £428,000 to
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC) to help Wales’ most threatened
amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians and reptiles are vital components of our ecosystems, but
are suffering from lack of good habitat, landscape fragmentation and
public misunderstanding. With help from National Lottery Players, ARC and its partners will
work with hundreds of volunteers and citizen scientists to conserve
habitats, build a vital record of populations and find out what needs to
be done to secure the future of these species. Across the world, 40% of all amphibians are under threat of
extinction and the figure for reptiles may be even higher. Wales’
species need our help too. The new Connecting the Dragons project will
operate across southern Wales, focusing on the five species known to be
most under threat there – the sand lizard, adder, grass snake, great
crested newt and common toad. There is no doubt that they are at risk. Loss of habitats such as
heathlands and ponds, increasing pressures from development and
fragmentation, and public misunderstanding of these important species
(including in the case of snakes persecution) have all played their
part.
Generous grant will support curlew conservation in Sutherland
- RSPB RSPB Scotland is delighted to have received support from FCC
Communities Foundation Ltd. for habitat restoration work at their
Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve. FCC Communities Foundation Ltd. is a
not-for-profit business that awards grants for community projects
through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund. The reserve is located in Sutherland, nestled amongst the rugged
peatlands, sheltered straths and mountains of the Flow Country, the
largest blanket bog in Europe. It supports a wide array of wildlife -
including dunlin, greenshank and hen harrier - and one area of the
reserve, Forsinain Farm, provides a mosaic of grasslands and wetlands
that is home to breeding curlew, one of Scotland’s most threatened
birds. When properly maintained, wetlands like this are the preferred
habitat for breeding curlew. The curlew is the largest European wading bird and it is instantly
recognisable with its long, downcurved bill, mottled brown colouring,
long legs and distinctive ‘cour-lee’ call. The UK’s breeding population
of Curlew is of international importance, being estimated to represent
more than 30 per cent of the west European population. There have been
worrying declines in the breeding population throughout the UK and
across the globe, due to changes in land use and practices that drain or
dry out their preferred wetland habitats. Thanks to the generous contribution of £34,196.13 from FCC
Communities Foundation Ltd., RSPB Scotland has now started work to
restore wetland habitat at the farm for the benefit of curlew and other
conservation priority wildlife. The funds will also allow the team to
introduce new visitor infrastructure, which will provide unprecedented
viewing opportunities of the farm’s wetland biodiversity.
New population of critically endangered mussels discovered
- Scottish Natural Heritage A new population of globally endangered freshwater pearl mussels has
been discovered in a Scottish river, giving fresh hope to scientists
working to conserve the rare mollusc.
The
successfully-breeding population was found in one of the tributaries of
the River Spey in an area of native woodland by a graduate on the
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) placement scheme. Freshwater Pearl Mussels ©Sue Scott SNH Kieran Leigh-Moy has been working on a project to understand why the
declining populations of freshwater pearl mussels in the river were not
breeding and locate sites where they could be reintroduced to help their
recovery. While developing a method for identifying the most suitable
locations, he came across a previously unknown population which,
significantly, contained juveniles. Freshwater pearl mussels can live up to 280 years old, but the
species is critically endangered as a large proportion of the
populations across Europe have not been successfully breeding for
several decades. Kieran said: “I’d already identified this river as potentially having
good quality habitat, so was visiting the site to conduct more in-depth
surveys to see if it would be a suitable site for a reintroduction, but
was stunned to find juvenile freshwater pearl mussels already there. It is hoped the approach developed by Kieran can be used to help
prioritise conservation efforts and find good habitat for freshwater
pearl mussels at other locations as well as mitigate the shrinking range
of the species in the river.
South Wales’ ‘lost peatlands’ given new lease of life - The National
Lottery Heritage Fund Funding will help restore over 540 hectares of neglected landscape
and habitat, once known as the Alps of Glamorgan.
The
Lost Peatlands of South Wales project is aiming to restore a historic
peatland landscape and to help people enjoy their local outdoor space. The project has been awarded £260,000 by The National Lottery to
develop its plans further. It can then apply for a larger grant of over
£1.8million once its plans are fully developed. Flourishing heathland. Credit: NPTC This grant is the first major award given in The National Lottery
Heritage Fund’s new focus areas of Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon
Taf, which have been identified as the two areas in Wales that
could benefit most from National Lottery investment in their heritage. A changed landscape Once referred to as the Alps of Glamorgan, the uplands area between
Neath Port Talbot and Rhondda Cynon Taf in the South Wales valleys was
at one time boggy peatland. But due to the extensive commercial forestry
planting of conifer trees since the 1950s, the area’s landscape now
looks very different. This change has affected not only the look of the valleys, but other
important natural elements such as the ability of rare wildlife to
thrive there, as well as increased risk of fires and floods. The use of land for forestry has also meant large areas are difficult
to access for recreational use, meaning that local people don’t see the
benefit of this extensive green space.
1000 National Park Rangers to increase diversity in the countryside,
welcomed by original campaigners
- Campaign for National Parks The charity for National Parks has today welcomed a proposal to
increase the number of National Park rangers fourfold. The idea was
announced by Julian Glover on today’s Today Programme on BBC Radio 4. Mr
Glover is leading a review of England’s National Parks and Areas of
Outstanding Natural Beauty, which was commissioned by the former
Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, and which is due to be published
this autumn. According to the proposals, the 1000 rangers would be administered by
a new National Ranger Service. The details are still emerging, but a
core function of the rangers would be to go out and inspire minority or
marginalised communities to use the National Parks, to welcome visitors
and tell them about the local landscape, wildlife and history. Campaign for National Parks, the charity which was first established
in 1936 to lead the fight to establish the National Parks, has welcomed
the proposals. It has campaigned for measures to improve access to the
Parks and led the Mosaic Project for ten years, which successfully
introduced communities to the National Parks in England and Wales. Corinne Pluchino, Chief Executive of Campaign for National Parks
said: “We stand at an incredibly important point in history for the
National Parks. The National Parks have achieved a great deal since they
were first established seventy years ago, but it’s a matter of urgency
that we revitalise their vision and ambitions. “The challenges of climate change, the collapse of wildlife and a
lack of diversity in the visitors enjoying the Parks means we need a
re-think at a national level. It’s fantastic to see new ideas that could
capture the imagination and drive forward diverse, thriving landscapes
with visitors from all sorts of backgrounds. In our submission to the
review we specifically cited the importance of National Park rangers in
reaching out to underrepresented communities so we are delighted to see
the Glover review take this on board.” Campaign for National Parks has been leading calls for changes in the
National Parks including a new way of going about nature conservation,
increasing protection for their unique landscapes, and improving
sustainable access into the Parks so every part of society can enjoy
them. “The forebears of Campaign for National Parks knew how important it
was for the nation that these special places were protected. That places
such as the Lake District, Dartmoor and the Peak District could provide
beauty, clean air and tranquillity to everyone, and not just the select
few. We welcome the review’s early analysis and hope the final report
will be bold and ambitious” continued Corinne.
Birdcrime report demands grouse moor review in England
- RSPB
Birds of prey continue to be illegally shot, trapped and poisoned,
particularly on land managed for driven grouse shooting according to the
RSPB’s annual report of illegal bird persecution.
Birdcrime 2018 – the only report summarising offences against birds
of prey in the UK – reveals 87 confirmed incidents of bird of prey
persecution in 2018. Victims included 31 buzzards, 27 red kites and 6
peregrines. Hen harriers, red kites, peregrines and owls were also
illegally killed. Intelligence, and scientific data from satellite
tagging raptors, suggests many more birds will have been killed and not
found, and that these figures only offer a glimpse into a far larger
problem. Sixty-seven (77%) of these incidents took place in England, with 12
in Scotland, five in Wales, three in Northern Ireland. Despite this,
only one incident, from a 2017 investigation resulted in a conviction
during the year. The report also identifies illegal persecution blackspots in the Peak
District, North Yorkshire and southern Scotland. Incidents were
predominantly recorded in these upland areas where the land is managed
for driven grouse shooting. All birds of prey are legally protected
under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Yet in areas these laws are
being widely ignored. On some grouse moors, birds of prey and other
protected species are routinely and illegally trapped, shot and
poisoned. Intelligence, scientific studies and monitoring of
satellite-tagged birds, continues to indicate a strong association
between raptor persecution and grouse moor management. Responses
BASC response to latest RSPB Birdcrime report Following publication of the RSPB’s 2018 Birdcrime report, BASC has
reiterated its condemnation of wildlife crime and emphasised the
importance of partnership working.
Grouse moors respond to RSPB birdcrime report The Moorland Association, which represents grouse moor owners and
managers in England, said today that grouse moors are a proven friend of
the environment and not an enemy. Following the publication of the 2018 Birdcrime Report by RSPB,
Amanda Anderson, director of the Moorland Association, said: ” One
incident of wildlife crime anywhere is too many, but RSPB’s Birdcrime
report has morphed into a blunt and unfounded attack on all grouse moor
management with few supporting facts. RSPB’s view that it is ‘criminal,
unsustainable and environmentally damaging’ is not shared by government
and other agencies.
Mediterranean Blue Butterfly Invades Britain
- Butterfly Conservation Climate change is causing a striking butterfly from southern Europe
to appear in record-breaking numbers across the south of England,
wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation can reveal.
Long-tailed
Blue (male) - Steve Maskell More than 50 Long-tailed Blue butterflies and hundreds of the
butterfly’s eggs have been discovered over the last few weeks, which
could result in the largest ever emergence of the butterfly in UK
history. Experts believe rising temperatures are behind the influx, with
sightings of the butterfly coming in from Cornwall right across to Kent,
as far north as Suffolk and even into Surrey – where the Long-tailed
Blue hasn’t been seen since 1990. Typically, only a handful of these exotic migrants from the
Mediterranean reach the UK each summer, but this is the third time in
six years that the butterfly has arrived in vastly increased numbers and
2019 looks set to surpass the previous peaks witnessed in 2013 and 2015. Butterfly Conservation volunteer and Long-tailed Blue expert, Neil
Hulme, said: “These butterflies have crossed the Channel and are laying
eggs in gardens, allotments and anywhere you can find Broad-leaved
Everlasting-pea and similar plants, which the caterpillar likes to feed
on. We’ve never recorded this many migrant adults before – it’s
completely unprecedented. In only a few days, I’ve found more than 100
eggs in Sussex alone and the butterfly has been seen in Cornwall,
Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and Suffolk. We’ve even had a
sighting in Glamorgan in South Wales. What’s really exciting is that the
Long-tailed Blue has gone further inland than it did in 2013 and 2015,
with at least three confirmed sightings in Surrey, where the butterfly
hasn’t been seen for 30 years. The adults will keep laying eggs and in
September and October we’ll see the first British-born offspring
emerging. I strongly believe this will take the total number seen this
year to well over a hundred, breaking all previous records for this
butterfly in the UK.” The Long-tailed Blue has previously been considered a very rare
visitor to the UK, despite being abundant across southern Europe,
Africa, Asia and Australia.
First flamingo chick in 4 years hatches - Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust A long-awaited Chilean flamingo egg has successfully hatched at WWT
Washington Wetland Centre – the first chick to arrive in over four
years! For 30 long days, staff and volunteers at WWT Washington have waited
on tenterhooks to find out if the first flamingo egg, laid on Wednesday
31 July, would produce a healthy chick. Well, early on Tuesday 27 August, staff were delighted to hear a
‘croaking’ from within the egg – the very first bonding ritual young
flamingos have with their parents – and a signal it was thriving,
healthy and almost ready to hatch! The ‘croaking’ egg was returned to its parents on the nest and within
seconds the adults were back tending to the egg and bonding with their
soon-to-hatch chick, or ‘flamingling’ as the team at WWT Washington
refer to them as. Then, this morning (29 August 2019) staff were incredibly excited to
spot a freshly hatched youngster taking shelter under the protective
wing of its parent. Senior keeper Rhys Mckie said, “To have the first egg in over 4 years
hatch successfully is very exciting and it’s great to see the adults
doing their job as parents perfectly. It’s also been really promising to
have many of our 6-year-old hand-reared flamingos interested in the
process; curiously investigating the nests and inspecting the eggs. Some
even had a go at incubating the eggs and, although they may not be their
own, it’s really encouraging behaviour to see!
Help clean up the countryside with CPRE’s Green Clean -
CPRE - the Countryside Charity The countryside charity is urging everyone to get involved with its
nationwide Green Clean litter picks This September, CPRE is mobilising almost 20 local CPRE groups, in
partnership with other local community groups and passionate volunteers,
to clean up local green spaces and countryside as part of its nationwide
Green Clean. Evidence from the Green Clean will be used to highlight the
urgent need for a deposit return system that includes drinks cans,
plastic and glass bottles, cartons and pouches of all sizes. Running for one month, and with events taking place from Somerset to
Northumberland , the countryside charity wants as many people as
possible to get involved in their local Green Clean events and help
improve their local environment. Last year, litter pickers collected hundreds of bags of litter and
over 11,000 drinks bottles and cans, of all shapes, sizes and materials.
This not only helped to transform local green spaces across the country,
but also demonstrated that drinks containers of all kinds are left
polluting the natural world supporting the need for an ‘all-in’ deposit
return system. Maddy Haughton-Boakes, Campaign Lead at CPRE, said: ‘Litter
left in our countryside, streets, parks and rivers isn’t just an
eyesore, it can be extremely harmful to wildlife and nature, and cost
tax-payers millions of pounds in clean-up costs every year. Through the
collective effort of local people, this year’s Green Clean will
transform local green spaces back to a beautiful litter-free state. Last
year we collected a staggering number of harmful drinks cans, bottles,
cartons and pouches, demonstrating how vital it is that every single
type of drinks container is included England’s deposit return system.
That small financial incentive will stop them from being littered,
making such a huge difference to our environment and wildlife.’ To find out where your nearest Green Clean event is taking place, to
sign up and for more information go to:
cpre.org.uk/GreenClean.
Experts predict an impressive year for autumn colour!
- Forestry England
Great
news for autumn lovers, experts from Forestry England are predicting a
fantastic autumn, with an impressive display of vibrant autumn colours
that will start now and continue right through to mid-November. For spectacular autumn colour, trees need a healthy balance of
sunlight and rain to produce sugars, which create the colours in the
leaves.
Many of us were left feeling soggy at the start of the summer and
data from the Met Office confirms that England experienced a spell of
very wet weather in mid-June, with some parts of the UK receiving 2.5
times the monthly average rainfall. However, rain twinned with the
sunshine that we experienced for much of July is a promising recipe for
a spectacular show of seasonal colour in the nation’s woodlands this
autumn. There is also great news for our forest wildlife, with
experts predicting a bumper year for fruit and nuts. Andrew Smith, Forestry England’s director at Westonbirt, The National
Arboretum in Gloucestershire explains: “The fruit and nut blossoms
managed to escape the frost in early spring and the rain in June has
helped the fruits to swell. July’s sunshine and warm weather helped them
to continue to grow which means we should see a great year for fruit and
nuts. The same weather conditions are ideal for producing sugar in
leaves which is further reassurance that it will be a brilliant year for
autumn colour!”
How changes in land use could reduce the browning of lakes
- Lund University Over the past 50 years, the water in lakes and watercourses has
turned increasingly brown. The so-called browning has a negative impact
on both drinking water production and ecosystems. If nothing is done,
the water is likely to turn even browner – however, there is hope. Supported by a new study, researchers from Lund University and the
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) are pointing to
measures that could be taken with the purpose of mitigating and, in the
long term, reversing this development.
Lack of land management contributed to devastating wildfire, report
claims - British Association for Shooting and
Conservation The lack of active land management, including “controlled burning and
mowing”, contributed to the severity of last year’s Llantysilio mountain
wildfire, according to findings from a recent report. The 63-page report on the Llantysilio mountain wildfire that ravaged
over 290 hectares of uplands for over a month last year gave several
recommendations on reducing the risk of wildfires in the future. The report concluded: “The lack of robust land management over an
extended period of time on the mountain contributed towards the length
of time the fire burned and the devastation it caused. Therefore, a
regular programme of land management activities is crucial if the risk
of extensive environmental and economic damage from similar fires is to
be lessened in future.” Denbighshire’s Countryside Services commented on the severity of the
wildfire saying, “in places it would take years to restore as the soil
structure and seed stock has been destroyed”, and there was a risk that
“further soil would be lost through the effects of wind and water
run-off”. The report commissioned by Denbighshire County Council’s Communities
Scrutiny Committee is due to be heard at a meeting on 5th September.
The report published on 29th August can be found here.
Scientific Publications Hui Xiao, Eve McDonald-Madden, Régis Sabbadin, Nathalie Peyrard,
Laura E. Dee & Iadine Chadès
The value
of understanding feedbacks from ecosystem functions to species for
managing ecosystems Nature Communications volume 10,
Article number: 3901 (2019) doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-11890-7 Open Access
Tom McKenna, Ralph Blaney, Rob W. Brooker, David A. Ewing, Robin J.
Pakeman, Paul Watkinson, David O'Brien,
Scotland’s natural capital asset index: Tracking nature’s contribution
to national wellbeing, Ecological Indicators, Volume 107, 2019,
105645, ISSN 1470-160X, Claire Feniuk Andrew Balmford Rhys E. Green
Land sparing to make space for species dependent on natural habitats and
high nature value farmland Proc. R. Soc. B
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1483 Evans Matthew R.
Will natural resistance result in populations of ash trees remaining in
British woodlands after a century of ash dieback disease? R. Soc.
open sci. doi: 10.1098/rsos.190908
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