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Headlines from week beginning 7 October 2019 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
New film from Sir David Attenborough and The Wildlife Trusts calls for
nature’s recovery – The Wildlife Trusts In the film Sir David calls for powerful new laws to ensure the UK’s
wild places can thrive once more and for a Nature Recovery Network. Sir David Attenborough says in the film: “It’s time to turn things around. Nature is capable of extraordinary
recovery but we must act now! Tell your politicians now is the
time to put nature into recovery. Everything works better when it’s
connected.”
Extra 20,000 trees for Highland nature reserve – Scottish Natural
Heritage
Scots pines at Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve ©Lorne Gill
SNH Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) made the commitment at the start of
Climate Week to build on a long-running tree planting programme at the
Wester Ross reserve. Woodland expansion is part of the solution to the climate emergency,
helping to increase biodiversity, conserve Scottish species and help our
society and economy adapt to climate change, for example by reducing
potential for flooding and reducing the effects of heatwaves. Beinn Eighe with its stunning ancient Caledonian pine forest was
designated as the UK’s first NNR in 1951. Since its establishment, some 800,000 trees have been planted at the
reserve. Most have been Scots pine as well as additional broadleaf
species such as birch, aspen, holly, rowan and oak. The tree planting is designed to supplement wider management work to
encourage natural regeneration at Beinn Eighe NNR and also at Creag
Meagaidh NNR in the Highlands, which allows the woodlands to expand by
natural ecological processes in the presence of wild deer. Meanwhile Rum NNR marked one million trees planted back in 1997, with
the full benefit of these trees now beginning to be realised, including
the building up of natural seed sources around the reserve. The precious native woodlands in SNH’s nature reserves capture more
than 30,000 tonnes of ‘greenhouse gases’ annually in total. This
is the equivalent of removing around 10,000 vehicles from the roads
every year. The economic value of this carbon sequestration was estimated to be
around £2.2 million in 2017. Stuart MacQuarrie, SNH Head of Nature Reserves, said: “Beinn Eighe is
renowned for its beautiful ancient pinewoods and we have long managed
the reserve to expand and enhance this special woodland. Planting a
further 20,000 native trees will help increase the nature reserve’s
biodiversity, restore habitats to healthy ecosystems and provide greater
resilience against the effects of climate change.”
GWCT statement on Langholm Moor Demonstration Project final report The final report of the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project (2008 –
2017) has now been published and is available
to download online. Teresa Dent, chief executive of the Game & Wildlife Conservation
Trust and GWCT Director for the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project
board commented:
Rare plant blooms on Cornish Urban Buzz site
– Buglife Nature conservationists are surprised and excited by the unexpected
appearance of a rare plant in parks in Falmouth and St Austell.
The Small-flowered catchfly is an endangered plant in the UK, and to
find it in a park is very unusual. Last year, Buglife’s Urban Buzz project, funded by Biffa Award and
the Eden Project, worked with local councils and communities to create
new wildflower-rich habitats for pollinating insects across Falmouth,
Truro, Wadebridge and St Austell. As part of Urban Buzz, several new wildflower meadows were created in
each town, and they are just starting to flower for the first time. Upon
surveying the Falmouth meadows, Buglife volunteer Charlotte Rankin and
Kevin Thomas from Falmouth Nature discovered the rare and endangered
plant, Small-flowered Catchfly. Charlotte said “Discovering Small-flowered Catchfly at two Urban Buzz
sites in Falmouth was greatly exciting! This arable plant is a rare
sight to see both in Cornwall and nationally, so I certainly wasn’t
expecting to see it in an urban setting on my doorstep. As its name
suggests, it is a really small plant and easily overlooked, so it was
only when I knelt down to photograph a visiting pollinator that I
discovered it amongst the meadow’s annuals. When visiting the other
Urban Buzz meadows in Falmouth, I kept my eyes peeled and to my delight,
another was found! It’s amazing what species can be discovered when they
are given a chance.
Rare moth returns to Cornwall after 10-year absence
– Butterfly Conservation A rare moth has returned to Cornwall for the first time in more than
ten years, wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation can reveal.
A caterpillar of the elusive Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk-moth was found
on Goss Moor National Nature Reserve near Victoria in late June. The discovery is confirmation the moth is breeding in the county
again and is the first record of the species in Cornwall since 2008,
when the moth was seen on Bodmin Moor. Butterfly Conservation’s Jenny Plackett said: 24-year-old Cerin from Zelah in Cornwall said:
Badger behaviour inside the cull zone
- ZSL ZSL study shows survivors of culls cover 61% greater areas,
potentially increasing risk of transmission to cattle. A study led by researchers from ZSL and Imperial College London has
found that culling drives badgers to roam 61% further afield – helping
to explain why the practice, intended to reduce bovine TB transmission,
can sometimes exacerbate the problem instead. Published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, the paper reveals that,
after a population was culled, surviving badgers covered 61% more land
each month than they had before the cull began, leading researchers to
conclude that badgers explore new areas as individuals are removed from
neighbouring groups and territories open up. Badgers were also found to visit 45% more fields each month, and the
odds of a badger visiting neighbouring territories each night increased
20-fold – potentially increasing the risk of TB transmission both to
cattle and to other badgers. These changes were witnessed as soon as
culling began, meaning even badgers that were killed may have first
spread the infection over wider areas while management was being
implemented. Badgers however spent less time outside of their setts in culled
areas – spending on average 91 minutes less per night out and about. ZSL
scientists believe this could be linked to reduced competition and
increased food availability as badgers are removed from the population. The research group from ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, and Imperial’s
MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, studied 67 badgers
across 20 cattle farms in areas with and without farmer-led culling in
Cornwall, collecting GPS-collar data between 2013 and 2017. Read the paper: Ham, C, Donnelly,
CA, Astley, KL, Jackson, SYB, Woodroffe, R. Effect
of culling on individual badger Meles meles behaviour:
Potential implications for bovine tuberculosis transmission. J Appl
Ecol. 2019; 00: 1– 10. doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13512
Study recommends special protection of emperor penguins
Emperor penguins need sea ice to breed. Photo credit: Peter
Fretwell The researchers reviewed over 150 studies on the species and its
environment as well as its behaviour and character in relation to its
breeding biology. Current climate change projections indicate that
rising temperatures and changing wind patterns will impact negatively
the sea ice on which emperor penguins breed; and some studies indicate
that emperor populations will decrease by more than 50% over the current
century. The researchers therefore recommend that the IUCN status for
the species be escalated to ‘vulnerable’; the species is currently
listed as ‘near threatened’ on the IUCN Red List. They conclude that
improvements in climate change forecasting in relation to impacts on
Antarctic wildlife would be beneficial, and recommend that the emperor
penguin should be listed by the Antarctic Treaty as a Specially
Protected Species. Lead author Dr Philip Trathan, Head of Conservation Biology at
British Antarctic Survey, says: “The current rate of warming in parts of
the Antarctic is greater than anything in the recent glaciological
record. Though emperor penguins have experienced periods of warming and
cooling over their evolutionary history, the current rates of warming
are unprecedented. Currently, we have no idea how the emperors will
adjust to the loss of their primary breeding habitat – sea ice. They are
not agile and climbing ashore across steep coastal land forms will be
difficult. For breeding, they depend upon sea ice, and in a warming
world there is a high probability that this will decrease. Without it,
they will have little or no breeding habitat.”
New report shows pilot scheme farmers boost environment outcomes
- Defra Farmers and land managers in a “Payment by Results” pilot are more
motivated to succeed, delivering “exceptional results” for the
environment. The first major assessment of a “Payment by Results” pilot has shown
the project is boosting local wildlife and motivating farmers to develop
nature-friendly practices. Unlike the prescriptive approach of the current national
agri-environment schemes – which pay a flat rate for actions taken
rather than results achieved – the 34 farmers taking part in the Payment
by Results pilot have had the freedom to choose how they manage their
land to enhance the environment. A new report published today by project partners Natural England and
the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority shows these farmers have
recorded 43% increased score for number and diversity of seed bearing
plants than nearby sites under conventional funding schemes – providing
a rich food source for farmland birds during the winter months. The trial areas for species-rich meadows also recorded a greater
number of important plant species, such as pignut and eyebright,
benefitting bumblebees, butterflies and birds. Participating farmers
have also reported they felt more motivated to manage their land in a
way that enhances the environment. The report concludes the result-based approach has “considerable
potential” for the design of the future Environmental Land Management
scheme – the government’s future vision for farming outside the EU.
New report reveals that prescribing nature is excellent value for money
- The Wildlife Trusts Call for green prescribing to become widespread A new report published today reveals that prescribing contact with
nature for people who have low levels of mental wellbeing is excellent
value for money by improving people’s health and wellbeing. Researchers at Leeds Beckett University analysed the social value of
Wildlife Trusts’ nature conservation projects which offer outdoor
volunteering opportunities and programmes that support people
experiencing problems such as anxiety, stress or mild depression.The
report draws on the conclusions of three years research which found that
people participating in both sorts of outdoor nature conservation
activities felt significantly better, both emotionally and physically,
as a result. They needed, for example, fewer visits to GPs or felt more
able to get back into work. Simon says: “Before coming to MyPlace, I would close myself off from
the world. They offered me encouragement, support and how to expand my
social skills. MyPlace has made my transition back into life far easier
and it’s helped my confidence and self-esteem. I thought my life was
going to go one of three ways, I was either going to end up in a
hospital, in a prison cell or on a slab. I did not imagine that I would
be here, being able to offer what I do today.” The new report –
Social return on investment analysis of the health and wellbeing impacts
of Wildlife Trust programmes – calculates the social return on
investment for every £1 invested in the two types of project and found
that they are excellent value.
Over 700 responses to SNH General Licence consultation
- Scottish Natural Heritage The Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) consultation about wild birds
ended yesterday, garnering over 700 responses. SNH will now consider this feedback, along with all other evidence
about wild birds. Any changes to the current set of licences will be
announced later this year. These changes would apply to all 2020
licences.
The consultation covers circumstances when wild birds can be
controlled under General Licence. All wild birds are protected by law.
But in some circumstances, SNH allows wild birds to be controlled – for
example, to prevent serious damage to crops, protect public health, and
ensure air safety when flocks of birds are liable to get in flight
paths. Robbie Kernahan, SNH’s Head of Wildlife Management, said: “We’d like
to thank everyone for their feedback. We’ll be looking at all these
responses carefully over the next months to ensure that our licences are
clear, proportionate and fit-for-purpose. Our role is to make sure that
wild birds thrive, but we must balance this with making sure the public
is safe from health and safety risks, as well as ensuring that farmers
can protect their crops.” General Licences cover relatively common situations – such as
preventing agricultural damage and protecting public health and safety –
when there’s unlikely to be any conservation impact on a species. They
avoid the need for people to apply for individual licences for these
specific situations. General Licences must strike the appropriate
balance between species conservation and a range of other legitimate
interests. Partnership
wins National Lottery support to help protect chalk grassland
- South Downs National Park Authority
(image: South Downs National Park Authority) Development funding of £138,300 has been awarded by The National
Lottery Heritage Fund to help the Changing Chalk partnership
progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of
£2,234,600 in 2021. Changing Chalk is focused on the chalk grassland landscape of the
Sussex Downs and the communities of the coastal urban fringe of Brighton
and Hove, Eastbourne and Lewes. This distinctive landscape has 746,000
people living within the perimeter, it is one of the most densely
populated coastal areas in Northern Europe bordering the fragile chalk
grassland. The majority of the 392sq/km2 project area falls within the South
Downs National Park, which was designated for the nation in 2009. Chalk
grassland and its abundance of wildlife, including an array of rare
butterflies, were a key part of the designation.
A new website to improve open access to research data on Scotland’s
natural assets - James Hutton Institute Scientists based at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen have
developed a brand-new, web-based portal to improve access to spatial
data on Scotland’s natural assets, including soils, land, biodiversity
and cultural heritage.
The new Natural Asset Register Data Portal, or NAR-DP for short,
facilitates access to open-access datasets created through the Scottish
Government’s Strategic Research Programme that otherwise wouldn’t be
readily available to stakeholders, other researchers or the wider
public. Kit Macleod, from the Institute’s Information and Computational
Sciences group and co-developer of NAR-DP together with colleague David
Donnelly, explains: “A key aim of the Strategic Research Programme
funded by the Scottish Government is to improve our understanding and
management of natural resources. The aim of NAR-DP is to create an
accessible and easy to use online resource for a wide range of people,
from organisations to members of the public. The web pages contain
datasets on specific aspects of Scotland’s natural assets including
socio-economic features, soils and biodiversity.”
Birds benefiting from climate change may find their boost short-lived
- RSPB The climate crisis has had a profound impact upon bird populations
across Europe and the US, scientists say. Climate change is a major global threat to humanity and nature. It
threatens to undermine our water and food supplies, it’s fueling extreme
weather and some mega-cities are predicted to disappear under rising sea
levels.
So conservationists were flummoxed by studies which showed climate
change is having a stronger effect upon species which benefit from
climate change compared to those which suffer negative impacts. The authors of a major study investigating 525 bird species over 30
years and across two continents believed there could be a time lag in
the response of populations to climate change, creating an ‘extinction
debt’. They were also concerned most studies cover time spans too short
to pick up on shrinking habitat ranges and focused on changes in range,
rather than change in numbers. But the most detailed report of its kind to date has turned theories
about the effects of climate change upon birds on their head. Despite carefully examining the population trends of over 500 bird
species over three decades, the researchers found no evidence climate
change has a more profound effect upon birds which should cope well with
climate change compared to those which might struggle. Climate change is
causing widespread population change in birds. The researchers called for further research into the long-term
consequences of climate change on wildlife to be commissioned urgently. Read the paper: Mason LR et al (2019)
Population responses of bird populations to climate change on two
continents vary with species’ ecological traits but not with direction
of change in climate suitability. Climatic Change. doi:
10.1007/s10584-019-02549-9.(Open Access)
New Mental Health First Aid Network within Forest Research Communicative, open, and safe are three organisational values that we
champion within Forest Research. As part of our values, we have
recently developed a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Network, and now
have 21 trained Mental Health First Aiders spread across the UK.
This is a new initiative for us and is part of a wider approach to
supporting the wellbeing of our staff, both physical and mental –
keeping our staff safe and well. It is also a recognition and
willingness, as an organisation, to support open conversations on mental
health, and to break down the barriers of any associated stigma in its
many guises. The aims of any first aid programme are to preserve life; to prevent
deterioration; to promote recovery; and to provide comfort to someone
who is ill, injured, or distressed. Over the years, it has been
shown that MHFA training also improves knowledge, reduces stigmatising
attitudes, and increases first aid actions towards those who need it and
we look forward to growing these benefits for our staff. We are using the training of Mental Health First Aiders to complement
our existing physical First Aid network and the wider mental health
awareness sessions that we have been rolling out to our managers.
Click through for details of the courses.
Saving heather will help save our wild bees A new study published in the journal Current Biology from the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew and Royal Holloway has discovered that a natural
nectar chemical in Calluna heather called callunene can act as a
medicine to protect bumblebees from a harmful parasite.
Bumblebee foraging on heather, Calluna vulgaris. (Credit Hauke Koch) The scientists have been studying several different UK plants for
medicinal properties in nectar that might help naturally protect bees
against disease, as this is a major contributing factor in bee decline.
They found that the species with the highest medicinal value was heather
– the UK’s second most productive nectar plant, which is found across
Europe. Read paper: Hauke Koch, James Woodward,
Moses K. Langat, Mark J.F. Brown & Philip C. Stevenson.
Flagellum removal by a nectar metabolite inhibits infectivity of a
bumblebee parasite. Current Biology DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.037
The winners of the 2019 Living Waterways Awards, were announced at a
gala ceremony in Birmingham on 10 October 2019. The winners of Canal & River Trust’s 2019 Living Waterways Awards
were announced at a gala ceremony in Birmingham last night (10 October
2019). The Living Waterways Awards, sponsored by Kier, Amco Giffen, Arcadis,
CPC Civils, Fountains, Land & Water and Vinci, recognise the most
exciting and inspiring waterway-based improvement projects across the
UK. Sue Wilkinson, Canal & River Trust trustee and chair of the Award’s
assessment panel, explains: “Canal & River Trust is once again proud to
announce the winners of our annual national Living Waterways Awards.
These awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the tireless efforts
of those who are helping to transform the nation’s rivers, canals,
lochs, lakes, and reservoirs, making life better for millions of people
across the UK.” A rigorous assessment process saw the expert judges travel across
England, Wales and Scotland before selecting the finalists for the 2019
Living Waterways Awards.
Click through for video reports and interviews with the winners.
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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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Narrow-bordered
Bee Hawk-moth caterpillar found by Cerin Poland
In
a new study published this week (Wednesday 9 October) in the
journal Biological Conservation, an international team of researchers
recommends the need for additional measures to protect and conserve one
of the most iconic Antarctic species – the emperor penguin (Aptenodytes
forsteri).
Lesser
black-backed gull-copyright Lorne Gill-SNH
A
partnership of 10 organisations has received initial National Lottery
support for the Changing Chalk project. Made possible by National
Lottery players, the partnership will work with local communities and
landowners to connect people with nature and address challenges facing
the Sussex Downs to protect this fragile chalk grassland landscape for
future generations.
(image:
James Hutton Institute)
Lapwing
(photo Andy Hay)
A
new study published today (11/10/19) in the journal Current Biology from
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Royal Holloway, University of London,
has discovered that a natural nectar chemical in Calluna heather
called callunene can act as a medicine to protect bumblebees from a
harmful parasite. The parasite, Crithidia bombi, is common
among wild bumblebees and can be transmitted between bumblebees on
flowers or within the nest.
And
finally:
