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Headlines from week beginning 25 November 2019 |
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A round up of the top countryside, conservation, wildlife and forestry stories as chosen by the CJS Team.
Field Notes: Crunching through the data -
John Muir Trust Inclusion manager Lucy Sparks reflects on how our John Muir Award is
unlocking the benefits of wild places in Scottish education
While a flurry of colourful leaves glides through the air outside, in
the John Muir Award offices there's similar flurry of activity around
data crunching. School terms and an array of alternative curriculum approaches are
now well underway, and it's a good time for Scotland's John Muir Award
team to reflect on how the Award is being used in the education sector. Our annual summaries of Award activity in Scotland’s schools and
colleges help us identify key trends, and share stories with funders and
partners, to demonstrate the Award’s impact on learners and education
establishments.
Headlines for 2018-19 include: 19,430 Awards achieved by school
pupils and staff, delivered through 519 schools across Scotland. 59 per
cent of Scotland’s colleges have also been involved. 421 college
students and staff achieved their Awards, 81 per cent of which were
gained by individuals facing some form of disadvantage, illustrating the
Award’s effectiveness as a tool to engage those who face barriers to
learning. To request a copy of the John Muir Award Scotland Education Report
2018-19 (school activity), contact Scotland Education Manager
Rebecca Logsdon. Read
Award highlights from Scotland’s College sector in 2018-19,
including how students have been putting Learning for Sustainability
into practice. Advance notice: watch out for CJS Focus on The
Next Generation due for publication on Monday 2 December, filled with
more examples like this.
British and Irish moths are on the move -
Butterfly Conservation Scientists from Britain and Ireland who have been involved in
compiling the newly published Atlas of Britain and Ireland’s Larger
Moths have revealed that our moths are on the move.
Widespread environmental pollution such as artificial light at night
and chemicals in the air and soil, are altering plant and animal
communities in ways that we don’t yet fully understand. Man-made climate
change has facilitated the spread of moths to new parts of Britain and
Ireland that were formerly too cold, while at the same time posing a
long-term risk to species found in cool and restricted habitats such as
mountainsides. The book is comprehensive and lists 893 species in all and the
scientists’ analysis of distribution records over the period 1970-2016,
in particular, showed that 31% of 390 larger moth species decreased
significantly in Britain. During that same period 38% of them became
significantly more widespread in Britain (with the remainder showing
non-significant changes). The atlas is the first publication to trace the distribution of all
larger moths of Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel
Islands in forensic detail. It is based on more than 25 million records sourced from Butterfly
Conservation’s National Moth Recording Scheme and the MothsIreland
database. These date from the 18th century through to 2016, meaning this
volume contains 275 years of moth-recording effort all available in one.
Greenhouse gas concentrations in atmosphere reach yet another high
- World Meteorological Organization Another year, another record Levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have
reached another new record high, according to the World Meteorological
Organization. This continuing long-term trend means that future
generations will be confronted with increasingly severe impacts of
climate change, including rising temperatures, more extreme weather,
water stress, sea level rise and disruption to marine and land
ecosystems. The WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin showed that globally averaged
concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) reached 407.8 parts per million
in 2018, up from 405.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. The increase in CO2 from 2017 to 2018 was very close to that observed
from 2016 to 2017 and just above the average over the last decade.
Global levels of CO2 crossed the symbolic and significant 400 parts per
million benchmark in 2015. CO2 remains in the atmosphere for
centuries and in the oceans for even longer. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide also surged by higher
amounts than during the past decade, according to observations from the
Global Atmosphere Watch network which includes stations in the remote
Arctic, mountain areas and tropical islands. Since 1990, there has been a 43% increase in total radiative forcing
– the warming effect on the climate - by long-lived greenhouse gases.
CO2 accounts for about 80% of this, according to figures from the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration quoted in the WMO
Bulletin. “There is no sign of a slowdown, let alone a decline, in greenhouse
gases concentration in the atmosphere despite all the commitments under
the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,» said WMO Secretary-General
Petteri Taalas. “We need to translate the commitments into
action and increase the level of ambition for the sake of the future
welfare of the mankind,” he said. “It is worth recalling that the
last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was
3-5 million years ago. Back then, the temperature was 2-3°C warmer, sea
level was 10-20 meters higher than now,” said Mr Taalas. Download the
WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin (PDF)
School pupils join call to help nature -
Scottish Natural Heritage More than 100 schools have signed up to offer pupils in our most
disadvantaged areas outdoor learning sessions in nature, Deputy First
Minister John Swinney announced today. Through outdoor learning and play, young people can enjoy and learn
about the outdoors in their local area. Spending time in nature helps people to understand and value it more
– a key step in addressing biodiversity loss and tackling climate
change. Nature has also been proven to improve mental and physical
health for people of all ages. It can also contribute to a range of
educational outcomes and help reduce the attainment gap, giving pupils
who might struggle in a classroom environment an opportunity to thrive. Francesca Osowska, Chief Executive, Scottish Natural Heritage said:
“We know how important getting outdoors is for children’s health and
wellbeing and for their learning. A priority is to make use of
local parks and greenspace to help make sure every child can access
regular, structured time outdoors. This is so important in learning how
to value and explore our wonderful outdoors, and starting heathy habits
that can last a lifetime.” Over the next year, SNH and partners will work with over 100 schools
to deliver regular outdoor learning activities to over 3000 pupils in
their local greenspaces, as well as providing professional learning to
approximately 250 teachers.
Changes in oxygen concentrations in our ocean can disrupt fundamental
biological cycles – University of Bristol New research led by scientists at the University of Bristol has shown
that the feedback mechanisms that were thought to keep the marine
nitrogen cycle relatively stable over geological time can break down
when oxygen levels in the ocean decline significantly. The nitrogen cycle is essential to all forms of life on Earth -
nitrogen is a basic building block of DNA. The marine nitrogen cycle is strongly controlled by biology and small
changes in the marine nitrogen cycle have major implications on life. It is thought that the marine nitrogen cycle has stayed relatively
stable over geological time due to a range of different feedback
mechanisms. These feedback mechanisms are called ‘the nitrostat’. However,
exactly how the global marine nitrogen cycle and the associated feedback
mechanisms responded to past severe changes in marine oxygenation is not
well understood. The team used a data-constrained earth system model to show show that
under these deoxygenated conditions the ocean can become extremely
depleted in nitrogen as the total bioavailable nitrogen inventory
collapses relative to phosphorous. At the same time the ocean transitions from an oxic-nitrate ocean to
an anoxic ammonium ocean. The substantive reduction in the ocean
bioavailable-N inventory in response to change in marine oxygenation may
represent a key biogeochemical vulnerability.
The Prince of Wales supports launch of Missing Salmon Alliance
- Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust Numbers of salmon spending more than a year in the north Atlantic
have declined by as much as 88% since the 1970s. There appears also to
have been a fall of between 40% and 66% in grilse, salmon that return to
spawn after a single winter at sea.
Figures for salmon returning to UK spawning grounds have fallen so
low that conservationists fear that if rates continue, wild Atlantic
salmon could be lost from many of our rivers over the next 50 years.
Organisations across the UK and the Atlantic have been seeking reasons
for the decline and undertaking local conservation measures. Now the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, The Atlantic Salmon
Trust, Salmon & Trout Conservation Trust and The Angling Trust, with
Fish Legal, have joined forces to form the Missing Salmon Alliance. Together they will fight to reverse the devastating collapse in wild
Atlantic salmon around the UK by combining expertise, coordinating
activities, bringing together research and advocating effective
management solutions. The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Atlantic Salmon Trust and Salmon &
Trout Conservation, said in a video message to the Forum which launched
the Missing Salmon Alliance on 26 November: “The very future of a
species that has been swimming in our oceans and seas for over 6 million
years will be in jeopardy... We simply cannot allow this to happen in
our lifetime... Having our four leading salmon conservation
organisations working together through the Missing Salmon Alliance, with
support from both the private and public sectors, is hugely
encouraging.” The chairman of the Missing Salmon Alliance, David Mayhew, said:
“This is a crisis. In order to try and reverse the decline in salmon
populations in the UK we all need to work together. The Missing Salmon
Alliance is a much needed first step and we are now collaborating
closely with the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation that
brings together governments from around the whole of the Atlantic. I am
delighted with the response we have received and we now need to work
incredibly hard on all fronts to reverse the trend.”
Supermarket plastic rises above 900,000 tonnes per year, despite plastic
reduction pledges
- Greenpeace
Supermarket plastic has risen to more than 900,000 tonnes – despite
retailers making public commitments to cut down their plastic packaging. An Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Greenpeace report,
Checking out on plastics II: Breakthroughs and backtracking from
supermarkets, reveals that seven out of the top 10 UK supermarkets
had increased their plastic footprint. Only Waitrose, Tesco and
Sainsbury’s had achieved marginal reductions. EIA and Greenpeace are urging supermarkets to work towards
eliminating single-use plastic altogether, by offering packaging-free
products or switching to reusable and refillable packaging. False
solutions such as swapping plastic for cardboard, or simply making
plastic thinner are unacceptable. EIA Ocean Campaigner Juliet Phillips said: “It’s shocking to see that
despite unprecedented awareness of the pollution crisis, the amount of
single-use plastic used by the UK’s biggest supermarkets has actually
increased in the past year.
'Beast from the East' impact on woodland birds - Scottish Natural
Heritage Harsh winter weather is thought to be a factor in a short-term
decline in woodland birds between 2017 and 2018. Official statistics published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)
track the abundance of Scotland’s terrestrial breeding birds using
results from the BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey.
The latest figures show that while farmland and upland birds remained
stable between 2017 and 2018, woodland birds decreased by 12%. Wren, bullfinch, and goldcrest were the species most affected while
robin, treecreeper, great spotted woodpecker and lesser redpoll also
experienced less marked declines The harsh winter, including the ‘Beast from the East’ in February and
March 2018, is thought to be a factor in the short-term decline, with
extreme weather known to affect over-winter survival for some resident
birds, including woodland species. SNH Ornithologist Simon Cohen said: “Over the long-term many of our
woodland birds have been thriving as tree cover in Scotland has
increased, so it’s striking to note the recent dip in the fortunes of
this group. The longer-term trend for woodland birds is positive, showing an
increase of 58% between 1994 and 2018. View the report here
Nine climate tipping points now “active”, warn scientists
- University of Exeter More than half of the climate tipping points identified a decade ago
are now “active”, a group of leading scientists have warned. This threatens the loss of the Amazon rainforest and the great ice
sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, which are currently undergoing
measurable and unprecedented changes much earlier than expected. This “cascade” of changes sparked by global warming could threaten
the existence of human civilisations. Evidence is mounting that these events are more likely and more
interconnected than was previously thought, leading to a possible domino
effect. In an article in the journal Nature, the scientists call for urgent
action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent key tipping points,
warning of a worst-case scenario of a “hothouse”, less habitable planet. “A decade ago we identified a suite of potential tipping points in
the Earth system, now we see evidence that over half of them have been
activated,” said lead author Professor Tim Lenton, director of the
Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter. “The growing
threat of rapid, irreversible changes means it is no longer responsible
to wait and see. The situation is urgent and we need an emergency
response.”
The results are in for this year's Great British Beach Clean
- Marine Conservation Society This year’s Great British Beach Clean (20-23rd September 2019), saw
437 beach cleans and litter surveys take place, with over 10,800
volunteers getting involved who removed 10,833kg of litter from the UK’s
beaches. That’s almost 11 tonnes of litter in one weekend alone!
There were, on average, 558 items of litter on every 100 metres of
beach that were cleaned and surveyed in the UK, with plastic and
polystyrene pieces the most common litter items found, cigarette stubs
following in second place and glass pieces coming in third. MCS’ citizen scientists recorded a staggering 16,000 drinks
containers of varying forms across Great British Beach Clean weekend,
showing why there’s an urgent need for England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland to implement all-inclusive Deposit Return Schemes (DRS)
as soon as possible. Access the full report here
New vaccine could stop the spread of Bovine TB
- University of Surrey Scientists at the University of Surrey have developed a novel vaccine
and complementary skin test to protect cattle against bovine
tuberculosis (bovine TB). Publishing their findings in the journal Scientific Reports,
researchers reveal they have for the first time created a vaccine that
is compatible with a synthetic form of the tuberculin skin test (PPD), a
legally required test used for the surveillance of TB in cattle
throughout the UK. Bovine TB is an infectious disease in cattle affecting their lungs,
and those that test positive for the disease are culled. The BCG
vaccine, which is currently used to protect humans against TB and is
effective in cattle, is incompatible with the PPD test. Cattle that are
vaccinated with the BCG vaccine, which contains a harmless strain of the
bovine TB pathogen Mycobacterium bovis, produce a positive PPD test for
TB making it impossible to distinguish, with the PPD skin test, if the
animal has TB or has simply been vaccinated. Vaccinating cows with BCG
is therefore banned in most countries in the world, enabling vets to
continue to use the PPD skin test to diagnose the disease in cattle. During this innovative study, researchers sought to make a new BCG vaccine strain that lacks some of the proteins that are shared with the pathogen Mycobacterium bovis by identifying genes that contain encoded immunogenic proteins that could be removed from BCG without affecting its ability to work as a live vaccine.
Never seen before footage shows endangered fish embarking on 4000 mile
journey - Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
(image: Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust) The fish’s movements were caught by an acoustic camera which creates
images out of sound. The device was placed at a sluice gate on WWT
Slimbridge’s reserve to help scientists monitor the activity of eels
which live out their lives in the wetlands of the Severn Vale until they
navigate to their breeding grounds in the North Atlantic Ocean. A total of six mature female eels, which were tagged at the reserve
in the summer of 2019, have also been recorded leaving the site via a
remote microchip reader that was installed by the sluice opening.
Microchip readers pick up the signal of each tag which is specific to
the individual eel.
Emma Hutchins, WWT’s Head of Reserves Management, said: “Once eels
mature in the freshwater wetlands off the Seven Estuary they must be
able to swim back to the Sargasso Sea and breed to complete their life
cycle - so it’s fantastic to know that the eels can navigate their way
back out of our wetlands. Worldwide, eel numbers have plunged
dramatically in recent years as much of their wetland habitats have been
destroyed or degraded and access into these wetlands has been reduced or
prevented by man-made structures such as pumps and weirs.”
Decision due on fate of protected nature site at Coul Links
- RSPB Final report now with Ministers The fate of Coul Links, the globally important wildlife site on the
Sutherland coast under threat from golf course proposals, is now in
Ministers’ hands. The coalition of conservation organisations (including
Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, Plantlife,
RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, National Trust for Scotland)
campaigning to save the site are issuing a joint appeal with Ramblers
Scotland urging people to call on the Scottish Ministers to make the
right choice and save this fantastic place for nature. A month-long inquiry into the highly controversial proposals was held
in Dornoch earlier this year. The Scottish Government appointed
Reporters have now passed their recommendations to Scottish Ministers
who are responsible for the final decision. The proposals would destroy nationally and internationally protected dune habitats, home to many rare and protected species, and have sparked outcry within Scotland and internationally. Highland Council granted approval despite these impacts and widespread objections from the Government’s own nature conservation advisors, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), and numerous conservation and access organisations and local groups. In light of the high level of objections and the rich natural heritage value of the site, this case was considered of ‘national importance’ and the Scottish Government called in the proposals last year and initiated a public inquiry.
Tree planting marks 100 years of forestry in Wales and sets future
ambition - Natural Resources Wales A recently planted arboretum at Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW)
Garwnant Visitor Centre, near Merthyr Tydfil, has been dedicated to the
centenary celebration of the national forestry reserve in Wales. The Forestry Commission was established in 1919 to replenish the
nation’s woodland cover and timber supplies, which were at an all-time
low following the First World War. Since then the Woodland Estate that NRW now manages for the Welsh
Government has grown to encompass an area of 126,000 hectares – that's
6% of Wales - and it supplies over 50% of all timber in Wales. The Garwnant arboretum was planted in 2016, in preparation for the
potential loss of mature larch trees at the site due to disease and
features 88 different species, spread across 480 trees. The trees have been chosen to represent and showcase trees from
different continents around the world, which will create a show of
colourful foliage and flowers at different stages of the year,
increasing in impact as they mature over future decades.
Animals could help humans monitor oceans -
University of Exeter Sharks, penguins, turtles and other seagoing species could help
humans monitor the oceans by transmitting oceanographic information from
electronic tags. Thousands of marine animals are tagged for a variety of research and
conservation purposes, but at present the information gathered isn’t
widely used to track climate change and other shifts in the oceans.
Instead, monitoring is mostly done by research vessels, underwater
drones and thousands of floating sensors that drift with the currents.
However, large areas of the ocean still remain under-sampled – leaving
gaps in our knowledge. A team led by the University of Exeter says animals carrying sensors
can fill many of these gaps through natural behaviour such as diving
under ice, swimming in shallow water or moving against currents. “We want to highlight the massive potential of animal-borne sensors
to teach us about the oceans,” said lead author Dr David March, of
Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in
Cornwall. This is already happening on a limited scale, but there’s
scope for much more. We looked at 183 species – including tuna, sharks,
rays, whales and flying seabirds – and the areas they are known to
inhabit." The researchers say their work is a call for further collaboration
between ecologists and oceanographers. Professor Brendan Godley, who leads Exeter Marine.added: “It is
important to note that animal welfare is paramount and we are only
suggesting that animals that are already being tracked for ethically
defensible and conservation-relevant ecological research be recruited as
oceanographers. We do not advocate for animals being tracked solely for
oceanography.” The paper, published in the journal Global Change Biology, is
entitled: “Towards the
integration of animal-borne instruments into global ocean observing
systems.”
Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology to become independent on 1 December
Following
final approval in September, we will become autonomous from UK
Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC), launching as a not-for-profit company limited by
guarantee with charitable status. To support this change, we are making
a slight amendment to our name, becoming the UK Centre for Ecology &
Hydrology (UKCEH). As an independent research institute, our mission, purpose and
scientific integrity will be preserved. We will continue to deliver
impartial, world-class environmental science for a wide range of
funders, and to serve as a strategic delivery partner for NERC, part of
UKRI. NERC Council affirms the importance of sustaining long-term funding
to UKCEH. Through our NERC-funded national capability programmes, we
will continue to enable the UK research community to stay at the
forefront of environmental science globally, and meet national strategic
needs, informing government and business decision-making on
environmental issues. At the same time, our new governance structure will enable us to
become more agile and financially resilient. It will also give us the
freedom and flexibility to work with a greater range of external
partners and funders, both in the UK and internationally, increasing the
impact of our science. The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology was formed in the year 2000
through a merger of four NERC terrestrial and freshwater research
institutes, and we have a long history of investigating, monitoring and
modelling environmental change. Like many not-for-profit research institutes, UKCEH will wholly own a
trading subsidiary, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Enterprise
Limited. Our trading subsidiary will commercialise UKCEH intellectual
property, optimise the impact of our research and generate funding to
reinvest in charitable activities. Further information on our independence.
SNH statement: Deer Progress Report Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has today published a report
assessing progress in deer management in Scotland, prepared for the
Scottish Government. Robbie Kernahan, SNH’s Head of Wildlife Management, said:
Red deer stag at Kinlochourn (image: Blackmask /
pixabay)
Response:
Environmental groups respond to SNH deer management report
- Scottish Environment Link A coalition of environmental organisations have welcomed improvements
in the functioning of deer management groups while warning that a step
change is needed if climate and biodiversity targets are to be met. A report published today by Scottish Natural Heritage suggests that
there has been “significant progress” in deer management planning and
evidence of improvements on the ground in reducing deer densities in
some areas. The report, however also noted that three out of five key
Scottish biodiversity targets are “unlikely to be delivered” because of
high deer densities and that there has been “insufficient progress” in
protecting and restoring native woodlands.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Chair of LINK Deer Group said: “We welcome the
report’s findings that the majority of land managers are complying with
the basic requirements of the Deer Code, and acknowledge the positive
leadership of SNH within the constraints of a voluntary system.
Scientific Publications Aneta Sikora, Paweł Michołap, Marcin Sikora,
What kind of flowering plants are attractive for bumblebees in urban
green areas?, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 2019, 126546, ISSN
1618-8667, doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126546. Rehnus, M., Wehrle, M. & Obrist, M.K.
Vocalisation in the mountain hare: calls of a mostly silent species
Eur J Wildl Res (2019) 65: 95. doi:10.1007/s10344-019-1331-1
Rosen, L.E., Fogarty, U., O’Keeffe, J.J. et al.
Monitoring European badger (Meles meles) reproduction under
evolving bovine tuberculosis management in Ireland. Eur J Wildl Res
(2019) 65: 97. doi.org/10.1007/s10344-019-1340-0 Duggan-Edwards, M. F., Pagès, J. F., Jenkins, S. R., Bouma, T. J. and
Skov, M. W. (2019),
External conditions drive optimal planting configurations for salt marsh
restoration. J Appl Ecol. Accepted Author Manuscript.
doi:10.1111/1365-2664.13550 March, D, Boehme, L, Tintoré, J, Vélez-Belchi, PJ, Godley, BJ.
Towards the integration of animal-borne instruments into global ocean
observing systems. Glob Change Biol. 2019; 00: 1– 11.
doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14902
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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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Another
bumper year
A
series of dramatic changes has driven this development. Intensive
agriculture has caused the decline of many moth species through the
destruction of wildlife-rich habitats and use of fertilizers and
pesticides.
(image:
Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust)
Garden
birds feeding ©Lorne Gill SNH
Over
10,000 volunteers joined us over the weekend to clean and survey 437
beaches from Scotland’s Shetland Islands all the way to the Channel
Islands and across the Irish Sea to Northern Ireland, removing 10,833 kg
of litter in one weekend alone!
An
eel has been recorded leaving Gloucestershire wetlands to begin its epic
voyage to the Sargasso Sea, completing the final chapter of its life. 
Sea
turtle equipped with an animal-borne sensor. (image: Miquel Gomila,
SOCIB)
We
are pleased to announce that the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH)
will become an independent research institute from 1 December 2019. 
