UKBAP BiodiversityNews-51

Biodiversity News
Contents - News - Features - Local & Regional - UK BAP Updates - Publications - Events
If you would like to receive Biodiversity News via email, or
know of somebody who would, please contact us at
biodiversitynews@defra.gsi.gov.uk
www.ukbap.org.uk
Issue 51
Autumn Edition

In this issue
2 Contents - News - Features - Local & Regional - UK BAP Updates - Publications - Events
Autumn
Please note that the views expressed in Biodiversity
News are the views of the contributors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the UK Biodiversity
Partnership or the organisations they represent.
Defra Fight Against Larch Disease Continues 4
Continued Funding for Wildlife and Farming
Scheme
6
Winners of Young Darwin Prize Announced 7
Parasite Threatens many of Britains best-loved
Birds
13
Winners of UNESCO Biodiversity Competition
Announced
15
Future Landscapes for Biodiversity and People 16
CEMEX UK and the RSPB launch National Bio-
diversity Strategy
14
Recent Defra Updates 9
ARKive and the UK Overseas Territories 17
Scottish IYB Orchard Event 38
Outer Hebrides Bioblitz 39
Trinity Broards Restoration 41
Dorset Greenwood Tree Project 44
Biodiversity Based Engineering in Wakefield 49
How research is helping the Irish Hare 55
Meddon Local Nature Reserve 57
Angus Cetacean Awareness Project 58
Passing on the Secrets of Cumbrias Hay Mead-
ows
60
Homes for Amphibians Project 61
The Restoration Vision for Woods Mill Stream 56
The Cairngorms Rare Plants Project 34
South Leeds Water Vole Project 36
Wildlife Where You Live 43
Every Pond Counts on the Isle of Wight 46
The Lakes by Yoo 52
A Living Wales 18
10 million windfall for 6 UK Parks 19
From Paraguay to the New Forest 22
An Unusual Bee Orchid 24
Green Gym gets physical with Biodiversity 25
A Model to Predict Wildlife Site Sensitivity 27
CIWEMs Living Wetlands Award 29
MPA Makes Positive Contribution to IYB 31
BTCV Green Heroes Award 33
Regulation for a Sustainable Water Industry 69
Celebrate a Green Christmas at Sedum House 68
The Great Trees of Dorset 63
New Research Note takes the guesswork out of
Bog Restoration
64
A Sustainable Water Industry 66
Help for Owners and Managers of Native Broad- 67
Editorial
News
UKBAP Update
Local & Regional
Publications
Features
Events

Editorial
Autumn
Welcome to Issue 51 of Biodiversity News!

I would like to introduce myself as the proud new editor of a newsletter that now champions the cause of bio-
diversity to over 1000 subscribers we are always looking for more so if you know anyone else who might be
interested let us know!
I must also take this opportunity to thank my predecessor, Evaleen Brinton, who I think did a wonderful job
with Biodiversity News and whose helpful advice has been invaluable to stream-lining my takeover of this
role. I hope that you will find this issue just as interesting and user-friendly as hers; any feedback is, as al-
ways, welcomed.
I am delighted to have joined the Biodiversity Programme at such an exciting time, change is at hand with a
new Natural Environment White Paper and Biodiversity Strategy on the horizon for more information read
our Defra update. It is fantastic to see so many inspired and motivated conservationists in the International
Year of Biodiversity and we have been inundated with examples of ambitious new projects. From national
initiatives such as the Lottery funded Parks for People programme to local biodiversity heroes as celebrated
by the BTCV Green Heroes Award.
We also have a UKBAP update thanks to Vicky Morgan, Emma Durham and Cherry-Ann Vickery as well as
lots of interesting publications. With only a few pages in our events secion it would be nice to see some more
next time, so dont hesitate to get in touch if youve got anything planned!
Many thanks to all those who sent in articles, I really enjoyed reading them and regret that we could not pub-
lish them all. Please know that if your article has not been included it has been put on top priority for our next
issue.
Keep the articles coming and enjoy Biodiversity News!

Sophie Rogers
UK Biodiversity Policy Unit, Defra, Zone 1/07, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol GS1
6EB, biodiversitynews@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Click on the boxes to see previous issues this past year
48 - winter 49 - spring 50 summer
News
Autumn
Defra Fight Against Larch Disease Continues
Since its discovery in a garden centre in 2002, the fungus-like pathogen Phytophthora ramorum has developed into
a real threat to some of Britains forests. It is a threat that the Forestry Commission, Defra and the Food & Envi-
ronment Research Agency (Fera) are determined to tackle.
The disease spreads via spores produced on infected plants. Until recently in Britain P. ramorum had mostly
been found infecting ornamental and heathland plants such as rhododendron and bilberry, but in 2009 the
pathogen was found infecting Japanese larch trees. Spores are produced on larch at a much faster rate than on
rhododendron and are spread much further, possibly tens of kilometres, making the disease much harder to
contain. Recent evidence from California and Oregon indicates that spores can be spread in mists and air cur-
rents in addition to footwear, dog paws etc.
Most of the infected trees have been identified in the South
West of England and in South Wales, with outbreaks also
confirmed in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Affected areas
include Plym Woods and Canonteign Woods in South West
England, and the Afan Valley and the Vale of Glamorgan in
Wales. No trees have been found with ramorum disease in
Scotland, but as this edition went to press the Forestry Com-
mission was investigating areas of dying larch there. The For-
estry Commission has used aerial surveys to estimate the
number of affected trees to be in the thousands, and is very
concerned because the disease kills many of the trees it in-
fects. A danger to trees is also a danger to our landscape,
economy, environment, culture, heritage and well-being, so
the disease is being treated very seriously.
Symptoms on trees include bleeding cankers; these are le-
sions on the trunk that produce black exudates, which dry to
a crust. These lesions extend on the trunk of the tree, eventu-
ally killing it. Ramorum disease can also be visible on Japa-
nese larch in the form of wilted shoots and foliage, often dis-
playing blackened needles which shed prematurely. Symp-
toms on foliar hosts such as rhododendron include leaf-
blackening and die-back.
The Forestry Commission has taken a risk-based approach to controlling the disease: in addition to removing
and destroying infected shrubs from woodland areas, it is also removing potential foliar hosts, such as rhodo-
dendron, from high-risk sites.

Bleeding Lesions Forestry Commission

News
Autumn

The UK government has provided a 25 million fund, co-ordinated by Fera, for the management of Phytophthora,
which is helping to fund the extensive research that the Forestry Commission, Defra and Fera are investing into the
larch infection. They are concentrating on the larch because the disease does not sporulate in most other tree spe-
cies, and therefore cannot spread from them. A research project will also be launched in Spring 2011 to investigate
whether migratory birds might also spread the disease. Long-term research options might be to look for biological
or chemical treatments, but these would have to be approved by the Chemicals Regulation Directorate before they
can be used.
At the moment and based on scientific advice, the Forestry
Commission requires infected larches to be felled. Timber can
still be harvested if appropriate biosecurity measures are
taken, and logs can be taken under a licence to authorised
processing facilities to be processed into wood products or bio-
fuel so that their value is not entirely lost, going some way to-
wards minimising the economic implications. However, in-
fected larches yet to reach economic maturity also have to be
felled and destroyed, preferably in winter before new needles
develop.
Other control measures include advising forest managers not
to plant larches on previously infected sites and possibly im-
posing further import controls. Defras Plant Health Division
has overall policy and legislative responsibility for P. ramorum
relating to plants and their products.
Unfortunately tree pests and diseases are on the increase in
general, largely due to growth in international trade. Climate
change is also thought to be a contributing factor. However,
the public can help to slow the trend by following simple bio-
security measures. Forest visitors are being advised by local
signage to help prevent spreading the disease by, for example,
keeping to marked paths, keeping dogs on leads and thoroughly washing boots after visiting an infected site and
before entering other susceptible areas. Mountain bikers are also being asked to follow biosecurity measures such
as washing their bikes and kit before leaving the forest. Other recent initiatives include workshops for forest con-
tractors on how to fight the disease and disinfect equipment properly. The Forestry Commission has been
delighted by attendance levels, and this dedication needs to be maintained if we are to protect our landscape for
future generations.
More information about P. ramorum in trees, woods and forests is available at www.forestry.gov.uk/pramorum

P. ramorum Symptoms Ben Jones

News
Autumn
FWAG welcomes continued funding for vital wildlife and
farming scheme

The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), the leading provider of independent environmental ad-
vice to farmers and landowners, has welcomed the Governments decision to ring fence the Higher Level Stew-
ardship programme in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Andy Ormiston, FWAGs Managing Director, believes the HLS scheme is a jewel in the crown of the moves
to safeguard wildlife and farming friendly schemes.

With Defra sustaining overall cuts of 29% Andy Ormiston paid tribute the work of Caroline Spelman, the Sec-
retary of State, and her team in recognising the important role that HLS plays in delivering support for targeted
environmental management.

Andy Ormiston said: HLS is the jewel in the crown of environmentally sustainable farming across Europe. It
is the most important tool that we have to help and encourage farmers to look after Englands countryside - not
only wildlife, but the vital natural resources of soil and water, our landscapes and historic features.

I am pleased that Caroline and her team have taken the long term view of supporting this valuable asset in
what is, after all, the International Year of Biodiversity.

We are looking forward to working with farmers, other national Government offices and the slimmed down
agencies to find creative ways of delivering more and greater environmental gain with fewer resources.

FWAG is awaiting further details from the Government on Stewardship, including the Entry Level Scheme,
following the spending review.

For further information or if you would like a farmer case study please contact Jane Hampson on
jane.hampson@fwag.org.uk or 02476 698702 or visit the FWAG website www.fwag.org.uk

News
Autumn
Winners of First Young Darwin Prize Announced at Prestigious
Event

Pupils from Middlesex, Devon and the West Midlands travelled to the Natural History Museum in London on
the 12
th
October 2010, to receive the inaugural Young Darwin Prize for reporting on their local conservation ac-
tivities.

The Young Darwin Prize, organised by the Natural History Museum and supported by Defra, was launched to
help young people in England celebrate their own contributions to 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. The
prize challenged 714-year-olds to produce news reports on local biodiversity projects they are involved with or
support.

The Young Darwin Prize was open to school chil-
dren and community groups in England in school
years 39. Groups of up to 10 children were asked
to submit a short video, no longer than two-and-a
-half minutes.

Charles Darwins work inspired the prize. It was
not just Darwins research, but also how he com-
municated his ideas, that resulted in his success
and influence. The Young Darwin Prize offered
an opportunity for young people to communicate
their scientific understanding and enthusiasm for
conservation.

In the winning videos, promising young presenters demonstrate how compost heaps, ponds and log piles help
to conserve wildlife, while budding reporters explain how a secondary school is using waste vegetable oil to
produce bio-diesel. Winning schools received 500 to spend on a biodiversity trip for their school group.

The winners and runners-up attended an award ceremony in the Attenborough Studio at the Natural History
Museum, where the award-winning reports were shown. Pupils were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of the
Museum and the runners-up also received a prize of books for their school library. The winning entries can be
viewed at www.youngdarwinprize.org

The prize was judged by:
Martin Hughes-Games, BBC TV presenter,
Simon Devine, Deputy Director of Content at the Central Office of Information,
Dr Honor Gay, Head of Learning at the Natural History Museum,
Dr Mark Spencer, Botany Curator at the Natural History Museum and
Dr David Ng, a science literacy academic and Head of Innovation at the Michael Smith Laboratory, University
of British Columbia.

News
Autumn
The entries were split into two categories: Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 with winners and runners-up in each
category.

The winners
Key Stage 2:
Year 3 at Hampton Hill School, Mid-
dlesex: Biodiversity at Hampton Hill
Hampton Hill Eco Warriors is a fast-
paced, entertaining film explaining
what biodiversity is, why it is impor-
tant and what the pupils are doing in
their school grounds to protect it. The
school keeps chickens, adding the ma-
nure to its compost heap, which is bro-
ken down by worms. There is also a
pond and log pile to encourage a vari-
ety of invertebrates. Judge Simon De-
vine commented, An excellent film,
well constructed, informative and en-
tertaining. The standout film of the
competition.

Key Stage 3
Year 8 at Axe Valley School, Devon: A Green Enterprise
Pupils from Axe Valley Community College in Axminster set up a business in their school to convert waste
vegetable oil into bio-fuel. In their informative documentary, A Green Enterprise, they demonstrate the chemical
process that occurs when heating waste oil and adding a catalyst to create bio-fuel. Their clear explanation
prompted judge David Ng to comment, A brilliant job explaining the background on bio-diesel production. Ex-
cellent. Dr Honor Gay said, A really impressive project. I never really understood how bio-fuel worked before.

The runners-up
Key Stage 2
Year 6 at Bishops Itchington School, Warwickshire: The Yellow Land
The Yellow Land, runner-up in the younger age group, is a film about a community project to turn part of an old
limestone quarry into a nature reserve. The film, made by the Year 6 nature club pupils, explores how they are
encouraging wildlife in the area, by removing invasive scrub and putting bird boxes in the trees.
Key Stage 3:
Finham Park School, Coventry: Fighting for the Freedom of the Ford
Finham Park School produced a creative drama about a fictitious proposal to build a road through a real wildlife
-rich ford Canley Ford near Coventry. In Fighting for the Freedom of the Ford, a pressure group of toy badgers,
frogs and rabbits successfully argue their case to fight off the human intervention.
All the winners and runners up except the Axe Valley School, Devon who
couldnt attend the awards presentation 2010 Natural History Museum,

News
Autumn

Recent Defra Updates
Grassroots Insights: An Invitation to Shape the Nature of England.
Natural Environment White Paper
In July 2010, defra launched a Discussion Document Shaping the Nature of England with the aim of encouraging
debate about how best we can protect and enhance our natural environment and the valuable services we de-
rive from it. This was a call for big ideas and a wide range of views. At the time of writing, weve already re-
ceived around 300 formal responses to this consultation (which closed on 30 October 2010). In addition, weve
had over 5000 responses to a short on-line survey asking the public for their views about which parts of the
natural environment matter most to them and how we can best protect and enhance those places. This is a tre-
mendous response and we are grateful for all the ideas and contributions we have received. Now, we turn to
the task of analysing all the information and suggestions weve received so that we can publish an ambitious
White Paper in Spring 2011.
There are many people who do not normally have the chance to influence Governments thinking on the envi-
ronment yet care passionately about this subject. We want to create opportunities for those people to tell us
what they think our priorities should be. To do this we are inviting grass roots organisations to support their
memberships to have their say. Defra has recently published some facilitation documents to enable such groups
and organisations to hold a discussion with their members and to feedback their ideas. Were asking grassroots
members to think about the places that are important to them and their experiences. But, most importantly, we
want to know their ideas and innovative solutions which will really make a difference. The deadline for letting
us have a response to any grassroots insights is 31 December 2010. We look forward to hearing from you!

Matthew Sabourin
Natural Environment White Paper Team, defra
Matthew.Sabourin@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Making Space for Nature A review of Englands wildlife sites
An independent review of Englands wildlife sites and the connections between them was published on the 24
th

September, with recommendations to help achieve a healthy natural environment that will allow our plants and
animals to thrive.
Led by Professor Sir John Lawton, the review was set up to look at our wildlife sites and whether they are capa-
ble of responding and adapting to the growing challenges of climate change and other demands on our land.
Welcoming the report, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:
I am extremely grateful to Professor Sir John Lawton and the other panel members for their hard work in car-
rying out this valuable review. Sir John Lawton is right to challenge us over what it takes to address the loss of
biodiversity but he is also clear this cannot be done by Government alone. Everyone from farmers, wildlife
groups, landowners and individuals can play a role in helping to create, manage and improve these areas, so if
ever there was a time for the Big Society to protect our natural environment, this is it.

News
Autumn
We must work together to find innovative ways to protect and enhance our wildlife habitats particularly as
we respond to the growing threat of climate change. I will be calling for international action in Nagoya next
month as we look to set new targets to tackle the decline in our natural environment, and we will follow this
through with the first Natural Environment White Paper for 20 years in the UK.
Launching the report, Professor Sir John Lawton said:
There is compelling evidence that Englands collection of wildlife sites are generally too small and too iso-
lated, leading to declines in many of Englands characteristic species. With climate change, the situation is
likely to get worse. This is bad news for wildlife but also bad news for us, because the damage to nature also
means our natural environment is less able to provide the many services upon which we depend. We need
more space for nature. Our 24 recommendations in this report call for action which will benefit wildlife and
people. They provide a repair manual to help re-build nature.
The report makes the following key points for establishing a strong and connected natural environment:
That we better protect and manage our designated wildlife sites;
That we establish new Ecological Restoration Zones;
That we better protect our non-designated wildlife sites;
That Societys need to maintain water-quality, manage inland flooding, deal with coastal erosion and
enhance carbon storage, if thought about creatively, could help deliver a more effective ecological net-
work.
We will not achieve a step-change in nature conservation in England without society accepting it to be neces-
sary, desirable and achievable.
The report makes many recommendations and the Government response will be included in the Natural Envi-
ronment White Paper to be published next year. Read the final report at the link below:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/biodiversity/documents/201009space-for-nature.pdf

Convention on Biological Diversity: Nagoya 2010
The 10th Conference of the Parties to the CBD took place from 18 to 29 October 2010, in Nagoya, Japan, with
the High Level Segment taking place.
Over 7,000 delegates representing parties and other governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental, non-
governmental, indigenous and local community (ILC) representatives, academia and industry attended
COP10.
Defra Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman, led the UK delegation, and she played a high-profile and influen-
tial role in securing the successful outcome.
Her announcement of 100 million funding for biodiversity-related forestry projects (one of the few firm fi-
nancial pledges at Nagoya) was met with great approval, and she was one of six Ministers (with Brazil, India,
Malawi, EU Commission and Sweden) invited by the Japanese Presidency to help "facilitate" agreement on
key elements of the package in the closing stages of the conference, and remained involved until the final
gavel fell.

News
Autumn
After two weeks of intense, late-night negotiations, the 10th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on
Biodiversity (CBD) in Nagoya ended with all three of the UK's objectives achieved:
Agreement on a new Strategic Plan for global biodiversity conservation to 2020 and beyond. This comprises
an ambitious, realistic and deliverable international mission (the 'Aichi Target') underpinned by 20 sub-targets
on halting species loss and habit degradation, reducing pollution and over-exploitation, and increasing financial
support to developing countries.
Agreement on a new 'Nagoya Protocol' on Access and Benefit Sharing, establishing a regime under which
developing countries will allow access to their genetic and natural resources in return for a share of the benefits
(financial and other) for their use. The conclusion of this 18-year negotiation is a major achievement, and one
that required tough negotiations right up to the end.
Agreement on a resource mobilisation package to help developing countries fulfil the plan, with Parties due
to report to the 11th meeting in 2012 on how finance will be identified, quantified and channelled;
In addition, nearly 50 individual decisions relating to a wide range of biodiversity issues (protected areas, ma-
rine, invasive species, forest biodiversity, etc) were approved in the final plenary session.
Key outcomes agreed by parties included
To at least halve and where feasible bring close to zero the rate of loss of natural habitats including forests;
To establish protected areas to comprise 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10 per cent of
marine and coastal areas;
Through conservation and restoration, Governments will restore at least 15 percent of degraded areas;
Parties will make special efforts to reduce the pressures faced by coral reefs.
Parties also agreed to a substantial increase in the level of financial resources in support of implementation of the
Convention
COP 10 also saw:
The launch of the final study on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) - a detailed examina-
tion of the economic costs of biodiversity decline and ecosystem service loss;
Endorsement of proposals to establish an IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services), a body similar to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to support
input of science for effective policy and decision making for biodiversity and natural resources use;
A decision on action to promote the positive impacts of biofuels, including through collaboration between the
CBD and other organisations such as the Global Bioenergy Partnership
The 9th Meeting of the Conferences of the Parties
The 9th COP was held in May 2008 in Bonn, Germany; over 4,000 participants representing 169 State Parties, the
USA (non-party), International Governmental Organisations (IGOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)
and business were present. The High Level Ministerial Segment was held from 28 to 30 May and the then UK
Minister for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Waste, Joan Ruddock, was in attendance.
During this period the Minister attended the ministerial negotiations on outstanding key issues as well as a side
event on the UK-funded Darwin Initiative; held bilateral discussions with other Environment Ministers from
other European countries as well as from further afield; met with representatives of UK stakeholders.

News
Autumn
Additionally, the Minister made several announcements for new additional voluntary commitments by the UK
Government to the CBD, including a contribution to the preparation and production of the Third Global Biodi-
versity Outlook. The Minister was also pleased to announce a contribution to the global study on The Economics
of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), the initial findings of which were presented during the High Level Seg-
ment.
The COP adopted 36 decisions on over 25 issues that included establishing a process to review the 2010 biodiver-
sity target and use the findings to develop a new target, or series of targets, beyond 2010 for consideration by
COP 10.
The outcome on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) represented a major success for COP9 - a roadmap, the 'Bonn
Mandate' was adopted for the negotiation of an international ABS regime, ensuring that three ABS Working
Groups and three expert group meetings will take place before the 2010 deadline for completion of negotiations.
The adoption of scientific criteria and guidance for marine areas in need of protection beyond national jurisdic-
tion (ABNJ) was another conference success. This is an important result for marine conservation, which will be
taken forward in the context of the UNGA process.
Other key outcomes included:
A decision on Biodiversity and Climate Change that secured a process for the CBD to contribute biodiversity
expertise to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Bali Action Plan, including Reduced
Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in the form of a meeting of technical experts that
Defra will part fund.
A decision that created an effective moratorium on Ocean Fertilisation activities which attempt to manipu-
late marine ecosystems to increase the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, with an exception for
controlled research studies.
A decision that strengthened activities in the implementation of the Forestry Programme of Work, including
strengthening forest law enforcement and governance, increasing the links between forests and climate change
mitigation, and adopting a precautionary approach to the release of GM trees; the UK also signed a commitment
to ending all illegal deforestation by 2020.
A decision on Protected Areas which provided for the enhanced management of existing protected areas and
the establishment of additional ones.
A decision on resource mobilisation that adopted a strategy that aims to substantially enhance funding for inter-
national and domestic biodiversity actions.

News
Autumn
Parasite Threatens Many of Britains Best-loved Birds
Greenfinch populations in central England dropped by a third within a year of the emergence of a new
disease, reports a newly published study.

Scientists from the Garden Bird Health initiative (GBHi) discovered that trichomonosis, an emerging infec-
tious disease of garden birds led to dramatic declines in greenfinch populations across much of England.
The findings of their study are described in a paper published in the journal PLoS ONE.

The study also revealed that chaffinch populations fell by up
to 20%. Most birds died in the summer and autumn months,
and outbreaks of the disease have continued to occur each
year since its emergence in 2005.

Dr Rob Robinson, a Principal Ecologist at the British Trust for
Ornithology (BTO) joint lead author, commented These find-
ings demonstrate that virulent infectious diseases can cause sharp
population declines in common wild birds in just a short period of
time.

In order to determine the scale of the disease outbreak, the
study used data drawn from public observation and a vol-
unteer survey. Further data were collected through post mortem examination of hundreds of birds, which
were collected from gardens across the country.

Becki Lawson, a wildlife veterinarian from the Zoologi-
cal Society of London and joint lead author, said This
citizen science project highlights the valuable role that volun-
teers can play in helping us learn more about wildlife dis-
eases, even by just watching birds in their gardens for a cou-
ple of hours each week.

Trichomonosis is well known in doves and pigeons but
appears to have jumped the species barrier in 2005. The
current effects of the disease in greenfinches and chaf-
finches highlight the highly unpredictable impact of
parasites able to move between different species.

James Kirkwood, Chief Executive of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare and founder of the
Garden Bird Health initiative said Health surveillance of British wildlife species is crucial for us to recognise
new and emerging disease threats that not only adversely affect the welfare of individual animals, but have the poten
tial to impact entire populations.

The GBHi team is now investigating possible factors underlying the emergence of this disease in garden
birds and its continued impact on our garden birds.

Members of the public can assist this ongoing project by reporting cases of disease or mortality in their
garden birds http://www.rspb.org.uk/advice/helpingbirds/health/sickbirds/greenfinches.asp

Rosie Rees
John Harding

News
Autumn
CEMEX UK and the RSPB launch national biodiversity strategy to
enrich nature nationwide

16 September 2010: Building materials company CEMEX UK and the RSPB today announced the launch of a
biodiversity strategy for CEMEXs operations in the UK to enrich nature. With the support of the RSPB, CEMEX
has committed to challenging targets covering its operations in the UK, including the creation and maintenance
of 1,000 hectares of priority habitats by 2020. This is the equivalent to approximately 100 hectares per annum and
represents a major investment in protecting and promoting nature and wildlife for future generations to enjoy.

In addition to firm goals around the creation and management of priority biodiversity habitats, the strategy
which is being presented to key CEMEX stakeholders at regional events across the country in the coming weeks,
provides detailed targets within the following key areas:

Establishing biodiversity flagship sites
Empowering employees to take biodiversity action
Working in partnership for biodiversity
Champion biodiversity to promote its benefits and importance

Wildlife expert and Vice President for the RSPB, Chris Packham, said: By
committing to this comprehensive strategy, CEMEX will, with its employ-
ees, neighbours and conservation organisations, create habitats and enrich
our environment. If everyone gets stuck in and just does one thing for na-
ture, then together we can make a big difference.

In 2007 CEMEX signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BirdlLife
International to promote biodiversity at an international level. By partner-
ing with the RSPB, which is BirdLifes partner in the UK, CEMEX UK aims
to complement the international partnership and drive biodiversity locally.

President for CEMEX UK, Gonzalo Galindo, explained: As one of this
countrys leading building materials companies, CEMEX UK plays a key
role in creating and maintaining Britains built environment. But we recog-
nise that our business has consequences. It is a key challenge for us to bal-
ance these impacts with the need to build a more sustainable future. Our
vision is for a successful, sustainable CEMEX that makes a positive contri-
bution to people and the environment.

Climate change is posing new challenges and threats to nature. Conserving biodiversity will play a key role in
our ability to adapt to these changes. This is why, during the International Year of Biodiversity, when we are all
encouraged to take direct action, we are setting our biodiversity strategy with challenging targets.

The strategy is part of a partnership which includes the appointment of an RSPB advisor dedicated to providing
biodiversity focused restoration advice for CEMEXs more than 80 UK quarries, as well as increasing awareness
of biodiversity awareness among the companys 3,500 employees.

RSPBs CEMEX Restoration Advisor, Dr Sam Tarrant, said Against the backdrop of cuts in public expenditure,
initiatives like this become all the more important. Bringing together the expertise of CEMEX UK and the RSPB
means we have a team which can deliver real biodiversity benefits, and that local communities will enjoy the
special places created.
Linzi McDade from CEMEX

News
Autumn

Winners of UNESCO Biodiversity Competition Announced
The winners of the International Year of Biodiversity Competition were announced in August. Alice Grey from Port
Ellen Primary School on the Isle of Islay in Scotland took the top prize for primary school entries, while Shannon
Church, Imogen Hale and Katie Lipscombe from St Johns School in Marlborough won the secondary school cate-
gory.
The competition, organised by UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK to celebrate the 2010 International Year of
Biodiversity, attracted 114 entries from across the UK. The competition was open to primary and secondary schools.
Students were asked to create eye-catching awareness raising campaigns that promoted the International Year and
carried the key messages about the importance of biodiversity. The competition will be featured in the next edition
of the newsletter for UNESCO Associated Schools International which will be sent to schools in 180 countries
Winner: Alice Grey, Port Ellen Primary School, Isle of Islay, Scotland
Runner Up: Christopher Patterson, Port Ellen Primary School, Isle of Islay, Scotland
Highly Commended: Class 4LB, King's Park Primary School, Bournemouth

Alice Greys winning
entry was praised by the
judges for using jigsaw
imagery to convey the
importance of the inter-
connectedness of biodi-
versity, displaying a
strong understanding of
the concept.
Secondary Runner Up,
Cianna Roncami of Eltham
School

News
Autumn
Future Landscapes for Biodiversity and People

The International Association for Landscape Ecology (UK) held its annual conference at the University of
Brighton, 14-16 September. This year's focus was 'Future Landscape Ecology' with sessions on Species re-
sponses to landscapes; assessing vulnerability and resilience; future scenarios; problem-solving; workshop
sessions; landscape-scale adaptation and management.
Landscape ecology is the study of interactions, across space and time, between the structure and function of
physical, biological and cultural components of landscapes; marine, freshwater, and on land. The conference
brought together scientists from the many fields in landscape ecology with policy makers, planners and prac-
titioners interested in developing future landscapes that function for both biodiversity and people.

For details of how to order a copy of the comprehensive proceedings, published in book format, and to dis-
cover more about ialeUK visit: www.iale.org.uk
In a concluding presentation, Richard Smithers, ialeUK chair, said:

"In a society where people are free to exploit common resources, individual self-interest compels everyone to
make ever greater use of them. Despite the Convention on Biological Diversitys target to reduce the rate of
biodiversity loss by 2010, it was predictable that this tragedy of the commons would prevent its achieve-
ment. The challenge for future landscape ecology is to help create a new narrative for conserving the natural
environment, establishing it as the basis for all useful function".

"If future landscape ecology can help provide governments with better information on ecosystem services,
then common tragedy might be averted through imposing solutions. But perhaps the greater need is for fu-
ture landscape ecology to encourage understanding among those who manage land, water or resources. Us-
ing information to empower and motivate them to work together may be our best hope for sustaining and re-
storing the natural world on which society and biodiversity depend".

Provisional dates for next year's conference, which will be held at the University of Wolverhampton, are 5-8
September 2011. There will be an open call for papers and sessions will be identified as common themes
emerge. ialeUK also hopes to hold one-day workshops next year on 'The need for a bigger Britain' and on
Landscape genetics.

News
Autumn
ARKive and the UK Overseas Territories
Home to over 300 globally threatened species, with hundreds of endemic species found nowhere else in the
world, the UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) have significant importance to biodiversity on the global scale.

With support from Defra and the Overseas Territories Environment Programme (OTEP), a joint programme of
the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), this
year ARKive (www.arkive.org) is focusing on profiling the rich and unique biodiversity of the UKOTs. A not-
for-profit initiative of UK-based charity Wildscreen, the UKOT chapter of ARKive will help raise awareness of
the unique, rich and globally significant biodiversity in the 14 UK Overseas Territories. ARKive will create over
200 species profiles for animals and plants found within the UKOTs, and make these available for non-
commercial awareness-raising and educational purposes via its award-winning website, www.arkive.org.

Launching ARKives UK Overseas Territories chapter
at the Big Nature Party event at Londons Natural
History Museum on Thursday 7
th
October 2010, Envi-
ronment Minister Richard Benyon said, This impor-
tant project is an innovative way to increase knowl-
edge and understanding of the importance of the
unique wildlife in our Overseas Territories. Wildlife
films and photos are vital tools in educating every-
one about the battle to save the world's most endan-
gered species from the brink of extinction.

Harriet Nimmo, Wildscreen Chief Executive said,
These new species profiles will join ARKives rap-
idly growing collection of more than 10,000 species
and 60,000 films and photographs. Utilising the
worlds very best wildlife films and photographs, we
hope to help increase knowledge and understanding
of the Territories threatened and endemic biodiver-
sity, and highlight its value in terms of the ecosystem
services it provides.

Half way into the project, ARKive has already published over 1,250 new images and over 130 new multi-media
profiles for species found across the UKOTs. ARKives Overseas Adventures quiz has also been successfully
launched. Featured within the education section of the ARKive website, the quiz is aimed at young people to
increase their knowledge about the unique biodiversity of the UKOTs. To play the game visit: http://
www.arkive.org/education/games#UKOSTquiz

The project was also featured in the In Pictures section of the Guardian website, highlighting some of the Terri-
tories endemic and most threatened species: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2010/oct/07/
wildlife-uk-overseas-territories
If you have any films or photographs of any of the species found within the UK Overseas Territories, ARKive
would be delighted to hear from you. For further information on ARKives UK Overseas Territories project,
please contact: lucie.muir@wildscreen.org.uk

ARKive species profile for the Endangered Henderson
petrel

Features
Autumn
A Living Wales

Environment Minister Jane Davidson has called for radical change in Wales approach to managing and protect-
ing its natural environment, in order to ensure long term environmental and economic sustainability.
This change will come with the launch of a new framework for managing the Welsh environment, countryside
and seas, bringing about A Living Wales.
The Minister emphasised our depend-
ence on the natural environment, refer-
ring to it as a life support system
providing amenities key to our quality
of life and our economy.
She was frank about previous failure to
meet biodiversity targets but painted a
brighter picture for the future. The new
framework aims to learn from past mis-
takes by employing new initiatives
such as a stronger evidence base and a
much more integrated approach to
managing our eco-systems.
A Living Wales seeks to ensure that
the environment plays a part in every
decision making process by increasing
awareness of the service it provides.
The minister hoped to inspire national
co-operation by outlining the economic
benefits of conservation; a stance many
policy makers have recently adopted.
She said:
Recent work by the United Nations has outlined the astonishing value of biodiversity and eco-systems to the
global economy. For instance the EU estimates that the loss of biodiversity is currently costing Europe around 50
billion a year and suggests that for every pound we invest in our natural environment, we can expect a return of
between 10 and 100. Now, more than ever, these are figures that we just cannot afford to ignore.
After re-emphasizing the commitment of the Welsh Assembly Government to putting Sustainable Development
at the heart of everything it does she concluded with a reminder of the respect and consideration the environ-
ment deserves.
A Living Wales outlines a number of steps towards maintaining and enhancing natural resources. These include
refreshing management and regulatory approaches, as well as reviewing the roles of delivery agencies. This new
approach will hopefully also help to prepare Wales for the challenges of climate change, thereby safe-guarding a
rich, biodiverse and beautiful environment.
For more information visit Welsh Assembly Government Consultations

Environment Minister Jane Davidson with Emyr Williams from Snowdonia National
Park and Rhys Evans from the National Trust at Cwm Idwal.

Features
Autumn
From London to Lanarkshire: Autumn brings 10m Lottery wind-
fall for six UK parks
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have announced confirmed funding of
10m for six parks across the UK through their joint Parks for People programme. The parks, located in London,
Kent, Shropshire, Lancashire and Lanarkshire in Scotland, range from inner city pockets of green space to the
heart of the countryside.

Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and BIG: Parks are a crucial part of this countrys
heritage and this money demonstrates our on-going commitment to looking after them, making sure they con-
tinue to be safe and enjoyable places to spend time. Its not just the important restoration work that matters.
These grants are far-reaching and provide great opportunities to protect our precious wildlife, for volunteers to
learn new skills, and get local people involved with taking care of their local park.

Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said: "I am delighted to welcome the HLF and BIGs funding for the six
parks. This funding supports Big Society as the initiatives will help to bring volunteers and the community to-
gether for the benefit of all. We know that parks are not just green lungs for our towns and cities, but offer ven-
ues for many community activities such as local education projects such as hedge-laying, gardening and dry
stone walling. Involving local people can also spark further innovation and community activities.
"The parks were set up with great foresight - setting aside land to be enjoyed by the public. This continues today
as the funding will see new trees planted by volunteers that will grow for many generations to see in the future. "

Chris Packham, environmentalist and broadcaster, said: Its thanks to Lottery players that these precious parks
can be properly maintained and will remain at the heart of local communities. Were lucky enough in this coun-
try to have an abundance of open spaces that play an important role in many peoples lives. They are home to
wonderful wildlife habitats and this money ensures they will be conserved. Its great to know that our local pub-
lic parks continue to be looked after.

The six parks receiving support are:

Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent - 1.8m
Mote Park, originally a country estate, was con-
verted into a landscaped park at the end of the
18
th
Century and is now one of the largest public
parks in Kent. Its name comes from the old Eng-
lish word moot, meaning a place of assembly.
HLF/BIGs investment will complete improve-
ments as part of a wider restoration programme
including rejuvenating the currently empty 19
th

Century pavilion back to its former glory and
providing a meeting point for visitors and staff.
Volunteers will help maintain the parks exten-
sive grounds and new activity programmes for
local residents will be set up.
Friends of Mote Park

Features
Autumn
Telford Town Park, Shropshire - 2.1m
Established in the 1970s, Telford Town Park has provided local residents with a much-loved green space for
many years. The park, containing signs of Telfords rich industrial heritage such as old pit mounds, chimneys
and railway tracks, is connected to the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

Plans for the park include conserving chimneys and pit mounds and uncovering more of the parks history relat-
ing to iron and coke smelting and brick-making. Education trails will be introduced with opportunities for vol-
unteers to take part in wildlife and horticultural workshops.

Whaley Bridge Memorial Park, Derbyshire - 478,000
Whaley Bridge Memorial Park was created in 1920 to commemorate the loss of 108 men in World War One. The
park, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, is bordered by the River Goyt and is popular with both lo-
cal residents and visitors to the area.

Plans for the park include restoring the war memorial and maintaining woodland and wildlife habitats. Volun-
teers will get involved with the long-term maintenance of the park through activities such as hedge-laying,
flower planting and dry-stone walling.

Telford Town Park

Features
Autumn

Lordship Recreation Ground, Tottenham,
London - 3.8m
Lordship Recreation Ground sits in the heart
of the London Borough of Haringey and was
opened to the public in 1932. The grounds
include a model traffic area which was cre-
ated in the late 1938 and designed to teach
children about road safety.

HLF/BIGs support will enable the extensive
woodland and flower beds to be properly
maintained and the model traffic area, Shell
Theatre and River Moselle to be restored.
Training for staff will include mentoring vol-
unteers and improving their horticultural
skills, involving the local community in the
maintenance of their park. A new environ-
ment centre will be an exemplar low-energy
building constructed with natural, robust ma-
terials to house a new caf and community facilities.

Mesnes Park, Wigan - 1.9m
Mesnes Park began life as predominantly meadow land forming part of the Wigan Rectory Glebe Estate but by
1847 it was home to two collieries. Opened to the public in 1878, Mesnes Park was Wigans first municipal
park and today sits in the heart of the town centre and attracts 2m visitors a year.

This grant will complete the restoration of this listed park enabling it to play a full role in the life of the town.
The bowls pavilion and lodge building will be restored giving them a new lease of life as a permanent base for
the parks friends group and volunteers. As well as creating a 'community hub' for the park, it will also pro-
vide education workshops and gardening sessions which will teach skills such as flower identification
and crafts such as willow weaving.

Cambuslang Park, South Lanarkshire - 551,500 (HLF funded only)
Created in 1913, Cambuslang Park spans 27 acres and is home to a World War One memorial, a bandstand
and the Borgie Glen, a steep tree-lined ravine which sits adjacent to wide open park land.

This HLF investment will enable the restoration of the park including renovating the arena area to allow more
events to take place, a new play area and conserving the woodland areas. The introduction of a full-time Park
Keeper will help develop new activities encouraging visitors to intercact with the park and the friends group
will be given training in local history, wildlife and tree management enabling them to support volunteers in a
number of activities ranging from guided walks to woodland conservation.

Shell TheatreLordship Park

Features
Autumn
From Paraguay to the New Forest
Natural History Museum experts explore rare habitats

The exotic country of Paraguay seems far removed from William the Conquerors New Forest a wildlife ha-
ven nestled between Bournemouth and Southampton.

Yet two teams from the Natural History Museum are focussing on these remarkable landscapes to map the
hugely varied species that can be found there. Supported by the New Forest National Park Authority and
funded by public donations to the Museum, the first team has already started collating a New Forest inven-
tory of the areas wildlife and environment. This will provide a snapshot in time of the New Forest against
which changes over the next 10 years can be mapped.

The New Forest is one of the most important areas for wildlife in the UK as it is home to a wide range of spe-
cies and habitats. This landscapes unique qualities are largely due to grazing by New Forest ponies who roam
the ancient woodlands and heathlands as part of a traditional commoning system. Yet there are still huge gaps
in our knowledge about the species that can be found here and how widespread they are.

New Forest National Park Ecologist Ian Barker said: The New Forest National Park is the most densely popu-
lated National Park in the UK and has over 13 million visitors each year.
Despite these pressures, thanks to good management by a wide range of organisations, the New Forest con-
tinues to be a magnificent landscape with an abundance of really special wildlife.
Over half the national park is designated as being internationally or nationally important for nature conserva-
tion a higher density than any other national park in England.
The team is studying some of the less popular aspects of the Forest ecology insects, lichen and soils which
are the building blocks of biodiversity but are often overlooked because people are generally more interested
in the bigger species such as birds.

Left to right: New Forest National
Park Authority Ecologist Ian
Barker Paul Eggleton, Head of the
Natural History Museums Soil Bio-
diversity Group and Museum re-
searcher Dr Dan Carpenter collect
samples in Whitley Wood, Lynd-
hurst.

Features
Autumn

It is an exciting opportunity to obtain baseline data in a scientific way and the fact that it will be repeated and
the information will be captured over five and 10 years is extremely useful.

It is vitally important that we work with experts such as the Natural History Museum to find out as much infor-
mation as possible about the habitats and wildlife here and to establish how we can best look after it.

Paul Eggleton, insect expert and Head of the Museums Soil Biodiversity Group,
said: This is one of the most important areas for biodiversity in Britain. This
will allow us for the first time to get a very good handle on what is happening
to nature in the New Forest.

Dr Dan Carpenter, of the Museums Soil Biodiversity Group, said 40 plots
within six habitats spread across the New Forest are being used to sample li-
chens, algae, insects and soil in order to document patterns of biodiversity
across the forest.

He explained why the New Forest was chosen for the survey. He said: The New Forest is an ideal area to sam-
ple in this way because it is one of the most important areas of pasture woodland, heathland and valley mires in
Europe. It is also a UK (and often European) biodiversity hotspot for many groups such as lichens, flowering
plants, fungi, bats and birds. As its in the south it is likely to be strongly affected by climate change, species in-
vasion, land use change and pollution. The way it has been historically managed through commoning makes it
even more interesting.

Meanwhile another group of Museum scientists is preparing to embark on a fieldtrip to Paraguay in November
to conduct a biodiversity survey, also funded by public donations. The area is the largest dry forest in South
America and the continents most extensive forested region after Amazonia. Very little is known of its flora and
fauna.

They will be working in collaboration with Paraguayan counterparts and sharing skills and expertise both in the
field and in the local Museum of Natural History.

For more information contact:
Sam Roberts, Media Relations Manager, Natural History Museum
Tel: 020 7942 5881
Email: sam.roberts@nhm.ac.uk

Features
Autumn
An Unusual Bee Orchid at RSPB Weymouth Wetlands

Bee Orchids (Ophrys apifera) grow in a variety of base rich habitats grassland, scrub, sand dunes, spoil heaps
and roadsides. Though its usual sites are well drained, the orchids can also thrive equally well in damp habi-
tats. Bee Orchids are notorious for being prolific one year on a site and either few or no plants appearing the
following year. A key characteristic of the Bee Orchid is the lip, which bears a resemblance to a bee, and this is a
warm rich red-brown colour with golden bands and a golden tip folded underneath.

In 2008 I discovered an unusual Bee Orchid by one of the footpaths at the RSPBs Weymouth Wetlands, at Radi-
pole Lake. Instead of the typical bee markings on the lip, this plant had a completely plain red-brown lip and
the markings were completely absent. In 2009 a record thirty-one Bee Orchid plants were counted on the re-
serve. This year also saw a second flowering of the Brown Bee, as it came to be known, on the same site but
this time a second plant was found two metres away.

As the markings on this Bee Orchid were so unusual I undertook some research and established that it was a
variety called Ophrys apifera var atrofuscus. This variety had first been discovered in Sussex in 2001, although it
may have previously occurred in Herefordshire and has also been recorded at a site in Leicestershire. The atro-
fuscus plant at Radipole Lake is the first record for Dorset and it is Dorsets only known site.

The Brown Bee has flowered again this year with three plants being found in the same location. One plant in
particular was spectacular with eight flowers. The Brown Bee has flowered now three years in succession and
we very much hope to see the plants bloom again in 2011.

Naomi Bailey
RSPB Weymouth Wetlands Voluntary Botanist
Ophrys apiferaBee Orchid Typical Form
RSPB
Ophrys apifera var atrofuscus
The Brown Bee RSPB

Features
Autumn
Green Gym gets physical with Biodiversity
Since 1959, the charity BTCV has been working towards a healthy and sustainable future by encouraging peo-
ple to get involved with their hands-on approach to conservation. One of their many innovative and success-
ful projects is the BTCV Green Gym; an award winning alternative to conventional gyms that helps people to
exercise outdoors in the fresh air whilst improving their natural environment.
These schemes have been hugely successful with almost all participants agreeing that their overall well-being
has improved. By working in teams within their community towards a mutual and rewarding goal, members
have boosted their self-esteem and improved their activity levels; so you can lose weight and be a member of
the BIG society at the same time! Typical Green Gym projects include transforming neglected areas into biodi-
versity havens, helping communities to grow their own food, and regenerating urban areas for people and
wildlife. More information can be found on the BTCV website at http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/home

This worthwhile campaign has not gone unnoticed, and the Renfrewshire BTCV Green Gym was recently
awarded almost 3000 from BIFFA, a leading sustainable waste-management company who pride themselves
on environmental responsibility. The funds were provided for biodiversity improvement works in Durrock-
stock Local Nature Reserve in Paisley. Renfrewshire Council has also contributed around 900 towards the pro-
ject; the Council also supports a number of Biodiversity Action Plans such as improving habitat for rare species
like the Lesser Whitethroat.

Renfrewshire BTCV Green Gym

Features
Autumn
The generous funds have gone towards the following:
One end of the pond has sheer concrete wall boundaries, so coir matting pre-seeded with marginal plants
have been installed to this area in order to provide a new habitat for invertebrates here. This area will be used
for educational pond dipping events once the improvements take effect.
One area of the park has been zoned as an area in which to encourage wildflowers, this has been at-
tempted in the past but unfortunately the grasses were too strong. This winter wildflowers will be properly
established by removing the turf and topsoil before planting seeds and providing interpretation.
The creation of a clearing around a shallow pool to create a habitat suitable for amphibians and dragon-
flies.

Work has already begun, with gym co-ordinator Julie Wilson and team off to a flying start:
"We had a great day at Durrockstock Local Nature Reserve. The local residents were very interested in what
we were doing in the pond. Hopefully the local wildlife will benefit from all the volunteers hard work. We
will be back out working over the winter so if anyone would like to help with the biodiversity improvement
project at Durrockstock Park, just get in touch."

For more information on Renfrewshire Councils other biodiversity work visit
http://www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/ilwwcm/publishing.nsf/Content/PT-AB-Biodiversity


Features
Autumn
A Model to Predict Wildlife Site Sensitivity

Regional planning might have been abolished but Bedfordshire and other areas around the UK still face intense
growth pressure. Housing demand is high, as is demand for open space and natural areas. People want quality
places in which to explore, recreate and commune with nature. Bedfordshires natural areas are expected to
face increasing visitor pressure, and many are thought to be suffering already. Natural areas have an inherent
degree of sensitivity to visitor pressure: being able to predict the degree and reasons for sensitivity could help
inform habitat management and open space planning.

The effects of recreation are many and varied. They depend on the features of both the ecology of a site and of
the recreation. The relatively new field of recreation
ecology is the study of such effects, and volumes
have been written on the impacts of various activi-
ties on different habitats and species. In general,
recreational impacts can consist of:
Trampling, which causes floristic changes, vege-
tation loss, soil compaction and erosion
Eutrophication, which leads to localised prolif-
eration of weeds and alters the soil ecology
Disturbance, which causes animal fight or
flight behaviours, site abandonment, and can lead
to long term reduced fecundity
Management interference, conflicts between recrea-
tional use and site management (e.g., sheep worry-
ing, fence cutting, use of public-friendly but
suboptimal grazing stock breeds).

What was needed in Bedfordshire however, was an objective means of predicting site sensitivity. The Bedford-
shire and Luton Wildlife Working Group have adapted a model created by Denyse Lajeunesse and colleagues
at the Jardin botanique de Montral. The model uses data from the local record centre, the National Soil Re-
sources Institute and other sources to generate vegetation, avian fauna and abiotic sensitivity scores for terres-
trial wildlife sites. The scores are grouped into classes from very low to very high sensitivity.

The model includes 13 criteria. Vegetation criteria include species richness, number of BAP species supported
and uniqueness of the plant community type. Avian sensitivity includes criteria such as number of BAP spe-
cies, representativity of the bird community and importance of the habitat patch relative to the surrounding
matrix. Abiotic criteria include drainage, soil texture and slope. Each criterion is either measured or scored on a
pre-determined scale to eliminate as much subjectivity as possible.

Bakers Wood John Comont

Features
Autumn
By highlighting different kinds of sensitivity the model should be able to help site managers mitigate the im-
pacts of certain types of recreation. In areas with both high development pressure and highly sensitive sites, it
should also help planning authorities make a case for new greenspace creation.

The model does have weaknesses. It currently does not address aquatic or marine habitats, and it can accom-
modate only one habitat per site. Some sites will best be handled by splitting them into major habitat areas, and
treating them as separate units. Data can in some cases be limited, and some sites will likely need to be bio-
bashed to identify the range of species. Despite the weaknesses however, the model offers an objective, predic-
tive, defensible method for assessing site sensitivity to visitor pressure.

After more than a year of work, the model is now in the final stages of testing. A few elements of the model
were developed specifically for Bedfordshire, however it can be adapted to other areas of the UK. The report
will be completed by Christmas, and will be available on the BedsLife website: www.bedslife.org.uk.

Pegsdon Hills NR Graham Bellamy

Features
Autumn
CIWEMs Living Wetlands Award 2011(LWA)
CIWEMs Living Wetlands Award which recognises multi-functional projects that demonstrate the sustain-
able use of wetland habitats is open for entries. The Award was co-founded in 2002/2003 with RSPB, and en-
courages projects which demonstrate restoration and enhancement of the UKs natural wetland habitats
through sustainable development, and promotion of recreational use.
The 2010 winner of the Award was The Itchen Navigation Heritage
Trail Project, managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wild-
life Trust (HIWWT). The project involved repairing and enhanc-
ing the Navigation-part of a chalk river system which had once
been used as an 18
th
century barge passage. Since ceasing com-
mercial use, the channel has become an important place for wild-
life, notable for significant populations of the rare southern dam-
selfly, as well as otter, water vole, brook lamprey and Atlantic
salmon, and a range of scarce freshwater and riparian inverte-
brates. However, the deterioration of the banks and lack of main-
tenance over the last 150 years has caused worn- down banks to
breach, putting this wildlife in jeopardy. The project sought to
restore the Navigation safeguarding wildlife, history and value to
local people.
The project used bioengineering techniques as a wildlife friendly way of repairing the banks of the Navigation.
Furthermore, a ten-year maintenance programme was provided to landowners, focusing on management of the
new wetland vegetation to ensure the longevity of the repairs and the survival of the habitat. Many volunteers
have taken part in the project to-date through practical conservation and heritage tasks. Recreational facilities
include a public footpath which stretches the entire length of the Navi-
gation. A judge for the Award commented on the project: The Itchen
Navigation Heritage Trail project is an inspiring landscape scale project
involving strong partnerships to create high quality habitats for the
benefit of wildlife, people and the landscape.
In order to enter this years award entrants must meet the following
criteria:

contribute to the delivery of priority UK Biodiversity Action Plan
(BAP) species and habitat targets for wetlands
demonstrate sustainability and delivery of multiple benefits e.g.
flood alleviation, wastewater treatment, recreation, eco-tourism,
water resource security
ensure no priority BAP species or habitats are harmed by the pro-
ject

Features
Autumn
In addition, it is desirable that projects:

contribute to increases in numbers of breeding wading birds (e.g. redshank, snipe, lapwing) and/or other
threatened wetland species
contribute to the restoration of floodplain functions
include a programme for education or promotion/dissemination of the work
constitute a new area of work for the entrant, or add value beyond the normal remit of the organisation

Winners of the award will receive: The Mance Trophy (a specially-commissioned bronze trophy of a snipe);
publicity for the winning scheme; a framed certificate and a cheque for 1500, which should be used to fund
the delivery of further UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) targets, publicity of the project and/or related edu-
cation.
The closing date for the award is 14
th
January 2011. Further details can be found at http://www.ciwem.org/
competition-and-awards/living-wetlands.aspx or email rosanna@ciwem.org.

Giant picture of salmon, eels and a dragonfly next to the river, created by 400 people
Photo by Rod Farley, design by Abigail

Features
Autumn
MPA Makes Positive Contribution to 2010 Year of Biodiversity
and Good Progress on Emissions and Sustainable Development
The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity and it is also a year when the Min-
eral Products Association (MPA) has made clear-cut progress on this front, as well as in sustainable develop-
ment in general.
Countdown 2010 and the EU Business @ Biodiversity Platform
The European Aggregates Association (UEPG), and by extension MPA which is a UEPG member, has been an
active partner in Countdown 2010 since 2007. We are committed to tackling the causes of biodiversity loss and
supporting the 2010 Biodiversity Target.
In June, through UEPG, we also joined the EU Business @ Biodiversity Platform - UEPG has been the first sector
to join. The EU Business @ Biodiversity Platform aims to support all businesses integrating biodiversity into
their core activities. It will facilitate knowledge exchange among different actors, host a resource centre, provide
links to information available on biodiversity and outline existing best practice. The Platform will also liaise with
those involved in other related ongoing Business and Biodiversity initiatives.
Nature After Minerals
The Nature after Minerals (NAM) project is an initiative run by RSPB and Natural England, with the support of
MPA, formed in 2008/9 with the goal of assisting mineral operators and planners to restore quarries to priority
Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) habitats.
In 2009, the NAM project received an injection of cash from the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF)
and, as a result, three full-time NAM staff have been taken on to implement the project on the ground.
In 2010, companies have benefited from the NAM teams advice; guidance; and consultation responses, which
have highlighted members significant contribution to BAP habitat creation by providing inspiring examples of
good practice.
Biodiversity Awards
The Natural England Biodiversity Awards scheme was also launched earlier this year, in association with MPA,
which will run alongside MPAs current Restoration Awards scheme. The awards will be presented at next
years MPA Showcase 2011, the premier event for the mineral products industry.
The Natural England Biodiversity Awards will recognize the mineral products industrys exceptional achieve-
ments and potential to protect and enhance the nations biodiversity. The awards reflect that few, if any, other
industries actively manage land on a scale that enables them to make a positive large-scale contribution to natu-
ral habitats.
UEPG Sustainable Development Awards
The important contribution that the mineral products industry
makes to biodiversity, as well as to the community and society in
general, was clearly demonstrated by MPA member Lafarge Ag-
gregates Ltd at the European Aggregates Associations (UEPG)
Sustainable Development Awards in May.

Features
Autumn
Lafarge Aggregates Ltd scooped a Restoration Best Practice Special Award for the National Memorial Arbore-
tum in Staffordshire. The restoration of the site on which the Arboretum now stands was completed in the
mid 1990s. Over 150 groups, military and other, are represented at the Arboretum and nearly 300,000 people
passed through the gates in 2008. A rich diversity of wildlife throughout a wide variety of habitats has been
encouraged, including lakes, ponds, reedbeds, wetland and grassland.
Trade Association Forum Environmental Initiative Award
Improving biodiversity goes hand in hand with the principles of sustainable development and environmental
protection. The efforts of MPA members to drive forward sustainabil-
ity and environmental priorities were recognized in July, when MPA,
in partnership with affiliate British Precast, beat stiff competition to
win the top Environmental Initiative prize in the Trade Association
Forum Best Practice Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate best
practice and reward the achievement of trade associations from all
industry sectors.
This award was won for the Sustainable Concrete Strategy, developed
and implemented by key trade associations and companies within the
concrete sector. The vision behind this strategy is that by 2012 the UK
concrete sector will be recognized as being the leader in delivering
sustainable construction. The aim is to create an honest, responsible
dialogue that enables the sustainable development of the built envi-
ronment.
The strategy has produced two reports. The first report, published in
2009, provided industry data across 14 performance indicators against
which the concrete industry has committed to be benchmarked and to
improve upon. The latest March 2010 performance report provides
2008 performance data and outlines 12 targets, plus those in develop-
ment, to be achieved by 2012.
Emissions and Energy Efficiency
One year on from when the UK Cement and Lime sectors achieved their energy efficiency goals as detailed in
their Climate Change Agreements for the target period 4 (2008), MPA members remain committed to further
improving performance and working towards the Governments target of an 80% reduction by 2050. The UK
industry is tackling climate change through reducing emissions and providing energy-saving solutions,
whether through the use of new and updated plant or waste derived fuels and raw materials.
Nigel Jackson, Chief Executive MPA, said We havent yet reached the end of 2010, but our members have
already achieved a lot this year in support of biodiversity, sustainability and environmental issues. MPA will
continue to push high standards in these areas, as well as in key concerns such as health and safety and secur-
ing and maintaining the licence to operate for the sustainable supply of essential mineral products, well be-
yond 2010.
- If you would like information on joining the Mineral Products Association, contact Brian James, tel: 020 7963
8000, email: brian.james@mineralproducts.org

- For further information please contact Hilary Arrowsmith at the Mineral Products Association, tel: 020 7963
8000, email: hilary.arrowsmith@mineralproducts.org

Mineral Products Association

Features
Autumn
Amphibian Trust wins BTCV Green Heroes award
A reserve set up to save the Isle of Wights unique sub-species of Great Crested Newt has won a regional Com-
munity Group of the Year award from BTCV.
The award recognises over 30 years of work by the volunteers of Kitbridge Enterprises Trust (KET), who have
created one of the UKs largest amphibian reserves and helped people of all age groups and levels of ability to
become fitter and healthier through voluntary environmental conservation. The Trusts activities include a
three-year long project to map the dramatic changes in fortunes of the islands wildlife ponds from 1900 to the
present day.
KET, whose Friends group are all Registered Disabled, is one of more than 2,000 community groups supported
by BTCV through its Community Network. The Estonian Fund for Nature received the overall category prize
sponsored by ASDA at a ceremony held on 26
th
November 2010 in London. Community groups, BTCV partner
organisations and individual volunteers were recognised for their outstanding contributions to environmental
conservation, fighting climate change, turning grey spaces green and improving skills, health and well-being.
Contact: information@btcv.org.uk

Local & Regional
Autumn
The Cairngorms Rare Plants Project: Working to Safeguard the
Future of Scotlands Threatened Plants
Recent studies suggest that as many as one in five of the UKs
wild plant species are at risk of extinction and the primary cause
of this is habitat loss as a consequence of human activity. Yet,
despite this worrying evidence, plants remain the poor relations
of the conservation world, receiving little research funding and
targeted conservation action in comparison to birds and mam-
mals. It has often been assumed that a general ecosystem or
habitat management approach will be sufficient to conserve
wild plants but, while this may be the case for common species,
it is becoming increasingly clear that many rare plants will re-
quire specialist management to recover them from the highly
isolated populations and unsuitable habitat conditions to which
they have frequently become confined.
In March 2010 the Cairngorms Rare Plants Project was launched
with the aim of delivering targeted management action for four
of Scotlands rare plant species at sites within the Cairngorms
National Park (CNP), proving that it is not all doom and gloom
for some of the nations threatened plants. Twinflower (Linnaea
borealis), intermediate wintergreen (Pyrola media), small cow-
wheat (Melampyrum sylvaticum), and lesser butterfly orchid
(Platanthera bifolia) are the focus of the three year project which
has received funding and support from the Esme Fairbairn
Foundation, the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish
Natural Heritage via the Species Action Framework, and the
University of Aberdeen.
All four target species have undergone significant declines in the UK and are either UK BAP priority species
and/or included in Scotlands Species Action Framework. The CNP is the UK stronghold for twinflower and
intermediate wintergreen, and holds some of the largest remaining UK populations of small cow-wheat and
lesser butterfly orchid, making this an ideal area to implement practical conservation action for these species.
Action will be delivered through designated sites and by working with conservation organisations and pri-
vate landowners.
Site visits are currently being undertaken to gather baseline information on the health and status of the plants
in relation to current and historical management at key sites in the Park. Following these initial surveys, and
working closely with land managers and plant conservation experts, site specific management plans will be
developed containing actions to increase the viability and spread of the target species. A range of different
management techniques will be utilised and these will depend upon individual site conditions and the ap-
proach of different landowners to conservation.

Lesser Butterfly Orchid Andy Scobie

Local & Regional
Autumn

Favourable management will be secured and maintained at sites which currently support viable populations
and hands-on targeted management will be implemented where conditions are currently unfavourable. Ac-
tions will include modification to grazing practices, field-layer management (including burning and cutting),
and alterations to woodland structure and canopy. Innovative techniques such as translocation will also be
utilised to restore genetic diversity to impoverished populations and to establish the plants at new sites where
appropriate long-term management is already in place. Monitoring will be set-up at all sites where manage-
ment has been undertaken to measure success and permit future modification if required.
Records are currently being collated to create a rare plant database containing information on the location of
all target species sites in the CNP. This database will help to identify key areas for conservation and will be
used to inform land managers of the presence of target species sites on their land. Local wildlife recorders and
residents of the Park are encouraged to get involved by reporting sightings of the target species and partici-
pating in organised search days at locations throughout the CNP.
Andy Scobie (Project Officer, Cairngorms Rare Plants Project)
a.scobie@abdn.ac.uk

Andy in action Pete Moore

Local & Regional
Autumn
South Leeds Water Vole Project
assessing water vole habitat without the water voles!

As we are all aware, water vole have experienced
marked declines in most parts of the UK and Leeds is
no exception to the rule. They are now largely limited
to South Leeds with a few records to the East, mostly
on Leeds Nature Areas (third tier wildlife sites). Even
in these areas the records seem low and summer
floods over the last few years have only heightened
concerns for the populations, some of which are al-
ready living in sub-optimal conditions.

The West Yorkshire Strategic Water Vole Assessment
(a joint project with the EA and Yorkshire Wildlife
Trust) highlighted two of those Leeds Nature Areas,
Dolphin Beck Marsh and Rothwell Pastures as Dis-
trict Key Areas for water vole and it helped bring the
sites back into focus. The sites appear isolated being
miles apart and with two motorways between them but they are in fact linked by one continuous watercourse.
Some questions immediately sprung to mind. What if the water vole populations in South Leeds are not as iso-
lated as we assumed? What if the adjoining habitats to these sites can in fact provide a corridor to the water
vole or even better be a home to them? What is the habitat quality between the sites and what would be needed
to bring it up to scratch?

The stream (or beck as we call it in these parts) stretches for just over 14km and it flows through private as
well as Council land and even crosses Local Authority boundaries from Leeds to Wakefield and back to Leeds
again. The question was who could take a look at the habitat, how and when?

Andy Higham, a student studying at Sheffield Hallam University, took up the mantle and this Spring set out to
assess the habitat quality as part of a mid-term project. We quickly realised when putting together the method-
ology that few if any surveyors look only at the habitat quality without the back up of an actual water vole sur-
vey and that no one we spoke to could quantify their results when discussing good or poor water vole habi-
tat.

The methods (or the madness?!)

In the initial enthusiastic stages we thought we would try to put together a kind of Habitat Suitability Index for
water vole like the one that exists for great crested newts but we soon realised this was way beyond our re-
sources and mathematical know how! Instead the 15 habitat features recorded by Strachan and Jeffries in their
1993 The Water Vole in Britain 1989 1990: Its Distribution and Changing Status were carefully assessed. It was
apparent that some of the features they recorded were more important to water vole than others as were the
variables within the features.
Water vole John Traill of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust

Local & Regional
Autumn

For example, bank side tree cover was considered to have a more significant effect on water vole distribution
than watercourse depth and using the DAFORN scale, dominant bank side tree cover (81 100% cover) scored
very poor whilst rare bank side tree cover (1 20% cover) would score a good in terms of water vole habitat
quality.

By the end we had a score for each of the 15 features for each of
27 transects and we also knew which features we thought carried
the most weight. Finally, the Staffordshire Wildlife Trusts 2003
Water Vole Survey scale was adopted to give a final habitat as-
sessment for each transect

The results

Out of the 27 transects only 5 scored Good for overall habitat
quality. None of those were bordered with another Good habi-
tat stretch but they are spread across the 14km and could offer
stepping stones to commuting water vole. Ten scored Fair but
12 of the 27 scored Poor or Very Poor.

Essentially the water vole populations that we know of on our
Leeds Nature Areas are isolated because the adjacent habitat is
sub-optimal on at least one side and rarely offers any real poten-
tial beyond 500m.

What to make of it?

Taking out the motorways which are unavoidable barriers and the lack of confirmed mink presence, the main
threats to the water vole in South Leeds seems to be habitat deterioration from excessive tree and shrub cover
and the invasive spread of Himalayan Balsam. There are also areas of canalisation along the beck which will
negatively impact on burrowing water vole.

None of these will come as a great surprise to anyone but we now have clear evidence and highlighted
problem spots from which we hope to inspire land managers to get involved and raise funds to get our water-
courses back on track for people, the water vole and biodiversity overall.

Wed love to have any feedback about our methods or examples of similar projects and how you have pro-
gressed them. Fingers crossed we will be able to avert local water vole extinction as is so sadly predicted in
many other areas.

Kerry Fieldhouse

LNA Rothwell Pastures Andy Higham

Local & Regional
Autumn
Scottish IYB Orchard Event Keep Growing!

Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Trust for Scotland held a successful Sharing Good Practice event
Keep growing Orchard Heritage in Scotland, at Melrose in the Scottish Borders on the 13
th
October. The aim
of the event, during International Year of Biodiversity was raise awareness of the biodiversity value of tradi-
tional orchards.

The event was held in Melrose so we could use could use the two NTS orchard gardens of Priorwood and Har-
mony. There was a speaker from NTS Melrose, Tayside Biodiversity Project, Forth Valley Orchard Group, Ap-
pletreeman on the varieties, history and pruning of fruit trees. A lichenologist held a workshop on the value of
orchards as a lichen habitat. Scottish Bee Keepers Association gave a talk on why bees are used for pollination
and the challenges with the arrival of exotic pests, diseases and plants. National Trust England also updated the
delegates on the conservation and restoration of traditional orchards in England.

We received plenty of good feedback from attendants:

'It was excellent from start to end'
'Lichen talk very interesting, bought the guide, will try to fund a survey'
'workshops really interesting & enjoyable'
On the apple session: 'excellent , entertaining & stimulating could have been longer'

Catriona Morrison
Scottish Natural Heritage.
Scottish Natural Heritage Scottish Natural Heritage

Local & Regional
Autumn
Outer Hebrides Bioblitz Event
In August 2010, we ran the very first Uist Bioblitz event to record the wildlife at the RSPBs Balranald Nature
Reserve on North Uist in the Outer Hebrides. John McFarlane (BTCV's Environment Development Officer) sug-
gested we have a Bioblitz, I spread the word around and it snowballed. With a list of people to talk to, a rough
idea of what to do and a few leads to follow up I began organising the event.

As the big day drew close I realised how stressful organising a major event can be. It was possibly the first time
for 20 years that so many people had descended upon Balranald for such an event. The closest being the week
before the event when I was part of a BSBI group that looked purely at plants on the reserve. We are likely to
have been the only group to look at and record everything at once in the last 20 years or so.

The first hiccup occurred when I
realised that through a mix up, we
had no camp site for the final cou-
ple of days. I organised it and sat
back at the ferry port in Loch-
maddy waiting for the team to ar-
rive... to arrive.... to arrive? A major
incident on the ferry delayed the
team by a few hours so we all had
to sleep on the floor of the Visitor
Centre rather than attempt to set
the tents up in total darkness. It
wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be.
At least no one came in during the
night or early in the morning to
look at the Visitor Centres display
boards!

On the Thursday and Friday it was
full on looking over most of the
reserve for what we could find. It
was no where near enough time but I hope that further Bioblitz events can be organised on the areas that weren't
covered. The SNH team came along to lend a hand on the Friday and it was great to see a bunch of dedicated
people getting stuck into the task at hand. The weather was fairly kind, a calm day with light drizzle and the Fri-
day was bright and sunny so everyone camping was very comfortable in their tents though we did lose the
matches one morning so that meant a delay in people getting their breakfasts and coffees. It was close to a mu-
tiny but we tracked them down and everything was fine in the end.

I had put up posters inviting the public along on the Saturday. Not knowing how successful an event could be
on Uist I was pleasantly surprised to have 60 people along during the day to have a look at some of the species
we had collected. I didn't have time to catch my breath as I put on four reserve walks during the day including
one to Alasdair Allan, the Western Isles MSP, who had come along to see what we were doing. The group were
on fine form; educating both adults and children on the species we had on show as well as our responsibility to
preserve the machair ecosystem.

We spent two and a half days looking around for any species we could grab and at a guess we will have found
approximately 200 different species. I am currently sifting through the results. There's a few quickly jotted
names that need deciphered and a few misspellings but the results are due soon.
Kieren Jones

Local & Regional
Autumn

It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase what Uist has to offer and was very well attended. I fully believe an
annual Bioblitz event could be organised on Uist and it's paramount that we start to look at everything there is
on Uist to preserve it for the future.

A big thank you to Alasdair Allan, our local MSP for coming along and supporting the event and also to Susy
Macaulay for coming to report the event. Thank you also to Craig, Louis and Amy for giving up their time to
come along and join in with the Bioblitz and of course thank you to John, Lesley, Meryl, Gwen, Suzie and Ali for
coming to my backyard and getting stuck in.

Kieren Jones
BTCV Natural Talent Machair Apprentice

To find out more about the Balranald Nature Reserve visit the RSPB website at
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/balranald/

For further information on Outer Hebrides Biodiversity contact Anne MacLellan, Biodiversity Officer
Email: amaclellan@cne-siar.gov.uk Web: www.cne-siar.gov.uk/biodiversity

Kieren Jones

Local & Regional
Autumn
Trinity Broards Restoration
The Trinity Broads Restoration project has recently won both a Waterways Renaissance Award and the East of
England UK Landscape Award.

The site is part of the Broads - the UKs largest protected wetland - and contributes to protecting three-quarters
of the nations priority fen habitat, and 15% of the open water in the Broads.

The Trinity Broads is a wild wetland of interconnected shallow lakes, dykes, open fen, reedbeds and wet wood-
land near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. At the heart of the project is the ambition to restore the clarity of the wa-
ter, which is provides drinking water for Great Yarmouth. Improving the water quality means less treatment
and a lower carbon footprint. In just 15 years, the hard work of organisations and local people, combined with
pioneering conservation methods, has transformed Ormesby Broad from a murky lake into a paradise for wild-
life and people. The now clear waters attract such priority species as water voles, otters, Holly leaved naiad,
stoneworts and bitterns, and improvements are spreading to the other four Trinity Broads as a result of this
landscape-scale project.
In 1995 four large organisations formed a partnership: the Broads Authority, Essex & Suffolk Water, the Envi-
ronment Agency and English Nature (now Natural England). All were keenly interested in the health of these
broads and could see that while the water quality was deteriorating, it was not irretrievable. They wanted to re-
store these broads to good status for the benefit of conservation, public water supply and recreation. Each or-
ganisation recognised this could best be done by working together, employing staff, and getting involvement
and support from the lakes neighbours and users.

The partners saw an opportunity to demon-
strate what can be achieved with biomanipu-
lation - managing fish populations to allow
tiny algae-eating water fleas to thrive and eat
the water clear. This novel technique has
been carried out successfully, and reedbeds
and fens have been mown to keep bushes
and trees out, maintaining the open fen habi-
tat, which has protected endangered species
such as Desmoulins whorl snail.

These quiet Broads provide a haven for win-
tering wildfowl including Bittern, shoveler,
teal, gadwall, pochard, tufted duck and the
occasional smew and slavonian grebe.
Healthy populations of coot and great crested
grebe breed through the summer and the
aquatic plants provide summer and autumn
feeding for up to 200 swans. On a still summer evening hundreds of bat feed on the abundant insects over the
water, noctules, serotines, natterers, daubentons and all three species of pipistrelle have been recorded, sup-
ported by the local roosts sites.
The project has worked hard to provide good facilities and better access for eco-friendly recreation: fishing, bird-
watching, canoeing, rowing, sailing and electric boating. Deepening local peoples involvement in management,
practical conservation and events was also a key part of the project. An extensive programme of public events
has helped to communicate the importance of both place and project - many more people now know the area
and share their enthusiasm with others.
Swallowtail Hatty Alridge

Local & Regional
Autumn
Trinity Broards Restoration
The Trinity Broads Restoration project has recently won both a Waterways Renaissance Award and the East of
England UK Landscape Award.

The site is part of the Broads - the UKs largest protected wetland - and contributes to protecting three-quarters
of the nations priority fen habitat, and 15% of the open water in the Broads.

The Trinity Broads is a wild wetland of interconnected shallow lakes, dykes, open fen, reedbeds and wet wood-
land near Great Yarmouth in Norfolk. At the heart of the project is the ambition to restore the clarity of the wa-
ter, which is provides drinking water for Great Yarmouth. Improving the water quality means less treatment
and a lower carbon footprint. In just 15 years, the hard work of organisations and local people, combined with
pioneering conservation methods, has transformed Ormesby Broad from a murky lake into a paradise for wild-
life and people. The now clear waters attract such priority species as water voles, otters, Holly leaved naiad,
stoneworts and bitterns, and improvements are
spreading to the other four Trinity Broads as a
result of this landscape-scale project.
In 1995 four large organisations formed a partner-
ship: the Broads Authority, Essex & Suffolk Wa-
ter, the Environment Agency and English Nature
Trinity Broads Mike Page

Local & Regional
Autumn

Wildlife Where You Live

This is a new 3 year project coordinated by the Shared Earth
Trust and funded by the Big Lottery Fund, Esme Fairbairn
Foundation, Environment Wales and the Countryside Council
for Wales. Its aim is to engage selected rural communities in
Ceredigion in cooperative work on the ground to improve the
local environment for wildlife and community enjoyment. Its
flexible format means that it will easily mesh with and comple-
ment other initiatives.

WWYL will be community-led to:
promote understanding of nature and its role in sustain-
ability.
survey local areas for wildlife and amenity.
develop cooperative projects to enhance wildlife and en-
joyment of it.
add to local pride in the natural environment.

WWYL will help people to:
survey local wildlife.
restore or create habitats and other features, especially
those that connect habitats.
enhance local green space for access and enjoyment.
link up with like-minded people and work together towards common goals.
identify proposals and potential support/funding for future environmental projects.

There is also a quarterly programme of activities at Denmark Farm Conservation Centre that anyone can take
part in, irrespective of their residential location.

For further information contact:
Mara Morris, WWYL Project Officer or Dr Angie Polkey, Senior Project Officer. Tel. 01570 493358.
Email: info@shared-earth-trust.org.uk
Shared Earth Trust

Local & Regional
Autumn
Dorset Greenwood Tree Project
In June 2007 Dorset Wildlife Trust and partner organisations initiated a new project called Dorset Greenwood
Tree Project. Since 2007 the project has received financial assistance from The Heritage Lottery Fund, Dorset
AONB Sustainable Development Fund and Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB Sustainable De-
velopment Fund.

Dorset Greenwood Tree Project is working to raise awareness of the importance of veteran trees in the countys
landscape. Using grant funding, Dorset Greenwood Tree Project holds free workshops, both practical and the-
ory based, that cover veteran tree topics, which include surveying veteran trees, investigating lichens and the
history of ancient yews in Dorset churchyards.

In the past 50 years, many veteran
trees have been lost or felled to make
room for development, intensive agri-
culture and forestry or for safety rea-
sons. However, with the recent resur-
gence of interest in these trees, they
are becoming more appreciated for
their historical, biological and cultural
magnitude, and also for their aesthetic
appeal and the unique impact they
have on Dorsets Landscape.

One important element of the Green-
wood Tree Project is providing advice
to landowners and organisations on
best conservation practice. Essentially
this advice takes into account two ba-
sic elements - the individual tree and
the site - and aims to combine these aspects into good working management practice. In certain circumstances,
the project is able to use its own funding to help landowners with costs or connect them to the appropriate
sources.

The value of veteran trees for wildlife is priceless. Dorsets great trees are known to support a wide variety of
specialised fungi, flora and fauna that rely on attributes that only these old trees can provide. For instance, an
amazing array of fungi can be found on old trees. Some fungi which rely on veteran trees have highly visual dis-
plays, such as Ganoderma spp, Laetiporus sulphureus and Inonotus spp.

Other species included are more delicate and discreet, for instance lichens are probably the most important epi-
phytes associated with veteran trees. Lichens often occur in distinct assemblages or communities. In Dorset the
richest assemblages can be found in the ancient deer parks such as Lulworth, Melbury and Sherborne. Two li-
chen communities found on old trees are the Lobarion pulmonariae alliance and Ancient Dry Bark Community
Lecanactidetum premneae which is largely confined to oak 250 years old or more, including species such as Leca-
nographa.
Wyndhams Oak Bryan Edwards

Local & Regional
Autumn

The many diverse micro-habitats provided by veteran trees make suitable homes for a wide range of inver-
tebrates. It is estimated that a staggering 650 beetle species are associated with woodland habitats, many of
these saproxylic species are largely confined to sites with old trees and a long continuity of wooded cover.
196 species have been listed as indicators of deadwood habitat and roughly one quarter of these have been
recorded in Dorset. Sadly though, half of these have not been recorded since 1980. This may reflect a true
decline in populations of these species or a lack of recording. Either way this is of great concern to conser-
vationists.

An example of a rare beetle found on old trees in Dorset is the Sphaerites glabratus which is associated with
rotting bracket fungi in woodland and pasture-woodland. Although primarily a northern species in Britain,
Dorset does have a record from one site in the east of the county.

At last veteran trees are being recognised as living icons of national importance and with names like Billy
Wilkins, Judge Wyndhams Oak, and the Remedy oak, it is not surprising that the Dorset Greenwood Tree
Project felt obliged to produce a book about these trees called The Great Trees of Dorset.

If you would like further information about the project please contact Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620
or visit the website www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk.

Emma Brawn
Conservation Officer
(Trees and Woodlands)
Lobaria Pulmonaria Bryan Edwards
Emma Brawn

Local & Regional
Autumn
Every Pond Counts on the Isle of Wight
For the first time, a full survey of the Isle of Wights wildlife ponds (possibly the most comprehensive county
survey in the UK) has revealed in detail how the number and distribution of ponds have changed over the last
100 years. Now available in an easy-to-use toolkit, the results of Every Pond Counts show that the dramatic
loss of 1,000 ponds in the first half of the twentieth century has been substantially reversed.
Origins of the Survey
The Isle of Wight Pond survey was carried out over three years by Kitbridge Enterprises Trust (KET), sup-
ported by an AONB Sense of Place grant.
An award-winning member of BTCVs Community Network, KET was set up in 1976 as a direct response to
the great drought of that year. Its purpose was to create or renovate 98 ponds for amphibians and inverte-
brates on the Kitbridge estate near Newport. In the process the Trust created one of the UKs largest sustain-
able amphibian reserves, one of the top 5 in the UK for specialist nature conservation. It is possible that with-
out KETs efforts, the islands unique sub-species of Great Crested Newt, Triturus cristatus (Vectis) with its dis-
tinctive yellow spine, would have become extinct.
Administration of the reserve is looked after by the Friends of the Trust (all of whom are registered disabled)
while day-to-day projects are managed by enthusiastic volunteers funded by grants and donations. Volun-
teers cover all abilities and ages from 12 to 83, and KET has provided placement opportunities for a variety of
organisations including the Youth Offending Team, Probation Service, Connexions, Princes Trust, U3A and
the local Green Gym. It has also recently signed up for BTCVs Well Being Comes Naturally project and was
Regional Winner of a BTCV Green Heroes award in 2010.
While its focus remains on the Kitbridge Reserve, KETs activities have expanded to cover the whole island,
and as part of this commitment, the Trust undertook a survey of the islands ponds from village pond to golf
course to abandoned sewage works. Even the pond reputedly used to wash Queen Victorias elephants at
Osborne House was included.
Three years of hard work - methods
The survey was based on a careful study of land utilisation
and Ordnance Survey (OS) maps of the Isle of Wight since
1860. These included a complete set of OS maps 1935-61
acquired by chance from a dealer as well as maps held
online and at the local records office. A small team of dedi-
cated volunteers spent 3 months poring over the maps to-
gether with old photographs and aerial photographs.
Suspect ponds were then checked through field trips.
These visits, sometimes at night, were often considerably
delayed while the Trust sought permission from landown-
ers.

Local & Regional
Autumn
Two sets of data were then plotted:
Ponds on OS First Series 1:25000 1935-1961
Ponds on OS Explorer map OL29 2005
The two sets were compared, to produce a current
map of pond locations and numbers.
By dividing the total number of ponds plotted by the
square area of the Isle of Wight, the island could be
compared with nationwide trends.
Results
The key findings of the survey were as follows:
Between 1900 and 1960, the Isle of Wight lost 60% of its ponds
Since 1960 pond numbers have bounced back by 25%, putting the island in the top end of pond
density for the UK: 4-6 ponds/sq mile.
2 out of 3 ponds are located above the central chalk ridge.
65% of the new ponds are below the central chalk ridge.
The Isle of Wight has a high percentage of ephemeral or temporary ponds
A high proportion of the ponds viewed during field trips are very poorly managed or seriously
neglected
OS Maps are an excellent guide to pond numbers but can be out by 10-15%
Grid square N5 has the most ponds, W1 and S1 the least
The AONB area contains approximately 45% of the Isle of Wights ponds
Cause for optimism: discussion
The upturn since the 1960s is marked and encouraging following the steep decline in the first part of the 20
th

Century. The Isle of Wight today has nearly 1200 ponds, representing an enormous variety of habitats which
are valuable and worthy of positive action. One pleasing finding of the survey was that forest, woodland and
copses have more ponds than most maps suggest.
Many factors over the period 1900-1960 contributed to the decline in pond numbers: the introduction of piped
and pumped water, improved drainage, increased water abstraction and the spread of urban development
among them. Over-abstraction and climate change are still having an effect, causing fluctuating water levels
and erratic water chemistry. A high percentage of ponds are vulnerable to development pressures including
the tipping of unauthorised waste. However the recorded increase in pond numbers, together with a variety of
recent developments, give cause for optimism.
Positive action for nature conservation, such as the work at Kitbridge, has played an important role in pond
preservation. Water rate price increases, development mitigation schemes, the creation of flood control and
catchment ponds, the growth in ponds for leisure purposes such as coarse fishing, water sports, golf course haz-
ards and shooting and corporate water features have also played their part, as have garden ponds which have
provided vital sanctuaries for pond life, especially amphibians.

Local & Regional
Autumn
Sympathetic political directives have helped. New farming
legislation now offers more opportunities to create, maintain
and improve wildlife habitats, as have the actions of local plan-
ners who now require mitigation and catchment pond schemes
as part of developments.
Finally, initiatives such as the pond warden scheme have
raised awareness through the media of the plight of many Isle
of Wight ponds and how voluntary action by local people
can help to preserve this precious wildlife habitat for future
generations to enjoy.
Every Pond Matters the future
Following Every Pond Counts, KET has embarked on phase 2
of its survey work: Every Pond Matters. Starting in the West
Wight area, Every Pond Matters will survey and record each of
the ponds on the island in more detail, creating a monumental
record for anyone interested in the biodiversity of the Isle of
Wight in the 21
st
Century.
Access to the data
A comprehensive toolkit has been created by KET using data from the survey and a variety of geographical in-
formation from various sources.
The toolkit contains a series of single-subject maps at identical scale which can be viewed though a transparent
overlay showing the location of every pond. This enables the user to see easily how ponds are distributed in
relation to the information contained in the map, whether the extent of areas of chalk, the AONB, Medieval Par-
ishes or the distribution of Great Crested Newts.
The toolkit is currently available as hard copy only, although it is intended to put it on disc in the future along
with the output of Every Pond Matters.
To obtain your copy please contact:
Kitbridge Enterprises Trust (KET)
Kitbridge Farm
Forest Road
Newport
Isle of Wight
PO30 5NB
Tel: 01983 521766
kitbridgefarm@yahoo.co.uk
Contact: Mark Luis Earp

Local & Regional
Autumn
Biodiversity Based Engineering from Wakefield Drainage
Section

For the past three years Wakefield Drainage Section have been pioneering environmental drainage works and
heathland restoration in Sharlston Low Common, Sharlston, Wakefield and Gin Beck.

Sharlston Low Common site is approximately 5.7 hectares (14.25 acres) of common land located close to the
main Sharlston Common. The main Common is a scheduled ancient monument under English Heritage protec-
tion. Low Common is not scheduled. The two common land sites are managed by the Councils Natural Envi-
ronment Section on the landowners behalf. Their approval was obtained for the above project works.

Ecological surveys show that Low Common has a very well established and wide range of heathland habitats
including dry grassland, damp grassland, wet grassland, wetland, wetland flush area, ponds, trees and Gin
Lane watercourse. The grassland is habitat for snipe and a number of species of Deschampsia grass and small
rushes. Gin Beck watercourse and ponds have well established populations of water vole and breeding great
crested newts.

The Councils Drainage Section has had involvement in Sharlston Low Common for the last 15 years, assisting
Natural Environment Section officers with the creation of flood mitigation, new ponds, together with pond and
watercourse management of the protected great crested newt and water vole habitats on site.

Wakefield Drainage Section

Local & Regional
Autumn

The Low Common project was proposed in late 2007 by Drainage Section to: -

reduce downstream flood risk in Went Beck.
enhance the existing biodiversity of the common
land by creating a new 500m
3
flood mitigation storage
pond,
phase desilting of Gin Beck watercourse,
create 2,500m
3
of new seasonal and temporary
flood storage on the existing Low Common grassland,
extend the existing 1000m
2
wetland flush,
desilt the existing ponds,
create small bare soil areas,
restore 2-3 acres of heathland to heather; and
reduce flooding of the Low Common access road.

The project was largely funded by the Councils internal Flood Risk Reduction Programme, which is provided to
reduce flood risk from watercourses in the highest flood risk catchments within Wakefield district. Match fund-
ing was provided via a commuted sum secured with a local developer to mitigate additional flood risk from a
new housing development upstream. The cost of the flood storage provided was extremely economic.

The project works were completed in Spring 2008, and have established very well since then. Drainage Section
continues to work closely with Wakefield Biodiversity Group and Natural Environment Section colleagues to
identify appropriate, strategic drainage works and maintenance programmes. Specialist ecologists are retained
to work with the drainage engineers on all stages of the project and its management. The heathland restoration
project has now been under management for 2 years and continues to establish well.

Heathland Restoration
Heathland restoration can be a complex and challenging initiative.

About two acres of the heathland was completely overgrown with a thick blanket cover of bracken with gorse
surrounding. The bracken and gorse cover, together with their roots were excavated in early 2007. This has
proved to be 95% effective at controlling the bracken regrowth.

Heather seed was to be sourced from the Councils SSSI Seckar Woods site above Newmillerdam but the 2007
seed allocation there had already been allotted elsewhere. Delay followed due to the June 2007 floods, as the
prepared heathland area was too wet to seed. In Spring 2008 seeding with a reliable heather mix sourced from
the South Sheffield/North Derbyshire area took place using a power harrow and quadbike.


Local & Regional
Autumn
The prepared heathland area sprouted a blanket of Juncus in mid 2008, with patchy gorse seedlings appearing in
late 2008 and patchy heather seedlings in 2009.

Despite rabbit presence, the emergent gorse and heather are now about 75mm high. Surveys show that there is
nil seeding success in some areas of the heathland under restoration but 10-100 seedlings per m
2
in others.

The good cover of Juncus has helped the site establish. Surveys have shown
the site is visited by herons and provides habitat for other rare species such as
creeping pennywort and nodding thistle.

Marginal Plant Relocation
In 2008 Biodiversity Group members obtained permission from UK Coal for
Drainage Section to translocate native marginal plants from the former Sharl-
ston Colliery site upstream to the new flood storage pond at Low Common.
This operation was successfully undertaken in 2008. Sharlston Colliery site has
since been opencasted and restored. Seed from the saved marginal plants has
since been sourced by a Biodiversity Group member and conservation volun-
teers on behalf of UK Coal. This autumn the seed was replanted in the new
ponds created on the restored Sharlston Colliery site.

Drainage and Environmental Management
The project works were completed in late spring 2008. Drainage Section in-
spect the project works quarterly. Appropriate phased and seasonal manage-
ment of the flood storage capacity, watercourse, ponds and heathland are then
undertaken in the dormant winter months as required.

In 2009 nature conservation volunteers were commissioned to remove thou-
sands of pioneer seedling trees from the heathland being restored. This has
been largely successful and will be repeated in 2010. Chemical spray was used
in 2009 to effectively spot treat the 5% bracken regrowth and will be repeated
in 2010.

A drainage and ecological assessment of the site was undertaken in August
2010 and appropriate phased, rotational management of the various elements
is proposed, due to start this autumn/winter.

This sensitivity and commitment to the needs of the environment is a perfect demonstration of the how biodi-
versity can be integrated into all kinds of projects. In order to get biodiversity back on track it needs to play a
part in every decision making process.

Local & Regional
Autumn
Lakeside developments biodiversity recording
The Lakes by yoo at Coln Park in Gloucestershire is a 650 acre property development of top of the range holiday
homes. It comprises a wide range of habitats set around six large lakes which were created from former gravel quar-
rying works excavated since the 1950s on farmland formerly used for arable crops. Benedict Pollard has been Land-
scape and Ecology Manager at The Lakes since January 2008 and reports here on some of the more interesting dis-
coveries he has made through his biodiversity recording schemes.
The inventory of vascular, terrestrial plant species has risen
from 77 species (in 2007) to 231 species (in 2010). The most
interesting discovery has been of four individuals of Red
Hemp Nettle, Galeopsis angustifolia (Labiatae), an annual herb
listed as a Critically Endangered UK Biodiversity Action Plan
Priority species. As soon as Ben positively identified the
specimens, a seed-collecting programme was commenced
with more than a thousand seeds harvested. The Millennium
Seed Bank at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kews satellite gar-
den Wakehurst Place were presented with 20% of these,
which are now in long-term cold storage. The remaining
seeds have been allocated for propagation on and off site,
and will be used to establish a wildflower conservation
head/buffer on the estate.
The discovery of five (semi-)mature small-leaved elm trees will be reported in a forthcoming issue.
115 species of bird have been historically recorded at Coln Park, but during the coldest spell of the 20092010 winter
we welcomed new visitors: two Bitterns and two Great Northern Divers. The site is very important locally as a ref-
uge for wildfowl as it contains two of the only lakes that dont completely freeze over during harsh winters. Inter-
nationally significant numbers of six species of wildfowl overwinter in the region.
In 2009, the fledgling moth recording scheme yielded only 23 species records, but in May 2010 this scheme was
aided greatly through the purchase of an MV Actinic Robinson moth trap. The species count now stands at c. 200,
with records made of 18 threatened and many uncommon species, including the first ever record for Vice County 33
(East Gloucestershire) for a species of rare micromoth. Second VC33 records have been made for four species, such
as Small Seraphim. 2011 should see the arrival of a portable generator to enable sampling elsewhere across the es-
tate.
An embryonic beetle recording scheme has also started, with only c. 20 species listed so far, but this has already re-
corded the presence of the Burying Beetle, Necrodes littoralis (Silphidae), which usually inhabits coastal areas, and
represents only the 6
th
record for Gloucestershire.
Ecological management is actively contributing to several National, County and Local BAP targets and The Lakes
will soon be reporting on these using BARS on-line (Biodiversity Action Reporting System). These recording
schemes tell us a lot about the distribution of species, the occurrence of common, local, scarce, rare and adventive or
invasive species. It also helps us understand how best to manage the estate in consideration of all of the species, not
just Homo sapiens!
Benedict John Pollard
Red Hemp Nettle Ben Pollard

Local & Regional
Autumn
Work continues to conserve Northumberlands Whin Grasslands

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is continuing its work restoring the Countys Whin Grasslands.

This work began following surveys undertaken in 2006 and
2007. These surveys identified a significant loss and/ or
deterioration of the countys unique grassland habitats
since they were originally surveyed in the 1980s.

The term whin grassland is used to describe a number of
vegetation types which occur on skeletal soils over out-
crops of the whin sill and associated dykes in Northumber-
land and County Durham.

The greatest natural extents are found on the gently-sloping
dip slopes, but it also occurs on the ledges of scarp slopes
and in quarries. The soils are thin, base-rich but nutrient
poor and prone to drought, and this has led to the develop-
ment of a species-rich sward on the best sites with a distinc-
tive flora that includes a number of stress-tolerant national
and regional rarities.

The work, which has been ongoing since October 2009, has
focussed on tackling encroaching scrub and bracken with
hundreds of volunteer days committed to cutting and burn-
ing gorse or manually bruising bracken on whin sill grass-
lands.

The management of sites has been undertaken on private landholdings and has required a great degree of sup-
port and co-operation from landowners. Following the huge volunteer efforts undertaken on the sites, the wild-
life charity is working with landowners and Flexigraze (a North East conservation grazing initiative) to establish
grazing regimes which will benefit the whin sill flora while holding back encroaching gorse scrub. Currently
planned grazing regimes involve the use of goats and soay sheep.

The project has also held a strong focus on raising awareness and also understanding of the habitat and has in-
volved further detailed botanical assessment (focussing on lichens and bryophytes) and geological assessment of
whin outcrops. Close liaison with consultants undertaking botanical and geological assessment is helping to
build a better understanding of whin grassland sites.

While the work has been underway, Northumberland Wildlife Trust has been making a short film to promote the
project and the habitat within the county. The film is still in production but hopefully it will be accessible via the
Whin grassland and crags at West Kyloe, Northumber-
land

Local & Regional
Autumn
Northumberland Wildlife Trust website, the Northumberland BAP website and a host of other websites from
partner organisations. The film will also be distributed to all known whin grassland owners throughout the re-
gion to promote the work and enable further landowner engagement.

The work is all at an early stage in
terms of developing restoration and
habitat management methods for this
grassland type, but it is hoped that the
increase in site specific knowledge will
assist in the future management of this
Northumberland BAP habitat.

This work has been made possible
through funding by Natural England
through the Aggregates Levy Sustain-
ability Fund and through the North-
umberland coast AONB sustainable
development fund.

John Thompson MIEEM
Conservation Officer
Northumberland Wildlife Trust

Filming on whin grassland

Local & Regional
Autumn
How research is helping the Irish hare

Why is the Irish hare important?
Lepus timidus hibernicus is an endemic subspecies of the mountain hare and is the only
lagomorph native to Ireland. It is morphologically, ecologically and behaviourally distinct
from other mountain hares. Most notably, it possesses a comparatively high number of
unique genetic forms that are not shared by any other mountain hare subspecies outside
Ireland. The genetic structure of its population is consistent with the hypothesis that it
survived the last ice age and is one of Irelands oldest paleoendemic mammal residents.
Indeed, some contend that it may warrant full species status.

It is listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention and Annex V(a) of the EU Habitats Di-
rective and was listed as an internationally important species in the first Irish Red Data
Book.

It is a Species of Conservation Concern (SOCC) and has a local Northern Ireland and an
All-Ireland Species Action Plan and is, therefore, one of the highest Priority species for
conservation action in the region.

The Relevance of Research
Quercus, Northern Irelands Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science based at Queens University Belfast has
studied the Irish hare for over a decade funded by Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) whose responsibility it
is to report on the species conservation status to the European Commission under Articles 11 and 17 of the EU Habitats
Directive.

Since 2003, a total of 22 discrete research projects have been completed, with several more on the way, all of which have
gone some way to fulfilling the conservation targets for the species whilst enabling regular reporting. For example, the
Northern Ireland Irish hare Survey which commenced in 2002 has been conducted at annual intervals since 2003. The infor-
mation provided has been pivotal in informing Ministerial decisions regarding species protection (see insert).

The continued legality of hare coursing in Northern Ireland, which is banned throughout Great Britain, has provoked
highly emotive and sensitive political debates during recent years. However, objective and impartial research on the im-
pact of coursing on individual hares and wild populations has provided unbiased data for the consideration of the North-
ern Ireland Environment Committee, when deliberating the proposed options for the Irish hare under the new Wildlife
and Natural Environment Bill, which is to be finalised this Autumn.

Most recently, a review in the international journal Biological Invasions has assessed an emerging potential threat to the long
-term survival of the species. An invasive alien species, the European hare (L. europaeus), has successfully naturalised in
Northern Ireland and may compete with the native hare for habitat space and food resources. The Irish hare represents an
evolutionarily unique lineage so the discovery of interspecific hybridisation with the invading European hare in the wild is
very worrying. Moreover, the review warns that disease, parasite transmission and climate change may provide an edge to
the invader at the expense of the native.

Conservation Action and Good News
The Irish hare Species Action Plan is reliant on agri-environment schemes implemented by the Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development (DARD) to deliver favourable change in suitable hare habitats. However, a publication in the Jour-
nal of Applied Ecology has demonstrated that agri-environment schemes were highly unlikely to deliver the necessary con-
servation benefits. Subsequently, the Irish hare Species Action Plan Steering Group has worked closely with DARD to in-
troduce an Irish hare Option (also called the delayed cutting and grazing option) under the new Northern Ireland Country-
side Management Scheme providing an excellent case study of proactive conservation in action.

Dr. Neil Reid, Quercus Centre Manager
Neil Reid

Local & Regional
Autumn

The Restoration Vision for Woods Mill Stream
The Woods Mill Stream located near Henfield, West Sussex is a tributary of the River Adur, fed by chalk
springs from the South Downs. The Environment Agency and Sussex Wildlife Trust are restoring a section
of the Woodsmill stream to a fully-functioning river system reconnected with its floodplain with the crea-
tion of a number of wetland habitats.
The restoration will include gentle meanders, shallows and riffles (areas of fast flowing, turbulent water)
and isolated oxbows of static water. The new channel will create a natural interaction between the river and
the floodplain and provide habitat for fish at all stages in their development, as well as improved access to
headwater spawning habitat for sea trout.
Over the winter months high water flow will spill onto the surrounding fields creating grazing marsh, pro-
viding valuable habitat for wintering wildfowl and wetland birds.
The course of the old river will become a backwater naturally filling up with water to create a pond habitat,
and the existing scrub will develop and thicken to benefit birds such as Cettis warbler and nightingale. The
new corridor will also provide a habitat for small mammals and hunting paths for bats.
Restoration features will include:
Riffles (areas of fast flowing, turbulent water) will be
formed by the addition of gravel, which will provide
spawning areas for sea trout and other fish.
Introduction of woody debris at a variety of locations
which will create shelter and nursery habitat for fish.
Planting on the outside of the bends to provide cover,
shade and habitat for a variety of wildlife.
A series of wetland features such as scrapes and back-
waters which will provide habitat for dragonflies, small
mammals, amphibians, reptiles and fish.
The scheme will provide more wetland habitat for
wading and over-wintering birds such as snipe.
Provide opportunities for public access and educational
benefit.
New fish pass
In addition a new fish pass is to be constructed, replacing an existing structure that hindered upstream mi-
gration of sea trout. The pass will be formed of a series of pools and weirs which will enable sea trout as
well as a range of other freshwater fish such as brown trout, stone loach, bullhead and eels to migrate up-
stream.

For more information on this project please contact Gareth Williams from the Environment Agencys fisher-
ies, recreation and biodiversity team on 01903 70 3870 or by email at gareth.williams@environment-
agency.gov.uk
Environment Agency

Local & Regional
Autumn

Meddon Local Nature Reserve
Meddon Green, near Hartland, North Devon was des-
ignated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) in November
2007 and since then a lot of progress has been made
improving the site for biodiversity. Meddon is within
North Devons Biosphere Reserve and is one of only
two LNRs in Torridge District. It is the only culm
grassland LNR in the country. Culm grassland is a
wet acidic grassland, also known as Rhos pasture, and
classified as the BAP priority habitat Purple Moor
Grass and Rush Pastures.

The 2 ha reserve is owned by Hartland Parish Council
and is managed by a Parish Council sub-committee,
which includes councillors, local people and North
Devon's AONB & Biosphere Service. The committee
have been implementing proposals included within
the management plan.

Last winter Meddon Green was stock-fenced, following a successful application to the SITA Trust, which
provides funding for community and environmental projects through the Landfill Communities Fund. In
May, local volunteers helped to put in a gravity-fed water trough for stock using an old butter well within
the woodland, as the supply of water. The well reputedly never dries up, even in a dry summer! The inclu-
sion of a simple cattle pen within the fencing has meant that it has been easier to find a suitable farmer to do
the conservation grazing. In June grazing was re-introduced to the site when a local farmer put in two
Belted Galloway cows. The cattle have grazed the site for a few weeks in the summer and a couple of weeks
in the autumn.

The Nature Reserve also received a grant from Torridge District Council to put up dormouse boxes. These
went up earlier this year but although dormice have been seen on the site the boxes have not yet been occu-
pied, possibly because the site already has enough good quality nest sites.

It is thought that Meddon Green was last grazed in the mid 1980s. Since that time willow, gorse and other
scrub invaded the site despite some hard work by scrub-clearing volunteers. If the scrub had been allowed
to take over the site, many of the interesting and unusual flowers of this culm grassland site would have
been shaded out and much of the wildlife interest would have been lost. So far, 93 species of flowering plant
have been recorded on the reserve.

The site is available for groups or individuals to visit or study. For further information about the reserve
please contact Tom Hynes on 01237 423655.

Belted Galloway Tom Hynes

Local & Regional
Autumn
Angus Cetacean Awareness Project
Cetacean life in Angus waters is little understood although local and national priority cetacean species inhabit
its waters. Tayside Biodiversity priority species found in Angus waters include bottlenose dolphin, harbour
porpoise and minke whale. A project launched in September 2010 the Angus Cetacean Awareness Project is
a 2/3 year data- collection exercise which aims to address this lack of knowledge by coordinating data
collection in the area and collating any existing data which at present stands alone.
The project aims to:
1. Investigate cetacean spatial and temporal distribution patterns in Angus waters
Results will be fed into the Biodiversity Action Reporting System which supports the planning, monitoring and
reporting requirements of national and local Biodiversity Action Plans. The project will involve collecting new
land based observation data, existing data which at present exists on its own, and hopefully some data
collected in inshore waters by boat volunteers such as Taymara based in Dundee and local fisherman who are
part of the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Group.
2. Increase awareness of cetaceans in Angus waters
The data collected will allow us to know more about how our waters are used by cetaceans and will be used to
develop a website for the project and a land based watching leaflet for the area. Linking Angus into ongoing
East coast initiatives such as the Dolphin Space Programme, Sea watch Foundation and Whale and Dolphin
Conservation Society sightings recordings is also an important part of the project.

Minke Whale Lauie Campbell/
Scottish Natural Heritage

Local & Regional
Autumn

A website which will house the project is under construction at the moment: www.marinelifeangus.co.uk
and the site will be contactable at info@marinelifeangus.co.uk

There will be a sightings recording section and it would be fantastic if YOU spot any cetaceans that you
contact us with details such as species type, location, number of animals, time of day etc.
If you would like to carry out more dedicated reporting we will also be recruiting volunteers to carry out
data collection in their chosen site following collecting methods used by the Sea watch Foundation and
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. For more information on these schemes please visit:
http://www.wdcs.org/national_regions/scotland/story_details.php?select=531

(First published in TEF)

Dolphins on the Tay Taymara

Local & Regional
Autumn
Passing On the Secrets of Cumbrias Hay Meadows

Cumbria is nationally recognised as an important resource for hay meadows, however even here this U.K and
Cumbria priority conservation habitat amounts to less than 500 hectares. Recent years have seen a decline in tra-
ditional hay meadows by over 90% in the U.K. This decline has occurred due to changes in meadow manage-
ment with ploughing, drainage, reseeding and the addition of fertilisers as primary factors. Unfortunately this
resource has become fragmented, isolated and is often found outside the current farming context in areas such as
road side verges, stream sides and even church yards.

Thankfully however this decline has started to change,
due in part to three years of hard work by Cumbria Bio-
diversity Partnerships Hay-Day Project. This summer
saw the final push for the project in the Lake District Na-
tional Park and Orton Fells areas of the county.

By the end of the summer project staff and volunteers
surveyed nearly 400 meadows; essential to determining
the best possible way forward for their conservation.
Working with local contractors, farmers and Natural
England staff, the project has used these surveys to re-
store over 20 hectares of hay meadows through the intro-
duction of local provenance wildflower seed.

As this is the last year of the project, staff have been looking to share lessons learnt with other individuals and
organisations in the conservation, scientific and farming communities involved in restoring hay meadows
through practical action or research. This July saw some of Cumbrias foremost conservation professionals in-
cluding representatives from Cumbria Wildlife Trust, The National Trust, Cumbria County Council and United
Utilities gather in Orton to view restored hay meadows and talk to project staff.

Neil Harnott, Senior Conservation Officer at Cumbria Wildlife Trust
said, Its vital if we are not to lose the skills and knowledge developed over
the past few years that we have the opportunity to meet and talk to the staff,
volunteers and farmers who have made this project happen.

The project has also provided talks, and demonstration days for farm-
ers and small holders to promote good management and restoration
of hay meadows. In addition management leaflets and plant identifi-
cation guides have been produced along with producing a bi-annual
newsletter. Specialist training has been provided for local communi-
ties to enable them to take part in meadow surveying. This, along
with guided farm walks through species-rich hay meadows, encour-
ages people to visit and enjoy this colourful part of the farming land-
scape in Cumbria.
Cumbria Wildlife Trust
A hay meadow County Wildlife Site at Kilnmire in
Ravenstonedale, Cumbria Kath Jolly

Local & Regional
Autumn
Homes for Amphibians Project
A Wildlife Trust Biodiversity project funded by the Carillion Natural Habitats Fund

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is a partner in both Countdown 2010 and Interna-
tional Year of Biodiversity, so we are particularly keen to advance practical projects that will make a real differ-
ence to priority species in our area. The Carillion Homes for Amphibians Project has provided Amphibian Hi-
bernacula sites so that frogs, toads and newts will have safe places to hibernate over winter. Key pond and
marginal vegetation habitat management has also been undertaken. Carillion staff and other volunteers, includ-
ing Aston University staff have helped Wildlife Trust and Local Authority countryside management staff in-
stall hibernacula sites at sites around the Birmingham and the Black Country area.

Often, sites with ponds which are used by amphibians to breed in,
have limited hibernaculum sites nearby, where amphibians can spend
their hibernation periods over winter in safety. Amphibians will travel
considerable distances to find suitable sites, which in itself can prove
hazardous to them. Marginal vegetation such as reedmace and other
wetland plants grow rapidly and cover open water with the result in
loss of suitable breeding habitat, therefore ponds require active man-
agement to maintain open water so that amphibians have a viable
habitat.

Installation of an amphibian hibernacula is very simple and involves
digging out an area of 2 -3 square metres of thick turves and then
placing hardcore rubble, bricks and stone to create a low mound with
many small spaces within it. This is covered by the thick turves and
soil with the final result of a grassed mound with many small access
holes around the base.

Sites which have had Amphibian Hibernacula installed and pond and
wetland management undertaken include:

Aston University Campus, Birmingham
Northycote Farm Country Park, Wolverhampton
Warrens Hall Farm Local Nature Reserve, Sandwell
Park Hall Nature Reserve, Birmingham
Heath End, Walsall

The project has delivered site habitat and species management which helps Local Biodiversity Action Plan ob-
jectives and provided information which will help publicize the value of hibernacula and promote the use of
them.
The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and
the Black Country

UK BAP Update
Autumn
Were fast approaching the end of the International Year of Biodiversity, and the Biodiversity Reporting and
Information Group (BRIG) and UK Biodiversity Partnership Standing Committee have been as busy as ever.
BRIG met in September (papers can be seen online at www.ukbap.org.uk/brig.aspx) and the Standing Com-
mittee in early October, and decided to discontinue the UK Habitat Groups. BAP at global and EU levels, as
well as in the four UK countries, is developing fast, and it was agreed to look again at UK needs in 2011 when
the picture is more complete.

Habitat Management on the Web

We thought it might be timely to draw attention to Habitat Management on the Web a custom search en-
gine powered by Google that provides a new way of finding practical advice on habitat management, in par-
ticular for BAP priority habitat conservation. The web-based habitat management tool was requested by the
UK BAP Standing Committee and developed by JNCC in conjunction with habitat specialists from Country-
side Council for Wales, Natural England, Northern Ireland Environment Service and Scottish Natural Heri-
tage under the direction of BRIG.

Available through the JNCC website, Habitat Management on the Web uses the Google interface. It is similar
to a standard internet search, but has been customised to search web pages that have been pre-selected for
their relevance to habitat management. It can only find information that has been published on-line books
and papers which arent available on the worldwide web are not included and, even though it is not ex-
haustive, it should make it easier to find useful habitat management advice.

In order to create the custom search engine, websites and web pages with information relevant to habitat
management were identified. Whole websites, parts of websites, and specific individual web pages are all
included depending on the relevance of the information contained. In addition, pages that are considered to
be most relevant to a particular habitat management keyword can be promoted, so that in response to a
search they are listed first and are highlighted. For example, if you insert the phrase uplands or upland
management in the search engine, The Upland Management Handbook is listed as the first and most rele-
vant result.

This search engine should be of use in helping practitioners and interested parties to find the most useful
sources of information on biodiversity and conservation management in the UK. It continues to be updated
and improved, so why not give it a try? If you have any comments about it, or can suggest any sites or web
pages that you think we should add, please let us know.

For more information go to:
http://www.jncc.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4332

If youd like to provide us with some feedback, please contact:
UKBAP@jncc.gov.uk

Publications
Autumn
The Great Trees of Dorset

With names like Billy Wilkins, Judge Wyndhams
Oak and the Posy tree, it is not surprising that the
Dorset Greenwood Tree Project felt obligated to
produce a book about Dorsets natural hidden
treasures. The book is 112 pages of history, culture
and biology associated with these magnificent
trees and is supported by beautiful colour illustra-
tions from the well known wildlife photographer
Colin Varndell.

Within the book you will discover that at least two
of the trees pre-date Christianity and were already
sturdy trees when the Romans landed on our
shores. One is the widest oak in the county and a
pair of London planes are amongst the tallest
broadleaved trees in the UK. The Martyrs Tree
has been named one of Britains top ten trees. A
few even witnessed the arrival of the Normans.
Many more will have put down roots when the
first Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in Tudor
times and are happily still flourishing during the
reign of the second. Some are the subject of folk tales passed down the generations. Others are sadly lost, like
the oak whose hollow trunk was once a tavern, or the ash under which the ill-fated Duke of Monmouth spent his
last night of freedom.

Those still standing owe their survival to their importance in the landscape; as boundary markers, as meeting
places, as ceremonial plantings and as working trees providing fuel, building material, fodder and fruits. Some
shaded herds of deer in medieval parks and others are a direct genetic link to the wildwood of our Neolithic
ancestors.

Today Dorsets veteran and ancient trees support a rich and in some cases internationally rare wildlife and are at
last being recognised as living icons of national importance.

Dorsets ancient trees are amongst our most precious living possessions and are as important as any of our his-
torical monuments.

If you would like to unlock the secrets to our living landscape - you can order a signed copy of The Great Trees of
Dorset today!

Just ring Dovecote Press Ltd 01258 840549 to order your copies.

Publications
Autumn
New research note takes the guesswork out of Bog Restoration

A new Research Note published by the Forestry Commission should help to take some of the guesswork out of
projects to restore afforested peat bogs.

The Note presents the results of recent Forest Research experiments with different methods for restoring peat
bogs that have been converted to forest.

Large areas of peat bog were planted with trees during the 20th century in the drive to re-establish a strategic
timber reserve in post-war Britain.

However, bogs' values as open habitats, and as carbon stores
that can help tackle climate change, have been increasingly
recognised in recent years. These values can be lost if they
are converted to forestry, and there has been growing inter-
est in restoring bogs where it is still practicable.

This can involve damming the drains and plough furrows to
allow the water table to return to its previous levels, and fell-
ing the trees and either removing them or allowing them to
be incorporated into the reforming bog (known as "felling to
waste"). Research has been continuing to determine the most
effective and cost-effective combination of methods and
treatments in different circumstances.

The Research Note, written by Russell Anderson from Forest
Research, describes the results of two experiments: one on a
'blanket' bog and the other on a 'lowland raised' bog, after
five years. It provides practical, effective advice for practitio-
ners.

In the blanket bog experiment, the researchers found that
treatments that involved both felling trees and damming fur-
rows were more successful than others in terms of raising the water table. Bog vegetation recovered rapidly in
the felled treatments, particularly those where the furrows were dammed.

In the lowland raised bog experiment, the water table rose dramatically in all treatments. Only during a pro-
longed dry summer was there a difference between treatments, the water table falling lower in the whole-tree
removal than in the fell-to-waste treatment, with conventional harvesting intermediate. Bog vegetation recov-
ered best when the trees were removed, and least well in the fell-to-waste treatments.

Publications
Autumn
Felling the trees is always necessary for restoring afforested bogs, the researchers found, but removing "lop
and top" (the branches and tree
tops) is not. Damming plough furrows can also help to restore blanket bog, but is ineffective if the peat is se-
verely cracked, and just damming the main drains can be enough on lowland raised bogs.

The researchers also found that new trees often start to colonise bogs that are undergoing restoration, but re-
moving the "brash mats" after harvesting, and periodic maintenance thereafter, should reduce this problem.
(Brash mats are layers of branches and foliage laid on the ground to support forestry machines.)

Russell Anderson said,

"The great benefit of this research is that it has taken some of the guesswork out of bog restoration. In the past
it has been largely a matter of getting rid of the trees and blocking the drains, and hoping that would be
enough.

"Now, armed with the results of this research project, site managers can make better informed decisions re-
sulting in more efficient operations, leading to cost savings in many cases and better outcomes in the end."

The Research Note, entitled "Restoring afforested peat bogs: results of current research", is available to
download free from the What's New page of the Forestry Commission's on-line publications catalogue at
www.forestry.gov.uk/publications. Free paper copies can be ordered from Forestry Commission Publications,
PO Box 501, Leicester, LE94 0AA;
tel/fax: 0844 991 6500; e-mail: forestry@mrm.co.uk, quoting stock code FCRN006.

Publications
Autumn
A SUSTAINABLE WATER INDUSTRY

CIWEM new publication, Regulation for a Sustainable Water Industry, calls for a wide-reaching review of the
governance of the water industry to ensure that our use of water is sustainable in the long term and respects
environmental limits. The structure, regulation and management of the water sector needs to be considered
afresh if the challenges of the future, from population growth, climate change and environmental manage-
ment are to be met.

Incentives in the water industry actively reward behaviour and
outcomes that are inconsistent with a sustainable water sector.
Financial regulation features an incentive framework that en-
courages capital expenditure rather than operational-based solu-
tions and promotes a repeating boom and bust business and
asset management cycle. The regulatory mechanisms now in
place tend to promote end-of-pipe solutions rather than funda-
mental design solutions that would promote long term sustain-
ability. The current incentives to build more infrastructure and
sell more water are dipolar to the very outcomes we need.

As heating water contributes to 89 percent of energy use in the
home, emission reduction targets can be met cost-effectively
through water and energy efficiency measures working in tan-
dem, through the use of flow restrictors for example. Under the
current framework of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target
(CERT) and the Water Efficiency Targets (WET) set by OFWAT,
water and energy companies cannot claim the credits for the en-
ergy savings from the same device. This regulatory mechanism
was designed to stop double-counting carbon savings but actu-
ally works to preclude a joined-up approach. If the barriers were
removed, water companies could claim energy reduction credits
which would incentivise demand management. CIWEM has
been lobbying the relevant ministers alongside Waterwise, Wa-
ter UK and the Energy Retail Association to try and remove
these barriers within the framework of CERT and WET and
any successor.

CIWEM Executive Director Nick Reeves says:

It is essential that barriers to joint working between energy and water companies are removed to incentivise
demand management and joint working. If the goal from here onwards is the efficient and effective delivery of
integrated water, sewerage and environmental services as CIWEM believes it needs to be then the rules of the
game and the behaviour of the players needs to change, now - both within and beyond the water sector.

Fortunately the highly regulated sector provides a strong foundation for incentive realignment. CIWEMs new
publication, Regulation for a Sustainable Water Industry, calls for the water industry to broaden its scope in how it
is managed and regulated with water companies being increasingly recognised as water service providers. This
would see the supply of sustainable water services at the centre of companies delivery and incentive structure.
Water companies would be allowed to work with customers to help save and reuse water, so as to reduce their
bills, use resources more efficiently and reduce the impact on the environment.
CIWEM

Publications
Autumn

Help for Owners and Managers of Native Broadleaved
Woodland

A handbook designed to help the owners and managers of native broadleaved woodland get the most from
their trees has been published by the Forestry Commission.

Enititled 'Managing Native Broadleaved Woodland', the
handbook was written to provide advice that will help
managers understand and manage their woodland. A wide
variety of subjects is covered, from identifying woodland
communities and management planning, to silvicultural
techniques, nature conservation and vegetation manage-
ment, including the use of grazing animals.

The background and principles of each topic are explained
and case studies are used throughout. Interactions between
site characteristics and historic management are also con-
sidered in relation to future management options. The
handbook also highlights the questions that managers
should ask when considering management options for
their woodlands which take account of location, site char-
acteristics and objectives.

The 508-page paperback book is illustrated and explained
with 322 colour photographs, 24 diagrams and maps, and
77 tables of information.

It was written by Ralph Harmer, Gary Kerr and Richard Thompson of Forest Research, the scientific research
and technical development arm of the Forestry Commission.

The Forestry Commission handbook 'Managing Native Broadleaved Woodland' costs 30.00 and is available
from Customer Services, The Stationery Office (TSO), St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 1PD;
www.tsoshop.co.uk; tel: 0870 600 5522. The e-mail address for enquiries is customer.services@tso.co.uk.

Events
Autumn

Celebrate a Green Christmas At Sedum House
Asathanktoallourclientswhohavesupportedusthrough
outtheyear
andasawelcometonewcustomerspleasejoin us at our
Green Christmas Event
Monday 13th December 5.30 onwards
Launching our promotional video
Relax with friends at this social business event at
Sedum House
Free Business Card Prize Draw
Feast on fabulous canaps

With a lovely glass of mulled wine

Home-made Gingerbread

..And a Green Christmas gift from Sedum
House

Please feel free to bring a friend
RSVP by 6th December 2010
To Angie Downes
Email: a.downes@btcv.org.uk
Tel: 01302 388861
5.30pm: Registration
5.45pm: Guest Speakers
6.30 pm: Social Business Scene

PRIZES PRIZES PRIZES
*1st Prize
1 x Executive Room for up to 12 delegates
*2nd Prize
1 x 50% off room hire voucher
*3rd Prize
1 x 5 minute conference massage for 10 delegates
at your event
*4th Prize
1 x Free lunch for 6 delegates at one
of your meetings at Sedum House
*5th Prize
Bottle of Fine Red Wine with spices to make your
own festive treat
With Guest Speakers
Martin Hall
Introduction to Sedum House, Doncasters only
BREEAM Excellent Meeting Venue
Matt Walker (BEC)
Mike Jones (WRAP)
Greening your business and saving resources
Dr. Cain Gerrod
Increasing your marketing power.
How video can educate, motivate and increase
your market exposure
BTCVs Angie Downes
Corporate/Conference Massage

Events
Autumn

Regulation for a Sustainable Water Industry
Seizing the Opportunity for Effective Reform

9th December 2010, SOAS London

The UK Coalition Government has committed to prepare a Water White Paper in 2011 on reform of the water
industry to ensure more efficient use of water and to protect poorer households. At the same time Ofwat are
engaging positively in an open review of the way the industry is regulated. This coincidence of initiatives
represents a generational opportunity to reform the industry in light of future challenges.

The aim of this conference will be to debate the wide range of views developing around key themes concerned
with how a sustainable and resource efficient water industry might be structured and operate. The conference
will also highlight CIWEMs report Regulation for a Sustainable Water Industry A positive vision for the
future water industry in England and Wales and use this as a stimulus for debate.

For more information on this event please see www.ciwem.org/events or contact Bob Earll,
bob.earll@coastms.co.uk

UKBAP BiodiversityNews-51

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

UKBAP BiodiversityNews-51

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Biodiversity News

You might also like