Countryside Management Association News

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is appalled to report that youths set fire to part of Warwickshires largest reed bed at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Over 3 hectares, more than a third of the entire reed bed, have been burnt to the ground devastating this nationally important habitat. It took at least three fire engines to put out the fire.

Reed beds are not common or extensive in Warwickshire and few are large in number which is why the Trust feels this particular reed bed is so important. They say the larger the reed bed the better the chance for species such as bittern to breed.

The UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) identifies reed beds as a key habitat and targets the protection and positive management of existing reed beds. Warwickshire Wildlife Trust manages Brandon Marsh SSSI with this in mind.

Sophie Leszczynska, Conservation Manager at Warwickshire Wildlife Trust said “this could not happen at a worse time of year as birds, such as reed bunting and reed warbler, are just starting to build their nests.”

Many plants, insects and small mammals such as mice and voles will have perished in the fire. This mindless act of vandalism has not considered the wider implications to some of the countys best wildlife habitat.

Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest is Warwickshire Wildlife Trusts flagship nature reserve. It can be found 2km south east of Coventry off the A45 near Toll Bar roundabout.

Pioneering research at the University of York is to swoop to the rescue of barn owls, whose population has plummeted in the last 75 years.

Dr Nick Askew, of the university's Department of Biology, has produced a leaflet that reveals exactly the kind of environment the bird needs in order to survive.

In the past, people were advised how to create the ideal habitat for the owl, but this did not take into account where they lived.

But Dr Askew's work showed that the bird had different needs depending on whether it was in arable, pastoral, or mixed agricultural areas.
The study indicated what the barn owl required from each of the three types of landscape.

Dr Askew said: "We combined information gathered by volunteers with modern mapping techniques to help identify the best areas for barn owl habitat creation, and nest boxes.

"There is an army of volunteers in Britain working to conserve this popular bird.

"At present, there are only 4,000 pairs in Britain and more conservation effort is needed. Our results will allow conservationists to assess the suitability of their local area for barn owls, and make more informed decisions on how to help the species."

Dr Askew's project was done in partnership with The Barn Owl Trust (BOT) and the RSPB.

David Ramsden, of BOT, said the research would help to make barn owls a more familiar sight.

Mr Ramsden said the leaflet would increase the general public's awareness of the kind of habitat the birds required to survive in.

He said the work would enlighten people about how much rough grassland owls needed in order to flourish.

The leaflet contains information on barn owl nesting boxes, and how to manage grassland to encourage the maximum number of animals to live in it - barn owls thrive on such creatures as voles, shrews and mice.

Mr Ramsden said: "Dr Askew's study will encourage conservation efforts across the country - hopefully we should see the number of owls increasing over the next couple of years. It's definitely a step in the right direction."

He said anyone with land in the countryside could nurture a habitat for barn owls.

The behaviour of Britain's wildlife is raising alarm about the seriousness of climate change as animals' breeding patterns are thrown into confusion. The second mildest winter on record has resulted in mammals, reptiles, birds and insects emerging from shelter far too early.

They are getting caught out by cold snaps or wet weather and the young of many species are dying. Baby hedgehogs, baby squirrels, even baby grass snakes are being found in distress in many places.

The disturbing trend is emerging as climate change once again moves to the political centre stage. The Government's long-awaited Climate Change Bill will be published next week, the Environment minister Lord Rooker announced yesterday. Delays in the preparation of the Bill have led to questions being asked about the Government's commitment to tackling global warming.

Opposition parties fear that the Government's proposals will not be specific enough, and have pressed for annual targets in carbon dioxide reductions.

The Environment Secretary, David Miliband, will go on the offensive over climate change next week. He will issue an undertaking to cut the UK's carbon output by between 15 and 25 million tonnes by 2020, although he will stop short of endorsing legally binding annual targets.

The visible impact on Britain's wildlife has manifested itself in the form of earlier than normal breeding, egg-laying, nesting and flowering of plants and trees, observed in British wildlife for more than 15 years and now linked to global warming in a whole series of scientific studies. They have sparked huge new interest in the discipline of phenology the timing of natural events.

But until now the changes have been seen as potentially harmful in the future, rather than the present. That situation seems to have changed this winter. One place with a remarkable overview is St Tiggywinkles wildlife hospital near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, which has been admitting large numbers of rabbits, grass snakes and other young animals suffering from the new ailment of being born at the wrong time.

A typical inhabitant is Bushy, as he has been named by staff, a 10-day-old grey squirrel, still blind and about four inches long. He is being bottle fed and even needs human help to make his bladder work, a job normally done by his mother, from whom he was separated when their nest was disturbed by tree cutters.

"He really should not be here. He was born two or three weeks before he should have been,' says Les Stocker, the founder of Tiggywinkles. " This is the busiest year we have had for these kind of animals being brought in,' he added. "The animals are becoming active and mating earlier than normal, but you can still get sudden cold snaps to which they are vulnerable."

Cold weather can either kill young animals or prompt them into hibernation, from which they do not awake because they lack sufficient fat reserves.

Toads and newts that should still be under a rock and pipistrelle bats which are normally still hibernating in hollow trees and barns have all been found out and about and there aren't enough insects around for them to survive on. The most unusual animals at the hospital are several edible dormice, so called because the Romans used to eat them. Not a native of this country, they are abundant in and around Tring in the Chilterns, where they have been breeding since escaping from a park 100 years ago. Ten times the size of a normal dormouse and looking more like a small squirrel, with a bushy tail, they normally don't emerge from hibernation until May.

Some baby birds have been brought into the hospital a blackbird and two ducklings. All are vulnerable to sudden cold spells. "Ducklings before Christmas is just crazy,' says Lisa Frost, the research manager. She waves at the trees. "But you can see all the signs of nest building going on already.' The mild winter is particularly confusing for hedgehogs. Baby hedgehogs are born in the autumn and the weaker ones weeded out by the first heavy frosts, ensuring the biggest are left to survive hibernation, when they rely upon their fat reserves. Warmer weather means that there are more weaker ones about who are not prompted into hibernating this makes them vulnerable to hazards such as sudden cold or wet spells. Ms Frost hauls one from its cage. "This one was brought in at the beginning of February, underweight and not eating. It was too small to hibernate and really should have died in the autumn."

Normally, Tiggywinkles would see only a handful of hedgehogs between January and March. This year it has had more than 80, on top of the 500 in the two months before Christmas, itself a 40 per cent increase. "It has been incredibly busy," said Ms Frost. "Usually this is a quiet period."

But Mr Stocker remains unconvinced about climate change. "If it is happening and I'm not sure that this hasn't all been hyped up I have great faith that nature will sort itself out and learn to live with it. After all, hibernation is a bad idea."

Cutting down pine forests in snowy regions could theoretically help to reduce global warming, a study has shown.

Trees in icy parts of the world increase the Earth's absorption of sunlight by shading reflective snow, scientists claim.

This type of forest adds more to global warming than it takes away by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Clearing away the mighty pine forests of Canada and northern Europe could slow down climate change, the findings suggest.

But the US authors of the study are quick to point out that they do not advocate such a drastic strategy.

Dr Ken Caldeira, one of the researchers from the Carnegie Institution in Washington, said: "A primary reason we are trying to slow global warming is to protect nature. It just makes no sense to destroy natural ecosystems in the name of saving natural ecosystems."

The research, published in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

simulated the effects of large-scale deforestation, taking account of the positive and negative effects on climate of tree cover at different latitudes.

It found that trees in snowy parts of the world actually warm the Earth

Tropical forests, on the other hand, had the opposite effect. They helped to keep the planet at an even temperature by removing large amounts of carbon, and generating reflective clouds.

Conservationists and landowners have called on the government to ensure adequate funding for agri-environment schemes. (Farmers Weekly Interactive)

Defra secretary David Miliband is due shortly to say how much money the government will allocate to its Environmental Stewardship schemes.

The RSPB and Country Land and Business Association said the success of schemes that helped tackle climate change, improved water quality and protect wildlife and landscapes hinged on the announcement.
Following a decision by Brussels last week, DEFRA could double the money available. Although such a move is unlikely, ministers have promised additional cash.

The RSPB calculates that a total of £300 million is needed annually to fund the schemes properly and allow the best projects to go ahead.

RSPB head of countryside conservation Sue Armstrong Brown said: "Adequate money for these exceptional agri-environment schemes is crucial to the future of our countryside." She added: "These schemes take green farming further than we have seen for more than fifty years and could contribute enormously to tackling climate change and helping farmland wildlife."

Stone-curlews and cirl buntings are examples of birds whose numbers have risen because of conservation work on farmland funded by the schemes.

CLA president David Fursdon said such initiatives were increasingly important in light of growing public interest in the countryside.

"It is regrettable that the government has decided to reduce the rate of match funding of these environment schemes compared to the level operating for the last six years."

Both organisations fear that if the shortfall remains, national and international targets for reversing wildlife declines and improving habitats will not be met.