Sbp newsletter may 2010

Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership Partners’ News May 2010

In this issue: Partners News Can we save the eel populations in East Anglia?

Detective work sheds lights on DNA results for black poplars Bird surveys reveal breeding BAP species at Lound lakes Update on south Sandlings Living Landscape project Update on Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds The Dingy skipper hunt New orchard for Hartismere School Fish and eel pass on River Stour at Bures Mill Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership News Information and news What’s on SBP information

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PARTNERS NEWS Can we save the eel populations in East Anglia?

Ros Wright, Environment Agency

There is a serious decline of the European eel in the UK and the rest of Europe, where recruitment is thought to be only 5% of the level present in the early 1980’s. All life stages of eel are of tremendous ecological and economic importance and it is vital that action is taken now to prevent extinction of the eel. Even those who find eels themselves unappealing are impressed by their incredible life history.

All European eels share the only known spawning ground in an area of the Sargasso Sea, south of Bermuda. Eel larvae (known as leptocephalus larvae) follow the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift to return to Europe metamorphosing into glass eels when they reach the continental shelf. Glass eels are attracted to freshwater and enter UK rivers in spring, historically in great numbers, especially on the West Coast where the Severn glass eel run is famous. Fewer numbers return to the East Coast and these are not exploited commercially. Glass eels become pigmented and metamorphose into elvers, spending a number of years in rivers and lakes, feeding and growing.

Glass eels Photo: Environment Agency

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Density determines the sex of eels and the lower density East Coast eel populations are dominated by females, which are extremely valuable in terms of conservation of the species.

After an average of 6 years for males and 9 years for females, eels begin to mature, stop feeding and become silver in colouration. Silver eels swim downstream towards the sea to begin the long migration of 5500 km back to the Sargasso Sea, where they will spawn and die.

Glass eels and elvers

There are various factors thought to be causing the decline of eel populations. It is feared that changes in oceanic currents caused by climate change may be a primary reason why glass eel recruitment has plummeted. Other factors include infection of the swimbladder of eels by a nematode parasite, Anguillicoloides crassus, which may impede silver eels migrating at depth across the Atlantic; accumulation of pollutants such as PCBs which affect reproduction; barriers to migration for elvers and silver eels and also loss of accessible habitat.

Photo: Environment Agency

In an attempt to prevent further decline, legislation from Europe - the EU Eel Regulation (No 1100/2007) - is in place for establishing measures for the recovery of European eel stocks. The Regulation includes the preparation of Eel Management Plans for each river basin district (RBD). The objective is to increase the numbers of adult silver eels able to migrate to the Sargasso Sea to 40% of the population measured with respect to undisturbed conditions and no human impact.

The Environment Agency has prepared an Eel Management Plan (EMP) for Anglian RBD to assess the status of eel stocks and actions needed to improve survival and distribution of all life stages and implementation of the EMP is underway. Glass eels are being monitored in special traps to determine how many are migrating upstream. Barriers to migration are being assessed for both elvers migrating upstream and silver eels migrating downstream, for example on the River Stour.

The river Stour on the Suffolk/Essex border has a declining eel population. The river has many structures which are barriers to migration. A research project is being undertaken on the River Stour by the Environment Agency and the University of Southampton. Adam Piper is doing this research to understand more about behaviour of elvers and silver eels at barriers to identify which are problems and how to design the most effective passes.

Elvers find it difficult to enter freshwater as the weir at Judas Gap is mostly dry because of water abstraction for Abberton Reservoir.

Photo: Environment Agency A special pass with pumped water has been installed to assist the glass eels and elvers enter the River Stour, whilst a more permanent solution is being designed. The glass eels have been monitored since 2002 at this site providing useful information on factors influencing upstream migration.

Adam Piper with an adult eel, which will be tagged as part of his study investigating the behaviour of eels at barriers.

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Growing eels are quite adept at climbing and are helped by bristle boards especially designed to assist their passage over sluices and other barriers. These ‘quick fixes’ have been applied to many structures on the Stour and other rivers in Essex and Suffolk. One example of a sluice where this is not possible is at Bures Mill, which forms almost a complete barrier to eel and other fish migration. As a result the eel population upstream of the sluice is significantly low.

An example of a brush pass to assist elvers to climb structures

The channel from the original mill into the river had Photo: Environment Agency become isolated. So, in partnership with Essex Wildlife Trust, this has been reconnected it to the main river which will allow eels and other fish to move upstream and downstream of the mill. The new habitat will also benefit water voles, otters and other wildlife. (See Fish and eel pass on River Stour at Bures Mill on page 8). Further projects are planned to open up old channels to provide a way round river structures which impede eel and fish migration.

The low numbers of elvers returning to the East Coast means much habitat is under utilised. Most elvers return to the West Coast so there is an opportunity to transfer elvers from the Severn Catchment where many would be otherwise be taken by the commercial fishery or suffer from density dependent mortality. The ideal habitat for an elver stocking programme is shallow lakes with reedbeds, connection to a river system for escapement of silver eels and no commercial fishing. RSPB and Wildlife Trust reserves provide some ideal habitat and the Environment Agency is undertaking partnership projects to improve the habitat and escapement for eels and to stock with glass eels from the West Coast.

Minsmere and Hen Reedbeds in Suffolk have recently been stocked. This will be of benefit for conservation species such as the bittern and otter and will increase numbers of eels reaching maturity and migrating to the Sargasso Sea for spawning.

Eels have not disappeared yet, but with the low numbers of glass eels arriving each year, we must do all that is possible to protect these in their upstream migration and increase accessible habitat. Their importance for biodiversity is recognised and all works to improve our eel populations have benefits for other fish and wildlife.

Detective work sheds light on DNA results for Suffolk black poplars Sue Hooton, Chair, Suffolk Black Poplar Group (sue.hooton@suffolk.gov.uk) The native Black Poplar was formerly a component of floodplain woodland but now occurs as isolated specimens in wet meadows, along hedgerows, beside farm ponds and near to rivers. It has not reproduced naturally for many centuries and its current distribution reflects the once common practice of striking cuttings around farms. It has been in decline for the last 200 years and is now rare. Most surviving trees have reached old age and mortality rates are high. Suffolk has a significant proportion of the British population, especially the rarer female trees.

Thanks to Forest Research, the results of DNA testing have highlighted the importance of native Black Poplar work in Suffolk. Testing of leaf samples as part of a national project to identify the genetic diversity of one of Britain’s rarest native trees has indicated that Suffolk plays host to 8 different clone types including some unique clones. Trees held at two clone banks managed by countryside project staff were tested and found to contain three unique clones, two male and a new female clone.

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Detective work by SCC Senior Ecologist Sue Hooton has discovered that these were grown from seedlings donated by black poplar enthusiast Edgar Milne-Redhead to Suffolk Wildlife Trust (SWT) in the late 1970s. Sue inherited some of Edgar’s papers from her SCC colleague Pete Webb when she took over the county register for Native Black Poplars. Sue has now identified the locations of more seedlings from Cheshire - one site where a female and a male black poplar grow next to each other and produce fertile seed.

The seed was brought back to East Anglia and grown on.

The Suffolk Black Poplar Group is now focusing their work for this BAP species on organising DNA testing from trees of this origin surviving on SWT reserves. Sue is hopeful that the results will show every one to be a new clone type for the species; the next aim is to conserve these by taking cuttings next winter for clone banks in Suffolk and possibly further afield to minimise the risk of losing this unique genetic material. Planting of new Black Poplars will now be focused on those clones that are not common across the county although appropriate sites are required for this native tree – once dubbed the “ballerina” tree for its graceful arching branches.

Bird surveys reveal breeding BAP species at Lound Lakes Justin Walker, Broads Authority

Monthly bird surveys being carried out on the reserve have started to reveal the regular presence, including breeding signs, of a number of BAP bird species on the reserve. Song thrush (Turdus philomelos), bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula), skylark (Alauda arvensis), linnet (Carduelis cannabina) and reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), have all been recorded with increasing regularity and as we find ourselves halfway through the breeding season strong breeding evidence for song thrush, linnet and reed bunting has been noted.

Female linnet (Carduelis cannabina) Song thrushes have been busy across the reserve gathering food for hungry young and it will be interesting to see if there is an increase in the number of this species recorded during surveys later in the year. Meanwhile several pairs of linnets have been seen vigorously defending obvious nest locations, although given that the thick stands of gorse are surrounded by even thicker bramble, it will be left until later in the year to find any nests and assess possible breeding success. A program of gorse coppicing has commenced in order to restore straggly plants to favourable habitat for linnets.

A pair of reed buntings has been seen in suitable breeding habitat within suitable breeding habitat and several singing males have also been noted. It is hoped that some of the young will stay to boost the local population and wintering chances are good with the reserve being surrounded by good quality arable farmland, a favoured winter habitat for reed bunting. Bullfinches have paired up and at least another single male is singing but being an incredibly secretive species locating their nests for monitoring may prove rather more difficult.

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Update on South Sandlings Living Landscape project Steve Aylward, Property & Projects Manager, Suffolk Wildlife Trust Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the Forestry Commission have secured ÂŁ50,000 from the Haven gateway Partnership over two years to undertake a detailed feasibility study. The study is looking at how people and wildlife interact with the heathland and forest landscape around Tunstall and Rendlesham and how the area will cope with projected growth in the region.

Year 1 of the project has just been completed and concentrated on data gathering. Detailed surveys have looked at where visitors have come from, what they are doing and what are the reasons they choose to visit heathland or woodland sites. Preliminary analysis has shown that 62% of visitors are walking dogs and 50% visit the area every day, while 80% visit at least once a week.

The main reasons for visiting are that the areas are close to home, good for dog walking and people like the habitat. The survey has also shown a substantial number of people travel from north and east Ipswich as well as from more local towns such as Woodbridge and Saxmundham.

The study also looked at the distribution of notable breeding birds including nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler. More detailed analysis of the data will seek to identify relationships between the distribution of people and the distribution of birds.

Year 2 of the project will then develop ideas much further. It is anticipated that in the order of 20,000 new houses will be built in the Haven Gateway area (Ipswich, Colchester, Harwich, Felixstowe) in coming years and this increase in the local population will put additional pressure on fragile heathland habitats in the Sandlings.

Exmoor ponies grazing Sutton Common Photo: Steve Aylward

The study will therefore look at ways in which this growth can be managed through improving facilities and access in a way that will have a minimal impact on breeding birds.

The project will also consider the issue of sustainable heathland management and how grazing might be reintroduced into heathland areas that are currently un-grazed as well as where there might be opportunities to link and expand heathland habitats.

The study is due to be completed at the end of 2010 after which the project partners will look at how to fund and implement the study’s recommendations.

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Update on Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds John Smithson, St Edmundsbury Borough Council

The Friends of Nowton Park have been busy in the Woodland Garden this spring in Bury St Edmunds premier country park. These dedicated volunteers planted 1,200 primrose plantlets on a shady bank. The bank had been overgrown and in dense shade for many years until the council tree officer thinned some of the tree cover as part of the sites woodland plan to let light in and protect the heritage trees from fast growing competitive tree species.

Although the woodland is secondary and largely planted with a mixture of native and exotics in the late 1800's, the ground flora can be interesting and varied. Swathes of dogs mercury are commonplace and may be augmented with groups of butchers broom or spurge laurel and occasionally drifts of dogs violet.

The Woodland Garden section is an area near to the original main house to the estate and has remnant garden plants still present like Tillaria and periwinkle vars. The Friends choose this particular area as it has a fine display of snowdrop and winter aconite in the early spring and the flower display can continue into April with one of our fine native primulas.

Native primulas at Nowton Park

The Dingy skipper hunt Rob Parker, Butterfly Conservation

Over the past 5 years, it seems that the Dingy Skipper has been lost from its former stronghold on SSSI at the RAF Barnham Training Area, and from the smaller isolated site at Center Parcs, Elveden. It is arguably now Suffolk's scarcest butterfly, since it is restricted to a single site in the King's Forest. Its main breeding area lies around the King's Forest Bowmen's archery ranges, in sheltered spots where the larval host plant - Bird'sfoot trefoil flourishes. Single butterflies have been found straying to distant parts of the forest, and during our recent thorough searches these occasional sightings have arisen in 6 different tetrads (yes, it is a big forest). Ironically this results in one large blob on the distribution which gives the illusion of cancelling out the losses at the other sites.

This year's survey will involve plotting the extent of the flight area in King's Forest as accurately as we can. We will also check RAF Barnham and Center Parcs (but without high expectatons there).

The Forestry Commission has been exceptionally co-operative in measures to conserve this BAP species. The rides most popular with the butterflies have been designated as Conservation Rides and care is taken not to spoil the habitat. Last year, a significant "thinning" of the forest was used as an opportunity to cut maturing pines back in such a way as to allow more sunlight into the Wordwell ride, a historically well-used habitat which has ceased to attract Dingy Skippers over the past 4 years. When the stumps are cleared this autumn, it is hoped that chalky substrate will be turned up to create an uneven terrain where the bird's-foot trefoil will grow into the hollows favoured for egg-laying. In other parts of the forest, experimental habitat strips have been created with discs and forest ploughs with the aim of regenerating herbaceous plants which will favour various breckland moths, butterflies and spiders.

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The Dingy Skipper was flying on the Devil's Dyke (Cambs) as early as 29th April (a week later than 2009). It flies earlier there because the Devil's Dyke benefits from a south facing microhabitat and the larval host plant is horseshoe vetch, whereas the King's Forest population uses bird's-foot trefoil.

The first sighting in King's Forest was a singleton eleven days later (10th May) and the population is expected to rise to a peak at around 20th May. Given decent weather, breeding will take place, the population will spread out and the latest sightings will be in the first week of June. Volunteers from Butterfly Conservation and the Suffolk Naturalists will conduct a mixture of organised counts and targetted sampling of the wider area of the forest. The results of each year's survey are published in Suffolk Nature (SNS Transactions) and are used to inform the Species Action Plan for the Local BAP.

New orchard for Hartismere School Sue Hooton, Senior Ecologist, Suffolk County Council

Back in February, the Parent & Teacher Association (PTA) at Hartismere School in Eye planted a new school orchard. In all, 19 apple trees were planted of many traditional varieties including Lady Henniker, Lord Stradbroke and Suffolk Pink – a mix of culinary and dessert apples. Some of the apple trees are supplied by East of England Apples & Orchards Project, a registered charity set up to help save local orchard fruits and orchards www.applesandorchards.org.uk.

The idea came from PTA Chairperson Donna Ardley-Forder after seeing a new orchard at a friend’s house. “It occurred to me that an orchard at Hartismere would be a useful teaching resource across the curriculum from cookery to grafting, trees help improve the landscape & provide a wildlife habitat and we’d be helping to ensure the survival of old Suffolk fruit varieties.”

The planting, led by the PTA, was a great success involving 17 helpers including children from the school. Assistance from the local community has been very helpful in this Eco Schools project: Two local orchard experts have been involved in the project from identifying a suitable site to choosing the varieties. Paul Read, who provides guidance on traditional orchards, advised the team on rootstocks and tree protection and Dan Neuteboom has supplied the espalier apple trees to plant alongside the driveway. James Chapman of Land Sculpture kindly pre-dug all the holes with his mini-digger, Ed Ling delivered compost and Carl Beecroft very kindly provided 2 trailer loads of mulch for the trees afterwards.

Headteacher, Jim McAtear, is fully behind the project “Anything that widens the educational opportunities for the children is to be welcomed. We have a super PTA who really help the school.”

It is hoped that the orchard can provide a venue for community events including care and maintenance of orchard trees and the PTA look forward to the fruits of their labours!

Planting the orchard at Hartismere School Photo: Sue Hooton

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Fish and eel pass on River Stour at Bures Mill Amanda Elliott, Environment Agency

A joint project by the Environment Agency and Essex Wildlife Trust has re-connected a section of the old channel of the River Stour with the main waterway. This will allow fish and eels to swim around the automatic flood barrier on the river and access 51.7km of upstream habitat. 2010 is International Year of Biodiversity and we are pleased that many other species, including water voles, will also benefit from the work to re-connect the old channel.

We have worked with Essex Wildlife Trust to design and construct a fish pass which will enable eels to migrate freely past Bures Mill. This will increase the number of available spawning sites for eels and help to increase their numbers. Eels have declined rapidly over most of their range in Europe. The EC Eel Regulation is now in force and aims to conserve eels stocks through Eel Management Plans. An important aspect of these plans is improving access for eels at barriers to their upstream and downstream migration.

The Bures Mill fish and eel pass project has seen the profile of the ditch changed to allow water to flow around the flood defence and a sluice installed to control the amount of water bypassing the mill. Special thanks go to John Hipkin, Paul Watsham, and all the Operations Delivery staff who put a great deal of effort and expertise into the project.

Stone riffles and deeper pools have been created to increase the diversity of the new river bed while selective clearance of overhanging vegetation will allow space for essential vegetation to flourish.

This stretch of river around Bures Mill is already a habitat well used by water voles, England’s fastest declining mammal. The new channel will provide water voles with a place to feed, rest and access other parts of the river.

The work could not have been completed without help from the landowner at The Mill, who is very supportive of efforts to help wildlife along the river.

Improvements have also been made for canoeists who had a difficult time bypassing the sluice (as demonstrated by Griff Rhys Jones in the Rivers TV series). This has included raising the height of the bridge and improving a canoe portage at the site.

The project was financed by the Environment Agency, Essex Wildlife Trust through a Biffaward grant, Essex County Council and Suffolk County Council; a really collective effort to fund an important conservation project.

Bures Mill bypass channel before works Photo Environment Agency

The top of the bypass channel after works showing the inlet from the main river in the background Photo Environment Agency

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Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership News

Heathland habitat working group meeting at Santon Downham The Heathland group held their most recent meeting at the Forestry Commission offices on 18th May where the group discussed ways to identify and map the location of all heathland sites throughout Suffolk. The latter part of the meeting was held outdoors, followed by a site visit to look at tower mustard, a BAP species. Once outdoors and with great enthusiasm, smaller groups tackled the revision of BAPs for silver studded blue, Lowland heath (including acid grassland), Calcareous grassland, nightjar, toads and wide-spread reptiles.

Tower mustard in Suffolk This plant is a biennial of grassy places and disturbed ground on free-draining sandy soils over chalk. Although regarded by Hind in 1889 as ‘well distributed throughout the County’, it is now confined to areas such as the Brecks where open areas and extensive grazing provide suitable conditions, for example at Barnhamcross Common near Thetford. It has also been found on a verge at Claydon. Although Nationally Scarce and now classed as Endangered, tower mustard is thriving in a few regularly disturbed sites in Breckland.

(Sources: Suffolk BAP and A Flora of Suffolk, Sanford & Fisk, 2010).

The heathland group on a site visit. Left to right: Neal Armour-Chelu (Forestry Commission), Rob Parker (Butterfly Conservation), Mel Kemp (RSPB), Monica O’Donnell (Natural England), Dave Mason (Suffolk Wildlife Trust), Bev Nicholls (Natural England), Chris Burton (Forest Heath District Council), Neil Featherstone (Brecks Partnership).

Tower mustard Arabis glabra on a Forestry Commission site in Norfolk Photo Ben Heather

Photo Ben Heather

Executive steering group meeting

The role of this group is to oversee the day to day activities of the Biodiversity Officer and to ensure that the strategic direction decided at the main steering group meetings is being adhered to. The meeting on 13 May focused on the Biodiversity Action Plan review, due to be completed in autumn 2010, the progress of projects to which the Officer is directly contributing such as the Brecks Biodiversity Audit, the traditional orchard and stag beetle projects, and the SBP Project Fund.

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Suffolk Show

SBP had a very successful Suffolk Show on 2 and 3 June. With glorious weather to bring in the crowds, we were delighted to greet partners and many others interested to hear about our work for the first time. The stand featured our county-wide traditional orchard survey, an inspiring Suffolk Coastal communities’ project, the high profile Suffolk and Norfolk Brecks Biodiversity Audit and Martin Sanford’s new Flora of Suffolk, which proved to be very popular.

SBP’s stand at the Suffolk Show.

Paul Read (left) discusses traditional orchards with Steve Piotrowski (Suffolk Wildlife Trust), Martin Sanford and Ben Heather (Suffolk Biological Records Centre) Photo Gen Broad

A huge ‘Thank You!’ to Suffolk Wildlife Trust, a member of the Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership, for inviting us to share their facilities.

INFORMATION and NEWS Ipswich Urban Biodiversity Photographic Competition 2010 Ipswich is blessed with fine parks and open spaces. They are wonderful places for people to visit and enjoy and they are also vital places for wildlife that visit or reside within them.

Ipswich Borough Council’s Parks & Open Spaces department is responsible for conserving and managing these areas, and do so wherever possible to benefit British native species of flora and fauna. This year the Wildlife & Education Rangers would like you to wield your cameras and capture the weird, wild and the wonderful that you can find in any green space in Ipswich.

2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and this competition is part of what IBC are doing to support the initiative and help promote and protect Biodiversity.

First prize will be an exclusive Foliopic Plus membership, a professional quality website for photographers and artists – worth £119 and provided by the competition sponsors, ephotozine.com There will also be prizes for the winners in an adult category and one for those 16 or under – free membership to ephotozine.com “Become an e2 member today to gain access to exciting new features, such as larger photo uploads (including 2000 pixel panoramics), email alert manager, a superb showcase, the superb versions gallery, visual picture critiques, personal mini calendar and bookmarks, your very own user awards and much more”.

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The theme is "Urban Biodiversity". This is open to individual interpretation and we encourage you to be imaginative. However, entries must have the natural world at their heart and must feature wildlife (which includes animals and plants). No pictures of domestic animals (e.g. pets and livestock) or cultivated plants either please.

Entrants can submit up to four photos as mounted prints, in colour or black and white.

Competition closes at midnight on 31st August 2010 For more details and full competition rules please visit www.ipswich.gov.uk or telephone 01473 433993

www.ephotozine.com ePHOTOzine is the UK’s leading online photography magazine featuring free access to over 600 techniques and guides. We also have a huge and friendly community with an interactive gallery of over 1 million photos, a lively forum, daily news updates, equipment reviews, monthly prize competitions and much more.

Freshwater Biodiversity Tool Available for Download Adrian Chalkley, Suffolk County Recorder for Freshwater Invertebrates

For the last year I have been developing a software tool based on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet designed to provide instant data about species lists recorded during freshwater invertebrate surveys.

Called SAFIS or Site Analysis for Freshwater Invertebrate Surveys this was developed primarily to save me time when preparing survey reports. It has been tested with help from students on the courses I run for the Field Studies Council and I am now releasing it on a shareware* basis for other freshwater workers to use in the hope that the feedback I get will enable me to develop it further. The current version is SAFIS v4.0 On the home page of my website at www.boxvalley.co.uk there is a link on the left hand side which will take visitors to a full description of the software with screenshots and from which the complete working spreadsheet can be downloaded.

What SAFIS does 1.

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To use SAFIS you type or paste in either a single species name or the complete list of species from a site survey. In either case you will instantly get data on the following areas for each species : Current preferred names or synonyms, Status, Naming Authority, Range, Distribution and also Habitat information if appropriate.

A separate worksheet is also created, which can be copied and pasted into a word processor or spreadsheet, giving the sort of information often used in a printed report, namely : Common name, Order, Family, Species name and Description of each of the species in your list.

SAFIS also instantly calculates the following metrics, useful for biodiversity assessments, automatically from your list: Water quality BMWP score and ASPT (original and revised system) Lincoln Quality Index (using original and revised BMWP systems)

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Species Analysis Wetscore and SQS, calculated from any beetle species in your list.

Community Conservation Index These metrics are output in a single report which may also be copied and pasted into other documents.

Wetscore is the system developed by the Balfour Browne Club to analyse water beetle communities.

Community Conservation Index is the analysis system developed by Richard Chadd and Chris Extence of the Environment Agency. This gives a conservation value to the invertebrate community based on both the status of species in your list and the BMWP scores. It is particularly useful for year on year comparisons and for assessing the effectiveness of site management strategies.

Running SAFIS There are full descriptions of each of the analysis methods and instructions for use of the software on the first worksheet of the spreadsheet. SAFIS is written in Excel 2003 and should run on any computer with Excel installed.

At present the SAFIS database has information on all British species** of the following orders of freshwater invertebrates: Coleoptera, Molluscs (Gastropoda & Bivalvia), Hemiptera, Odonata, Tricladia, Hirudinea, Aranea, Notostraca, Branchiura, Isopoda, Amphipoda, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera, Mysidacea, Trichoptera SAFIS is freely downloadable from www.boxvalley.co.uk so do please pass this information to anyone who might benefit from its use. * Shareware simply means that if you find it really useful I am not averse to a small monetary encouragement to continue developing the software, but that profit is not my main motive in writing SAFIS. ** Species naming data is based on the latest version of Biolist from CEH.

News from ‘Biodiversity is Life’, the website for the International Year of Biodiversity Current news items include: The new Intergovernmental science policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, Weeding out plant invaders, New report on state of UK biodiversity and Chelsea awards biodiversity. See also OPAL water survey and Plantlife’s annual survey asking people to record the wildflowers they come across. www.biodiversityislife.net >

Heritage Lottery Fund announces £17million for landscape and biodiversity The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has earmarked £17 million to conserve the unique landscape and biodiversity of ten areas around the country. The Landscape Partnership Fund is an initiative that helps conserve areas of distinctive landscape character and supports schemes that provide longterm social, economic and environmental benefits for rural areas

A new book: ‘Fragile Web: what next for nature?’

This new book explores nature’s rich variety of life and reveals how the current crisis for biodiversity may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. Ed. Jonathan Silvertown with contributions from biodiversity experts across the world. ISBN: 978 0 565 09261 0 NHM/Open University, May 2010.

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Main results of the 2008 UK Biodiversity Action Plan Reporting Round Published by JNCC on behalf of the UK Biodiversity Partnership The 2008 report contains the fourth update on the progress to conserve the species and habitats identified as requiring priority action under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. To allow comparison with the previous reporting round in 2005, this report examines the 45 habitats and 475 species (covered by 391 Species Action Plans) that were on the UK list prior to a review in 2007. The full highlights report can be downloaded from the JNCC website > Summary of main results: Biodiversity Action Plan partnerships at UK and local levels continue to deliver gains for some priority species and habitats, with the rate of decline slowing and in some cases halted or reversed. Nevertheless there is a lot more to do.

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8 priority habitats (18%) and 40 priority species (11%) were increasing or probably increasing.

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9 priority habitats (20%) and 144 priority species (39%) were stable or probably stable.

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19 priority habitats (42%) and 88 priority species (24%) were declining or probably declining but the rate of decline is slowing for 9 habitats (20%) and 28 species (8%).

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8 species were reported to have been lost since the publication of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan in 1994 and 11 were thought to have been lost before this date.

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The state of our knowledge of the conservation requirements for priority habitats and species was reported as increased compared with 2002, but gaps still existed in our monitoring. Beyond 2010, the main gaps were identified as likely to be for marine, coastal and grassland habitats and for groups of invertebrates and plants.

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Progress on targets was mixed. For those aimed at maintaining biodiversity (the timescale for these is 2010), 52% of species targets were met and 17% were not achieved, whilst on habitats, 26% were met and 30% were not achieved. The remainder were either not known or not reported. For targets aimed at making improvements, progress was behind schedule on the majority, but for some species, such as the Ladybird spider, Large Blue butterfly and Bittern, the progress was impressive.

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Habitat loss/degradation (particularly owing to agriculture, changes in management practice or infrastructure development) and global warming continued to be the key threats reported for the highest proportion of priority species and habitats.

Pond Conservation late spring newsletter May 2010

View the newsletter >

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New: Nature and Biodiversity News and Views website Developed by Centre for Ecology & Hydrology for Alternet

The website allows the public to express their views about what the natural world means to them. Current topics include ‘Conserving biodiversity hotspots’ (Is it a good conservation strategy to protect areas which have been shown to have high numbers of species of certain groups), ‘Blooming water’ (algal blooms), Harlequin ladybird threat and What can nature do for us? (ecosystem services).

Nature and Biodiversity News and Views >

Council of the EU sets new biodiversity target 24 March 2010

On 15 March 2010 the Environment Council of the Council of the European Union set a new headline target of halting the loss of biodiversity in the EU by 2020 and defined its vision for protecting this richness of nature until 2050.

The Council has agreed on a 'long-term vision that by 2050 European Union biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides – its natural capital – are protected, valued and appropriately restored for biodiversity's intrinsic value and for their essential contribution to human wellbeing and economic prosperity, and so that catastrophic changes caused by the loss of biodiversity are avoided.'

For this vision to be achieved a headline target of 'halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU by 2020, and restoring them in so far as feasible, while stepping up the EU contribution to averting global biodiversity loss' has been agreed.

Visit Council of Europe pages on biodiversity loss > Read more on the AlterNet* website > * AlternNet A long-term biodiversity and ecosystem awareness research network

'New vision required to stave off dramatic biodiversity loss', says UN's Global Biodiversity Outlook report 10 May 2010 Natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse, unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth. That is a principal conclusion of a major new assessment of the current state of biodiversity and the implications of its continued loss for human well-being.

The third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3), produced by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) confirms that the world has failed to meet its target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

The report is based on scientific assessments, national reports submitted by governments and a study on future scenarios for biodiversity. Subject to an extensive independent scientific review process, publication of GBO-3 is one of the principal milestones of the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity.

The UN's report warns that massive further loss of biodiversity is becoming increasingly likely, and with it, a severe reduction of many essential services to human societies as several "tipping points" are approached, in which ecosystems shift to alternative, less productive states from which it may be difficult or impossible to recover.

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The Outlook argues, however, that such outcomes are avoidable if effective and coordinated action is taken to reduce the multiple pressures being imposed on biodiversity. For example, urgent action is needed to reduce land-based pollution and destructive fishing practices that weaken coral reefs, and make them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.

The report outlines a possible new strategy for reducing biodiversity loss, learning the lessons from the failure to meet the 2010 target. It includes addressing the underlying causes or indirect drivers of biodiversity loss, such as patterns of consumption, the impacts of increased trade and demographic change. Ending harmful subsidies would also be an important step.

Read more on the Alternet website >

EU Fisheries Management Postnote from the Houses of Parliament Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology

The existing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has not delivered sustainable fisheries for Europe. This POSTnote describes challenges to ecosystem-based fisheries management and how these might be tackled.

The paper notes that Ecosystem-based fisheries management has been successfully implemented in some countries, even where there are gaps in scientific knowledge and harnessing fishersâ€&#x; knowledge and collaboration between stakeholders are fundamental to the success of ecosystem-based management.

Read the Postnote on the SBP website >

ICES moves towards implementing the MSY approach From the ICES Inside Out newsletter

ICES fishery advice has been based on the Precautionary Approach since 1998. This means that ICES advice aimed at keeping enough fish in the sea to maintain the productive capacity of the stock. Unfortunately, this goal has not been achieved for all stocks. Fishermen and managers are worried that many stocks are still at dangerously low levels.

Last December the ICES advisory body ACOM decided on a new basis for its advice: maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The MSY framework aims to optimize the production of the stock, advising on the maximum catch possible from a stock in the long run. Thus, the stock size should increase, and both fish and fishermen should benefit.

ICES advisory experts are currently working on implementing the MSY principle in cooperation with stakeholders and clients. The first results will be available in the ICES advice, which will be delivered in May and June.

View the ICES newsletter >

ARG Today, newsletter of the Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK Newsletter No 7 Spring 2010 now available.

Contents include an article by John Baker entitled Bats, toads and planning which refers to the Kiln Meadow and Bobbit’s Lane toad crossing in Ipswich.

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Other articles: Chytrid update, Scientific paper review 2010 (e.g. Habitat selection and range size of grass snakes Natrix natrix in an agricultural landscape in southern England, Help for pond management, Request for records of melanism in snakes and Amphibians and the OPAL water survey.

To view the newsletter, go to ARG UK website and click on publications.

Speckled Wood newsletter Spring/summer 2010 Newsletter reporting on work to conserve Lepidoptera on Forestry Commission Land in England Contents include: a wood white project in the Clun Valley, West Midlands; a high brown fritillary project on the Morecambe Bay Limestones; and information about Butterfly Conservation’s new series of downloadable species factsheets.

Download the newsletter from the SBP website >

Biodiversity in the East of England To find out what’s going on in our region, check the websites for the county Biodiversity Partnerships forum: Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Luton, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

WHAT’S ON 21-25 June, 5-9 July 2010 Rebuild an authentic C17th roof Monday – Friday 9.00 – 4.30 £400 for 5 day course – Orchard Barn Construct a pair of roof rafters, practice some hewing, work on a Tressle and more. Experience what it was like to work as a C17th carpenter! It's a one-off opportunity.

Contact Sarah Partridge 01473-658193 / 077660-54042, email sarah@orchardbarn.org.uk www.orchardbarn.org.uk National Insect Week 21-27 June Visit www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk to find out more.

26 June Illustrated lecture on John Henslow: Rector of Hitcham and International Scientist Hitcham Church 7 p.m. Open to all.

Professor John Parker, Professor of Plant Cytogenetics at the University of Cambridge, Director of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Curator of the University's Herbarium.

When the Rev John Henslow became Rector of Hitcham in 1837 he was a highly acclaimed and internationally famous Professor at Cambridge University. He was one of a small group of extraordinary people at the start of the nineteenth century who made Cambridge the great science University it is today. Henslow was "the man who knew everything", and his knowledge included maths, chemistry, geology as well as the whole of biology. We will explore his life at Cambridge before Hitcham, showing the evolution of this remarkable man. And we will see how he carried his science along with him up to his death while attending so conscientiously to his parish duties here in Hitcham.

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(John Parker was co-author of an article entitled 'What Henslow taught Darwin' in Nature in 2005, which suggested that Professor Henslow's research into the nature of plant species established the necessary intellectual framework for his pupil Charles Darwin's subsequent evolutionary thinking).

3-4 July Science and the Public conference 2010 Imperial College, London The conference brings together the various strands of academia which consider science's relationships with groups generally called 'the public'. Delegates come from a wide range of disciplines: science and technology studies, history of science, geography, psychology, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, development studies, English literature and science policy studies.

Find out more on the Alternet website > 8 July Brecks Heath Forum, Buxton Details to be announced.

28 July Bask in the Park at Orwell County Park Ipswich Borough Council Wildlife Rangers event 11.00 a.m. – 12.30 p.m.

Cost: £4 per adult, £2 per child, to be paid in advance.

To book tel: 01473 433994 “Come to Orwell Country Park for the opportunity to get unusually close to native and exotic lizards and snakes.

Experts will be on hand to answer any questions and to talk about reptile ecology and conservation. There will also be the chance to take a guided walk through the Country Park to seek out our native reptiles and amphibians in their natural habitats, in this case in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty alongside the beautiful Orwell Estuary.”

30 July Woodland Masterclass The Guildhall Thetford 9.45 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. Deadline for registration: 9th July Confederation of Forest Industries & Anglian Woodland Project Contact: Lynn Giles, Room 301, Environment (Operations), Planning & Transport dept, Norfolk County Council, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2SG. Presentations: Our regional landscape and the importance of woodland (Peter Holborn SCC), County Wildlife Site (CWS) woodland project (Jason Kidman, NCC), Managing a CWS woodland for a range of benefits (Rod Pass, Forestry agent & Harry Barnett, deer management advisor), What have woods ever done for us? (Keith Kirby, NE), The work and role of ConFer (Caroline Harrison), How I use wood (Rick Lewis, Traditional oak carpentry, Can woodland owners profit from carbon sequestration? (Robert Matthews, FR), The view of the market and what they require (Andrew Lodowski, Associated Timber Services ltd) and Panel Q&A. 4 August Muddy Good Fun at Orwell Country Park Ipswich Borough Council Wildlife Rangers event 10.30 a.m. – noon.

Cost: £4 per adult, £2 per child, to be paid in advance.

To book tel: 01473 433994 Join the IBC Wildlife Rangers and Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Unit to discover what lives beneath the black ooze of the Orwell estuary and why so many birds visit it. Visitors should be prepared to get muddy when digging through the ooze looking for creatures. Don’t forget to bring your wellies!

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Members of the local bait digging fraternity also hope to be with us to talk about life in the mud and the traditional practice of digging for bait and its uses. The Eastern Sea Fisheries Joint Committee should also be present with their expertise on marine life, and displays that will include some live estuarine fauna such as fish and molluscs.

Various wildlife events - Suffolk Wildlife Trust , National Trust , RSPB, Butterfly Conservation Suffolk Branch, Suffolk Moth Group, Suffolk Fungus Group, Suffolk Ornithologists Group, Suffolk Naturalists Society Naturenet – a listing of national and international days and dates in the wildlife and living environment calendar http://www.naturenet.net/education/dates.html

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SBP INFORMATION If you would like to share information on how your organisation is benefiting biodiversity in Suffolk, please send your article to Gen Broad, Suffolk Biodiversity Officer (tel: 01473 264308, Mobile: 0789 4885337, email:gen.broad@suffolk.gov.uk) Deadline for July 2010 newsletter: Friday July 30.

SBP is a partnership comprised of conservation organisations, statutory bodies, local authorities, businesses and not-for-profit organisations working together throughout the county of Suffolk to protect biodiversity. The UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan is delivered at a local level by members of the Partnership – for further information visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/Environment/Biodiversity/SuffolkBiodiversityPartnership.htm .

Suffolk Biodiversity Partnership comprises: Babergh District Council, Center Parcs–Elveden, Environment Agency, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Essex & Suffolk Water, Forestry Commission, Forest Heath District Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Mid Suffolk District Council, National Trust, Natural England, RSPB, St. Edmundsbury Borough Council, Suffolk Biological Records Centre, Suffolk Naturalist’s Society, Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Suffolk Coastal District Council, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Naturalists Society, Waveney District Council.

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