Naturalists and Conservation - the way forward

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FOR T H E RECORD

N A T U R A L I S T S A N D CONSERVATION - T H E WAY F O R W A R D THE EARL OF CRANBROOK (Chairman of English Nature, Patron ofthe Suffolk.

Naturalists'Society)

Introduction At our starting point, Eddie Idle reminded us of the unique British tradition of the informed and dedicated enquirer, the skilled amateur naturalist. It seems to be a day for confessional self-revelation. I am the son of a practising naturalist who was proud to declare himself as such. His key attributes were true amateurism indeed, blind love for whatever corner of the great canvas of the natural world currently preoccupied him, whether it was beetle, bat or bivalve (each of which had a turn) single-minded dedication, ingenuity in his approach and, above all, respect for the subject and humility before the 'expert'. The apparatus of the naturalist section of the Army & Navy catalogue was scattered about our home, made the most special presents for our birthdays and, naturally, came with us on holidays, the more adventurous of which were planned with some naturalistic gain in sight, for instance, a Longworth trap survey of the small mammals of Sark, Channel Islands. It was a marvellous upbringing, pointing my life in a direction that I have never regretted.

In due course, I was able to benefit from a university education that my father never had. I read 'natural sciences', still (in the early 1950s) a broad-based approach at Part I involving chemistry, botany and zoology, with half-courses in the daring new subjects of the history and the philosophy of science. Like most of us talking to you today, I went on to take a 'higher' degree on a biological theme, which equipped me (in the judgement of an interviewing board) for academic employment. At that period. I considered that I had risen above the level of a 'naturalist'; in my passport, I declared myself to be a zoologist. Spare my blushes. I was not aware that the subject forged ahead, shadowing every development in science and technology. Consider the contents of the latest issue of the American Naturalist to reach the library at Northminster House: 'mobile cellular automata models of ant behaviour' ; 'complex allometries in holometabolous insects'; 'adaptive search and information in sequential mate choice': 'predicting optimal and unique egg sizes'; or 'how to formulate and test adaptationism'. Truly, this is a Naturalist devoted (as its masthead prociaims) to the conceptual unification of the biological sciences. Is that how we see ourselves?

Naturalist vs Nature conservationist Bob Stebbings reminded us how, in the 1940s, the Nature Conservancy originally arose from the concerns of naturalists. Around 1960, as the voluntary nature conservation movement began to take off, I remember debates involving my father over the respective roles of the naturalist and nature conservation. He and his contemporaries were convinced that there were separate functions to be fulfilled: one was the objective, science driven and research oriented, perhaps instinctively pedagogic, 'naturalist' function: this was distinct from that o f t h e 'nature conservationist'. Thus, in Suffolk as in other counties (as Derek Moore has reminded us) in 1961 a new Trust for nature conservation was established.

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now the leading member of the family of wildlife trusts, under Derek's capable management.

In the '60s, I guess the founders scarcely realised what an enormous potential for action, activity and influence their new Trust would release. The steeply growing membership steadily overtook and now far surpasses the static curve of the Naturalists. Overlapping attractions, especially excursions and field trips, drained support from the older body. Today, there is no doubt who is the lesser partner, in terms of numbers of adherents. At times, the Situation has been difficult, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the successive chairman and secretaries of SNS who have kept the ship afloat. Today's conference has justified their efforts and provided their reward, emphasising that there is an important and multi-faceted role for the naturalist in nature conservation.

Contributions today have pointed to the national. European and international grounding for nature conservation today. The 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act set in motion the hugely demanding process of renotification of the SSSI system established under its predecessor Act of 1949, which had signally failed to deliver the objective of conserving wild species and natural habitats. Since 1973, European Directives and other legal instruments, agreed at the EC/EU Council (with the vote of our own government) have had binding force in the U.K. It is our government that is obliged to implement the Directives on Wild Ă&#x;irds and Habitats and Species. Similarly, it was our Government that signed and our Parliament that ratified the U.K.'s adherence to the 1992 international Conventions on Sustainable Development and Biodiversity. These were truly significant steps.

Partnerships Keith Porter has shown how these Directives and Conventions feed through to action upon the ground and define the needs of practitioners. In connection with these supra-national obligations the statutory agencies, such as English Nature, have direct duties and indirect, advisory functions to deliver. But, as we have heard today, the task is huge and the practicalities are daunting. Without additional help from other sources, the statutory bodies cannot deliver. For this reason, English Nature has emphasised the importance of partnerships as an important tool in contemporary nature conservation. In E.N. we take this very seriously . We and potential or active partners need to assess what we have in common, how we complement one another and how we differ in focus. We can thereby partition the task and gain efficiency, to the benefit of wildlife.

In this talk, I have been asked to Point to the Way Forward. I have no doubt that positive partnerships are powerful and productive. The key character must be that all parties involved maintain separate identities but share targets and common objectives.

For example, the National Partnerships Team of EN is currently exploring with the Wildlife Trust Partnership ways in which the two organisations can more effectively work towards common ends. A framework is being devised for setting objectives and monitoring the development of the partnership. With the RSPB, we have a long history of close co-operation at all levels, on a ränge of lssues and projects. For example, the book. Red Data Birds in Britain, was a joint product that has guided the ornithological work of both organisations during the 1990s. There are other instance of mutual support and working

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together: the Lowland Wet Grassland handboot, indirect effects of pesticides; legislative issues such as SPAs and protected birds.

In June of last year, EN signed a Statement of partnership with The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), with the aim of involving people in action for nature conservation. The objectives of the partnership are to raise awareness and increase people's involvement in nature conservation, to mobilise people to undertake conservation work. to develop appropriate skills and to strengthen the activities of BTCV for integrated nature conservation.

With the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), EN also has a Statement of Intent and an associated action plan which is reviewed annually. The integration of wildfowling and conservation and means whereby gamekeepers and English Nature can work together have been explored in seminars and joint meetings. I hope that EN staff will be welcomed on several estates, to discuss issues of mutual interest to the game keeper and nature conservation.

Old h e a d s : y o u n g h e a d s David Bellamy has reminded us of the value of personal contacts in spreading enthusiasm for natural history. Grey heads, he said, have always had a role in passing the baton on, promoting the next generation of naturalists. This is so true of Bellamy himself. But, I find, young heads have just as much importance.

The forces behind today's conservation movement includes people who want to shape the world they will live in, not only the generation nostalgic for the past and a natural environment no one can visit any longer. Agreed, the losses have been huge; the threats are incredible; the disasters are innumerable. The urgent need today, as he pointed out, is to identify the key sites that have survived, to impose safeguards and most cogently, to devise management regimes that will enhance functional natural systems.

I am sure that natural history has a future. We all know, from personal experience, that understanding the natural world, especially an informed understanding of a special sector of it, is profoundly satisfying. I have always believed that support for nature conservation, also depends on Stimulation and satisfaction.

Crudely, we need addicts who respond to the fix and devote their energies to getting more. To use another image infectious curiosity is a contagion that spreads the practice of natural history .

A naturalist possesses an intelligent awareness of the natural environment. In practice, this involves an ability to identify plants, animals, fungi of particular environments and the knowledge to recognise significant features in their distribution, as Eddie Idle pointed out in his opening tale of two bryophytes.

The point is that unqualified enthusiasm is actually dangerous. The would-be naturalist must make the effort to acquire expertise so that his/her records are productive and can serve to support the nature conservation effort in the wider sphere. As the corpus of biological knowledge grows, this requirement becomes more demanding. There is still room for pioneers in research and for real discoveries. But it is hard to see that this can any longer be a solitary effort.

Learning and training are needed. While the Rose-Bellamy type of interaction is still valuable, I am sure that learning is best carried out (in jargon terms) as an interactive and iterative process. We learn better as groups. 'Pupil' and

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'teacher' should be a variable relation, mutually reinforcing. Generalist naturalists societies provide a valuable matrix, within which specialist groups can develop to produce the necessary skills. Tim Rieh warned of the dangers of semi-skills and showed how ad hoc sampling techniques have skewed the traditional map recording system. Interpretations are as reliable as the data on which they are based and the processing techniques to which they are subjected.

Recording bias produces some funny anomalies. The answer is careful planning, thoughtful Organisation and co-operative partnerships. This must be one of the most important messages of today.

Biological recording Brian Eversham talked about change in the natural environment, and the role of naturalists in building up the inventory. The traditional naturalist has been a keeper of records, if not also a collector of speeimens. Keith Porter has ably described the exciting opportunities opening up with the joint application to the Millennium Fund for a national network of biological record centres. As he said, whether or not this sueeeeds, the importance of existing local biological record centres must not decline. In Suffolk, the Naturalists' Society has taken a leading role in promoting our own BRC, It is exciting, today, to see plans for enhanced effort in biological recording promoted jointly by Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, English Nature and, as the Operators and practitioners - S.N.S. I congratulate those involved on the success of their efforts. I welcome the support of others who have underwritten the effort: the Museum that houses the BRC and Ipswich Borough that has provided welcome funding. The development of the county-wide networks of recorders and record-gatherers has been produetive. You'll have noted that 70% of records are made by amateurs. The technology for storing and retrieving an ever-growing quantity of records, across the country, is a taxing task for IS providers. New technology provides many of the solutions, but it does not sit still. Innovations must be followed; programmes will need to be revised (as the JNCC has undertaken in the case of Recorder); hardware will have to be updated from time to time. Looking forward, sophisticated programming will be needed to manage hordes of data. Networking, cable-linking or satellite relays will have to be considered and. probably, adopted if the multi-centre approach proves to be the right line to take. We shall have to find the resources and the man (person)-power to sueeeed.

Books The naturalist who has specialised in any one group or groups has a duty to place his/her information in the public realm. Ă„ handbook or (field) guide is valuable both for the recording of data but also for the encouragement of others to take up the baton. The English county, historically, has proved a remarkably fruitful focus of interest (considering the small size of the average county).

County treatises on natural history subjects have public appeal, and educational value. SNS, once again, deserves congratulations for the produetive co-operation of Records Centre and publication of county books on so many biological groups.

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New technology Digital word-processing has become universal. Most naturalists' households now probably include a person with Computer skills, if not the hardware itself.

Digitisation of data vastly improves accessibility, potential for productive manipulation and opportunities for rapid transfer. All should be investigated by naturalists and nature conservation managers.

Sound recording now has a long and reputable history. Archives of animal sound, however, are still rare at regional or local centres. Equipment capable of storing, retrieving and playing tapes is relatively cumbersome. Nonetheless, Provision needs to be m a d e both for the use of wild sound records, and for the curation, cataloguing and dissemination of results .

Video recording has become everyman's skill. Short shots can be important records. T h e equipment is getting cheaper; definition is improving and the value of the video for science is probably guaranteed. Magnetic tape poses Problems for a permanent archive. But, as alternatives become available, archive managers should plan for the cataloguing, storage, curation and retrieval of video records.

Archiving Naturalists will not cease to be collectors, although fewer will take specimens and more of us will rely on observational records. Naturalists have a responsibility to organise these records during their lifetimes. I suspect that many managers of the specialist databases contribution to the national biological records network will be forced to turn away a proportion of repetitive records of a c o m m o n p l a c e nature. The Naturalist need not indeed should not - thereby consider his/her records useless.

H o w often, today, do w e wish that we could lay hand on past observations, often of the simplest type, relating to a familiar habitat or to c o m m o n species as much as rare. Every naturalist therefore has a duty to keep his/her records in an orderly manner, comprehensible to a third party, verifiable and suitable for simple checking. It is also important to arrange, in the final resort, for a safe repository or archiving, for the benefit of future generations. This is a whole topic in itself, to which day-long conferences have been devoted. Guidelines for the owners of papers on nature conservation were published by the Linnean Society of London in 1994, the product of a 1990 Workshop. This publication has stressed that: 'the potential uses of archives are so varied that it is impossible to predict all of them. These uses need not necessarily reflect the purpose for which the information was originally recorded. The destruction of much of this material may well be a potential waste of useful resource data.

What w e can say with certainty however is that if these archives did not survive there would be a serious gap in our understanding of the development of conservation policies and awareness during the last few decades'.

Earl of Cranbrook Great G l e m h a m House Saxmundham Suffolk IP17 1LP

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