Natural England excellent new report: Relevant to our CWCT project and COP 26

by Ruth Gregg, Senior Specialist for Climate Change at Natural England and lead author of the report, and Mike Morecroft, Principal Specialist for climate change at Natural England and one of the report authors In November this year the world’s attention will turn to Glasgow, where the UN COP26 Climate Summit will be held. This is a critical step in getting the world on track to meet the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement, keeping global temperature rise to well below 2oC and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5oC. To achieve this target global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) will have to fall by around 45% by 2030 (the UK target is 68% by 2030), and reach net zero by 2050. Net zero means that emissions of GHGs are balanced by removals from the atmosphere. ‘Nature’ is one of the priority campaigns in the run up to COP26 to address the twin threats of climate change and biodiversity loss in a joined up way. Globally, around a quarter of GHGs come from land management activities, including deforestation and agriculture. However, terrestrial and marine ecosystems take up carbon dioxide equivalent to over half of the emissions caused by people. The challenge is to reduce anthropogenic emissions and increase uptake by ecosystems, storing carbon in soils, sediments and vegetation. Natural England has just published a new report reviewing carbon storage and sequestration by natural habitats in England. It takes an overview, looking across the full range of habitats so we can build up a clear, quantitative picture of which store most carbon, sources of emissions, and where the best opportunities are to promote carbon uptake (sequestration). It updates our previous 2012 report on this subject taking account of the new scientific literature and the increased importance of the issue for conservationists, farmers, foresters, policy makers and others.

I was pleased to receive the details of a report on the old Somerset Railway Line long since abandoned in the name of progress! Commentary was by John Betjeman. In view of all the attention now being given to loss of bidiversity and degredation of wildlife it is very interesting to see the pictures from Somerst as it was 60 years ago and the evidence of changes since then . Even then John Betjeman was drawing attention to the changes taking place. Please view the vidio film from long ago!! See the link to view this documentary? David, I came across this old BBC film by John Betjeman about a Somerset steam railway which might possibly be of interest. It was probably made around the mid-1950s and you might recognise some of the places featured. It’s also a chance to wallow in nostalgia! https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03495yn/lets-imagine-a-branch-line-railway-with-john-betjeman Regards

New initiative by Somerset Wildlife Trust

Dear Supporter, It’s finally here! We're excited to tell you that the Big Give Green Match Fund is now LIVE! With your help, we hope we can smash our online target of £5,625 for our A Greener Somerset for Wildlife and People project which will unlock a total of £11,250. Because, from NOW until noon on Thursday 29th April, any donation, large or small, made online to our project will be matched - meaning your support will make double the difference and have twice the impact for Somerset's wildlife. Despite a tricky year for the Trust, we are SO excited about what’s to come for us, as we launch our new 10-year strategy 'Wilder Somerset 2030', but we need YOU to help give our plans a fantastic kickstart! Can you support us this week as we take part in the Big Give Green Match Fund, to help us create A Greener Somerset for Wildlife and People? Any donation you give HERE from NOW until noon on Thursday 29th April will be matched - meaning every pound you give will be doubled and will make twice the impact for Somerset's wildlife! Thank you so much for your continued support. We can't do what we do without you. https://somersetwildlife.us12.list-manage.com/track/click?u=ece5939ff11227636ddb3aa6d&id=6105df1946&e=3c7fbeee35

New announcements from Plantlife

News of the latest campaigns from "Plantlife" in the UK. "Whilst there’s still a wintry chill in the air, Spring has arrived and bluebells, cowslips, and cuckooflowers (also known as Milkmaids and Lady’s Smock!) are blossoming on our road verges again. We’ve been reflecting on one of the busiest winter seasons ever for the road verge campaign. It’s fantastic to see so much interest and enthusiasm for more wildlife-friendly road verges and we wanted to share some good news stories with you: Last month Cambridge County Council announced a new verge management plan to support biodiversity, including cutting times sympathetic to the local flora and trials of collecting grass cuttings. It has been great to work with the council teams on this and see them bring their knowledge of the verge network to add to our best practice guidance to create a really promising new plan for Cambridgeshire’s verges. Also in the east of England, East Suffolk Council have announced 60 new wild sites, many of which are road verges, that will be part of the expanded ‘Pardon the weeds, we’re feeding the bees’ campaign which was started last year. And in Essex, following the successful wildlife-friendly management trials last summer, the scheme will be extended throughout Braintree Borough this year. Over in Wales, Monmouthshire County Council are inviting local residents have their say on the management of verge and greenspaces – if you’re local do take part in the survey. And even if you’re not local to the area, you might like to have a look at the Council’s brilliant Nature Isn’t Neat project, which is changing how verges and greenspaces are managed and raising awareness about the importance of pollinators and wild spaces. What’s happening where? Many of you have been in touch to ask what’s being done for road verges in your local area, and we’re keen to celebrate the steps councils are taking to make road verge management more sustainable and wildlife-friendly. So we wanted to share with you our map highlighting the positive progress being made on our verges. We’re hearing about new projects every few weeks – there’s so much great work happening - so don’t worry if you project isn’t yet featured. We’ll be updating the map throughout the year and featuring more case studies and local projects as we go. If you work in a local authority and want to let us know about the wildlife-friendly verge projects you are working on, please do get in touch with us. We’d be delighted to learn about your work and discuss your projects with you." Contact Plantlife at : https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk

News from Somerset Wildlife Trust

"Wilder Churches - a new initiative Wilder Churches is a new partnership initiative between Somerset Wildlife Trust and the Diocese of Bath and Wells that is supporting communities to get to know the wildlife in their local churchyard and work together to find ways to increase the value of these special places for wildlife. Churchyards are often the oldest enclosed piece of land in a parish and many still support a rich variety of wildflowers and wildlife, having remained unscathed from the widespread loss of habitats seen in the wider countryside due to changing land management practices. The Diocese of Bath and Wells oversees 477 parishes of over 900,000 people in the county and they are working with us to bring communities and church leaders together to learn more about their churchyards and how they can manage them with wildlife in mind. Key to the initiative is the ongoing support provided to anyone and everyone interested in being involved. Launched on 24 March 2021, regular, free online training sessions are supporting communities to take positive action at a pivotal time for nature." Here in Curry Rivel we have tried before to agree a more nature friendly treatment of the area round the Church with limited success so now hoping for a little progress>

CWCT meeting of Trustees and members on Wed 7th April

An item of interest is to discuss the management of a small area to be reserved as a meadow. A goverment report on this topic has beeen circulated for comment. GUIDELINES FOR GROWING SEED CROPS TO FEED FARMLAND BIRDS IN WINTER INTRODUCTION These guidelines have been produced using the results of a three-year DEFRA-funded project carried out by the Allerton Research and Educational Trust with the Game Conservancy Trust, which researched the use of seeding crops and other plants by seed-eating birds in winter and also measured seed persistence and depletion rates. Also as part of the project, a large scale survey carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology quantified the value of game crops, wild bird cover on set-aside, and wildlife seed mixtures in the pilot Arable Stewardship scheme. Information from other trials has also been drawn on where relevant. The work showed that growing crops to feed seed-eating birds over winter can be a valuable way of providing food for these species which can otherwise be scarce on modern farmland. It is thought that lack of food during winter may be an important factor in the decline of seed-eating farmland birds. The crops were also used by predominantly insectivorous birds such as thrushes and the dunnock, and by gamebirds. For these species, the provision of cover and favourable conditions for invertebrates may also be important.

CWCT management

Relavant to a small part of our new woodland may be this extract from a report produced by the Government. GUIDELINES FOR GROWING SEED CROPS TO FEED FARMLAND BIRDS IN WINTER INTRODUCTION These guidelines have been produced using the results of a three-year DEFRA-funded project carried out by the Allerton Research and Educational Trust with the Game Conservancy Trust, which researched the use of seeding crops and other plants by seed-eating birds in winter and also measured seed persistence and depletion rates. Also as part of the project, a large scale survey carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology quantified the value of game crops, wild bird cover on set-aside, and wildlife seed mixtures in the pilot Arable Stewardship scheme. Information from other trials has also been drawn on where relevant. The work showed that growing crops to feed seed-eating birds over winter can be a valuable way of providing food for these species which can otherwise be scarce on modern farmland. It is thought that lack of food during winter may be an important factor in the decline of seed-eating farmland birds. The crops were also used by predominantly insectivorous birds such as thrushes and the dunnock, and by gamebirds. For these species, the provision of cover and favourable conditions for invertebrates may also be important.

Latest news: Curry Woods Conservation Trust contact us at cwctrust@aol.com Lock down - again! Unfortunately plans for a second major planting session have had to be put on hold. We were particularly looking forward to a group of 30 from the school, led by Outdoors Coordinator Emily Langford, coming to plant on January 14 th. However, to our delight the school group was able to help us plant the last trees for this season on Wednesday 17th March. The children were very excited to be doing something different and they were quick to understand what they needed to do to plant the trees correctly. Peter Goodenough demonstrated a planting for them before they got started and talked to them about how important trees are for all of us, but particularly for their generation, who will have to deal with climate change in the future. He told them that the school has been flooded twice in the last 10 years, with water flowing down Water Street from the fields on the ridge. Our trees will help to hold water in the future and prevent future flooding. We were all impresed with the children's knowledge of environmental matters, which we understand they are being taught about in school. Chidren, staff and CWCT volunteers alike all had a really good afternoon and hope to be able to repeat the experience in the autumn when there will be more trees to plant. We hope the school will also use the Trust land for other environmental topics now they know how easy it is to get groups from the school to the woodland. It appears some people are not sure where the CWCT land is! Starting from in front of the church, walk away from the green and turn sharp left up Butt Lane. At the top, where Butt Lane meets Dyers Road, carry on straight over into the unnamed lane going north. (It is actually Hellards Hill Lane but isn't marked.) Follow the lane round two bends, first to right and next to left. Carry on on the next bend to the right, but don't turn, instead walk straight ahead into the CWCT land. You can't miss it now as the 200 trees already planted are very obvious in their green guards! It's a nice walk from the green ,taking 15-20 minutes and can be made into a circular walk if you carry on down the lane and take the footpath to your right before the house at the end of the lane. That brings you out to Dyers Road, cross over and keep straight on back to the green! As tree planting is finished for the season we must again thank the organisations that have given us grants for trees and shrubs and also the stakes and guards to protect them.Our first grant for 400 trees and shrubs involved three organisations- Reimagining the Levels (www.reimaginingthelevels.org.uk,) obtained a grant from the Somerset Rivers Authority (sra@somerset.gov.uk) on our behalf and used the money to procured the plants from the Woodland Trust (www.woodlandtrust.org.uk). RtL themselves provided the guards and stakes for them. This protection is essential as there are many roe deer in the area that will be very happy to nibble young trees given the chance! These organisations will provide a further 400 plants under the same grant during next winter. One Planet Matters (www.oneplanetmatters.com)has donated 100 trees and 50 tree guards/stakes to the project. They have supplied species that are naturally found in the south west to cut out the danger of introducing disease and the trees are well suited to our ground. The Trust is very grateful to these organisations, as it is to all those who have helped with planting recently and those detailed on the "Thanks" page, without whom we would not have been able to purchase the land. Registered charity number 1190031 If you would like to become a member of the Trust and be able to attend meetings and have your say please contact the Secretary by email to cwctrust@aol.com.