Three aspects of the conservation of wild plants

It never ceases to amaze me the complexity of wildlife issues and interrelated factors.

Starting from an Internet search for wild flower information to help my involvement in our local attempt to set up a nature reserve on a 4 acre field I have visited a number of web sites. The Wildlife Trusts have information on the NERC Act 2006 relevant to Local Councils; I found a book called " A year in the life of an English Meadow" set in Somerset; the Natural History Museum is useful for their data banks for plants; from there using a link to Plant Life UK I found info on their projects to rescue wild plants in danger of becoming extinct in the wild.


Plant Life UK makes interesting reading and here is a brief extract:

"Why conserve wild plants?

Conserving wild plants in their natural habitats is about more than plants, wildlife and ecosystems – it is about people and our need for food, medicines, fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy environment in which to live. Two thirds of the ‘services’ provided by nature to mankind are now in decline worldwide, and the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."

They have a nature reserve in Somerset.

Their web site is here:

The UK Gov is also saying a lot about the environment in planning documents and proposals to revise planning law. Their White Paper on the subject can be found here:
Their ideas will have a great deal of relevance for wildlife in Somerset.

A BBC report shows that governments are becoming aware of the problems arising from the use of bio fuels. The report titled "EU rethinks bio fuels guidelines" can be found here:
The changes developing in agriculture world wide because bio fuel for cars has been seen as a help in dealing with green house gasses are now being reassessed.

There is a lot to see in these reports but a brief review is sufficient to get an overview of many developments in the way our wildlife is being both put under pressure and being recognised as important for our future.

start of the new year

It is nearly a month since my last post!! That's not the best way to run a blog and I must get back to reporting on wildlife locally and things which affect us locally. That allows me considerable scope!
This is just a quick note to let you know we are still busy in our local group. In a few minutes I will be going to a local hall to get our first public meeting of 2008 underway. We have a speaker to talk abut wildlife in Somerset , showing slides from his own photographic collection and showing us many wildlife exhibits he has collected over the years.
It should be a good opportunity to learn more and to meet again many of our local friends that we only see from time to time.
I'll report back soon on how that went with news from the Wildlife Trust and much much more!!

Local news

For the last post on recent wildlife news I am reporting on three local activities which are wildlife related developments I have got involved in on a personal basis.

Firstly there is the 4 acre field owned by a group of local residents. This was briefly mentioned in a post on May 29th 2007 but otherwise has been neglected. Here is a summary report I prepared earlier for a management plan for the field and which gives some idea of the fields value.

"This field of unimproved grassland was purchased by a Syndicate of local residents on May 22^nd 2005 to ensure that it remained undeveloped. It has been submitted for registration as a County Wildlife Site at the suggestion of SERC. It is hoped that an adjoining similar sized field to the north of the meadow, with a similar flora, can be linked in part at least so as to add to the ecological importance of both .This adjoining field known as the Rugby Field is currently being transferred to the ownership of the Curry Rivel Parish Council. The adjoining land to the south of the meadow is owned and farmed in a manner sympathetic to the aims of the Syndicate and incorporates wildlife friendly measures in its management."

To establish the value of the meadow a survey of the flora was carried out in two stages in Aug 2005 and May 2006. The survey results showed that: “The field and hedgerows contain 105 higher plant species, including two orchid species. The number of grass species is particularly striking, totalling 24.” And also that “the hedges are classified as species rich with 15 different woody species present indicating they are several hundred years old.”

No formal survey has been made so far of butterflies or moths but observations made by members of the Syndicate have resulted in claims of sightings for the following butterflies.

Skippers	Yellows&Whites	Coppers, Hairstreaks & Blues	Vanessids	Browns
Small	Clouded Yellow	Brown Hairstreak	Small Tortoiseshell	Marbled White
Large	Brimstone	Green Hairstreak	Painted Lady	Gatekeeper
	Large White	Common Blue	Comma	Meadow Brown
	Small White		Red Admiral	Ringlet
			Peacock

Since that was written it has been confirmed by SERC that the field is now a registered County Wildlife Site which is very encouraging. There is now a chance that some or all of the adjoining field can be conserved in a similar fashion. We take an annual hay cut as late as possible in August or early September and so far we have decided to manage without stock grazing in the autumn.
We are considering an application for a grant to establish a hedge on one long side and perhaps plant a few small native trees in two or three groups to encourage birds and make the area more attractive.


Secondly as mentioned the adjoining field is of interest to local residents because it is now owned by the local council. A meeting of residents has been called for 10th Dec to discuss how the field might be used for the benefit of residents. You wont be surprised to learn that with others we have submitted a proposal to keep it more or less as a nature reserve. Here is a part of our proposal to be considered at the meeting.

"This proposal will provide our community with:

A) A pleasant and attractive place for residents of all ages and abilities

for recreational activities including walking and use of a fitness trail and the physical involvement in the development and management of the area.

B) A new and special educational resource for residents of all ages.

C) A rare opportunity for the community to have access to an unspoilt open area, close to the steadily increasing density of housing. It would use an area recently recognised by “The Somerset Environmental Records Centre” (SERC) as of significant conservation value and designated a County Wildlife Site.

These benefits will be achieved by managing the use of the land to meet all three objectives. A management plan will be prepared to include:

1. A plan for the planting of small to medium size trees, native to Somerset, in several small groups and likely to attract SSDC grants. This is important for encouraging birds into the area which will include woodpeckers, hawks and owls. Similar plans are being developed for the adjoining field.

2. A plan for a path on a winding route around the area taking account of the new trees. The path can also double up as a fitness trail not only for walkers but could also be used for a running and fitness club open to young people in the village. We anticipate gaining the support of the local running club in getting this established.

3. Ways in which the field can be used as a resource by the village school will be explored. A small area could be designated for School use for study or outdoor activities. The Education Manager for the SWT has expressed support for this proposal"

It will be of great interest to see how the meeting reacts to our proposal.

Finally in this report there is the initiative taken by people in Langport to join other towns in becoming a Transition Town. Totness in Devon was one of the first to start a move to reducing dependence on fossil fuels especially oil as oil supplies world wide both get more expensive and eventually start to run out. Its early days for Langport but two meetings have been held so far and another is arranged for Tuesday 11th Dec.

There is a web site for more info here.

News from the Wildlife Trust

Now for three key reports from the Wildlife Trust.
You can find more details of these items on the Trust web site or in the Trusts magazine. Web sites linked here for Somerset news,
and here for national news.


The Severn Barrage.

The Trust has expressed its concern about proposals to build a barrage across the Severn Estuary which is the subject of a report just issued. I received a copy in the post recently and it is 150 pages of detailed technical and economic considerations of whether the scheme is worth doing. They say it will generate 8.64 GW which would be 4.4% of the total UK electricity supply as it was in 2006 . Even the report says there are huge problems to be resolved before they will agree to the project so much remains to be debated. More info at: Sustainable Development Commission. Use this link.


Marine Protection.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust reported recently on its efforts to support a national campaign to persuade the Government to create Marine Environment legislation.
"The marine environment – our life support system – is on its knees, according to a new report by The Wildlife Trusts.
The report, Marine Reserves – TLC for our seas and sea life – was launched at the House of Commons on Wednesday. It explains the urgent action needed to allow UK seas to recover from centuries of over-intensive exploitation, for everything from food to building materials and oil. One of the key demands of The Wildlife Trusts’ ongoing campaign for a Marine Bill is the creation of ‘marine reserves’; places where all fishing and other damaging activities are prohibited. In the report, The Wildlife Trusts name 15 important wildlife areas around the UK coast to illustrate how marine reserves might protect wildlife and contribute towards healthy seas."
Go to DEFRA for the Governments view at this link.

Climate Change.

Following on from the Trusts Climate Friends campaign the Trust recently commented on, " the Government’s increasing recognition of the urgency for the country to adapt to climate change – through the Climate Change Bill published today (November 15). We urge that this must go hand in hand with our efforts to reduce carbon emissions."
There is a great deal of activity internationally not least at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali but there is still a long way to go before the man in the street begins to press our government to take strong action to reduce carbon emissions!

There are many organisations commenting on the UK Climate Change Bill and one that doesnt seem to get much attention in the media is Christian Aid. To get their views use this link for their web site.

Group news update

I am finding it hard at present to make time available to bring this blog up to date but its got to be done especially as there seems to be an increasing number of visitors to the site.
I would like to briefly tell you about news from our group, from the wildlife Trust and finally some related activities happening locally. As there is a lot to talk about I think I should make it three posts.

First our Group.

In our committee meeting on 6th Nov we motivated ourselves to seriously consider a review of the activities we wished to be involved in and how we might find the support to carry them all out.

After some thought we all met again on 20th Nov for an hour or so and concentrated on drawing up a list of members we hoped would be interested in coming to a discussion evening in January to listen to our ideas and to contribute some of their own. A volunteer was entrusted with making sense of our notes and for turning them into a typed list to be used to make personal contacts.

The list was ready several days later and to finalise our plans we met again on 27th Nov. We divided the list up into five sections and each took on the task of following up one section of around 10 names.
We had also agreed on what we would say during our telephone calls and how we would follow it up.
We wanted to be clear on what aspects of our activities we needed help on.
We also wanted to explain a little of how we operate as a group and how we might use sub committees.
We agreed that we would send an invitation to confirm the date and time and venue for the meeting. The date was fixed for 16th Jan.

Over the next few days committee started making their contacts so that by Dec 4th when we had agreed to have a pub lunch together with wives and husbands if they could stand the idea we were able to hear at least some degree of success and progress. We didnt want to spoil our Xmas end of year party so business was kept to a minimum. The lunch was for me and I hope everyone a very pleasant way to enjoy a sociable occasion.

And today 9th Dec we have a draft form for the invitation we will each use to send to our groups of contacts. We must finalise any comments within a day or so and start to issue them.

Finally please make a note that our next public meeting is on Jan10th in Langport at 7.30pm. You can find details on our Diary blog

Biodiversity

I've found it very helpful in researching this subject to make use of the web site produced by Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) which can be seen via this link.

I am trying to get a clearer picture of what local government is legally required to do in this respect. I'll post a summary of my notes in due course but here is a link to the BBOWT page where you will find two documents which give guidance notes.


Or:
Click on the BBOWT link to go to their home page.
Click on the Advice heading.
Select Planning Issues.
Scroll down to Planning and Development Sector.
Select the relevant doc.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

I'm posting this report simply because more and more, all considerations of wildlife issues take account of climate change. The Wildlife Trust and the RSPB to name but two organisations which come to mind are framing their future plans on the probable effect on our part of the UK. It has been very much a normal attitude by the public at large to take wildlife for granted and it will be interesting to observe how and when that attitude changes significantly.




Here is a link to a BBC report by Richard Black ( BBC Environment Correspondent) covering the recent issue of the IPCC final assessment on its 2007 report on the state of the environment.

Here are his concluding comments:


This is the IPCC's fourth major assessment of global climate change since its formation nearly 20 years ago.

During the course of its existence, it has become more certain that modern-day climate change is real and principally due to human activities; it has also become firmer about the scale of the impacts.

"If you look at the overall picture of impacts, both those occurring now and those projected for the future, they appear to be both larger and appearing earlier than we thought [in our 2001 report]," Martin Parry, co-chair of the impacts working group, told BBC News.

"Some of the changes that we previously projected for around 2020 or 2030 are occurring now, such as the Arctic melt and shifts in the locations of various species."

There are indications that projected increases in droughts are also happening earlier than expected, he said, though that was less certain.

The IPCC considered about 29,000 pieces of real-world evidence in compiling this report, as well as the projections of computer models.

These include observations showing that dry areas of the world such as the Sahel and southern Africa are receiving less rainfall, while it has increased in northern Europe and parts of the Americas.

The panel suggests societies need to adapt to future impacts, as well as curbing emissions.

Without extra measures, carbon dioxide emissions will continue to rise; they are already growing faster than a decade ago, partly because of increasing use of coal.

The IPCC's economic analyses say that trend can be reversed at reasonable cost. Indeed, it says, there is "much evidence that mitigation actions can result in near-term co-benefits (e.g. improved health due to reduced air pollution)" that may offset costs.

The panel's scientists say the reversal needs to come within a decade or so if the worst effects of global warming are to be avoided.

The findings will feed into the Bali talks on the UN climate convention and the Kyoto Protocol which open on 3 December.

Follow up on my last post.

A Visit to the RSPB WEST Sedgemoor Reserve.

This is the next walk on this reserve.

Guided walk, Somerset

Booking essential

Dates

Wednesday 21 November

Location

the RSPB WEST Sedgemoor Reserve, Somerset.

Time

10.00am to Noon

Price

£2 including refreshments.

Enquiries

Telephone: 01749 672749

News update on West Sedgemoor RSPB reserve meeting

Just to start off, here are two photos from a very old friend who manages to get some good pictures of wildlife.




Photos by David Le Clercq taken somewhere in Dorset.









Meanwhile back in Somerset we recently had a most enjoyable evening listening to a talk about the West Sedgemoor RSPB Reserve.
Damon Bridge, Reserve Warden, was able to impart a wealth of facts and figures illustrated with a Powerpoint presentation. Without any notes he explained how this wetland reserve is important on an international scale and the extent of the management techniques that are used to maintain its value for the extensive range of birds which use it for both breeding and wintering.
Major achievements since 1978 have been to halt and reverse declines in populations of wading birds including redshanks, snipe and curlew. Also protecting the area for wintering for Berwick's swan, teal, wigeon, shovler, pintail, lapwing, golden plover and snipe with often over 50,000 birds annually.
My own visits to the site have been memorable for walks in the woods and meadows on the escarpment to the south with displays of orchids and the sight of nesting herons and egrets in the spring.
Here is a link to the RSPB local area page

Group activity and our future plans

Recently the Somerset Wildlife Trust carried out a thorough review of its aims and objectives and has just published a summary titled "Strategy 2008-20012". By coincidence our group has just had its own mini review.
Last nights committee meeting of the Heart of the Levels Group was probably one of the most productive we had had in our 2 year progress. For some time I have been concerned about how we could recruit more members to become more actively involved so as to share out some of the work we have to cope with in organising meetings etc. For the first time I had invited a member of the Wildlife Trust staff to come along to sit in whilst we discussed ways to deal with my concerns which were shared by others. Her contribution was a great help to us all by telling us about the Trusts plans and how other volunteer groups have been dealing with similar problems.
I feel very pleased with the outcome and our agreed plan for action which is basically :

• Arrange a follow up committee meeting to give our plan detail in the next week or so. A possible date was agreed.
  
• First priority to revisit our 100 or so members who replied to our initial letter 2 years ago to draw up a short list of those who might be able to contribute to our activities. I have kept these in a file.
  
• Also to check through lists of members who have attended our events to add to the list.
• We must also decide more clearly what specific help we need and break down and identify what we do.
• We must also agree on key information about our activities that might be of interest to members and consider what events are most popular.
  
• We must then split our list of members up and each take a share of names to be contacted personally by telephone or in person.
• We will seek to find activities which can be clearly defined and not involving heavy demands for time or knowledge of wildlife.
  
• We must agree a programme which takes account of Christmas holidays etc.

All of this will take time but at least we are thinking about finding a solution to our concerns and I am very confident that we will succeed.