logo
Deer do 'high levels of damage' to waterways, report

Deer do 'high levels of damage' to waterways, report

Yahoo14-03-2025

Deer living in protected wetlands are causing "high levels of damage" by grazing wetland plants and eating farmers' crops, a report has said.
The study was commissioned by the Broads Authority, which is responsible for managing the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, a UK National Park.
A spokesperson said: "The findings highlight significant negative effects, particularly on fen and woodlands."
The report warned there is a need for "immediate action" to control numbers.
"Almost all fen areas show high levels of damage, with tracks and wallows causing considerable disruption to habitat structure and composition, as well as significant harm to fen plant communities," the spokesperson said.
Deer grazing can also result in a decline in habitats for birds, insects and other mammals, the report said.
Historically, deer numbers were low, but they have increased across East Anglia since 2005.
Experts used thermal imaging to track the movements of the deer and estimated about 4,500 live in the Broads.
Chinese water deer were the most populous (1,997), followed by red deer (1,172), muntjac (1,028) and roe deer (255).
Red and roe deer are native UK species, and the report said red deer were "mostly introduced" to the Broads.
Key predators such as wolves are extinct in the UK, meaning culling is the only option to manage numbers.
Only Calthorpe Broad, near Stalham, Norfolk, culls deer, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The report highlighted crop damage on fields adjacent to waterways, adding landowners "consider fens in particular as deer refuges, making the control measures more difficult".
Some species of deer can eat over 7kg (15lb) of food a day, often sourced from woodlands, cereal crops and gardens, it said.
The drone survey was done in partnership with the Forestry Commission and the Norfolk Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and will be repeated this month.
The surveys will "inform landowners what controls are required in the future", the authority said.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Biodiversity emergency called for Broads wildlife
Concerns raised about Ashdown Forest deer numbers
Spoonbill fledglings first in Broads for 400 years
'Broads of the future would be familiar to Romans'
Local Democracy Reporting Service
The Broads Authority
Norfolk Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Chinese nationals investigation: MSU expert on alleged smuggled fungus
Chinese nationals investigation: MSU expert on alleged smuggled fungus

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Chinese nationals investigation: MSU expert on alleged smuggled fungus

The Brief Chinese nationals are being investigated for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the U.S. A Michigan State University researcher says this is an ongoing food safety effort. Experts say proper protocols are needed for importing biological research materials safely. EAST LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - As the investigation continues into Chinese nationals accused of smuggling biological material into the U.S., a researcher at Michigan State University (MSU) hopes the public doesn't lose sight of ongoing efforts to keep our food supply safe. What we know As Chinese nationals are being investigated for allegedly smuggling biological material into the U.S., former FBI agent Bill Kowalski spoke to FOX 2. "Clearly, there are countries that would desire to hurt the U.S.," said Kowalski. "I don't know that it would kill people immediately, but economically it would be a great destruction for us." The backstory A week prior, two Chinese nationals were charged after an investigation showed one tried to smuggle a fungus into the U.S., allegedly for research at the University of Michigan. What they're saying An MSU professor has studied the fungus extensively. "This fungus, Fusarium graminearum, is naturally occurring, it is probably native to North America, so it is widely prevalent across the landscape and worldwide, actually," said Dr. Martin Chilvers with MSU. "It's already here. It already does do damage to our crops, and that's probably part of the reason why these researchers had a strain of this fungus, so they could do additional research to understand the way it interacts with plants." A third Chinese national was charged for allegedly lying about packages containing suspected biological pathogens, including ground worms that were sent to a U-M lab. "It is used in a lot of research to look at cellular development and the genetics of cellular development. It's a nematode that is distributed globally and can be found across the world," Chilvers said. He said that the worms and fungus present a low threat, but proper protocols for bringing them to the U.S. should be followed. "You apply for a permit, they make sure that you can bring it in and secure that isolate, and then destroy it once you finish doing any research. Even if it is relatively low risk, we still go through these procedures to minimize any risk," Chilvers said. What's next Despite the federal investigation, researchers hope the public understands efforts are underway to keep food safe. "There is a lot of research being done across the country and around the world to combat some of these plant diseases that we deal with around the world and here in the U.S., so that we can better manage those and ensure the safety of food production," Chilvers said. What they're saying The University of Michigan issued a statement in response to the arrests. "We have a commitment to groundbreaking research to improve the lives of others. We also have a strong commitment to protect the public and our national security. That's why the University of Michigan takes seriously its duty and responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and policies. These laws and policies promote safety, protect the public, and ensure national security issues are addressed. We cannot and will not tolerate violations of this responsibility if we truly care about the research enterprise we have built together. For these reasons, compliance with federal regulations and university policies is a requirement, not an option. Recently, several individuals have been accused of trying to transport materials across international borders in violation of federal laws and U-M policies, and of making false statements to law enforcement. The university takes these situations extremely seriously." The university said it is fully cooperating and reviewing all policies and protocols.

China testing orbital refueling procedures for satellite missions
China testing orbital refueling procedures for satellite missions

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

China testing orbital refueling procedures for satellite missions

June 10 (UPI) -- China is positioning a satellite to test its ability to refuel another in orbit over Earth and extend its mission for several more years. China's Shijian-25 satellite is designed to refuel and service other satellites while they stay in geostationary orbit over Earth, SpaceNews reported. A geostationary orbit is one in which a satellite or another spacecraft maintains its location over a particular point on Earth by orbiting at a speed that matches the planet's rotation. The satellites were positioned more than 900 miles from each other in low-Earth orbit on Monday. The Shijian-25 was launched in January to test its ability to refuel other satellites and spacecraft, such as the Shijian-21 satellite. Shijian-21 was launched in October 2021 and has already completed its mission to dock with the Beidou-2 G2 navigation satellite and tow the defunct satellite to a so-called "graveyard orbit." Such an orbit positions defunct satellites well above geostationary orbit, so it won't interfere with active satellites. Two U.S. satellites are monitoring the two Chinese satellites, which completed several maneuvers over the past weekend to close the gap between them. The Chinese satellites are expected to dock on Wednesday and start a refueling procedure the test the viability of refueling satellites and other spacecraft while they are in geostationary orbit. If the test is successful, it means satellites could extend their missions for much longer than they initially were designed. The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology designed the two satellites, and the Shijian-21 appeared to run out of fuel until its recent maneuvers to close the distance between it and the Shijian-25. If the two satellites successfully dock with one another, the Shijian-25 is expected to transfer 313 pounds of hydrazine to extend Shijian-21's service life by another eight years. The test is similar to one planned by U.S.-based Northrop Grumman, which intends to launch its Mission Robotic Vehicle next year to conduct similar servicing of U.S. satellites and spacecraft.

First-ever image of China's mysterious 'quasi moon' probe revealed weeks after it secretly launched into space
First-ever image of China's mysterious 'quasi moon' probe revealed weeks after it secretly launched into space

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

First-ever image of China's mysterious 'quasi moon' probe revealed weeks after it secretly launched into space

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Chinese officials have revealed the first-ever photo of the country's highly secretive Tianwen 2 spacecraft, two weeks after it was launched into space. The elusive probe, which bears a striking resemblance to a current NASA spacecraft, will attempt to collect samples from one of Earth's mysterious "quasi-moons" next year. On May 29, the Tianwen 2 probe was successfully launched into space onboard a Long March 3B rocket, which took off from the Xichang spaceport in southwestern China at around 1:31 a.m. local time, Live Science's sister site previously reported. The spacecraft is scheduled to make a close approach to the asteroid 2016 HO3, better known as Kamo'oalewa, in July 2026, when it will attempt to land on the ferris wheel-size space rock and collect samples that will later be returned to Earth. Kamo'oalewa, which translates to "oscillating celestial object" in Hawaiian, is a quasi-satellite of Earth, meaning it orbits the sun alongside Earth and circles our planet, but is not gravitationally bound to it and will one day float away. The Tianwen 2 mission has been kept closely under wraps. The launch was not livestreamed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which announced the successful liftoff around an hour after it happened. Until now, the probe had never been photographed — all we knew about its appearance came from some rather basic artistic renderings released after launch, according to But on Friday (June 6), CNSA released a statement revealing that the probe is functioning as planned and is already around 1.9 million miles (3 million kilometers) from Earth — around eight times further away than the moon. The release also included a surprise first picture of one of the probe's 10-sided solar panels stretching out into the void of space. Related: Undiscovered extra moons may orbit Earth. Could they help us become an interplanetary species? The new photo hints that the Tianwen 2 probe likely looks similar to the spacecraft used in NASA's Lucy mission, which also sports decagonal solar panels and is currently en-route to the "Trojan asteroids" surrounding Jupiter. It also looks very different from the Tianwen 1 spacecraft, which carried China's Zhurong Mars rover to the Red Planet in 2021 — and had rectangular solar panels. (Tianwen roughly translates to "Questions to Heaven.") If Tianwen 2 successfully makes it to Kamo'oalewa and collects its desired samples, it is due to drop the asteroid fragments back to Earth during a close flyby in late 2027. The samples will then hopefully be retrieved from a return module, similar to the OSIRIS-Rex samples that landed in the Utah desert in September 2023. After that, the spacecraft will begin its secondary mission to visit 311P/PanSTARRS, a comet-asteroid "hybrid" located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, by around 2035. Kamo'oalewa is somewhere between 130 and 330 feet (40 to 100 meters) wide and has a minimum distance of 2.9 million miles (4.6 million km) from Earth. It circles our planet every 45 years or so and is believed to be a chunk of Earth's proper moon that was ejected during a meteor strike millions of years ago. Earth has six other quasi-moons, which all orbit the sun alongside our planet but are not permanently fixed to us. These space rocks are sometimes referred to as "minimoons." However, this term is usually reserved for objects that temporarily orbit our planet at much closer distances for short periods, usually less than a year. RELATED STORIES —China has launched a secret robot to the far side of the moon, new Chang'e 6 photos reveal —Giant 'white streak' appears over multiple US states as Chinese rocket dumps experimental fuel in space —China's secretive new 'Thousands Sails' satellites are an astronomer's nightmare, 1st observations reveal One such minimoon was the asteroid 2024 PT5, which was first discovered in September 2024 and orbited Earth for around three months. Astronomers suspect that there are likely many more quasi-moons and minimoons around Earth waiting to be found. Recent research has also hinted that there may be similar "co-orbitals" hidden around Venus, which could one day pose a threat to Earth if they are wrestled away by our planet's gravity.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store