Latest news with #ecologists
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill
More than 5,000 of the rarest and most precious natural habitats in England are at risk of being destroyed under Labour's new planning bill, according to legal analysis of the legislation. Here are just 10 irreplaceable wild places currently or recently imperilled by development that are likely to face renewed threats if the current wildlife protections are torn up by the government's bill. The best site in Britain for the endangered nightingale, Lodge Hill was made a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) in 2013. But the following year it was earmarked for 5,000 new homes – the biggest attempt to build on an SSSI in England since the wildlife laws of 1981 came into force. After widespread protests from ecologists and nature charities, Homes England withdrew its plans and said it would develop just 500 houses on the former MoD land, outside the SSSI. The scrubby, song-filled paradise of dense woodland and grassland is renowned for its bat roosts, exceptional reptile population, rare butterflies, flowers and three species of owl. But in an area under huge housing pressure, the site that was once used for bomb disposal training and is classified as 'brownfield' is likely to be targeted for development once more. The mudflats and coastal meadows of Tipner West are an internationally important place for waders such as black-tailed godwit and dunlin, as well as a wealth of intertidal marine life. As part of Portsmouth harbour and the wider Solent, it is home to 30% of Britain's overwintering population of brent geese. The area is protected not only as a SSSI but also a special protection area (SPA) and Ramsar site – the highest tier of protection. However, in 2019, Portsmouth city council proposed a 'super peninsula' on the site – a large-scale land reclamation project for housing that would have destroyed vast swathes of habitat. After 24,000 people objected, the council withdrew that plan but has continued to push for land reclamation and housebuilding that jeopardises vital intertidal habitats. Under current laws, SPAs and Ramsar sites can be built on only if there are 'imperative reasons of overriding public interest' and no feasible alternatives. If building went ahead, the council would also have to create new mudflats and coastal meadows on a significantly greater scale than the area damaged. Such a high bar has never been hurdled by mere housing, and this spring the government rejected the council's request. The council is now exploring how it can continue its development plans. Sources say housing minister Matthew Pennycook is interested in Tipner West being one of the first developments to happen if the planning bill goes through, when the council will be able to pay into a nature restoration fund and no longer obliged to provide alternative habitats nearby. The Humber estuary has almost every conservation protection going – SPA, SAC, SSSI – while also being a major shipping channel. Remarkably, it's also responsible for 20% of all surface drainage in the UK. The habitats regulations have helped protect its natural functioning for decades, ensuring that docks expansions and sea defence projects don't destroy vital mudflats, sand flats and salt marsh for overwintering birds and declining breeding species such as little terns. Spurn Point, Yorkshire's own Land's End, is a hugely popular national nature reserve whose visitors contribute to the local economy. Planning reforms could disrupt the partnership between port, business and housing interests that has enabled economic development alongside wildlife protection. Further south, the similarly important Wash estuary is threatened by a tidal barrage proposal which says it has funding to pursue a development consent order. Thetford, a rapidly growing town of 25,000 with a 5,000-home urban extension under way, is surrounded by SSSIs, special areas of conservation (SACs) and the Brecks SPA. This unique region of sandy heaths and dry grassland is home to 72 species found nowhere else in Britain. It is of European-wide importance for rare plants, invertebrates and birds including curlew, nightjar, woodlark and stone curlew. Rare and declining species here include turtle dove, goshawk, long-eared owl and lesser spotted woodpecker. Birds such as nightjar and woodlark occur at lower densities in areas surrounded by housing, while heaths close to urban areas suffer from increased fire risk, trampling, disturbance by dog walkers, water pollution from dog fouling, and air pollution from road traffic. At the moment, there are protection zones for the stone curlews with no development permitted within 1,500m of a nesting site. Thanks partly to this protection, populations have increased. Under the new planning bill, however, developers can disregard such protections if they pay into a new nature restoration fund. An ecological assessment of Thetford's local plan said 'the proximity of the Breckland European site's boundary to the edge of the town in most directions remains a fundamental issue to overcome' before further homes can be built. A vulnerable wetland SSSI, the Wolborough Fen nature reserve is home to emperor dragonfly, sphagnum moss and 30 species of bird. It sits beside a major development of 1,200 new homes on the edge of Newton Abbot, which is earmarked to take a huge chunk of new homes planned for the region. Devon Wildlife Trust has warned a new road could jeopardise the wetland. A tranche of the development, for 150 homes, was rejected by planners in December because of concerns about damage to the wetland. Police were called in April when residents accused developer Vistry Homes of breaching the restrictions on its planning approvals. Local people blocked the bulldozers digging close to the nature reserve and the council issued a stop notice to halt the work. Richard Daws, an independent councillor on Teignbridge council, and one of those who faced down the bulldozers, said: 'There was no feeling of trespass, just a united sense of [people] having the courage of their convictions. 'The residents will continue to highlight unlawful acts by developers and call out any abdication of responsibility from the local planning authority who have a fundamental duty to protect an ancient and precious woodland, a hidden gem that is rare in the UK, with some species that can be found in only a few other sites in Europe.' Just 2.5% of Britain's ancient woodland – land continuously wooded since 1600 – survives. It represents an irreplaceable combination of veteran trees, undisturbed soils, fungal networks and rare flora. Two separate applications by Quinn Estates for 8,400 new homes, a hotel, rubbish tip, relief road and primary and secondary schools are subject to a planning hearing after Angela Rayner, the deputy prime minister, 'called in' proposals hours before they were set to be rejected by Swale borough council last November. According to Kent Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, the plans entail the direct loss of ancient woodland, local wildlife sites and priority habitats including species-rich hedgerows and traditional Kentish orchards. The developments will also place indirect pressure – from pollution and people – on nearby Cromers Wood and Tonge Mill country park. Vulnerable species that would be directly affected include water vole, otter, yellowhammer, corn bunting, grey partridge and the critically endangered turtle dove. More than 700 local people have objected to the plans, which could sail through under the new legislation. Vast swathes of nature-rich heathland have been lost to housing over recent decades, because it is relatively cheap land and easy to build on. The surviving fragments of the Surrey Heaths – including Colony Bog and Bagshot Heath, Ash to Brookwood Heaths and Chobham Common – have historically been protected as SSSIs. They are part of the Thames Basin SPA, protected by the habitats regulations, which seeks to maintain internationally important bird populations of nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler. All of these species nest on or close to the ground and so are highly vulnerable to people-pressure, especially from dog – walkers. Under current planning laws, new homes close to vulnerable wildlife sites must provide suitable natural green space nearby so new residents don't disturb those sites. Under the new bill, developers will be able to pay to create such green spaces further away – potentially in other counties. Even if wildlife sites are not built on, this risks creating more disturbance leading to local extinctions of vulnerable species. Becky Pullinger, head of land use planning at the Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Places like the New Forest and the Surrey Heaths could be threatened by development that no longer has to avoid harm to those specific sites. On the Surrey Heaths, the clear impact the development can have is more people walking their dogs which can impact on birds in the area. Plans to hugely expand Southampton's container port and reclaim land on the New Forest side of Southampton Water were first rejected back in 2004. Doubling the capacity of the port would destroy grazing marshes and mudflats that provide nesting for lapwing and winter homes for 50,000 birds such as wigeon and pintail. The area is an SPA and contains several SSSIs, with Dibden Bay designated for its nationally important collection of invertebrates including 21 nationally rare species. The plans for a 1.85km-long deep quay would have destroyed 76 hectares (188 acres) of tidal foreshore designated as of international importance for birds. Associated roads would also threaten the New Forest national park. After being called in by the government, the then transport minister, Tony McNulty, accepted the planning inspector's recommendation to reject the proposals after a 13-month inquiry. In 2023, owners Associated British Ports refused to rule out another attempt to develop the 500-acre site but said any new planning application was 'many years away'. Under the new bill, mitigating for irreparable damage to protected sites caused by major infrastructure would become much simpler, making schemes such as Dibden Bay much more viable. A mosaic of woodlands that is home to a super-colony of rare barbastelle bats, the Wensum Woodlands has long been threatened by a 3.8-mile dual carriageway that would complete a third ring-road around Norwich. A series of connected colonies, including one of more than 105 barbastelles, live either on the route or close to the proposed road. The area is being considered for designation as a SSSI by Natural England, which has previously designated sites with just 20 or 30 colonies. In 2023, the government committed to paying for 80% of the road scheme, but cash-strapped Norfolk county council announced this year that Natural England's advice on the wildlife impacts meant it could not proceed with the £274m road, and withdrew its application. Landowners and developers have strongly pushed for the road, which they say will 'unlock' land for businesses and housing. The planning and infrastructure bill is likely to revive many such 'zombie' road projects. Earlier this year, Keir Starmer claimed that plans for 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet had been stymied by the discovery of the rare distinguished jumping spider, and blocked by Natural England. 'It's nonsense, and we'll stop it,' said the prime minister. In fact, the prime minister was talking nonsense: the vast majority of the 15,000 homes are being built, but 1,300 homes planned for Swanscombe Peninsula have been blocked. The peninsula – a portion of land on the fringe of the Ebbsfleet garden city project – was designated a SSSI by Natural England in 2021 because of its globally important collection of rare invertebrates. Nearly 2,000 species have been found at Swanscombe, making it one of the most biodiverse places in Britain. The existing planning regime has enabled a compromise, with thousands of new homes being built and the relatively modest SSSI protected. Under the planning bill, even SSSIs could be built upon in exchange for developers paying into the nature restoration fund, administered by Natural England which is both the executor and beneficiary of such schemes.
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fast Company
Managers rethink ecological scenarios as threats rise amid climate change
In Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in California, trees that have persisted through rain and shine for thousands of years are now facing multiple threats triggered by a changing climate. Scientists and park managers once thought giant sequoia forests were nearly impervious to stressors like wildfire, drought and pests. Yet, even very large trees are proving vulnerable, particularly when those stressors are amplified by rising temperatures and increasing weather extremes. The rapid pace of climate change—combined with threats like the spread of invasive species and diseases—can affect ecosystems in ways that defy expectations based on past experiences. As a result, Western forests are transitioning to grasslands or shrublands after unprecedented wildfires. Woody plants are expanding into coastal wetlands. Coral reefs are being lost entirely. To protect these places, which are valued for their natural beauty and the benefits they provide for recreation, clean water and wildlife, forest and land managers increasingly must anticipate risks they have never seen before. And they must prepare for what those risks will mean for stewardship as ecosystems rapidly transform. As ecologists and a climate scientist, we're helping them figure out how to do that. Managing changing ecosystems Traditional management approaches focus on maintaining or restoring how ecosystems looked and functioned historically. However, that doesn't always work when ecosystems are subjected to new and rapidly shifting conditions. Ecosystems have many moving parts—plants, animals, fungi, and microbes; and the soil, air and water in which they live—that interact with one another in complex ways. When the climate changes, it's like shifting the ground on which everything rests. The results can undermine the integrity of the system, leading to ecological changes that are hard to predict. To plan for an uncertain future, natural resource managers need to consider many different ways changes in climate and ecosystems could affect their landscapes. Essentially, what scenarios are possible? Preparing for multiple possibilities At Sequoia and Kings Canyon, park managers were aware that climate change posed some big risks to the iconic trees under their care. More than a decade ago, they undertook a major effort to explore different scenarios that could play out in the future. It's a good thing they did, because some of the more extreme possibilities they imagined happened sooner than expected. In 2014, drought in California caused the giant sequoias' foliage to die back, something never documented before. In 2017, sequoia trees began dying from insect damage. And, in 2020 and 2021, fires burned through sequoia groves, killing thousands of ancient trees. While these extreme events came as a surprise to many people, thinking through the possibilities ahead of time meant the park managers had already begun to take steps that proved beneficial. One example was prioritizing prescribed burns to remove undergrowth that could fuel hotter, more destructive fires. The key to effective planning is a thoughtful consideration of a suite of strategies that are likely to succeed in the face of many different changes in climates and ecosystems. That involves thinking through wide-ranging potential outcomes to see how different strategies might fare under each scenario—including preparing for catastrophic possibilities, even those considered unlikely. For example, prescribed burning may reduce risks from both catastrophic wildfire and drought by reducing the density of plant growth, whereas suppressing all fires could increase those risks in the long run. Strategies undertaken today have consequences for decades to come. Managers need to have confidence that they are making good investments when they put limited resources toward actions like forest thinning, invasive species control, buying seeds or replanting trees. Scenarios can help inform those investment choices. Constructing credible scenarios of ecological change to inform this type of planning requires considering the most important unknowns. Scenarios look not only at how the climate could change, but also how complex ecosystems could react and what surprises might lay beyond the horizon. Key ingredients for crafting ecological scenarios To provide some guidance to people tasked with managing these landscapes, we brought together a group of experts in ecology, climate science, and natural resource management from across universities and government agencies. We identified three key ingredients for constructing credible ecological scenarios: 1. Embracing ecological uncertainty: Instead of banking on one 'most likely' outcome for ecosystems in a changing climate, managers can better prepare by mapping out multiple possibilities. In Nebraska's Sandhills, we are exploring how this mostly intact native prairie could transform, with outcomes as divergent as woodlands and open dunes. 2. Thinking in trajectories: It's helpful to consider not just the outcomes, but also the potential pathways for getting there. Will ecological changes unfold gradually or all at once? By envisioning different pathways through which ecosystems might respond to climate change and other stressors, natural resource managers can identify critical moments where specific actions, such as removing tree seedlings encroaching into grasslands, can steer ecosystems toward a more desirable future. 3. Preparing for surprises: Planning for rare disasters or sudden species collapses helps managers respond nimbly when the unexpected strikes, such as a severe drought leading to widespread erosion. Being prepared for abrupt changes and having contingency plans can mean the difference between quickly helping an ecosystem recover and losing it entirely. Over the past decade, access to climate model projections through easy-to-use websites has revolutionized resource managers' ability to explore different scenarios of how the local climate might change. What managers are missing today is similar access to ecological model projections and tools that can help them anticipate possible changes in ecosystems. To bridge this gap, we believe the scientific community should prioritize developing ecological projections and decision-support tools that can empower managers to plan for ecological uncertainty with greater confidence and foresight.
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Alien Invasions Are Expensive
An 8.5-millimeter striped beetle. A 4-millimeter mosquito. A 25-millimeter hornet. These critters are tiny, but they pack a mighty punch when it comes to economic costs. The damage these organisms and their ilk are inflicting on regions around the world puts invasive alien species — non-native flora and fauna that harm the environments they're introduced to — in the same league as extreme weather. A paper published earlier this week in the journal Nature found that the economic burden of invasive species is 1,646% higher than previously recorded.
Times
22-05-2025
- Science
- Times
Plants can ‘hear' bees coming — and sweeten their nectar to greet them
It sounds like something out of a children's book: a helpful bee buzzes past a flower and the plant, delighted by its favourite visitor, sweetens its nectar to greet it. However, research suggests this scenario may be closer to reality than previously imagined. Scientists have discovered that snapdragon plants can 'hear' the buzz of their preferred pollinators and respond by boosting the sugar content of their nectar. They also seem able to tell friend from foe. When the plants were exposed to the sounds of 'freeloader' insects that planned to sip their nectar without providing pollinating services in return, they withheld the sugary reward. This acoustic sensitivity, the researchers said, may help snapdragons and other flowers attract the right visitors — and keep 'nectar thieves'
Fast Company
21-05-2025
- Science
- Fast Company
Windows are the leading human cause of bird deaths. Here's how to help
When wood thrushes arrive in northern Mississippi on their spring migration and begin to serenade my neighborhood with their ethereal, harmonized song, it's one of the great joys of the season. It's also a minor miracle. These small creatures have just flown more than 1,850 miles (3,000 kilometers), all the way from Central America. Other birds undertake even longer journeys — the Swainson's thrush, for example, nests as far north as the boreal forests of Alaska and spends the nonbreeding season in northern South America, traveling up to 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) each way. These stunning feats of travel are awe-inspiring, making it that much more tragic when they are cut short by a deadly collision with a glass window. This happens with alarming regularity. Two recent scientific studies estimate that more than 1 billion birds – and as many as 5.19 billion – die from collisions with sheet glass each year in the United States alone, sometimes immediately but often from their injuries. In fact, window collisions are now considered the top human cause of bird deaths. Due to window collisions and other causes, bird populations across North America have declined more than 29% from their 1970 levels, likely with major consequences for the world's ecosystems. These collisions occur on every type of building, from homes to skyscrapers. At the University of Mississippi campus, where I teach and conduct research as an ecologist, my colleagues and I have been testing some creative solutions. Why glass is so often deadly for birds Most frequently, glass acts as a mirror, reflecting clear sky or habitat. There is no reason for a bird to slow down when there appears to be a welcoming tree or shrub ahead. These head-on collisions frequently result in brain injuries, to which birds often succumb immediately. In other cases, birds are stunned by the collision and eventually fly off, but many of those individuals also eventually perish from brain swelling. Other injuries, to wings or legs, for example, can leave birds unable to fly and vulnerable to cats or other predators. If you find an injured bird, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. Which windows are riskiest Some windows are much worse than others, depending on their proximity to bushes and other bird habitats, what is reflected in them, and how interior lighting exacerbates or diminishes the mirror effect. On our campus, some buildings with a great deal of glass surface area kill surprisingly few birds, while other small sets of windows are disproportionately deadly. One particular elevated walkway with glass on both sides between the chemistry and pharmacy buildings is a notoriously dangerous spot. The glass kills migratory birds each spring and fall as they try to pass between the two buildings on their way to The Grove, the university's central-campus park area with large old oak trees. During the pandemic in 2020, student Emma Counce did the heart-heavy work of performing a survey of 11 campus buildings almost daily during spring migration. She found 72 bird fatalities in seven weeks. Five years later, my ornithology students completed a new survey and found 62 mortalities over the course of five weeks in 2025, demonstrating that we still have a lot of work to do to make our campus safe for migratory birds. Thrushes, perhaps due to their propensity for whizzing through tight spaces in the shady forest understory, have been disproportionately represented among the victims. Others include colorful songbirds – northern parulas, black-and-white warblers, prothonotary warblers Kentucky warblers, buntings, vireos and tanagers. The good thing is that everyone can do something to lower the risk. Films, stickers or strings can be added on the exterior of windows, creating dots or lines, 2 to 4 inches apart, that break up reflections to give the appearance of a barrier. Exterior screens and blinds work great too. Just adding a few predator silhouette stickers is not effective, by the way – the treatment needs to span the whole window. When applied properly, window treatments can make a huge difference. An inspiring example is McCormick Place in Chicago, the country's largest convention center, which notoriously killed nearly 1,000 birds in a single night in 2023. After workers applied dot film to an area of the building's windows equivalent to two football fields, bird mortality at the lakeside building has been reduced by 95%. The Bird Collision Prevention Alliance provides information on options for retrofitting home or office windows to make them more bird friendly. Options for new windows are also becoming more common. For example, the new Center for Science & Technology Innovation on my campus, which features many windows, mostly used bird-friendly glass with subtle polka dots built into it. This spring, we found that it killed only four birds, despite a very high surface area of glass. How you can help When trying to make a difference on your home turf, I suggest starting small. Make note of which specific windows have killed birds in the past, and treat them first. Use it as an opportunity to learn what approach might work best for you and your building. Either order a product or make something yourself and get it installed. Then do another, and tell a friend. At the office, talk to people, find others who care and build a team to make gradual change. With some creative solutions, anyone can help reduce at least this major risk.
