Latest news with #wildlifeHabitat
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Removal of beach sea defences given go-ahead
Work to remove sea defences from a Dorset beach is due to begin in September after the scheme to "allow nature to take its course" received planning consent. The National Trust is proposing "managed realignment" followed by "no intervention" at Middle Beach, Studland, in response to climate change and coastal erosion. It said the stone gabions were "collapsing and a risk to the public" and their removal would result in a more natural beach within two years. Dorset Council approved the application after receiving no objections from Natural England, conservation and environment officers and Studland Parish Council. The site, between South Beach and Knoll Beach, is next to a 120-space car park. Bracken and sycamore saplings in a neighbouring area will also be removed as part of wider works to create areas of open sand for invertebrate species, breeding birds and reptiles, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The agent, on behalf of the trust, said: "Once the defences are removed, the shoreline will readjust quite rapidly to a natural alignment, in line with the shoreline management plan, and ensuring the beach future." The trust said the works would result in a natural cove and an enhanced wildlife habitat for sand lizards and birds. Work will also be timed to "minimise the impact on beachgoers, and avoid disturbing sand lizards during the egg-laying period". It said the cafe, toilets and beach would remain open. A beach cafe which operated at the site for more than 70 years was demolished by the National Trust in 2023 due to erosion, with a replacement opened in the car park. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Sea defences could be removed at beauty spot Cafe on eroding beach closes ahead of demolition Beach cafe set to be torn down in New Year National Trust Dorset Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Removal of Middle Beach sea defences given go-ahead
Work to remove sea defences from a Dorset beach is due to begin in September after the scheme to "allow nature to take its course" received planning National Trust is proposing "managed realignment" followed by "no intervention" at Middle Beach, Studland, in response to climate change and coastal said the stone gabions were "collapsing and a risk to the public" and their removal would result in a more natural beach within two Council approved the application after receiving no objections from Natural England, conservation and environment officers and Studland Parish Council. The site, between South Beach and Knoll Beach, is next to a 120-space car and sycamore saplings in a neighbouring area will also be removed as part of wider works to create areas of open sand for invertebrate species, breeding birds and reptiles, according to the Local Democracy Reporting agent, on behalf of the trust, said: "Once the defences are removed, the shoreline will readjust quite rapidly to a natural alignment, in line with the shoreline management plan, and ensuring the beach future."The trust said the works would result in a natural cove and an enhanced wildlife habitat for sand lizards and will also be timed to "minimise the impact on beachgoers, and avoid disturbing sand lizards during the egg-laying period".It said the cafe, toilets and beach would remain open.A beach cafe which operated at the site for more than 70 years was demolished by the National Trust in 2023 due to erosion, with a replacement opened in the car park. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Fast Company
5 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
Solar panels help grasslands grow better during a drought, research shows
Grasses growing in the shade of a solar array were only a little less productive than those growing nearby in open grassland during years of average and above-average rainfall—but in a dry year, the shaded plants grew much better than those growing in full sun. That's the result of a four-year study we conducted in a semi-arid grassland of northern Colorado. When choosing a location for generating solar power, consistent sunlight and interconnection to the electric grid are key criteria. In Colorado, the combination of new electrical transmission infrastructure, abundant sunlight, and short vegetation that is easy to maintain have made grasslands a prime target for solar development. Grasslands, like those that dominate the eastern plains of Colorado, provide important habitat for wildlife and serve as a critical food source for livestock. Although these grasslands have long been productive despite their normally arid environment, a warmer climate has increased the potential for more frequent and severe drought. For instance, a recent global study found that previous research likely underestimated the threat of extreme drought in grasslands. At Colorado State University, biology professor Alan Knapp and I started the ecovoltaics research group to study the effects of solar development in grasslands. Our primary goal is to ensure an ecologically informed solar energy future. Solar panels create microclimates Strings of solar panels redirect rain to the edge of panels. Because of this, small rain events can provide biologically relevant amounts of water instead of evaporating quickly. Simultaneously, solar panels shade plants growing beneath them. Some arrays, including the ones used in our study, move the panels to follow the path of the sun across the sky. This results in a combination of sun and shade that is very different from the uninterrupted sunlight beating down on plants in a grassland without solar panels. In turn, patterns of plant stress and water loss also differ in grasses under solar arrays. How grasses respond to a solar panel canopy To get a handle on how these different conditions affect grasses, we measured plant physiological response during the early stages of our study. More specifically, we tracked leaf carbon and water exchange throughout daylight hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., over 16 weeks in summer 2022 at Jack's Solar Garden, a solar array over grassland in Longmont, Colorado. In general, plants that are adapted to full sun conditions, including most grasses, might not be expected to grow as well in partial shade. But we suspected that growth benefits from reduced water stress could outweigh potential reductions in growth from shading. We call this the ' aridity mitigation potential ' hypothesis. Sure enough, we found evidence of aridity mitigation across multiple years, with the most pronounced effect during the driest year. When water is scarce, increases in grassland productivity are more valuable because there isn't as much around. Therefore, increasing grassland production in dry years could provide more available food for grazing animals and help offset some of the economic harm of drought in rangelands. Informing sustainable solar development in grasslands So far, our research has been limited to a grassland dominated by a cool-season grass: smooth brome. Although it is a perennial commonly planted for hay, fields dominated by smooth bromegrass lack the diversity of life found in native grasslands. Future work in native shortgrass prairies would provide new information about how solar panels affect plant water use, soils, and grazing management in an ecosystem with 30% less precipitation than Jack's Solar Garden. We're beginning that work now at the shortgrass ecovoltaic research facility near Nunn, Colorado. This facility, which will be fully operational later in 2025, was constructed with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the wider SCAPES project.
