UKBAP BiodiversityNews-48

Biodiversity News
Contents - News - Features - Local & Regional - UK BAP Updates - Publications - Events
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Photo: Stuart Pudney
Issue 48
Winter Edition

In this issue...
2
Contents - News - Features - Local & Regional - UK BAP Updates - Publications - Events
Winter
News
Biodiversity is life the UK partnership for the
International Year of Biodiversity 2010
2009 A good year for surveys!
BTCV launches Carbon Army
What does landscape-scale conservation do
for you and for wildlife?
Count up 2010
Released Terrapins give added headache to
wildlife experts
Funding for biodiversity projects
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Workshop
Nature lovers shortlisted for photo prize
Features
Thousands of Young People Doing One Thing
for Nature
Swifts
The Warwickshire Wetlands
School Farm Visits Connecting Children with
Biodiversity
Synergy through Partnerships 2010
Set aside The Campaign for a Farmed Environ-
ment
UK Wildlife Scoops Heritage Lottery Fund jack-
pot to the tune of 860M
UK BAP Update
Latest News
Local & Regional
Isle of Wight Biodiversity: celebrating 10 years
of local action
Pembrokeshire bumblebee project wins 25k
prize
38ha of new wet grassland habitat for Wigeon
Planning for habitat networksClyde Valley
Project
Details of bryologist placement at RSPB Aber-
nethy NNR
First Biodiversity Festival deemed a great suc-
cess
Spindle Ermine Moth Web with Caterpillars
Events
Tayside Biodiversity Festival: 1st to 31st May
2010
Tayside Orchard Festival: 9th to 24th October
2010
From Rags to Riches in 2010
Water & Environment 2010: CIWEMs Annual
Conference
Oxfordshire Goes Wild
Publications
Natural Angus
Please note that the views expressed in Biodiversity
News are the views of the contributors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the UK Biodiversity
Partnership or the organisations they represent.

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Editorial
3 Contents - News - Features - Local & Regional - UK BAP Updates - Publications - Events
Winter
Welcome to Issue 48 of Biodiversity News!
It has been an exciting start to 2010 for me and I am sure many of you as well. The International Year of Biodi-
versity (IYB) has already provided many opportunities to raise awareness of all the work that is done to con-
serve and enhance biodiversity, but also what still needs to be done now and in the future. I have worked on
many different projects here within Defra during January relating to the IYB which has given me a better in-
sight into the importance of the issue. Being fairly new to this work, the last few months have been an excel-
lent learning opportunity for me.
After an initial slow pick up on articles, I ended up being flooded with them at the last minute. I have had to
make some tough choices as I could not include all of them in this edition. I am very sorry if your article has
not been included, but please rest assured that all these articles have been put on hold for the spring edition
and will then receive top priority.
This Winter edition is bursting with positive news. Articles range from national successes such as, UK Wildlife
Scoops Heritage Lottery Fund jackpot to the tune of 860M and Thousands of Young People Doing One Thing for Na-
ture to local achievements such as Isle of Wight Biodiversity: celebrating 10 years of local action and Habitat en-
hancement project piloted on the Clyde. There are also plenty of events to add to your calendars.

Many thanks to all the authors for their contributions to this issue. I have thoroughly enjoyed compiling this
edition and I hope you enjoy reading it! If anyone is interested in having an article published in Biodiversity
News or would like to be added to our mailing list, please contact me on biodiversitynews@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Please do not hesitate to send me any comments or suggestions on the structure and content of Biodiversity
News. I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Regards,

Evaleen Brinton
UK Biodiversity Policy Unit, Defra, Zone 1/07, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN
biodiversitynews@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Click on the boxes to see previous issues this past year
46 - summer 45 - spring 47 - autumn

News
Winter
Biodiversity is life the UK partnership for the International
Year of Biodiversity 2010

We in the biodiversity community already know that biodiversity is
hugely important. Not just for its own sake but also because it underpins
the vital benefits we get from the natural environment, because it con-
tributes to our economy, to our health and wellbeing, and because it en-
riches our lives.

We also know that biodiversity is under great pressure from human ac-
tivities and, although there have been some successes, there is some way
to go to meet our conservation objectives.

Part of our challenge is to spread the message to the public at large so
that they understand this too. We need people to better understand what
biodiversity does for them so that, as a society, we place greater value on
our natural capital.

The United Nations has designated 2010 as the International Year of Bio-
diversity and, as a result, people all around the world will be re-
doubling their efforts to promote the importance of conserving our bio-
diversity.

Here in the UK, a wide partnership is being established by the Natural
History Museum, part-funded by Defra, to promote biodiversity for the
International Year under the banner Biodiversity is Life. This gives us a real opportunity to leave a legacy of
a greater public understanding of the intrinsic importance of our natural world. This partnership will include
many organisations who focus on biodiversity as a part of their core business. But it will also include many
other organisations, for example, museums, arts, cultural and academic organisations, who are getting in-
volved because they see the importance of preserving our natural heritage for future generations. This will
give us a greater reach and enable us to make a greater impact.

There will be a busy programme of activities during 2010, with partners taking all sorts of different ap-
proaches to engaging the public to increase their interest, understanding and the value they place on the natu-
ral environment, and to point the way for the future. Over 200 organisations have already signed up to be a
part of this partnership.

Find out more at http://www.biodiversityislife.net/.

Defra

News
Winter
2009 A good year for surveys!

In its broadest sense the NERC Act placed a duty on public bodies to main-
tain and where possible enhance biodiversity. To fulfill this obligation an
understanding of what already exists on sites is required and in 2009
Northumbrian Water really upped its efforts to survey a range of species
and habitats; from invertebrates to reptiles and waxcap grasslands to ponds.
The last tranche of reports have just been received and overall they provide
some positive news about the state of biodiversity on sites that include
wastewater treatment works and reservoirs.
Some of the highlights include:
Identification of two moth species last recorded over 100 years
ago and a number of other rare and nationally scarce species
Ongoing programme of NVC surveys monitoring effects of con-
servation grazing have shown that diversity of sites appears to be
slowly improving
Survey of seven waxcap grassland sites with 4 identified as being
of national importance (including a reservoir embankment with 21
species!)
Eighth year of butterfly and dragonfly surveys with 22 sites hold-
ing more than 15 species of butterfly (not bad for north east sites!) and a breeding colony of Broad-bodied
chaser dragonflies identified at Kielder, near Scottish border (and pos-
sibly one of the most northerly breeding colonies)
Twelve wetland sites surveyed using national PSYM methodology
with 5 meeting criteria as UK BAP Priority ponds and remaining sites
classed as fair
Third year of reptile surveys which has highlighted previously
unknown sites for slow worm and identifying other sites with good
populations of adder and common lizard.
Identification of several new sites
holding populations of great crested
newts
We hope to continue these surveys into the future not only to help build on our
understanding of the wildlife using our sites but also to ensure that we are carry-
ing out appropriate management and at the same time balancing the opera-
tional needs of these sites!
If youd like to know more please contact us at Environment@nwl.co.uk
Harry Eales
Stuart Pudney
Mark Morris
Stuart Pudney

News
Winter
Funding for biodiversity projects

With 2010 International Year of Biodiversity already in full flow, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is encour-
aging more organisations to apply for funding for projects that help conserve the UKs precious natural heri-
tage.
From conserving priority spe-
cies or habitats, to training
volunteers in biological identi-
fication and helping a wider
range of people to access and
understand the natural world,
HLF funds a broad range of
biodiversity projects.

It has already invested more
than 860million to help safe-
guard the UKs valued coun-
tryside, wildlife and parks,
and protect some of our most
threatened wildlife. But there
is still much to do, particularly
in 2010, and the Fund is keen
for more potential applicants
to get in touch.

You can find out about existing HLF projects on www.hlf.org.uk/landandbiodiversity. The Fund has also
just released Thinking about biodiversity, a guidance document for potential applicants that sets out what HLF
can fund, and lists sources of advice to help with planning a project downloadable from www.hlf.org.uk/
publications.
See also page 22 for more information on HLF Biodiversity funding.

For more information about HLF and how to apply, call 020 7591 6042, email enquire@hlf.org.uk, or visit
www.hlf.org.uk
Chaser Dragonfly Henry Stanier

News
Winter
BTCV launches Carbon Army

A British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) environ-
mental action campaign to tackle climate change has got off to a
wildly successful start.
Launched on 25
th
November 2009, Carbon Armys first move was
a "3,000 Days of Action" campaign, timed to coincide with the UN
Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
Over the two weeks of the conference (7
th
-18
th
December 2009),
volunteers aimed to carry out 3,000 days of practical action one
for each government delegate. In fact, by end of the conference,
the volunteers had clocked up 6026 Workdays - double the target!
While the conference delegates talked, thousands of volunteers:
Planted and managed 85km of hedges and trees - a distance equal to London to Brighton.
Turned an area the size of 34 Wembley football pitches into urban green spa
Saved over 3 million food miles through allotment and community food
projects
The campaign, with funding from the Peacock Trust, is set to continue
throughout 2010, with the aim of delivering 90,000 volunteer workdays on cli-
mate change adaptation and mitigation activities by December.
The Carbon Army campaign focuses BTCVs activities in a number of practical
areas impacting climate change and biodiversity:
Conserving woodlands and peatlands ... to keep CO2 locked up in carbon
sinks
Managing waterways and wetlands ... to reduce the risk of flooding
Stabilising sand dunes ...to form natural coastal defences
Conserving urban green spaces ... to keep cities cool
Conserving hedgerows ...to aid migration of species adapting to global
warming
Supporting local food growing projects ... to reduce the carbon impact of
food miles
The campaign began with a flurry of events supported by senior political fig-
ures. At Buntings Wood in Thorne, South Yorkshire, Secretary of State for En-
ergy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, joined BTCV volunteers to plant Scots
pine and birch trees. He said: The UK has the most ambitious emissions re-
Ed Miliband does Carbon Army duty
at Buntings Wood before leaving for
Denmark Steve Parkin
planting trees in Northern Ireland with MEP Bair-
bre de Brn Maria Maginness

News
Winter
duction commitments in the world and
with projects like BTCVs Carbon Army,
the UK is well placed to show it is taking
action at a community level to combat cli-
mate change.
At Waterlow Park, London, Nick Herbert,
Shadow Secretary of State for Environ-
ment, Food and Rural Affairs and BTCV
supporter Charlie Dimmock joined scores
of volunteers planting a kitchen garden.
In Northern Ireland, Bairbre de Brn MEP,
part of the official European Parliament delegation at Copenhagen, praised the campaign as she joined 50
people, including school children, local and European volunteers, for tree planting in bright November sun-
shine.
Huw Irranca-Davies, Minister for Marine and Natural Environment at Defra commented: I fully support
BTCV's Carbon Army. I would encourage anyone to have a go at volunteering in activities which support
climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Carbon Army aims for a high rate of participation from young people, but it is open to volunteers of all ages,
including BTCV's 2,000 Community Network groups.
Tom Flood CBE, BTCV Chief Executive, said: While others bombard governments with demands for action,
BTCV and our thousands of environmental volunteers will demonstrate a willingness to act without needing
to wait.
BTCV's Carbon Army is visible proof that local communities can play a part in tackling climate change. The
world is in our hands.
Sign up for BTCVs Carbon Army at http://www.btcv.org/carbonarmy
Celebrity gardener Charlie Dimmock and BTCV CEO Tom Flood set BTCVs Carbon
Army on the march in time for Copenhagen Dave Hogan

News
Winter
What does landscape-scale conservation do for you
and for wildlife?

Researchers from Bournemouth University http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/cceec/ and the Centre for
Ecology and Hydrology have been asked by Defra to compare the benefits for wildlife and people pro-
duced by two approaches to conservation: the increasingly popular integrated landscape-scale conserva-
tion, and the more traditional approach to conservation focussing on management in separate sites.
Protecting individual sites, such as nature reserves, plays a key role in our approach to conservation, but it
does not always succeed in maintaining our wildlife and wild places. Therefore conservationists have in-
creasingly called for action to reverse this trend and to manage bigger, dynamic, connected landscapes
that allow species to move between patches or along corridors of habitat. This should provide numerous
benefits both for wildlife and people, especially as plants and animals may need to move in response to
climate change.
This research will investigate whether it is possible to demonstrate differences between these approaches
in terms of the social, economic and environmental benefits that they bring.
We will be looking at a range of different projects that are already underway in England and Wales and
mapping the benefits for the two types of approach in terms of wildlife, people and landscape benefits; for
example protection from flooding, storage of carbon to help alleviate climate change, recreation opportu-
nities, and provision of sustainable food, fibre, fresh water and fuel.
In addition to providing an appraisal of specific benefits, the results of the review may assist in identifying
locations with particular potential for other landscape-scale restoration initiatives, accepting that the op-
portunities and constraints will differ widely between landscapes.
For more information please contact Dr Kathy Hodder at Bournemouth University khod-
der@bournemouth.ac.uk

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Workshop

The Informal Expert workshop on the updating of the strategic plan of the convention for post-2010 pe-
riod, chaired by the UK and Brazil Governments took place in London from 18-20 January 2010. Partici-
pants from 54 countries from all regions attended, as well as representatives from international organisa-
tions and non-governmental organisations. The aim of the workshop was to provide an informal setting
where participants, in an open and consultative manner, could discuss ideas, expectations, proposals and
suggestions associated with the review of the CBD Strategic Plan and consider the needs and priorities for
implementation in order to meet post 2010 targets. The outcome will contribute to further discussions
leading up to the CBD Conference of the Parties in Nagoya in October 2010.

News
Winter
Count up 2010

As part of the celebrations for 2010 International Year of Biodiversity various Biodiversity Partnerships in Eng-
land are coming together to record wildlife through BioBlitz events. A BioBlitz is a race against time to count as
much wildlife as possible in a particular area over a set period of time, usually 24 hours.
Many partnerships have already hosted BioBlitzes in their respective patch but for 2010 they will be working
together to create a coordinated programme of events across the country. Whilst the central aim is to record as
much wildlife as possible it is also an opportunity to get the public involved in species recording with experts
on hand to help with identification. We are looking for more local biodiversity partnerships to get involved
and create their own local event as part of the national programme.
It may sound a daunting prospect to organise an event of this scale but if it is carried out through a partnership
of organisations it means that a variety of people and expertise can be involved at different times throughout
the event. If you are lucky enough to have a local record centre then they are the ideal organisation to carry out
the task of coordinating the many different species records that you will collect.
A BioBlitz can be carried out at any time of year although most events tend to occur in the spring and summer
months. The location can range from a small urban park to an extensive rural nature reserve; although if you
want lots of public involvement it is best to select an area that has a good urban population nearby or regularly
has high visitor numbers. A base camp is set up in which to coordinate the event from and to keep reference
books and equipment to help identify more difficult species. Local schools can help out if your event runs dur-
ing part of a week day or local groups such as scouts and guides could get involved at weekends.
All forms of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife can be targeted, and also species in the marine environment if your
event takes place in a coastal location. It helps to set a wide ranging programme of specific activities to encour-
age public participation. Ideas include:
bird spotting
bat walks
plant surveying
moth trapping
pond dipping
mini beast hunts
Rockpooling
small mammal trapping

Some UK BioBlitz Facts and Figures
The first BioBlitz to be held in the UK (to the authors knowledge) was at Colwick Country Park by the Not-
tingham Biodiversity Action Group in June 2006 where they recorded 471 species in 24 hours.
School Children learning about species in rock pools NBP Photog-
rapher John Williamson

News
Winter
A midnight rock pool survey at the Wembury Bay BioBlitz in Aug 2009 uncovered the rare Giant Goby fish -
Gobius cobitis. Of the 825 species identified during the event, 35 were non-native. This included several sea-
weeds such as the invasive wireweed, Sargassum muticum.

Dont worry about the weather. Non stop rain at Druridge Bay in September 2008 didnt stop the Northum-
berland Biodiversity Partnership recording 357 species in 24 hours, including a new record for the county for
the moss Aloina rigida.
The Lincolnshire Biodiversity Partner-
ship has held a BioBlitz at Banovallum
House for four consecutive years and
each year the species count has in-
creased.

At the Dalbeattie Forest BioBlitz in 2009,
hosted by The Dumfries and Galloway
Environmental Resources Centre, the Village Hall that acted as the base camp turned out to be an undocu-
mented bat roost, as someone spotted droppings half way up the painted walls inside the hall!
Would your Biodiversity Partnership like to get involved? Are you already planning an event and want to be
part of a national programme? Contact Berry Goddard or Savita Custead at the Bristol Natural History Con-
sortium on 01173 700971 or info@bnhc.org.uk

Elaine Jaggs
Northumberland Biodiversity Partnership
Year Species Count
2006 205
2007 326
2008 357
2009 476
Year Species Count
2006 205
2007 326
2008 357
2009 476
Children from scout group inspecting a Great Crested Newt NBP Photographer
John Williamson

News
Winter
Released Terrapins give added headache to wildlife experts

Efforts to make urban ponds more wildlife-friendly are being hampered by exotic terrapins, say Amphibian
and Reptile Conservation.

The charitys urban pond regeneration scheme will leave
their staff with a unique problem: how to find new homes
for exotic terrapins, which, when caught during pond clean
-ups, are prohibited by law from being re-released.

Originating from warmer climes, terrapins find it too cold
to breed in the United Kingdom but populations have
built up following several decades of former owners dump-
ing unwanted pets into urban ponds and lakes.

Wildlife conservationists have long been aware of the un-
welcome effects of releasing non-native plants and animals
into the wild but lately terrapins are proving to be a new
headache, said Rebecca Turpin, London Living Water Of-
ficer at Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

Much of our work involves making ponds more wildlife-friendly, but if terrapins are caught we are then
faced with the problem of where to re-home them. Often terrapins end up being taken to animal rescue cen-
tres, but sadly many are either full, or lack the finances to look after an animal which can live for over twenty
years.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is calling for the public to think carefully about buying terrapins .

Baby terrapins might seem attractive pets. But they can grow to the size of a dinner plate. The importation of
one species, the red-eared terrapin, was banned over ten years ago - but were still finding them in urban
ponds because they can live for several decades. said John Baker, Conservation Officer at Amphibian and
Reptile Conservation.

More recently, their numbers have been reinforced by other terrapin species that have taken the place of red-
ears in the pet trade. added Dr Baker.

Terrapins are best left to specialist pet-keepers. Theyre not a suitable pet for casual interest and they cer-
tainly shouldnt be purchased as a present at Christmas - or any other time.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation is calling on the public to report sightings of exotic amphibian and rep-
tile species (including terrapins) seen in the wild. For more information see the website, Alien Encounters -
www.alienencounters.org.uk
ARC

News
Winter
Nature lovers shortlisted for photo prize

Nature lovers from the West Country and the Lake District
have been shortlisted for a national photography prize by
capturing on film the benefits of mucking in to help the envi-
ronment. The photographic competition asked volunteers
from across the country taking part in Muck in 4 Life activities
to capture images of their conservation projects in action.
Muck in 4 Life is a Defra campaign encouraging more people
to get involved in conservation projects. It promotes being
active outdoors, whether in urban green spaces or the natural
environment to improve both physical and mental health.
The competition judges
chose two finalists from each
Region, having carefully con-
sidered more than 50 entries.
Andrew Lawson is a profes-
sional photographer and
member of the judging
panel. He said:
We, as the judging panel
were impressed by the inspi-
rational quality of the photo-
graphs and the stories they
told of some truly life-
enhancing projects. We
would like to congratulate all
those who took part in the
Muck in 4 Life activities,
those who entered the competition and of course, our four finalists.
Andrew was joined on the panel by Environment Minister,
Huw Irranca-Davies. He was equally impressed with the stan-
dard of entries and said:
"These are all great photos and picking a winner is a difficult
task. All of the photos show the enjoy-
ment people get from mucking in to
help the environment. I hope even
more people will muck in this year
and help with conservation volunteer-
ing which, as well as being fun, is
good for both the volunteers and our
environment."
Ilene Sterns: photo of Rhododendron clearing on Lundy Island
Mike Turner: photo of dry stone walling
near Ennerdale Water
West Country finalists
Beryl Heaton: photo of bulb planting on Highridge Common
in Bristol
Lake District finalists
Jamie Green: photo of brush burning in Rusland valley

Features
Winter
Thousands of Young People Doing One Thing for Nature

Where did it all start?
The BBC Breathing Places campaign set out to encourage and to provide
practical support for the public to help UK biodiversity by creating and
maintaining Breathing Places for nature. The concept was of a network of
small areas that were wildlife and people friendly. In this way nature and
people would benefit equally. A school and young peoples work stream
was included in the planning and a contract was awarded to the RSPB to
make it a reality. This became BBC Breathing Places Schools, which has de-
livered six activities over two years, to encourage pupils to improve their
school grounds for nature and the school community.
At the heart of the RSPB plan was an active partnership of like-minded or-
ganisations, across the whole of the UK, sharing a commitment to environ-
mental education and practical conservation. To see the most up to date
partner list look here.
A target of 10,000 registered schools was established at the outset. This
could not be said to be a SMART target for although it was Specific, Meas-
urable, Relevant and Timely no one was confident that it was Achievable.
By bringing together a motivated, knowledgeable group of specialists and a world-class communications or-
ganisation, we should never have doubted that the target was achievable.
Where are we today?
Over 11,400 teachers had registered their schools by the middle of December 2009. Our research tells us that
many participants are classroom assistants, governors, parents or other volunteers. Our research also tells us
that it is likely that 50% of participants have done one or more of
the activities. That is about 5,000 schools and over 100,000 pupils
Doing (at least) One Thing for nature.
There are regional variations in participation, both between coun-
tries and within countries. Registration levels range between 30%
and 90% of schools.
The activities have been designed for primary, middle and special
schools, where promotion has been focused, but we have attracted
nearly 1,000 secondary schools.
The investment in promotion has
been significant using written in-
vitations to head teachers, BBC
broadcast, BBC and partner web coverage and action on the ground by the
BBC, RSPB and our partners. We have also benefited from coverage in news-
letters, such as this one, all helping to spread the word. The two most suc-
cessful methods have been direct mail and broadcast.
We should not underestimate the BBC brand factor. It is clear that the pub-
lic, as represented by schoolteachers, have a high regard for the integrity and
quality of the BBC content. It was important when building the partnership that it was under the BBC um-
brella. The brand values of impartiality, universality and quality gave partner organisations the confidence to
cooperate and to contribute.
Plastic bottle bug home Janet Wilson
Brian Reid
Brian Reid

Features
Winter
Objectives not Targets!
Although numbers are important in justifying the effort and the expenditure, the
partnership had an underlying objective to get as many pupils as possible out of the
classroom improving schools for nature. We believe that giving young people a
positive and enjoyable experience of nature, at first hand, is vital to the future.
Building a respect for nature and a feeling that we can do something worthwhile to
support it, is the lesson that we hope participating young people will take with
them into adulthood.
Our formal research and routine contact with schoolteachers and pupils confirms
that BBC Breathing Places Schools has provided the sort of experience that has de-
livered against this aim. Wonder in the eyes of an infant being shown a daddy-long-
legs spider by older pupils is an illustration of the self-perpetuating process of expo-
sure to and education about nature that we find and support in our schools.
How did we do it?
The activity for each term is described in comprehensive teachers notes, in English and Welsh, providing a
step-by-step guide to the main Do One Thing. Teachers can add more related things using supplementary
activity sheets. A set of curriculum links for all four countries rounds of the
package. All of these resources can be downloaded from
bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/schools.
Registered teachers are supplied with an activity folder to manage the re-
sources and the BBC has provided giveaways for some term activities.
Many of our partners prepare web pages, related to each term, which are
linked from the relevant pages on the BBC web site. In this way we are able
to offer schools extension activities and further information and to make
connections between schools and the partner organisations.
Where do we go next?
The BBC have decided to continue the campaign in this International Year of Biodiversity, and have asked
our partnership to develop a seventh Do One Thing activity for the summer term of 2010. We have provided
themed activities on seed sowing, nurturing minibeasts, feeding wildlife, homes for wildlife, water and trees.
The new activity will launch in May, building on the previous activities and will focus on the topic of biodi-
versity itself. We hope to mobilise most of our 11,400 teachers to take part and would be pleased if more
schools decide to join in.
Conclusion
From a personal point of view, the opportunity to be involved in BBC Breathing Places Schools has been a
highlight of my working career. The BBC has provided the RSPB and our partners with a unique opportunity
to influence the next generation helping young people to understand, support and enjoy the nature around
them. The calibre of our partner representatives and the generous contribution of ideas and practical re-
sources have been reflected in the enthusiasm that we have encountered in schools, despite the high work-
loads experienced by teachers. We hope that we have created a resource base that can be used for years to
come, introducing more young people to enjoyment of nature.

Brian Reid, RSPB, BBC Breathing Places Project Manager

Brian Reid
Naomi Arnold Paul Lang-
shaw

Features
Winter
Swifts
Swifts are probably the most exciting and spectacular birds we have living in our villages, towns and cities. But
the recent decline in the number of Swifts nesting in Britain has been dramatic, of the order of 50 % over the
past 15 years, and it is quite likely that unless we help them now, Swifts will be effectively extinct within the
next twenty years.
The only known reason for their decline, and one that is ob-
vious, is the loss of nest places. Swifts nest inside eaves and
gables. Modern and refurbished buildings either do not have
these apertures, or else they are blocked to meet the require-
ments of the Building Regulations. The latest designs, the
Eco Homes will in fact be completely sealed and so useless
not only to Swifts, but also to bats too.
There are several things we can do to try to reduce this loss
and if possible recover the Swift population we had not so
long ago. The first and perhaps most important is to pre-
serve existing nest sites. That is why I have been involved with the Cherwell District Council in a project to
identify the places where they nest, and to try to ensure that those sites are not damaged.
But we also need to create more nest sites. This can be done by incorporating Swift Bricks (pre-fabricated
nest boxes that fit into the walls) into new buildings. These have been included in the Spiceball Centre in Ban-
bury. As new buildings do not have the spaces under eaves and cavities in the walls which are essential for
Swifts to nest in, hopefully this example can be copied much more widely in new buildings elsewhere.
Another even simpler method is to provide nest boxes which are now
widely used by Swifts. The idea of placing nest boxes in churches is
an especially appropriate one because Swifts have probably nested in
church buildings for hundreds of years. Recently however building
repairs and the use of wire mesh to exclude feral pigeons have lim-
ited this. Using churches for nest boxes also makes sound sense be-
cause once installed, a nest box in a church is likely to remain undis-
turbed for many years.
There are at least a couple of villages in Oxfordshire which have Swift
boxes in the church. One is St Marys Kirtlington, where I got permis-
sion from the Parochial Church Council in 2006 to install some in the
louvred windows in the tower.
The boxes each contain several nest spaces. They are fixed immediately behind the louvre so that birds cannot
get into the building itself. We have been playing a CD of Swift calls to try to entice them in, because although
there are a few pairs in nearby buildings, they have not been nesting in the church itself recently. So far we
have not attracted Swifts into these boxes, but this method has been successfully tried in several churches
around Cambridgeshire and I am confident that in time they will use ours.
The hope is that by using these different means of helping our Swifts, our children and grandchildren will still
be able to enjoy these charismatic summer visitors.
Chris Mason
For full information on how to help Swifts please visit www.swift-conservation.org
Swift chicks in a nest box Ulrich Tiggs
Graham Catley

Features
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The Warwickshire Wetlands

Anyone following the progress of the Warwickshire Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group over recent years
will notice an underlying theme of water. Following a project on the River Leam, came the Blythe Anker and
Tame catchment, also the Avon vale and latterly the Upper Trent. Running alongside this have been several
riparian enhancements on farms as part of Environmental Stewardship, culminating in large-scale wetland
and scrape creation on an arable farm on the Upper Leam.
While water obviously plays a fairly important part in creat-
ing ponds, it is also vital in re-wetting grassland and like-
wise for some arable reversion, allowing land to revert to
flood meadows. Even land that simply remains as damp
grassland is an important habitat for many plants and insects
which in turn provide the food source particularly for young
birds, and especially waders. Their chicks require a consis-
tent supply of high protein invertebrate food as do other
birds such as Tree Sparrows, Reed Bunting and Yellow Wag-
tail.
Regarding the vegetation, different birds have different re-
quirements, from tall to short grass, and dense swards to ar-
eas of bare earth. It follows that a bit of grazing can help cre-
ate this variety while the manure encourages more inverte-
brates. The days when a small area was managed for a par-
ticular species is now largely in the past, we are increasingly
looking at the whole ecosystem through twelve months of
the year, linked to larger landscape scale projects which
can take in riparian areas through several neighbouring
farms.
This partnership approach is producing much better envi-
ronmental gain, allowing farmers to receive a regular in-
come from the Stewardship schemes for the sensitive man-
agement of these less profitable areas of the farm. They are also able to share equipment and expertise, which
brings us on to one of the more recent innovations in wetland creation.
After much anticipation, the RSPBs Rotary Ditcher visited Warwickshire in the autumn of 2008. This ma-
chine was purchased by the RSPB with the support of Heritage Lottery Fund to create wet features in grass-
land to provide habitats for breeding waders. The ditcher is ten times faster and works out at half the cost of
a standard excavator, which makes it a much sought-after machine.
The machine worked on two Warwickshire Farms (Toft Farm and Burnt Heath Farm). The intention was to
restore and create wet grassland for breeding waders, particularly lapwing which already breed on and
around these sites. Having the machine working on two farms meant that transport costs could be shared,
which we found an important consideration, and a larger area of habitat could be created.
On Toft Farm we created 1900m of foot drains, and at Burnt Heath Farm we created 1320m. Foot drains are
shallow channels 2-3m wide and up to 40cm deep. These features are intended to catch and hold water into
FWAG 2008

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the early summer. As they dry out and the water recedes bare
mud is created to provide feeding habitat for breeding waders
and their chicks. As the machine operates with a laser levelling
system we are able to design the site to ensure that features were
at the correct depth.
Recent research (Eglington et al 2007) has shown that fields with
high density of foot drains attract higher densities of nesting lap-
wings, and that chicks are more likely to feed near these features.
We found that the benefits of the ditcher were that it spread spoil
evenly across the field up to 30m away. This removed the need
for the costly removal of spoil from the floodplain. We also used
the ditcher on long runs with minimal turning time, which was
the most efficient and cost effective way to use the machine.
To maximise the benefits for wildlife we used the following tech-
niques:
Creating variable depths of foot drains, meaning that they
will dry out unevenly and create wet muddy edge at different
stages during the breeding season.
Leaving the bottom of the foot drains with an uneven finish,
leaving a series of pools as they dry out which should concentrate the food for breeding waders.

We also had several considerations before using the machine, and as a condition of hire, we were required to
consult on a number of matters. This included site designations, archaeological interest, and Environment
Agency consent.
The success of this project shows the value of partnership working as FWAG, working closely with the land-
owner, involved both the Environment Agency and the RSPB at an early stage.

The ditcher is owned by the RSPB and operated by specialist agricultural contractors RC Baker (at the time of the work
in Warwickshire the machine was operated by Agrivert). The ditcher can only be used for conservation projects approved
by the RSPBs Ditcher Project Manager. For more information visit www.rspb.org.uk/rotaryditcher or email
mike.shurmer@rspb.org.uk

Update- lessons learnt.
The extremely wet conditions on the day restricted work to two passes with the ditcher, this proved to be
insufficient and several months later it was necessary to re-profile with an excavator. This shows the impor-
tance of having the ditcher at the right time, in the right conditions. The hire cost is a significant factor in de-
ciding whether to use this, or a more conventional digger which can be brought on at short notice when con-
ditions are favourable.
FWAG 2009

Features
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School Farm Visits Connecting Children with Biodiversity

Children need to engage with the natural world as part of their personal de-
velopment. If they are allowed to explore the countryside and outdoors gen-
erally it has been proven that they take an interest in, and improve their un-
derstanding of, the natural environment.
More than 800 farms across England provide educational access visits, free of
charge by prior arrangement, for schoolchildren as part of their agri-
environment (Environmental Stewardship or predecessor Countryside Stew-
ardship) scheme agreement. Visits can be used for a wide range of curricular
subjects e.g. geography, history, maths, sciences, citizenship, art and music,
and other studies including learning about how the food we eat is grown,
and learning about countryside landscapes and habitats, the species that live
there and how farming impacts on them.
Participating farmers provide teacher information packs to help teachers
plan their visit. They provide information about the farm, crops grown and
the farming practices employed, the plant and wildlife species that may be
present, plus question sheets about the farm and suggestions for other work-
sheets. Many of the farmers involved have undertaken special training through the Countryside Educational
Visits Accreditation Scheme (CEVAS) which equips them with the skills necessary to share their knowledge
of the countryside with children in a way that makes them interested and want to learn more. (CEVAS is the
recognised badge for countryside visits under the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) -
led Learning Outside the Classroom manifesto to which Defra is a signatory).
Guided walks/talks are also available for special interest groups of all
ages for life-long learning about the countryside, its wildlife and
plants, and the environmentally friendly farming methods adopted
through agri-environment schemes. Farm facts leaflets are provided by
the farmer to support these visits.
In 2007 (the latest year for which detailed figures are available),
agri-environment scheme educational access supported over 6,800 edu-
cational access visits to farms by more than 170,000 people, the major-
ity of these being schoolchildren in the 7-11 year age range
92% of visiting schools reported improvements in childrens knowl-
edge as a result of the visit.
99% of schools said they would visit again.
Natural England, which delivers agri-environment schemes for Defra
is also using educational access to help achieve their aim of getting one
million children out into the countryside to reconnect with nature.
Details of farms offering visits can be found on the Natural England
website at http://cwr.naturalengland.org.uk

Farming and countryside Education
Farming and countryside Education

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Hedgerows
Hedgerows are a major farmland habitat for wildlife. Hedgelink UK (formerly the UK Hedgerows Habitat
Action Plan Group) has recently launched an inter-active learning micro-site aimed at children aged 7-11,
funded by Defra, Natural England and the National Hedge Laying Society . This includes information about
hedgerows habitats and the species found there provided by Doris dormouse who encourages children to
create a hedge. There are also teaching aids, and a mini hedgerow survey which children can complete on
farm/countryside visits or in their own school grounds. The micro-site can be found on the Hedgelink web-
site at http://www.hedgelink.org.uk and on the Growing Schools website at
http://www.growingschools.org.uk/

Synergy through Partnerships 2010
New Year is the time for new starts and new opportunities, a time when we can assess how fortunate we are
for the friendships we have and a time when we can make resolutions to better communicate with those
around us.
We should also use this time to consider our relationships with the charities and businesses with whom we
work to conserve and enhance biodiversity. If a good relationship is measured as progress made against pro-
ject targets, then socio-economic studies have documented that relationships with well communicated goals
will be those that flourish.
Aggregate Industries is a producer and supplier of materials to the construction industry and has been work-
ing with The Wildlife Trusts for a number of years. As major landholders across the UK, we have long been
aware of our social responsibility, successfully publishing our first company biodiversity plan in 2003. The
Wildlife Trusts recognise that working with business reaches out to a different audience and advice will be
gratefully received.
Both The Wildlife Trusts and
Aggregate Industries have
learnt collectively, that a bal-
anced relationship between
equal partners develops effec-
tively via the four main ele-
ments of a partnership: choos-
ing partners, solving problems
and overcoming conflicts, com-
municating internally and exter-
nally and, finally, measuring
progress.
Initially - and hardest for some,
is choosing the right partner.
For a corporate, it can be locat-
ing someone with similar ideals
or who will contribute effec-
tively to a specific project. For a
charity, the challenges may
Aggregate industries UK limited

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come from members who foresee working with certain sectors as fraternising with the enemy or anticipate
a loss of independence. Deciding whether you are looking for a partner who will last (initially at least) just
for a project or for a specific length of time makes the decision easier.
For Aggregate Industries, we were initially looking for a short term partner whose focus was on the whole of
the environment rather than a specific species. It was fortunate that The Wildlife Trusts were looking to learn
about accreditation in business processes like ours to strengthen their Biodiversity Benchmark, under their
Chief Executive, Stephanie Hilborne. Therefore synergy through partnership became an expectation for eve-
ryone involved.
Through supporting The Wildlife Trusts both partners have learnt more about building in capacity and de-
veloping transparency so problem solving and overcoming conflicts efficiently became easier over time. This
has enabled The Wildlife Trusts to take full advantage of campaigns like the BBC Breathing Places. Like any
relationship we need to recognise each others needs to move forward together. Before the relationship was
even finalised, exit strategies were agreed which included post project evaluation so both sides could review
achievements made and reflect.
In order to communicate internally and externally on both sides, it was found that a variety of levels within
the organisation proved to be most effective. Aggregate Industries found that project outcomes were
achieved if the key people selected had both a wide reach within the business and a personal interest in the
project matter in this case biodiversity and community engagement. As an organisation very much focus-
sed on grass roots action in local communities, The Wildlife Trusts are uniquely placed to identify and en-
gage with those key people.
Our relationship continuously improves over time, and has meant we have each learnt more about how the
other works, motivations and priorities. Together, we have tried and tested ways of measuring our progress
using what we hope are meaningful performance indicators. Through success and exposure, a greater pro-
portion of the leaders of the 47 Wildlife Trusts have an appreciation of the work carried out by Aggregate
Industries - a number have been on quarry tours, supported site biodiversity action plans and/or benefitted
from a donation of materials on their reserves.
As we move into 2010, The Wildlife Trusts and Aggregate Industries are again communicating about projects
which will take place over the next three years, continuously striving to raise awareness, make introductions,
promote communication, re-evaluate lessons-learned and above all, investigate new synergy opportunities to
make these connections possible.
In the International Year of Biodiversity, we can support each other in Thinking Globally, Acting Locally
and getting the message of the importance of biodiversity out to as many people as will listen.
None of us can make the changes necessary on our own; should all our New Year resolutions be to find and
improve communications with our partners for 2010?

Delia Shannon
Biodiversity Manager, Aggregate Industries delia.shannon@aggregate.com 01530 816664
With thanks to Tanya Perdikou at The Wildlife Trusts, Newark

Features
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UK Wildlife Scoops Heritage Lottery Fund jackpot to the
tune of 860M

Wildlife from the red-barbed ant to the basking shark are just some of the UKs unlikely winners of the Na-
tional Lottery, which has just celebrated its 15
th
anniversary. While lucky winners have scooped millions of
pounds since the lottery launched in 1994, many of the UKs most endangered plants and animals together
with their habitats have also benefited from Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grants.
Corinna Woodall, Policy Advisor Landscape Partnerships and Biodiversity commented: Our biodiversity is
fundamentally important, but often undervalued for the wide benefits it brings for both society and the econ-
omy. HLF investment has been crucial in protecting some of our most threatened wildlife and without it
many of our valued habitats and species may be in an even more precarious state than they are in today. We
can celebrate some real success stories but there is still much to do particularly in 2010, the International Year
of Bio-diversity, where the new UK list of priority habitats and species sets us a new challenge for future fund-
ing.

HLF - biggest supporter of the UKs natural heritage
For 15 years, HLF has not only been transforming a wide
range of heritage, it has also become one of the biggest sup-
porters of the UKs natural heritage. Since 1994, the Fund
has invested more than 860 million to help safeguard Brit-
ains precious countryside, wildlife and parks. It has made
major contributions toward the delivery of the UK Biodi-
versity Action Plan (UKBAP), with 278 million awarded
specifically to 2,270 bio-diversity and species projects. For
example, HLF funding has restored 47,000 hectares of low-
land heath (80 percent of target) and enabled the expansion
of chalk grassland by 643 hectares (64 percent of target).
Funding has also supported some of the UKs rarest species
such as the native red squirrel, water voles, horseshoe bats,
the red-barbed ant along with the native barn owl.

Investing in the UKs most endangered species
HLF funding supports a broad range of projects, such as the HLF grant of 4,300 to Rushcliffe Barn Owl Pro-
ject which helped to reintroduce Barn Owls back to Nottinghamshire. The 50,000 award to the London Zoo-
logical Society for the red-barbed ant will have helped to save this UKBAP priority species from imminent ex-
tinction on the UK mainland. Its precarious status is primarily due to habitat degradation and loss and it cur-
rently only survives on the Isles of Scilly and at one site in Surrey. The Surrey site is all female as this species
forms single sex nests, but there are no all male nests left on the mainland. A key part of this project was to
raise awareness of the plight of this species and its habitat within local communities and engage volunteers.
The project is currently breeding red-barbed ants in captivity for release in the wild, is managing habitat at
existing red-barbed ant sites (Chobham Common National Nature Reserve and the Isles of Scilly) and is creat-
ing suitable habitats at nearby sites where the ant used to be found.
Hummingbird Hawk-moth David Green

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Securing the UKs natural habitats
Larger projects that HLF has funded include funding of
289, 000 to Butterfly Conservation in the south east of
England which is taking a strategic approach to ad-
dressing habitat management across 95 woodlands,
through supporting landowners and training volun-
teers. However, the 7.2 million worth of HLF funding
for the restoration of Great Fen in Cambridgeshire
represents the largest grant award made by HLF in Eng-
land for a biodiversity project. The Wildlife Trust for
Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and
Peterborough has acquired 1,300 hectares of arable land
with HLF support in order to reconnect lost fenland
habitat and reconnect two isolated National Nature Re-
serves. There is a strong emphasis on enabling and en-
couraging access to these regenerating areas of wilder-
ness.

Challenges for 2010
In 2010, HLF will be supporting the United Nations International Year of Biodiversity and welcomes fund-
ing applications for biodiversity projects across the UK. More information about the types of projects it
funds and how to apply for funding can be found on the funds website www.hlf.org.uk. New guidance spe-
cifically on biodiversity projects will also be available shortly.

Rushcliffe Barn Owl Project

Features
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Set aside The Campaign for a Farmed Environment

The Country Land & Business Association (CLA) alongside the National Farmers Union (NFU) have been
developing a proposal to put farmers in the driving seat in terms of set aside mitigation. The industry pro-
posal was initiated following the governments plans to demand that farmers manage between 4-6% of their
land specifically for environmental outputs through cross-compliance. This was not the same as former set
aside since farmers would need to choose from a limited
range of environmental land management options and if any
of these were to fail, farmers SPS payments could be at
risk. It has been estimated that this would force an additional
240,000 ha of land out of production.
The CLA and partners felt that the government proposals
failed to acknowledge the enormous amount of high quality
environmental management already taking place and could
potentially jeopardise all that had been achieved to date. The
industry approach known as The Campaign for a Farmed En-
vironment (CFE) has been developed to recognise the envi-
ronmental management already being delivered by land man-
agers both through agri-environment schemes and also
through other unrewarded mechanisms.
The campaign is formed on the belief that there are many
challenges still to be overcome whether it be food security, climate change or those presented under the Wa-
ter Framework Directive. If we are to address and overcome these we will need all farmers to take a part and
the campaign offers a mechanism for the industry to work with government and conservation bodies to en-
sure that all future challenges can be addressed but in a way that has a proportionate impact on farming
businesses.
The Campaign aims to recapture and exceed the
delivery of environmental benefits that were
previously provided by set-aside on arable
land. It will do this by focusing farmers and
land managers attention on three key themes:
1. Resource Protection protection of soil
and water-courses
2. Farmland bird habitats management and
creation of the big 3 for farmland birds
namely safe nesting sites, spring/summer feed-
ing opportunities for chicks and overwintering
seed sources for adults
3. Farmland biodiversity maintaining and
enhancing key arable farmland habitats

The Campaign has agreed to meet a number of
Corrina Gibbs
Corrina Gibbs

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National (England) targets over a three
year period (July 2009 June 2012).
These include:
- Supporting increased uptake of ELS
- Doubling the take-up of key in-field
options within ELS
- Retaining a proportion of uncropped
land (179,000ha) and seeking to enhance
the environmental management on at
least a third of it
- Increase the adoption of voluntary
environmental management options be-
ing undertaken on land outside of agri-
environment schemes by 30,000ha over current levels
- Encouraging 60% of farmers currently not engaged in agri-environment agreements to undertake the
Campaigns voluntary environmental management options on their land

The first challenge for the CFE has been to demonstrate to ministers and government officials that the indus-
try is fully behind the campaign. Key bodies including the CLA and NFU are working in partnership with
Defra and its agencies, Natural England and the Environment Agency, alongside conservation organisations
including RSPB and The Wildlife Trust. Local liaison groups are driving forward the Campaign in the target
areas where arable farming predominates. The liaison groups are chaired by a local farmers and taken for-
ward by an employed county co-coordinator, funded by Defra.

For more details contact the National Campaign Coordinator Corrina Gibbs:
Corrina.Gibbs@nfu.org.uk
Tel: 024 7685 8536
www.cfeonline.org.uk

Ben Underwood, CLA, Deputy Regional Director,
Ben.underwood@cla.org.uk

Corrina Gibbs

Local & Regional
Winter
Isle of Wight Biodiversity: celebrating 10 years of local action

2009 was a milestone for the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership as we cele-
brated our 10
th
birthday. Much has been achieved in the last ten years to improve
our natural environment for both wildlife and the enjoyment of people who live
here or visit the Island.
Back in September 1999, the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership was formed. A
steering group meets regularly to discuss and oversee work being carried out to
benefit the Islands biodiversity. Working this way helps us pool our resources,
enables us to consider our achievements and challenges and how we contribute
towards the bigger regional and national picture.
There have been many suc-
cesses during the last ten years
which were highlighted at our
birthday event attended by rep-
resentatives from across the Island and South East region,
and also within in a special publication Isle of Wight Biodi-
versity: celebrating 10 years of local action. Here are some
examples of which we can be proud and set the Island
apart from other English counties.
Our chalk grassland is rich in a variety of species and
managed carefully in a traditional way by grazing with
minimal or no use of fertilisers with currently, more than
85% in favourable or recovering condition.
Our
spectacular coastlines support a rich diversity of wild-
life and geology, some of which are of national impor-
tance. The Islands soft cliffs have been recognised as
some of the richest in the UK for their wildlife and our
shallow, sheltered sandy bays are host to some of the
UKs most important underwater seagrass meadows
vital for young fish and seahorses.
The Island is home to 119 species of national impor-
tance with a further 477 indentified as being locally
distinctive. In fact, we have a handful of species which
only exist on the Island, some of which are carefully
monitored, others unfortunately not faring so well.
The pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly is one not doing
so well. This little treasure is nationally threatened
and is now confined to a tiny area in Parkhurst Forest.
Isle of Wight Biodiversity
Partnership
Chalk grassland with pyramidal orchids Tina
Whitmore
Cliff tiger beetle Roger Key

Local & Regional
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Ten years ago, it was widespread across the Forest but has
since declined drastically due to a lack of suitable woodland
management. However, a new work programme is currently
underway, hopefully just in time to save the pearl-bordered
fritillary from extinction.
The water vole is seldom seen on the Island, but despite a
slight decline in numbers, the UKs largest vole is actually
doing quite well. The Island is the only county to not have
feral mink, an introduced species which has contributed to
the national decline of water voles. However, we must im-
prove our waterway management and water quality to re-
verse the decline of
our local popula-
tion.
Looking back over the last ten years we can truly celebrate many
successes in protecting plants, animals and the habitats they depend
upon, but it is clear there is still much work to do. The Islands habi-
tats and species are changing under pressure from both natural and
human actions. The need for the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partner-
ship is as strong now as it ever was and we will continue to work
together to meet both the challenges ahead and to seek new opportu-
nities in future.
------------------------------
Isle of Wight Biodiversity: celebrating 10 years of local action is available as a pdf from www.wildonwight.co.uk/
library.
For more information on the Isle of Wight Biodiversity Partnership please visit www.wildonwight.co.uk
Contact: Tina Whitmore Biodiversity Projects Officer tina.whitmore@iow.gov.uk

Pearl-bordered fritillary Keith Marston
Water vole DEFRA

Local & Regional
Winter

Pembrokeshire bumblebee project wins 25k prize

A project to encourage a rare bumblebee has been named the winner of a 25,000 conservation prize.

It is hoped the scheme to enhance the
wildflower habitat near Castlemartin,
Pembrokeshire, will help to establish a col-
ony of shrill carder bees.
It is one of just six sites in the UK where
the species can be found.
It was chosen as the winner of the 30,000
euro prize in an online vote on the Live for
the Outdoors website, from a shortlist of
six UK projects.
The Pembrokeshire scheme is a collabora-
tion between the Bumblebee Conservation
Trust, Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire
Coast National Park Authority and the
Countryside Council for Wales.
"This is not only brilliant news for the
shrill carder bee and other bumblebees but
for a whole host of birds and beasties that
need more wildflower grasslands in Pembrokeshire," said Dr Pippa Rayner, Conservation Officer for the
Bumblebee Trust.
"We are so pleased that the project seems to have captured the public's enthusiasm and support and thank
each and every person who voted.
"We can't wait to get started and begin restoring wildflower habitats for bumblebees in Pembrokeshire."
The shrill carder bee, named because of its high-pitched buzz , remains the rarest bumblebee in Wales and
England.
Its decline has been linked to the loss of wildflower environments and grassland meadows.
Local ranger Lynne Houlston said: "Our project is at Castlemartin Range and includes planting native wild-
flowers, linking related habitats and working directly to conserve a UK biodiversity action plan species,
alongside the MoD's proposed creation of a new trail for walkers, cyclists and horse riders."

Further good news for bees, the Wales Biodiversity Partnership is pledging financial support to enhance
habitats for the shrill carder bee Bombus sylvarum at Solutia Meadows Reserve in the Gwent Levels. This re-
serve is managed by Gwent Wildlife Trust and is known to support both B. sylvarum and the brown-banded
carder bee B. humilis, which are each UK BAP species with important populations in south Wales. Habitat
management works will be used to safeguard and expand existing species-rich meadow areas through scrub
clearance, removal of inappropriate tree-planting and enhancing semi-improved fields through seed addi-
tion, with all works undertaken under the advice of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT).
BBCT

Local & Regional
Winter
38ha of new wet grassland habitat for Wigeon

WWT Consulting, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) and
the Environment Agency (EA) have worked together to create 38
hectares of new wet grassland at Lady Fen Farm in Norfolk. The
project has already proved to be a great success with daily re-
cords of up to 1000 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope.
WWT Consulting was appointed in 2005 by the EA to assess a
number of sites in Norfolk to see whether they would be suitable
for Wigeon habitat creation. New habitat was required to com-
pensate for essential flood defence work carried out on the Mid-
dle Level Barrier Bank of the Ouse Washes.
Wigeon favour open, flatter areas of land with good all round
vision to ensure early warning of potential predators. The pres-
ence of standing water is also a key feature. Wigeon particularly
favour narrow, grassy strips at the peripheries of water. WWT
Consulting looked specifically for an area of land where more
than 30 percent open water could be created with shallow
flooded areas and wide ditches, enabling roosting birds to retreat
onto the water for safety. Although the diversity of the grass
sward is not so important for Wigeon, the height is, as they need
to be able to walk through the grassland and have good all-
round visibility. Therefore, a grassland would need to be cre-
ated where a sward of around 5cm in height could be achieved
through grazing management.
The feasibility study assessed the topography, soil and hydrological conditions of the sites and identified
Lady Fen as suitable, which the EA subsequently purchased in 2006. WWT Consulting were then appointed
to undertake the detailed design and build of the project. Site supervision of the construction, by Fen Ditch-
ing, was carried out by WWT staff. The ongoing management of the site is being carried out by WWT under
a 20 year agreement with the EA.
The main technical issues to overcome were
hydrological. To maintain suitable water lev-
els across the site the design needed to over-
come a seasonal water deficit, deal with nu-
trient rich water from a largely agricultural
catchment and ensure that farmland, build-
ings and surrounding roads would not be at
risk of flooding. Site surveys determined the
drainage, depth of underlying peat and clay,
and topographic profiles across the site.
Based on this, the design focused on altering
the topography to accentuate the natural
contours and create a sealed hydrological
Wigeon Robbie Wilson
Post construction Emma Hutchins WWT

Local & Regional
Winter
unit. This was achieved through bunding and the use of an imper-
meable membrane. This ensured surrounding areas were not at risk
of flooding as all water was impounded within the site. Transfor-
mation into wet grassland was achieved by digging a system of
ditches, channels and scrapes, inserting a waterproof liner and
seeding it with native grasses.
As water levels are critical for Wigeon, the site has been engineered
to allow control. This is achieved through the use of a settlement
pond that holds abstracted water, pumped from a main drain, be-
fore release into the ditch network as required. This settlement
pond also acts as a wetland treatment system to reduce nutrient
levels. Grazing by sheep and cattle has been established to manage
the grassland, with an electric fence serving the dual purpose of
containing the livestock and deterring terrestrial predators.
The scheme has also been designed to benefit a number of breeding spe-
cies such as Lapwing, Snipe and Redshank. Moreover, the project may
help to retain Black Tailed-godwits in the Ouse Washes area. Their
breeding areas have been restricted in recent years and for the last two
years un-seasonal rains have led to spring / summer flooding on the
Ouse Washes and the subsequent loss of eggs and chicks.
Although Lady Fen Farm was primarily transformed for wetland spe-
cies, features were also retained and enhanced for the existing suite of
farmland birds, such as Linnets, Tree Sparrows, Yellow Hammer, Corn
Buntings and Goldfinches. This included planting of a native hedgerow,
that also serves as a screen to an adjacent road and seeding of the road
verge with wildflower mix to increase abundance of food.

Construction was completed in 2009 and early indications suggest that
the project is proving to be a success. In addition to the numbers of
Wigeon seen at Lady Fen Farm, Snipe and Jack Snipe have been recorded
along with more than 120 Lapwing, 200 Golden Plover and 200
Whooper Swans.

Jon Mellings WWT Consulting and Emma Hutchins WWT.

WWT Consulting is the UKs leading specialist wetland consultancy. We provide species surveys, habitat
creation, restoration, management and visitor centre design services to our clients worldwide.
The consultancy is based at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, UK, the headquarters of the Wildfowl & Wetlands
Trust (WWT) to whom it returns all its profits to assist with wetland research and conservation.
Wigeon James Lees
Post construction Livestock grazing Emma Hut-
chins WWT

Local & Regional
WInter
Planning for habitat networksClyde Valley Project

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Glas-
gow Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership (GCVGNP) partner-
ship have commissioned a project to develop an approach/model to
align SEPAs River Basin Management Planning (RBMP) require-
ments with GCVGNPs recently developed Integrated Habitat Net-
work (IHN) model for the Clyde Valley. The enhancement and ex-
pansion of habitat networks is a key mechanism for reversing effects
of fragmentation of biodiversity, improving landscape resilience,
and helping species adapt to climate change. Improvements to eco-
logical networks can be undertaken directly as part of biodiversity
action plans, site conservation management and may come about
indirectly through property development or other improvement
opportunities (e.g. Flood defence schemes, Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes). The RBMP process driven
by the EC Water Framework Directive seeks to improve the quality of our water environment, including
their physical, chemical and ecological characteristics. An extensive programme of measures is being devel-
oped by SEPA and RBMP partners to achieve the required improvements.
Combining the expansion and improvement of ecological networks with implementation of RBMP provides
great opportunities for delivering multiple benefits and achieving greatest environmental improvements. For
example, wetland creation, reconnecting rivers with their floodplain, riparian woodland creation to contrib-
ute to reducing impacts of diffuse pollution. This project is developing a screening model to identify target
locations where this approach is likely to be beneficial, opportunity areas will be discussed and agreed with
partners, they may for example include areas of derelict land regeneration, urban development or rural land
use change. The project outcomes will help Clyde Area Advisory group and partners to prioritise and de-
velop practical measures at the catchment scale. This pilot project covers the Clyde Valley, but it is intended
that the model can later be applied to other areas of Scotland.
Through a workshop which took place on the 3
rd
December we aim to engage partners in identifying key
data sets, areas for habitat expansion and protection, potential case study locations, and receive feedback on
proposed methods. If you would like more information please contact Heather Musgrave
(musgh@entecuk.co.uk) or Louise Bond (Louise.Bond@sepa.org.uk)
Forth & Clyde canal, Knightswood, Glasgow SEPA
Habitats along the River Clyde at Erskine GCV green network

Local & Regional
WInter
The diagram below shows the study area with RBMP water bodies (red areas those water bodies with diffuse
pollution pressures, at less than good status), orange areas generalist woodland networks within 1 km of wa-
ter bodies with diffuse pollution pressures, intersecting with potential opportunity area, blue areas defined
as vacant and derelict land.
Highlighting the benefits of the project Ally Corbett, Develop-
ment Officer with the Glasgow Clyde Valley Green Network
Partnership said "The Integrated Habitat Network (IHN)
Model has the potential to be a key tool for reversing the ef-
fects of habitat fragmentation. By combining this model with
SEPA's initiative there are opportunities to deliver multiple
benefits and achieve the greatest environmental impacts.

Louise Bond, Senior Biodiversity Ecologist with SEPA, added
"Taking a partnership approach we are scoping out these op-
portunities and identifying target locations where the project
approach is likely to be beneficial.

A report detailing the next steps for the project is due May
2010.

GCV Integrated Habitat Network Model (Forest Research) - http://www.gcvgreennetwork.gov.uk/
publications/reports_strategies.php
Clyde Area Advisory Group - http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/river_basin_planning/
area_advisory_groups/clyde.aspx
Crown copyright. (2009)

Local & Regional
Winter
Details of bryologist placement at RSPB Abernethy NNR

The BTCV Natural Talent Scheme, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the RSPB, at Abernethy NNR, have
collaborated to make it possible for an enthusiastic apprentice bryologist to contribute to biodiversity knowl-
edge on the reserve. In late-autumn 2009, previously un-recorded areas of potential bryological interest were
targeted for survey. Over twenty new taxa for the re-
serve have been discovered including the first definite
record of the nationally scarce liverwort Cephalozia
pleniceps since 1912. This species had last been noted by
Knight and Nicholson with a vague locality close to
what was to become the reserve boundary so it was
pleasing to find a location well within. In addition,
new sites have been found for the endangered moss
Buxbaumia viridis, three nationally rare species namely
Cynodontium strumiferum, Orthotrichum speciosum and
Sphagnum riparium and ten nationally scarce species.
This work has built on previous contracted surveys of
the mountainous parts of the reserve to take the total
number of bryophytes recorded to nearly four hun-
dred taxa. RSPB Abernethy NNR is clearly an impor-
tant reserve for mosses and liverworts, with good
popul at i ons
of many rare species. For example, the liverwort Tetralophozia seti-
formis and the moss Pohlia filum are well represented at RSPB Aber-
nethy NNR but outside of the Cairngorms, their main centre of dis-
tribution, they are very rare. This work has developed the expertise
of the apprentice and highlighted some important localities for bryo-
phytes within the reserve - providing useful information for future
management decisions.
Article by Oliver Moore (BTCV Natural Talent Apprentice Bryolo-
gist)
email: OMoore@rbge.ac.uk

The BTCV Natural Talent Scheme aims to train the next generation of naturalists. More details at http://
www2.btcv.org.uk/display/naturaltalent

More details about the RSPB Abernethy NNR can be found at
http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/l/lochgarten/index.asp
Oliver Moore
Oliver Moore

Local & Regional
Winter
First Biodiversity Festival deemed a great success

The first Tayside Biodiversity Festival was held in May with a 10 day celebration of wildlife and biodiversity
in Angus, Dundee and Perthshire.
Angus showcased its impressive range of biodi-
versity with a range of activities including a
guided Reptile Walk to Loch Lee in the Angus
Glens, the opportunity to participate in the big-
gest spring bird survey ever in the Angus Glens,
a guided walk along Seaton Cliffs 400 million
year old red sandstone cliffs and a one day intro-
ductory Bumblebee Identification Day in associa-
tion with the Angus ranger service and Bumble-
bee Conservation Trust.
One of the highlight of the festival was re-
nowned photographer David Boag's light-
hearted talk on his wildlife photographic adven-
tures in Scottish quarries, and his session on
wildlife photography techniques afterwards.
This event also saw the launch of the Tayside Biodiversity Partnerships ZOOM In2 photographic project.
The project provides free recyclable cameras to participants and asks them to choose a local green space and
photograph it from the same spot every month for a year.
This time next year 20 sets of photographs from each local authority area will be selected and turned into
time lapse films. For more information please visit www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk.
Spindle Ermine Moth Web with Caterpillars
Caterpillars of the Spindle Ermine Moth,
Yponomeuta cagnagella which we found in
masses on spindle bushes on the B4509
road out of Wickwar (ST715903).
Their food plant is the Spindle and they
make cocoons amongst the leaves. Often
they decimate whole swathes of foliage on
the bushes as in this case. They tend to be
found in chalk and limestone districts. I
have never seen a larval infestation like
this before. We found them in August last
year.
Hazel Willmott
Pictures Hazel Willmott
Angus Council

UKBAP Update
Winter
Latest News

Alongside the unexpectedly festive seasonal weather, 2010 begins not only a new decade but the start of
the International Year of Biodiversity. 2010 is set to be a pivotal year for global biodiversity and conserva-
tion, with the UK Biodiversity Action Plan involved with, relating to, and underpinning work and initia-
tives across the countries and elsewhere in Europe.

Reporting and targets for 2010 and beyond are being examined at both a UK- and devolved level, with the
release of SNHs Scotlands Wildlife an assessment of biodiversity in 2010 and the development of
CCWs Welsh BAP report. The 2010 edition of the UK Biodiversity Indicators are in production, drawing
together updated trends from eighteen areas of conservation interest, and providing evidence to compare
these to European and International progress. Publication of the latest indicators is intended to coincide
with the International Day for Biodiversity on May 22
nd
.

Meeting and collaboration between the UKBAP groups also continues into 2010, with the Biodiversity In-
formation Reporting Group (BRIG) meeting in early February and the Biodiversity Research Advisory
Group (BRAG) reviewing their activities of 2009. The new UK Habitat Groups have all met at least once,
as a forum for sharing information and best practice on their habitats across the countries and working to-
wards consistency of targets across the UK where appropriate.

On research, Defra received over 30 expressions of interest in response to its call for proposals on the
status, taxonomy and ecology of UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species and habitats, and tenders
have now been invited from a range of organisations.

Work being taken forward by BRIG includes creating a web-based mechanism to make the wealth of
knowledge on habitat management for species more accessible, and identifying the most cost-effective way
of organising reporting in the light of devolution and our international requirements. We look forward to
the launch of the progress and plans of the National Ecosystem Assessment and making an input to this
via the user group.

Updating of the UKBAP web resources is underway, with both the UKBAP site and the Biodiversity Ac-
tion Reporting Service (BARS) set to undergo the first part of major updates and overhauls of their struc-
ture and function. The updates will better reflect both the new BAP process itself, and provide a more
available resource for BAP-practitioners and other interested parties. With biodiversity likely to be in the
news a lot this year, a more-accessible information on the UK approach will be needed so watch this
space!

Finally, a date for your diary the 2010 UK Biodiversity
Partnership Conference will take place in Stirling on 23-24
November, focussed on responding to the 10
th
Conference
of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
due to take place in Nagoya, Japan, in October.

- Linda Birkin, JNCC

Publications
Winter
Natural Angus

A year round guide to viewing the natural wonders of Angus
Natural Angus is a perpetual calendar which highlights the wealth of biodiversity found in Angus
throughout the year in our many spectacular habitats ranging from high in the Angus Glens down to the
North Sea shore. Each month features a different habitat, species associated with it, events and photo op-
portunities and how you can be a part of protecting Anguss unique biodiversity.
The publication is available to local accommodation providers as reference for display and in limited num-
bers in local libraries and museums. By highlighting what wildlife can be seen throughout the year it is
hoped that people will be encouraged to make return visits to Angus at all times of year.
The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy urges local government to promote sustainable development and biodi-
versity conservation and Angus Council and Tayside Biodiversity Partnership have been able to produce
this guide due to the kind assistance of Scottish Natural Heritage, VisitScotland and the Scottish Wildlife
Trust.
The Calendar was officially launched at a Bumblebee identification course on Thursday 7th May at Crom-
bie Country Park during the Tayside Biodiversity Festival which ran 1st May 2009 to 10th May in 2009.

Events
Winter
Tayside Biodiversity Festival: 1st to 31st May 2010

Following the success of the inaugural Festival held in Tayside
in 2009, there will be an array of events throughout the month
of May 2010. There will be the usual walks, talks and tours, ex-
hibitions and seminars, some with an international theme to
link to the International Year of Biodiversity, some with a Scot-
land-wide theme to link to the Scottish Biodiversity Week. Film
and science will feature again, with the Tayside Biodiversity
Partnership working with the Dundee Science Centre, Scottish
Crop Research Institute and Dundee Contemporary
Arts. There will be an environmental arts and wildlife photog-
raphy theme through much of the Festival with plenty of events
for schools and families. The programme will be available via
www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk in due course.

Tayside Orchard Festival: 9th to 24th October 2010

The second Carse of Gowrie Orchard Festival was held in the autumn
of 2009 and involved an Apple Weekend at Glendoick Garden Centre,
a Family Fruit Weekend at Historic Scotland's Elcho Castle, the plant-
ing of a new school orchard at St. Madoes Primary School, and the
Errol Community Apple Fair to which local people contributed their
version of apple cake served with tea in the village hall. At each
event apple juice making was the main draw, but there were
also displays of Scottish fruit, cooking demonstrations, and fruit iden-
tification. At the medieval Elcho Castle, visitors were encouraged to
pick a bag of apples to take home to make an apple pie and many peo-
ple contributed to the Apple Ar-
chive of local recipes.
2010 sees the 21st anniversary of Common Ground's Apple Day, so the
Festival will be widened beyond the Carse of Gowrie to encompass Tay-
side and Fife. There is a huge resurgence of interest in orchards in East-
ern Scotland. Angus Council's School Orchard Project will see 60 or-
chards planted in schools within 3 years; Orchard 800 will see fruit trees
planted on greenspace in Perth in celebration of Perth 800. There is also
a new orchard project in north-east Fife. Further details on orchards in
Scotland are available from www.taysidebiodiversity.co.uk and
www.clydevalleyorchards.co.uk.
Apple weekend SAG Lloyd
Elcho Castle orchard S Broad
Angus Council

Events
Winter
From Rags to Riches in 2010
The Shared Earth Trust's new course on making rag rugs is just one of eight workshops that the charity is
running in early 2010 to help people make the most of tight budgets and gain skills for sustainability.
The Shared Earth Trust is now offering a varied and exciting programme of practical skills and leisure inter-
est workshops. How about trying your hand at re-cycling old clothes to make rag rugs or making a hedge-
row basket ?, Have you always wanted to create a name plaque for your house?, Well now you have the
chance to make a unique mosaic of your own design. Other, cost saving topics include herbal medicine, sour
dough bread and - for the more technically minded - an opportunity to learn about DIY solar hot water in-
stallation or Permaculture design.
This programme offers excellent value, with tuition from local experts, set in beauti-
ful surroundings at Denmark Farm, near Lampeter.
Tamara Morris (Shared Earth Trust) says: There seems to be a huge demand for these type of
courses and we have some fantastically skilled local people ready to pass on their skills to others. These
are just some of the practical skills that will help us all get better prepared for our fast changing world
and provide a perfect opportunity to meet like minded people.
Rebekah Sheldon (participant on a previous course) says: I now feel confident I could
make a basket by myself and that I could go off and do more practical crafts by myself. It is always
great fun at Denmark Farm, the staff and atmosphere are very warm and welcoming and you will learn
lots of valuable skills.
In addition, this spring, there is also a chance for a small group of people to help
build a rustic timber framed shelter for use as a camp kitchen at Denmark Farm. Par-
ticipants will work as part of a team and learn traditional timber construction techniques. This is a free op-
portunity as part of the Big Lottery Fund funded programme Natural Links. The project takes place at the end
of February into early March.
Anyone interested in more information about The Shared Earth Trust and Denmark Farm please contact:
info@shared-earth-trust.org.uk / 01570 493358 / www.shared-earth-trust.org.uk
Water & Environment 2010: Chartered Institure of Water and En-
vironmental Management (CIWEMs) Annual Conference
28th - 29th April 2010, Olympia Conference Centre, London
The way we manage water and the environment are fundamental to our long term future, both
in the UK and internationally. The urgency of climate change and the challenges of water, food
and energy security, set against a climate of financial limitation, call for more integrated and
green solutions.
The aim of the conference is to challenge and inspire the water and environmental community by
sharing knowledge and best practice, which is at the heart of meeting key global challenges.
In April 2010 CIWEM will hold a two-day Annual Conference that will address multidisciplinary issues
across all areas of the global water and environment sector. There will be a mix of keynote speakers, offered
papers, exhibitions and networking opportunities that will make this the key event for water and environ-
ment professionals.
To view the draft programme and book your place at this event please see www.ciwem.org/events/
annual_conference
Tamara Morris

Events
Winter

Oxfordshire Goes Wild

FREE fun fore the family
at
Oxford University
Museum of Natural History

Saturday 20 March, 12-4pm

Meet live bats, owls, snakes, fish and bugs, go pond dipping, shake a dinosaurs
claw; do lots of wildlife activities and much more

Nature is fascinating our local experts will show you why

Come and celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity

Cynth Napper 01865 407034 cynth@oncf.org.uk

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