tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80267969365676563482024-02-21T21:33:03.585-08:00Nature's Good News Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-81891395501779982672022-07-18T09:01:00.014-07:002022-07-22T05:56:41.771-07:00How to Help the Environment Right Now Through Citizen Science<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicBJdaWITx9b5XF6JKfpItALSkrBWuOukaNgwx33fU2AoL9v9cz-hACkN_sttZIUrnaJKuN3viIikPDAKj910sIdm3dbkyHh_ULNsQVrKN8gV46xTp-kAVmobenPxSB7o54xOPvr2xcKo7KgK0HqDrL_0kvxrFM8bLzc4GYwQVGofam7UDdzazqF0/s5760/neil-fedorowycz-3WZkPvrxZg8-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiicBJdaWITx9b5XF6JKfpItALSkrBWuOukaNgwx33fU2AoL9v9cz-hACkN_sttZIUrnaJKuN3viIikPDAKj910sIdm3dbkyHh_ULNsQVrKN8gV46xTp-kAVmobenPxSB7o54xOPvr2xcKo7KgK0HqDrL_0kvxrFM8bLzc4GYwQVGofam7UDdzazqF0/s16000/neil-fedorowycz-3WZkPvrxZg8-unsplash.jpg" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Getting involved in <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/search/label/citizen%20science?m=1" target="_blank">citizen science projects</a> is not only a fun way to connect with nature and new people, but it also contributes to conservation efforts and can help us to cope with eco-anxiety. And the best part is that anyone and everyone can get involved! You don’t need any qualifications or experience, just an enthusiasm for nature and willingness to get stuck in and follow guidelines from academics or environmental organisations. You can take part solo or in a group, make it work around your schedule, and as there are <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/04/take-part-in-citizen-science-projects.html" target="_blank">countless projects</a> to choose from it's easy to find the perfect project to suit your interests.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Here are a few ideas to get you started:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>THE BIG SEAWEED SEARCH with the Marine Conservation Society</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Seaweed provides energy and nutrients for wildlife, stores carbon and helps to mitigate the effects of climate change. But, as climate impacts intensify, the distribution of seaweed species is changing. The Marine Conservation Society are calling on the public to help them to better understand these changes by surveying coastlines between 23rd and 31st July, taking pictures of the seaweed species you find along the way. For the full details and online training sessions, <a href="https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/volunteering/big-seaweed-search/#how-to-get-involved" target="_blank">visit them here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>THE BIG MICROPLASTIC SURVEY with the Marine Conservation Society</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Microplastics are teeny tiny pieces of plastic, which despite being small are having a huge impact on our oceans and marine species. Animals can mistake them for food which can impact their feeding behaviour, growth and reproduction, and can be deadly. To better understand the prevalence of microplastics and influence policy, the Marine Conservation Society are asking us to head to the beach to carry out a microplastic survey. <a href="https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/big-microplastic-survey/" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the guidelines to get involved.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>THE BIG BUTTERFLY COUNT with Butterfly Conservation</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Counting butterflies for the Big Butterfly Count and sharing your results helps scientists to understand changes in butterfly populations so work can be done to save them from extinction. Butterflies are also an indicator species as they react very quickly to environmental changes, so this data can also help conservationists to predict how other species may be impacted. All you need to do is count the butterflies that you see for 15 minutes any time between the 15th July and 7th August. You can count from wherever you like, from fields and forests to parks and playgrounds. <a href="https://bigbutterflycount.butterfly-conservation.org/about" target="_blank">Click here for the full guidelines</a> and how to submit records.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>WILDLIFE GARDENING SURVEY with the Wildlife Trust</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Our gardens can be havens for nature, providing food, water, and places to rest and nest. The Wildlife Trust are curious to learn how welcoming UK gardens are for wildlife so that they can uncover which areas are most in need of more quality space for nature. You can help them by filling in their survey, and they will thank you with a score letting you know how wild your garden is and free gardening guides. <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-gardening-survey" target="_blank">Click here to find out more</a>!</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>NATURE’S CALENDAR with the Woodland Trust</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Nature's Calendar aims to monitor the effects of weather and climate change on wildlife. Record your sightings and observations of <a href="https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/what-we-record-and-why/species-we-record/" target="_blank">specific species</a>, but make sure to check how often you need to do a follow up as it varies between species. <a href="https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/what-we-record-and-why/how-to-record-a-quick-guide/" target="_blank">Click here for the full instructions</a> and how to submit your records.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>NESTING NEIGHBOURS with the British Trust for Ornithology</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p>Are you lucky enough to have birds nesting in your garden? If so, the BTO want to know about it! By monitoring nests through the breeding season, you can help them to better understand breeding success and what factors could be preventing successful outcomes. <a href="https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/nesting-neighbours" target="_blank">Click here for more information</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">BUGS MATTER with the Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife</h3><p><br /></p><p>To investigate the health of insect populations in the UK, the Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife are asking drivers to measure bug splats! It's as simple as wiping your car's number plate before your journey, and counting the number of insects splatted within the 'splatometer' grid (which you can request to receive in the post or print at home). Then, snap a photo and submit it online with your count! <a href="https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/" target="_blank">Get the full instructions here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">FEATHER COLLECTION with the British Trust for Ornithology </h3><div><br /></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">1/4 Are you going to the seaside over the summer holidays? Join our treasure hunt to help us learn more about Shelduck migration! We want you to send us Shelduck feathers you find on the tideline. <br /><br />More info 👉<a href="https://t.co/zlBgXERMNs">https://t.co/zlBgXERMNs</a> <a href="https://t.co/HZAnzekV6j">pic.twitter.com/HZAnzekV6j</a></p>— BTO (@_BTO) <a href="https://twitter.com/_BTO/status/1547905295669612544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>CITIZEN SCIENCE ONLINE with Zooniverse</b></h3><p><br /></p><p>Enjoy taking part in citizen science projects from the comfort of your own home on Zooniverse where there are countless projects to choose from. You can assist NASA Scientists in identifying cloud type and cover, count penguins and their chicks and eggs so conservationists can better understand their lives, examine underwater photos of beluga whales, or transcribe historical records of shore birds to name a few! <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects" target="_blank">Click here to find the perfect project for you.</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>SUBMITTING YOUR OWN SIGHTINGS</b></h3><p><br /></p><p>You can even do your own thing and submit sightings of any wildlife you see while out and about, whether that be during your commute to work or on a walk in the woods. There are many different platforms that you can use to submit your record such as <a href="https://irecord.org.uk/" target="_blank">iRecord</a> or <a href="https://ebird.org/home" target="_blank">eBird</a>. <a href="https://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/02/how-you-can-help-conservation-right-now.html" target="_blank">We have an article here all about biological recording</a> where you can find out more!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://unsplash.com/@fedweb" target="_blank">Header image by Neil Fedorowycz via Unsplash</a></p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-81760671105841091492022-06-04T12:55:00.001-07:002022-06-04T12:58:19.564-07:00Positive Environmental News: 7 Stories That Show Conservation Works<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wis95MHngEd-fhRDA8MJ_XZ6iMgv3wK4ZdUjQD4UeUYWFnh0JKjpX4MRMA4_pxrqthe57pfVJbHRwhHdBW0dUFiYUl0LDdtCmGq7xVetKgLZAN0chlDz2KnfvWcVTBdbD6jWaJnSS9w_x-Lzeswtx2sgugq8xGIPzAmL9xFQjQxWRNRTWvAgsAQg/s3614/ray-hennessy-GL6ORxDMswI-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2413" data-original-width="3614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Wis95MHngEd-fhRDA8MJ_XZ6iMgv3wK4ZdUjQD4UeUYWFnh0JKjpX4MRMA4_pxrqthe57pfVJbHRwhHdBW0dUFiYUl0LDdtCmGq7xVetKgLZAN0chlDz2KnfvWcVTBdbD6jWaJnSS9w_x-Lzeswtx2sgugq8xGIPzAmL9xFQjQxWRNRTWvAgsAQg/s16000/ray-hennessy-GL6ORxDMswI-unsplash.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Even though I know better, I have gotten back into the bad habit of disappearing down a rabbit hole of doomscrolling. It's known to <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/stop-doomscrolling/" target="_blank">leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless</a>, and also wastes energy that could be used to actually take action to help a cause. How doomscrolling makes me feel is one of the reasons that I started this blog in the first place, to encourage myself to look into success stories and remember that there are people making positive change around the world. And it actually helped! It's been a while since I shared a good news list, but this has been a much needed reminder to bring them back!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>1. Without conservation efforts, Dartford Warbler would likely have disappeared from the UK after a population crash in the 1960's. But thanks to the creation and restoration of heathland, <a href="https://www.birdguides.com/news/dartford-warbler-numbers-at-record-high-on-rspb-reserves/" target="_blank">the birds are making a comeback</a>, with 183 pairs counted in a 2021 survey. Heathland is one of the most threatened types of habitat in the UK, but many rare and threatened species depend on it, so these conservation efforts are expected to be good news for other species too.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>2. Over the past 50 years, many mammals across Europe have made impressive comebacks after being driven to near extinction by hunting and habitat loss. Thanks to conservationists, populations of species including European bison, brown bear, Eurasian beaver, and Eurasian elk <a href="And what has been essential has been the vital work of conservationists. From fighting for wildlife protection policies and hunting quotas, to reintroduction programmes, the dedication of determined individuals lies at the heart of this wild mammal comeback." target="_blank">have seen dramatic increases</a>.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote><p>"What these promising trends show is that the recovery of wildlife is possible ... And what has been essential has been the vital work of conservationists. From fighting for wildlife protection policies and hunting quotas, to reintroduction programmes, the dedication of determined individuals lies at the heart of this wild mammal comeback."</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">- Hannah Ritchie, <i><a href="https://ourworldindata.org/europe-mammal-comeback" target="_blank">Wild mammals are making a comeback in Europe thanks to conservation efforts</a></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">3. <a href="https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2022/05/britains-bats-edging-towards-recovery" target="_blank">Populations of three of Britain's species of bat - the greater horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat and common pipistrelle - are on the rise</a>, with another six species remaining stable according to the a recent survey by the National Bat Monitoring Programme. Although news to be celebrated and undoubtedly a step in the right direction, the hard work is not over as bats remain vulnerable to pressures including landscape change, climate change and light pollution.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: left;">“These positive results indicate that strong legal protection works, and conservation action to protect and conserve bats is achieving success. It is vitally important that this continues ... This recovery is not by coincidence but thanks to sustained efforts and it brings us a step closer to achieving our vision of a world richer in wildlife where bats and people thrive together.”</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">- Kit Stoner, <a href="https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2022/05/britains-bats-edging-towards-recovery" target="_blank">Chief Executive of the Bat Conservation Trust</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div><div class="typeset separated-m" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 24px; max-width: 750px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Giraffe numbers across Africa are up 20% since 2015, due to a mix of genuine growth and more accurate surveying methods, with conservation efforts on the ground, such as relocating giraffes to protected areas, thought to have had a profound impact. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZkbbgicXB7QNwrjf3k9IQKUgmpwahYLRMs2_ivVVpG6ogOiS-mdEy8XMTVirPmyTSPQ-ck-fpU6b8aCwuv9slwzMNlq1xyohi6Nk6LSKsfUz6aWgqkLia7SEh6RyrIgkMsuVegfUg2Vg_sD4okKoxKst2NqkC-KJxgn4T8w8v4S5pxBUVRboadL5/s4562/sutirta-budiman-Wdq1B_wZQUQ-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3650" data-original-width="4562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZkbbgicXB7QNwrjf3k9IQKUgmpwahYLRMs2_ivVVpG6ogOiS-mdEy8XMTVirPmyTSPQ-ck-fpU6b8aCwuv9slwzMNlq1xyohi6Nk6LSKsfUz6aWgqkLia7SEh6RyrIgkMsuVegfUg2Vg_sD4okKoxKst2NqkC-KJxgn4T8w8v4S5pxBUVRboadL5/s16000/sutirta-budiman-Wdq1B_wZQUQ-unsplash.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://unsplash.com/@sutirtab" target="_blank">By Sutirta Budiman</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 24px; max-width: 750px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 24px; max-width: 750px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">5. Once a common sight across India, by 2017 vulture populations had decreased dramatically due to poisoning from diclofenac, a drug used to treat cattle. If vultures feed on dead cattle treated with the drug, they are tragically killed from kidney failure. However, efforts by conservationists to save vultures appear to be heading in the right direction, and although numbers of individuals are not yet back to healthy figures, </span><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/conservation-win-for-bangladesh-as-efforts-to-halt-vulture-decline-pay-off/" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;" target="_blank">populations of several vulture species have stabilised in recent years</a><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">, with numbers expected to rise if conservation efforts continue.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 24px; max-width: 750px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">6.</p><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">🐣 The white storks have chicks!<br /><br />We are excited to share that some of the nests at the Knepp Estate have successfully hatched chicks! This year has seen a record number of nesting storks, with more eggs due to hatch any day now.<br /><br />💚 This is fantastic news for <a href="https://twitter.com/ProjectStork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProjectStork</a> <a href="https://t.co/mgl9Vssa2J">pic.twitter.com/mgl9Vssa2J</a></p>— Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust (@DurrellWildlife) <a href="https://twitter.com/DurrellWildlife/status/1524492295831269377?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><div class="typeset separated-m" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></div>7. <center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOODNEWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GOODNEWS</a> - Bilbies return to Central Australia! <br /><br />32 Bilbies were released into our 9,450-hectare feral predator-free area at Newhaven Wildlife Sanctuary (NT) last week, thanks to a national collaboration with <a href="https://twitter.com/tarongazoo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tarongazoo</a> ❤️<br /><br />Find out more 👉 <a href="https://t.co/eU0cstl4Dx">https://t.co/eU0cstl4Dx</a> <a href="https://t.co/c9530WUPa9">pic.twitter.com/c9530WUPa9</a></p>— Australian Wildlife Conservancy (@awconservancy) <a href="https://twitter.com/awconservancy/status/1531049133465026560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><p></p> <div>Header image by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@rayhennessy" style="text-align: right;" target="_blank">Ray Hennessy</a></div><p></p></div></div>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-18251772386072073782021-11-09T06:00:00.003-08:002021-11-09T06:43:54.811-08:00Positive Conservation News: 7 Recent Marine Success Stories<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDBPEtqJSud_OLWjwNtpzYj6_PeMgjuagkTfu7c5vjJVvtJbKmChzNUlXpdOwc2lNr8mTFN8AMUX41Fx8IbkYW9H3pnB77Lg8I98ObGbzv9d84uss9lzJymDMMqwVg1HHnWgrHbSKZFq7zk0ZJp2_XK8DAYh3X4BfLxs_wR9QUvowiCmBtXafRjOTW=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1278" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDBPEtqJSud_OLWjwNtpzYj6_PeMgjuagkTfu7c5vjJVvtJbKmChzNUlXpdOwc2lNr8mTFN8AMUX41Fx8IbkYW9H3pnB77Lg8I98ObGbzv9d84uss9lzJymDMMqwVg1HHnWgrHbSKZFq7zk0ZJp2_XK8DAYh3X4BfLxs_wR9QUvowiCmBtXafRjOTW=s16000" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">Beside the sea is my happy place, but it's been a while since I was last near the ocean and I'm missing the crashing sound of the waves and the salty, breezy air. So, I am taking us to the seaside for the latest instalment of positive environmental news.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">1. This summer, Coquet Island's Roseate Terns population broke <a href="https://www.birdguides.com/news/british-roseate-tern-population-hits-new-high/" target="_blank">breeding records for the 6th year in a row</a>! This year 150 pairs bred, up from 104 pairs in 2016 thanks to dedicated conservation efforts to save Britain's rarest nesting seabird. The island also saw a record breaking season for Common Terns and Kittiwakes.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">2. It was another record breaking season at RSPB reserves across the Solent, with <a href="https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/environment/record-breaking-breeding-season-for-solent-seabirds-is-a-fantastic-result-for-rspb-coastal-reserves-3370215" target="_blank">25 little tern and 253 sandwich tern chicks successfully fledged</a>. This is positive news for these birds, who are under increasing threat from human disturbance. The RSPB plan to create and restore habitat in this area to protect these precious breeding sites.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">3. Scientists have <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-first-map-worlds-coral-reefs-180978676/" target="_blank">completed the first map of the world's coral reefs</a>, which features nearly 100,000 square metres of coral reefs around the globe, along with other information about about the ocean and seafloor. It is hoped that this map will help conservationists to save coral reefs, which are under serious threat from climate change, and inspire governments to act to protect them.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">4. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/26/fragile-success-cape-verde-sea-turtles-aoe" target="_blank">Numbers of sea turtle nests in Cape Verde have soared in the last 5 years</a>, up to almost 200,000 in 2020 from 10,725 in 2015. Researchers believe this is thanks to improved conservation measures, including beach patrols and stronger laws against killing, trading, and eating turtles. Although this is great news, threats still remain including plastic pollution, entrapment in fishing nets, coastal development, and climate change. A turtle's sex is determined by temperature, so there is a skew toward females due to increasing temperatures affecting reproduction and genetic diversity.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg02fCeFkr0fPHSw6ls8zp-jRO9kgWgREM_8p-5Thk3-NDXs-eSlXhSnU7lBRN79sRIo6u9gMyCHsYExDLi-EkNueYcfPukMZOaJ676SKvIww-UBwM3Q8ejoB4fg8s2rTu0G4oJ2e34Exq8R6fuC81kXEMsXc5DoiLZ8hndVLVaSZAOUvwxqfAveAdh=s1920" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg02fCeFkr0fPHSw6ls8zp-jRO9kgWgREM_8p-5Thk3-NDXs-eSlXhSnU7lBRN79sRIo6u9gMyCHsYExDLi-EkNueYcfPukMZOaJ676SKvIww-UBwM3Q8ejoB4fg8s2rTu0G4oJ2e34Exq8R6fuC81kXEMsXc5DoiLZ8hndVLVaSZAOUvwxqfAveAdh=s16000" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Images: <a href="https://unsplash.com/@frankiefoto" target="_blank">Frank McKenna</a> and <a href="https://unsplash.com/@erinelizabeth6" target="_blank">Erin Simmons</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;">5. A <a href="https://www.birdlife.org/news/2021/09/24/secluded-seabird-haven-discovered-in-the-north-atlantic-soon-to-become-a-marine-protected-area/" target="_blank">seabird hotspot was discovered by a collaboration led by BirdLife International</a> which used tracking and population data to map 21 seabird species. This hotspot is used by up to 5 million seabirds from over 56 colonies - the first discovery of seabird concentrations of this magnitude ever document on the high seas. Now, 15 governments and the EU are working towards designating it a Marine Protected Area - the first time one has been designated from tracking data in the high seas.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">6.</p><center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">MEGA MPA: Panama🇵🇦, Ecuador🇪🇨, Colombia🇨🇴 and Costa Rica🇨🇷 have come together to protect their waters, creating a fishing-free corridor covering more than 500,000km²!<br /><br />This is one of the world’s most important migratory routes for sea turtles, whales, sharks and rays 🌊🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/COP26?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#COP26</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pg0XGvxgrr">pic.twitter.com/Pg0XGvxgrr</a></p>— Lewis Pugh Foundation (@LewisPughFDN) <a href="https://twitter.com/LewisPughFDN/status/1455815217120698369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script> </center><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">7. </p><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">BREAKING NEWS! 🚁🌤️The 2nd bait application on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gough?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gough</a> is complete! The team finally got a decent break in the weather & managed to finish the second application as well as the final baiting on most of the high-risk areas. Go Team Gough! 👏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/conservationoptimism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#conservationoptimism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MondayMotivation?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MondayMotivation</a> <a href="https://t.co/Xa5P31uRW7">pic.twitter.com/Xa5P31uRW7</a></p>— Gough Island Restoration (@GoughIsland) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoughIsland/status/1422118247902679042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center> <p></p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-73555026029543010232021-10-07T13:18:00.003-07:002021-10-07T13:20:09.993-07:00Life as a Little Tern Night Warden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfVmSqtIaDkXIswcGh1sue-oENNZC37b_ZzyMhQSthQTXkf01vMcCQKxd3Nz81ZkoHMRXUiCqE6HP7n9miw9Fix5YQ8fRYzuxgZTJCaGauSTk80oNvoCTd-iVivM39Q3ch5TXTm1jpWE-dG-SVVMo5TPeVzNU5F563AEnNwJDxrVE05UyVNQt0ybk=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfVmSqtIaDkXIswcGh1sue-oENNZC37b_ZzyMhQSthQTXkf01vMcCQKxd3Nz81ZkoHMRXUiCqE6HP7n9miw9Fix5YQ8fRYzuxgZTJCaGauSTk80oNvoCTd-iVivM39Q3ch5TXTm1jpWE-dG-SVVMo5TPeVzNU5F563AEnNwJDxrVE05UyVNQt0ybk=s16000" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I’m sat in a tent on the beach in East Norfolk, sitting comfortably but chilly in a fold out camping chair with some strong coffee, engrossed in a book. My watch says that 2 A.M. has just crept by, and the sounds of the night reach out to me in my reverie. Waves are crashing softly in the distance, and the tent flaps lazily in a gentle breeze. Sand hoppers - tiny crustaceans with springy tails - scale the walls, falling to the floor as they throw themselves at the solar powered light in a cyclical pilgrimage which will last until dawn. Wailing seals and the hoarse barking of a muntjac deer form an eerie chorus, backed by the low hum of distant ships. Then I hear it: <div><br /></div><div>"KYEEEK!" </div><div><br /></div><div>The sound cuts through the night and my ears prick up - a little tern alarm call. </div><div><br /></div><div> "KYEEK! KYEEK!" </div><div><br /></div><div>The noise is unmistakable, and although I patrol the colony regularly, the terns are a reliable early warning system. I grab my torch and thermal imaging camera, unzip the tent door, and head out into the dark. As my eyes adjust, I fumble to turn on the camera, and through the grayscale display I can see the colony clearly. Directing it to the source of the commotion I can make out a large blob glowing white with body heat, which from experience could be one of two things - a fox, or a muntjac deer. Whilst both will eat little tern eggs, the foxes will go for chicks and adults, and it’s the latter I'm concerned about at this stage of the season. The colony is surrounded by an electrified fence and poultry netting for this very reason, but nearly all the chicks have now hatched, and they wander freely outside the perimeter. I set off in the direction of the blob, which is casually trotting along the boundary of the colony. The terns are becoming increasingly agitated as more birds join the fray, diving and shrieking at the unknown assailant. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1EisgVptorvmChcNU-Z7SqCmhuMGENu8JlcZIW3Du64N-0Rmzwz5TT4SYzyCVdRCPPjd9l4mlZmioozFeXCYKnr7C-YzQJnziMge2gPHPXMCU1uWVcMfckbmUkyJ8SqyBSbZ6CV-E-1fuduBICKMraa_IQPAz2cGkzduHXNv9UTp6iz7-HbYDcSA=s4896" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1EisgVptorvmChcNU-Z7SqCmhuMGENu8JlcZIW3Du64N-0Rmzwz5TT4SYzyCVdRCPPjd9l4mlZmioozFeXCYKnr7C-YzQJnziMge2gPHPXMCU1uWVcMfckbmUkyJ8SqyBSbZ6CV-E-1fuduBICKMraa_IQPAz2cGkzduHXNv9UTp6iz7-HbYDcSA=s16000" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>I trudge across the dunes that back the colony at a swift pace, brushing past dew-dropped marram grass and thistly sea-holly, which has recently erupted into a riot of silvery-blue flowers. The terns have now noticed me, and some direct their outrage at my head. I apologise profusely and assure them that I'm not the problem - if they would bother to listen - and work my way closer to the din. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I'm near enough for it to reach, I turn on the torch and shine it in the direction of the blob. If it was a fox, I would catch the glint of its eyes for a split second before it bolted away at full speed - but it isn't. Instead, a muntjac deer squints blearily at me through the beam of light, undeterred by my presence. A disturbance maybe, but no real threat at this point. Not wanting it to jump over the fence, I walk cautiously towards the deer and it sets off at a light jog, before slowing down to its original pace. In this way I escort it gradually to the edge of the colony, and it meanders off over the dunes and into the night. The terns have settled down and I turn back towards the tent, a lonely lamp under a cavernous night sky, the stars glimmering like precious minerals encrusted on its surface. A waning moon is rising behind wispy black clouds, casting an ethereal glow across the beach, and beyond the vast North Sea lies a barely perceptible hint of dawn.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The full article about my summer of night wardening was originally published on the <b>Life on the Edge</b> blog and can be found <a href="https://www.projectlote.life/news/night-warden">HERE</a>.<br /></div><br /><br />Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-65712082662739842572021-09-11T11:06:00.006-07:002021-09-12T08:08:04.545-07:00Positive Environmental News: 10 Recent Conservation Success Stories<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNWrk1XXMA6ksN0IFpzuFufvcbXAMui8_X1vUxSwAyExg0Yv_3_4_e-uPiRqJT16xKc-HCX19dG3BwWu-irSUZPRpqyzSCSMPbnrfnT463PQU38bGdPi1kSn9x_csX9yZ2i5e416Y8E0/s2048/Sunrise+-+Mohamed+Nohassi.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwNWrk1XXMA6ksN0IFpzuFufvcbXAMui8_X1vUxSwAyExg0Yv_3_4_e-uPiRqJT16xKc-HCX19dG3BwWu-irSUZPRpqyzSCSMPbnrfnT463PQU38bGdPi1kSn9x_csX9yZ2i5e416Y8E0/s16000/Sunrise+-+Mohamed+Nohassi.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">I've been feeling more overwhelmed than optimistic recently, and with what seems like a relentlessly harrowing news cycle, it's not difficult to see why. So, it seemed like a good time to actively seek out some positive news. Not to distract from the bad - it's important to know what is going on so we can support where we can - but to remember that there are still good, helpful people all around the world working hard to create a better future for people and the planet. </p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>1.</b> After disappearing centuries ago, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/04/wildcats-return-to-netherlands-after-centuries-absence?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other" target="_blank">wildcats are stalking the forests of the southern Netherlands</a> once more. Their return is a result of rewilding efforts, where forest management favours nature over wood harvesting. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>2.</b> In Bolivia, after 16 years of hard work, <a href="https://armoniabolivia.org/nestbox-program-helps-100-blue-throated-macaw-chicks-fledge/" target="_blank">Asociación Armonía saw the 100th blue-throated macaw chick to fledge</a> thanks to their nest box program. These 100 macaws make up around a fourth of the entire breeding population of this endangered bird, making this a huge victory!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>3.</b> Back in 1996, a breeding project was established in England to reintroduce ospreys, and this July, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/ospreys-return-from-extinction-in-england-and-wales-as-breeding-programme-celebrates-200th-chick-12373094" target="_blank">the team revealed the birth of the 200th chick</a>! The project has helped the species to breed in both England and Wales, and is a success that shows us what is possible for nature's recovery.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote>"<i>Success stories like this prove what's possible and help us to visualize how our countryside could look in the future - with wildlife in abundance, a rich tapestry of habitats, green corridors for species to move through landscapes, rivers and lakes free from pollution, and access to nature for all.</i>" - Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery for The Wildlife Trusts.</blockquote><p> </p><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98sRuCcGFPXGtfkA0qaB7Vh12Q7WMkcCPy4Hf6BDcmbkdcPQntkWYgjDAEkKq13aqt18GEXAx6ALao6ks3ddazjqmlUcR-dBv2kKiS_sVM3QlMEgnCNBhJ7T_aJoMa0kPiBD3pivEma8/s1920/ralph-mayhew-48-uFiCsQrA-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98sRuCcGFPXGtfkA0qaB7Vh12Q7WMkcCPy4Hf6BDcmbkdcPQntkWYgjDAEkKq13aqt18GEXAx6ALao6ks3ddazjqmlUcR-dBv2kKiS_sVM3QlMEgnCNBhJ7T_aJoMa0kPiBD3pivEma8/s16000/ralph-mayhew-48-uFiCsQrA-unsplash.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;">Photos by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@ralphmayhew" target="_blank">Ralph Mayhew</a> and <a href="https://unsplash.com/@coopery" style="text-align: right;" target="_blank">Mohamed Nohassi</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: right;"><br /></p><p><b>4.</b> A piercing cry or croak could mean you are in the presence of the threatened kiwi. This is the sound that conservationists were so desperate to hear at the kiwi call count in New Zealand, and they were not left disappointed. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/12/hear-be-kiwis-new-zealand-celebrates-as-distinctive-cry-of-iconic-bird-returns?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other" target="_blank">50% of sites that were silent in 2016 had kiwi calling in 2021</a>, a testament to the community efforts to save this iconic species.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>5. </b>Beaver reintroductions have been all over the news for the past year or so, a cause for celebration as their return has improved water quality and boosted populations of fish, amphibians, and water voles. Now, the UK government <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/wild-beavers-native-protection-england-b1907158.html" target="_blank">is set to give them legal protection in England</a>, which would come into force in 2022.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>6.</b> In Indonesia, maleo eggs are considered a delicacy, so are often dug up to be eaten or illegally sold, putting the species in danger of extinction. Local communities were determined to come to their rescue and began to protect nesting grounds from poaching and ensure that the birds could nest naturally and undisturbed, and now, <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2021/08/maleos-bounce-back-in-sulawesi-after-villagers-resolve-to-protect-their-eggs/" target="_blank">maleo numbers are on the rise</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div><b>7.</b> Earlier this month, the RSPB announced that <a href="https://twitter.com/Natures_Voice/status/1433144164036882437" target="_blank">cranes had bred in Oxfordshire</a> for the first time in 500 years! Cranes had been attempting to breed at their Otmoor reserve for the past five years, and this year, efforts paid off and a fledgling has been sighted at the reserve.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>8. </b><center> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Fantastic to see China's 'Yunnan roaming elephants' on the verge of making it back to their habitat. An extraordinary effort by officials, local people & supporting organisations to ensure the safety of people & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/elephants?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#elephants</a>. See <a href="https://twitter.com/Reuters?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Reuters</a> <a href="https://t.co/pCclyjP7Sc">https://t.co/pCclyjP7Sc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldElephantDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldElephantDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/LMgxR5OUDj">pic.twitter.com/LMgxR5OUDj</a></p>— John E. Scanlon AO (@JohnEScanlon) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnEScanlon/status/1425464446684647426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center> </div><p><br /></p><p><b>9.</b> On the west coast of South Africa, populations of African penguins are on the decline due to lack of food. So, BirdLife South Africa, CapeNature, and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds have <a href="https://www.birdlife.org/africa/news/first-release-African-Penguins-Hoop-Nature-Reserve-South-Africa" target="_blank">teamed up to save this beloved species</a>. Although there is more work to be done to re-establish a penguin colony, there was cause for celebration in June when 30 juvenile penguins were released into the wild.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>10.</b> India was once home to an estimated 40 million vultures in the 1980s, a figure which dropped by almost 97% by the 1990s. This is mostly due to diclofenac fed to cattle, which poisons vultures when they feed on the carcasses. The Bombay Natural History Society are hard at work to save vultures and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/19/india-critically-endangered-vultures-wild-release-aoe" target="_blank">this year released the first captive-bred vultures into the wild</a> with the hope of saving these keystone species.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A captive breeding program hopes to boost India's vulture populations, after numbers plummeted due to poisoning.<br />"There is hope but it depends on how responsible society becomes," - Dr Vibhu Prakash <a href="https://twitter.com/BNHSIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BNHSIndia</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ConservationOptimism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ConservationOptimism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VultureAwarenessDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VultureAwarenessDay</a><a href="https://t.co/MPcd2ipCD8">https://t.co/MPcd2ipCD8</a></p>— Danielle Shaw (@DanielleShaw92) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielleShaw92/status/1434123212518998016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><br /><p></p></div><div><blockquote>"<i><b>Optimism is not soft, it is gritty</b>. Every day brings dark news, and no end of people tell us that the world is going to hell. To take the low road is to succumb. To take the high road is to remain constant in the face of uncertainty. That we may be confronted by barriers galore should not surprise anyone. That we may see worsening climate conditions in the short term should not surprise us. We have to elect to boldly persevere. With determination and utmost courage, we must conquer the hurdles in order to push forward.</i>" - The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac </blockquote></div>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-25683030468073990612021-08-30T11:17:00.002-07:002021-08-30T11:25:57.483-07:00Dogs and Wildlife – Building a ‘Pawsitive’ Relationship <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AK3tlUhC__f-bxGyZH2dyBZzI78-vFMfuYOaDEpt_Y2F1GYl4EQx3-xYv6PtQVGhzFF3dN_b-6lYk1T2h6SBvIZHCHajNrkCGPqn3zz3KaHH0h-Xvn0lELe_03u6DAvqckzzMP3qkLA/s1920/Ringedplover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4AK3tlUhC__f-bxGyZH2dyBZzI78-vFMfuYOaDEpt_Y2F1GYl4EQx3-xYv6PtQVGhzFF3dN_b-6lYk1T2h6SBvIZHCHajNrkCGPqn3zz3KaHH0h-Xvn0lELe_03u6DAvqckzzMP3qkLA/s16000/Ringedplover.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">The UK is a nation of dog lovers, with an estimated 12 million pups in UK homes and a large increase in dog ownership since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also a nation of wildlife lovers, with the RSPB alone having over 1.1 million members, and many choosing to visit nature reserves and local wildlife sites in their free time. The two are by no means mutually exclusive, and dog ownership is a fantastic way to stay active, get outside, and appreciate the natural world. The RSPB encourages <b>responsible dog walking</b> on its nature reserves, and in the wider countryside, but what does this mean for dog owners, and why is it necessary around our wildlife? </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><span></span><h4 style="text-align: left;"><br />What is responsible dog walking?</h4><div><br /></div><p>Responsible dog walking means: </p><p><br /></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Keeping your dogs close or preferably on a lead in sensitive areas. </li><li>Sticking to designated paths to avoid disturbing wildlife or livestock.</li><li>Researching ahead of your trip to locate dog-friendly or restricted-access areas. </li><li>Approaching wardens for a friendly chat if you have any questions or concerns. </li><li>Reading and respecting signs in sensitive areas. </li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Why is this necessary? </h4><p><br /></p><p>Dog owners are often passionate advocates for the environment and possess a wealth of knowledge about the wildlife on their local patches where they regularly go for walks. Sadly though, there are times when dogs can cause major disturbances by chasing or attacking wildlife. </p><p><br /></p><p>Earlier this year, a ten-month old seal pup well known by locals and nicknamed ‘Freddie’, was basking along the Thames in west London when it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/24/owner-of-dog-that-attacked-freddie-the-thames-seal-says-she-is-heartbroken" target="_blank">was attacked by a dog off its lead</a>. It was rescued by a South Essex wildlife hospital, but tragically its injuries were so severe it had to be humanely put down. The owner was heartbroken and regretted that the dog had not been on a lead but had not thought it was necessary at the time. </p><p><br /></p><p>If you are unsure as to how your dog will react around wildlife, especially if they are young or untrained, it is always better to be sure and put it on a lead. This kind of interaction is an extreme example, but this is not the only way in which dogs can negatively impact on wildlife. A far greater problem is that of <b>disturbance</b>. </p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">What is disturbance?</h4><div><br /></div><p>For much of our wildlife, humans and dogs are seen as predators, and so they will behave as such when we approach. This is a big problem for ground-nesting birds, who do not feel the safety of being up in a tree or bush. Birds that nest on the ground include our beach-nesting birds, such as little terns and ringed plovers, as well as curlews, lapwings, and oystercatchers. </p><p><br /></p><p>When predators, dogs, or people approach, these birds will leave their nests, trying to distance themselves from their eggs or chicks. They might try to lead the threat in another direction, or mob the intruder along with other nesting birds until it leaves the area. These disturbances mean that eggs and chicks are left unattended, making them vulnerable to predation, to thermal stress from being too cold or too hot, or to being crushed as they are very hard to spot. </p><p><br /></p><p>Constant disturbance can also use up the energy reserves of the adults, who are working hard to incubate their eggs and feed themselves - as well as their chicks after they hatch. Eventually if there is too much disturbance the birds abandon their nests, and although they may try again, if this is too late in the breeding season a second attempt may often be unsuccessful. Disturbance can also be an issue outside of the breeding season, as birds roosting along the shoreline in the winter are often resting and reserving their precious energy reserves. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XRyVnvdP5RzSvb5A_2bDSvu6OO9jOEoHLh2LevT-EcGS2TYEub6GhnmvODOMNSMqrrYYrvcf1qAQ8nK2A3-zqdsec6Xu7v5iD5VXv34V__b5adhaPZGVxdu8v-xpzHZ2ydUKjVMz_Fk/s1920/Oystercatcher.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XRyVnvdP5RzSvb5A_2bDSvu6OO9jOEoHLh2LevT-EcGS2TYEub6GhnmvODOMNSMqrrYYrvcf1qAQ8nK2A3-zqdsec6Xu7v5iD5VXv34V__b5adhaPZGVxdu8v-xpzHZ2ydUKjVMz_Fk/s16000/Oystercatcher.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>For beach-nesting birds who must share their space with regular beach users as well as the huge influx of people and their dogs on weekends and holidays, this can often be too much. Along with other threats such as predation alongside inundation from high tides and severe storms, increasing disturbance at nesting sites is pushing these species to their limits, with many shorebirds facing declines around the world. </p><p><br /></p><p>Dog owners can make a huge difference to the fate of these birds, as <a href="https://bou.org.uk/blog-gomez-serrano-kentish-plover-disturbance-dogs/" target="_blank">recent research</a> by Professor Miguel Angel Gómez-Serrano from the University of Valencia on Kentish plovers suggests that lone, wandering dogs off their leads disturb birds from their nests almost 100% of the time, more than if they were accompanied by their owner and much more than by someone without a dog. This research also showed that sticking to paths and complying with fencing and buffer zones around colonies reduced the amount of disturbance for beach nesting birds. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Leading the way forward </h4><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxtxcQYemJdWUYiq65X32gNS8XkWIPbVwA_tU7PhkpBT3IlrlatMuozs47Nwed0FjYC7ll2RLQHPCapTuFKjUYkDM4ZXFVfybiiC1pZ7PProJEMK7yheF2Z4MB7XmqtATesaLBWKcuuE/s1920/Avocets.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxtxcQYemJdWUYiq65X32gNS8XkWIPbVwA_tU7PhkpBT3IlrlatMuozs47Nwed0FjYC7ll2RLQHPCapTuFKjUYkDM4ZXFVfybiiC1pZ7PProJEMK7yheF2Z4MB7XmqtATesaLBWKcuuE/s16000/Avocets.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>There is plenty of room for both dog walkers and wildlife, and simple measures such as keeping dogs under control or on leads in certain areas can have a real impact on the fate of many of our bird species. This is only done in certain places or times of the year when it is necessary, and there will usually be signs or wardens on hand to let dog owners know. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://spaceforshorebirds.co.uk/about-space-for-shorebirds/" target="_blank">Space for Shorebirds</a> is a project run by the Northumberland County Council, and one of its main objectives is to reduce the impact of human recreation on bird populations. Part of this involves fostering positive relationships with dog walkers and asks owners to get their dogs to take the <a href="http://spaceforshorebirds.co.uk/dog-rangers/" target="_blank">Dog Ranger pledge</a>. They share owners’ dogs on social media with the hashtag #dogranger and get them to spread the message about shorebird conservation. Another example is <a href="https://essexcoast.birdaware.org/article/31614/About-Us">Bird Aware Essex Coast</a>, which aims to raise awareness about coastal birds whilst preventing human disturbance. </p><p><br /></p><p>With fantastic schemes such as this, we can all work together to ensure a bright future for shorebirds where we can peacefully co-exist alongside each other. </p><p><br /></p><p>This article was originally featured on the <a href="https://www.projectlote.life/news" target="_blank">Life on the Edge</a> website for the RSPB.</p>Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-62705280172178487862021-06-24T14:06:00.007-07:002021-06-24T14:16:00.991-07:00How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 3: The High Seas<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VsTYdmFQenfxiIa455uaw9KyPnLCLOuhL8_hm-8iS42I2G6nptL_l8sAKLnS4TkMLUiD7rfA-tm3VcfMkhF8PXb97kxy5PCwBp9nU7_XOQiBzzNV2yV2LOxAG8-C-T_i0sFhXwa8l1E/s1920/Invasive+species+Though+not+strictly+a+marine+problem%252C+invasive+alien+species+such+as+mice%252C+rats+and+cats+are+a+massive+problem+for+seabirds%252C+with+chicks+and+incubating+birds+often+helpless+against+predation+with+pop+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VsTYdmFQenfxiIa455uaw9KyPnLCLOuhL8_hm-8iS42I2G6nptL_l8sAKLnS4TkMLUiD7rfA-tm3VcfMkhF8PXb97kxy5PCwBp9nU7_XOQiBzzNV2yV2LOxAG8-C-T_i0sFhXwa8l1E/s16000/Invasive+species+Though+not+strictly+a+marine+problem%252C+invasive+alien+species+such+as+mice%252C+rats+and+cats+are+a+massive+problem+for+seabirds%252C+with+chicks+and+incubating+birds+often+helpless+against+predation+with+pop+%25282%2529.png" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">In this series, </span>I have focused on birds as often overlooked inhabitants of the marine environment, heavily dependent on it as we are for food, the air we breathe, and the regulation of our climate. This time we complete our journey, finally arriving in the ‘High Seas’, the parts of our ocean beyond national jurisdiction which cover a staggering 50% of our planet’s surface area! Along the way we have discovered how a great wealth of bird species rely upon the UK’s coastlines and territorial waters all year round, including our overseas territories, and we have talked about how our country has a huge responsibility to protect globally important bird populations.</div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">However, most of these birds are not just tied to one country but are international in their lifestyles. For example, almost the entire world population of Manx shearwaters (<i>Puffinus puffinus</i>) breed in the UK, but they only spend part of the year on our shores. From July to March they migrate and winter in the South Atlantic, mainly off the coasts of Brazil and Argentina. Even during the breeding season they can feed many hundreds of kilometres away if conditions are right, way beyond the national jurisdiction of any country. Whilst we can try to protect birds at their breeding grounds or within territorial waters, in order to ensure a stable future for all bird species this needs to happen in all of the areas which are important for them, including the High Seas.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>What exactly are the ‘High Seas’?</b></h4><p><br /></p><p>The High Seas exist beyond national borders and are a global commons to be used collectively by all nations, although these international waters have been historically hard to govern. The United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) tries to regulate specific activities within the High Seas, such as deep-sea mining and overexploitation of fish stocks, but only 1.2% is formally protected. Human rights abuses and illegal activity are rife, and where there is regulation or oversight it is in relation to resource extraction rather than ocean protection. Whilst there is no clear legal framework for the management and development of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the High Seas, what is clear is that these vast and deep waters support an incredible amount of biodiversity, much of which we know hardly anything about!</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Birds without borders</h4><p><br /></p><p>At one time the movements of birds throughout the oceans were a complete mystery, with anecdotal evidence of individuals seen by ships or washed ashore providing only small clues as to their movements. The development of ringing schemes began to enlighten us, with birds caught and given unique metal bands which allowed us to identify individuals if they were ever recaptured. It is the staggering pace of development in tracking technology within recent years however which has now given us unparalleled insights into their exact movements at sea, although we have still only scratched the surface.</p><p><br /></p><p>For example, we now know that Manx shearwaters have a <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2008.1577" target="_blank">hugely complex migration pattern</a> with many stopovers, travelling south from the UK along the coastlines of western Europe and Africa, eventually crossing over to South America, where they spend the winter in the highly productive waters (<a href="https://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2021/05/how-birds-use-our-waters-part-2-uk.html" target="_blank">see Part 2</a>) off the Patagonian Shelf. After wintering here they then head North, following the coast up to North America before crossing over the Atlantic and back to the UK for the breeding season. Though there is some variation to this route, a Manx shearwater which lived to <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/04/18/britain.bird/index.html?iref=allsearch" target="_blank">50 years old</a> could have travelled around 8 million kilometres in its lifetime, which is roughly ten trips to the moon and back! Another astounding migration is made by one of our rarest breeding birds, the red-necked phalarope (<i>Phalaropus lobatus</i>), with only a handful of breeding pairs in Shetland and the Western Isles. In 2012, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ibi.12196" target="_blank">geolocators revealed</a> that one male bird had left Shetland in August and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, from where it moved down to Florida, crossed the Gulf of Mexico into the Pacific Ocean, and spent winter between the Galapagos Islands and South America until April, when it returned by the same route.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/7/10/eabd7225" target="_blank">In a comprehensive recent study</a>, an international team of researchers found that some of the more extensively seafaring species, the albatrosses and large petrels, spend almost 40% of their lives in the High Seas – birds such as the Tristan albatross (<i>Diomedea dabbenena</i>), 99% of which breed on Gough Island, a British overseas territory. Though tied to the colony around the central South Atlantic during the breeding season, non-breeders move <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272864069_Foraging_range_and_habitat_associations_of_non-breeding_Tristan_albatrosses_overlap_with_fisheries_and_implications_for_conservation" target="_blank">extensively throughout the southern oceans</a>, using areas off of South America and South Africa, searching for locations with high ocean productivity where food is abundant. Incredibly, increasing evidence suggests that these birds – which belong to the ‘procellariformes’ or ‘tubenoses’ – may be able to <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2005.0350" target="_blank">smell their way across the oceans</a>, using odours to pinpoint foraging locations and find their colonies.</p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">The importance of a High Seas Treaty</h4><p><br /></p><p>Unfortunately for birds living extensively in the High Seas, this is a large proportion of their lives where they are even more vulnerable to threats such as being caught in fishing gear or losing food resources to overfishing, threats that are easier to deal with in territorial waters. Many of these species are therefore some of the most threatened, and whilst bilateral agreements exist between certain countries to protect birds which occur in their territorial waters, such as between Japan and Australia, the High Seas are the most important at-sea area overall for albatrosses and large petrels. Species breeding in the UK and its overseas territories have some of the strongest links to the High Seas, as well as to countries such as Brazil and Argentina. What is clear is that coordinated cooperation between the UK and other nations to protect birds both within territorial and international waters is the best chance we have of halting and even reversing the path to extinction.</p><p><br /></p><p>In August of this year, the UN General Assembly will meet for the <a href="https://www.un.org/bbnj/" target="_blank">Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ)</a> to work on a treaty which will decide on the “…conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction…”. This is a once in a generation chance to modernise governance of the High Seas with a strong treaty which can help to reach the target of 30% protection of the oceans by 2030. Proper protection of important marine areas for birds can help to regulate or even exclude fisheries with damaging practices which are one of the main reasons for the declines in albatrosses and large petrels. This, coupled with other measures such as the eradication of invasive predators decimating breeding colonies will allow populations to become much more resilient in the face of climate change, the effects of which we are already beginning to feel. Whilst it is too much to go into here, there are a lot of great resources explaining the High Seas Treaty and the desired outcomes by the <a href="http://www.highseasalliance.org/treaty-negotiations/" target="_blank">High Seas Alliance</a> and <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/global-ocean-treaty-hope-saving-seas/" target="_blank">Greenpeace</a>, for example.</p><p><br /></p><p>Through this series, I hope that I have managed to convey just how connected the fate of the birds which call our shores home are to the health and protection of the entire ocean, not just our own waters. Protecting the incredible abundance and variety of these species depends upon dealing with threats both where they breed and spend their time at sea, and I hope that future generations will be able to marvel at their incredible lifestyles as I do, as I hope now you will too.</p>Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-64768701288592802022021-06-01T13:24:00.006-07:002021-06-01T13:25:46.479-07:00Nature Nearby: Fighting for Equal Access to Nature<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67GTekkiZlfXsTDmy_FNbx1K0APvMzPN4mqLkDUEXsIV9-u2FtZNt_P0SpYGFr_ZjhZFwgtb-qKxVI_6c2qJQZwv4scZ0uwMJ43wYlrn3_i9-jm_g0dY6aGcnCtJRdkAB7oLKWLNTbEI/s1600/Access+to+nature.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj67GTekkiZlfXsTDmy_FNbx1K0APvMzPN4mqLkDUEXsIV9-u2FtZNt_P0SpYGFr_ZjhZFwgtb-qKxVI_6c2qJQZwv4scZ0uwMJ43wYlrn3_i9-jm_g0dY6aGcnCtJRdkAB7oLKWLNTbEI/s16000/Access+to+nature.png" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;">Fresh air, sea-salty wind, crunchy leaves under wellies, green trees as far as the eye can see, sunsets and rises, the whoosh of the ocean - experiences in nature are good for the soul, and it's backed up by evidence!</p><p><br /></p><p> The benefits we experience from spending time in nature are no secret, and I think many of us can appreciate them more than ever since our world got much, much smaller and quieter through the pandemic. Whether the reduced traffic meant we noticed the birds singing more, or extra time meant we spent longer exploring our local woodland, nature was there for us when we needed her.</p><p><br /></p><p>Research shows that time in nature can <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180706102842.htm" target="_blank">reduce our blood pressure, heart rate, and stress levels</a>, help us to sleep better, <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health#:~:text=These%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,reduce%20anxiety%2C%20and%20improve%20mood." target="_blank">reduce anxiety</a>, and <a href="https://e360.yale.edu/features/ecopsychology-how-immersion-in-nature-benefits-your-health#:~:text=These%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,reduce%20anxiety%2C%20and%20improve%20mood." target="_blank">boost our mood</a>. It's also good for creativity and improving <a href="https://mhmonster.org/how-to-use-nature-to-improve-your-mental-health-and-wellness/" target="_blank">emotional and cognitive development</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>The problem is, although <b>everyone</b> should have access to nature, it isn't currently the reality in the UK. Easy and safe access to high-quality green and blue spaces should be a right, not a privilege.</p><p><br /></p><p>Research shows that those on low income are less likely to have access to public natural space, and children from poorer families are <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-urban-parks-is-far-from-equal-fining-people-who-travel-to-reach-nature-is-not-the-answer-153258" target="_blank">less likely</a> to spend time in nature than other children. People from ethnic minorities are less likely to live <a href="https://www.groundwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Out-of-Bounds-equity-in-access-to-urban-nature.pdf" target="_blank">within a 5-minute walk of a green space</a> when compared to white people, and also less likely to have <a href="https://www.groundwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Out-of-Bounds-equity-in-access-to-urban-nature.pdf" target="_blank">access to good walking routes</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>This inequality continues when private green space is taken into account, as <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-urban-parks-is-far-from-equal-fining-people-who-travel-to-reach-nature-is-not-the-answer-153258" target="_blank">12%</a> of people in the UK don't have access to a garden, a figure that rises to <a href="https://theconversation.com/access-to-urban-parks-is-far-from-equal-fining-people-who-travel-to-reach-nature-is-not-the-answer-153258" target="_blank">21%</a> in London, with black people almost four times less likely to have access to a garden than white people.</p><p><br /></p><p>Feeling unsafe in nature is also a barrier to access. <a href="https://www.groundwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Out-of-Bounds-equity-in-access-to-urban-nature.pdf" target="_blank">Women and girls report feeling unsafe outdoors</a>, with women who identify as disabled or LGBT more likely to feel this way. <a href="https://www.groundwork.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Out-of-Bounds-equity-in-access-to-urban-nature.pdf" target="_blank">The risk of racist abuse or harassment</a> also prevents people from ethnic minority backgrounds from spending time in nature. People with disabilities are often unable to access natural green and blue spaces, for example due to lack of accessible paths, parking, or toilets.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://youthfornature.uk/2021/06/01/our-nature-nearby-campaign-is-going-national/" target="_blank">UK Youth for Nature</a> are working hard to turn this around by engaging with the UK governments and asking them to act now to ensure that <b>everyone</b> has access to safe, high-quality green and blue spaces. The more voices we have, the more likely they will have to listen and take action! So how can you help?</p><p><br /></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Sign the petition <a href="https://www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-improved-and-equal-access-to-nature-for-all-in-the-united-kingdom?utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=custom_url&recruited_by_id=a88c48f0-fdfd-11e9-8b27-b1ca22aa3043&use_react=false" target="_blank">here</a> to the governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.</li><li>Write to your local politician. I know this can feel a bit daunting, but there is lots of information <a href="https://youthfornature.uk/representative-letters/" target="_blank">here</a> to make it quick and easy to do!</li><li>Shout about the lack of access to nature! And share the campaign with friends and family.</li></ol><p></p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-49310123268971396332021-05-28T05:18:00.011-07:002021-06-24T14:01:54.540-07:00How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 2: UK Territorial Waters<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2OLcdu3juosSsHCRYwJBkUuGhv1CslIqC691dmGCkJHNZDnSgq8Fa3pqYoyI7Phrf55o7Ua4mYu7NzQvjuhSDE8F4VvUl5aZdS3GomqCJ9p2ydQKk25MuvByWQ1qfQThY0JQgWqZayU/s1920/Title.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb2OLcdu3juosSsHCRYwJBkUuGhv1CslIqC691dmGCkJHNZDnSgq8Fa3pqYoyI7Phrf55o7Ua4mYu7NzQvjuhSDE8F4VvUl5aZdS3GomqCJ9p2ydQKk25MuvByWQ1qfQThY0JQgWqZayU/s16000/Title.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">In my last post in this series, I looked at how our coasts are crucial in supporting a huge diversity of bird species all year round. This time, I travel further out into our territorial waters, to see how the fate of the seabirds which call our shores home is inextricably tied to the health of our oceans.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>What do we mean by territorial waters?</b></h4><p><br /></p><p>The term ‘territorial waters’ is often used as a broad term to encompass the seas which are under the jurisdiction of a government. This includes the territorial sea, which extends 12 nautical miles from the coastline, and the Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends a further 200 nautical miles out – unless there is another country within these limits. In the UK’s territorial waters, the government has control over all economic activity including fishing, mining, and energy production. It also has a responsibility to protect the incredibly diverse wildlife which calls these waters home, to make sure that we are surrounded by thriving, healthy seas.</p><p><br /></p><p>It might surprise you to find out that the UK has the fifth largest Exclusive Economic Zone in the world, as it is responsible for the waters surrounding its overseas territories as well. This includes such far flung places as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, Gough Island, Tristan de Cunha, and the Pitcairn Islands. These overseas territories hugely increase the UK’s influence over the oceans, as well as the wildlife it is responsible for – a responsibility which is shared with the local governments of these territories. This also vastly increases the number of seabird species which occur in waters under UK jurisdiction, giving us an even greater role on the world stage in protecting them. For example, these territories are home to a quarter of the world’s penguins and a third of the world’s breeding albatrosses!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Why are our territorial waters important for seabirds?</b></h4><p><br /></p><p>Most seabirds are hugely dependent on the ocean as a source of food and are drawn to ‘hotspots’ of high productivity where prey is more abundant. These ‘hotspots’ are especially important during the breeding season, as seabirds need to have plenty of nutritious food within close range of their colonies so that they can provide enough for their hungry, growing chicks. The distances and locations they travel to find food will vary depending on the species, and even between individual birds, but seabirds must be able to balance feeding their chicks with their own energy needs. If they cannot, the adults must prioritise their own survival over that of their chicks, opting to try again the next year. Therefore seabirds thrive and successfully raise chicks in colonies where they can access abundant, reliable sources of food that they can travel to without exhausting themselves completely. The seas around the UK are highly productive, and this combined with the wide range of suitable habitats along our coastlines support the huge numbers and diversity of seabirds which live here. This is also true for UK overseas territories, with places like Gough Island supporting large colonies of breeding seabirds, including endangered sooty albatrosses, Atlantic yellow-nosed albatrosses, and the critically endangered Tristan albatross.</p><p><br /></p><p>The availability of prey can be influenced by numerous factors which often interact in complex ways, such as ocean temperature, ocean currents, the topography of the seabed, and the time of year. Seabirds must time their breeding efforts for when conditions are just right and there will be plenty of food to raise their young. This means that their populations are highly sensitive to any changes in the marine environment that might affect how much prey there is, where it will be, and when it is around.</p><p><br /></p><p>Our territorial waters are not just important during the breeding season, with some seabirds staying through the winter months whilst others disperse out into the open ocean or migrate to other shores. The birds that stay need to be able to find food to sustain them through the cold winter months, and whilst they are not tied to feeding their chicks at the colonies, stormy weather can rapidly deplete energy supplies and affect their ability to feed, with exhausted birds dying from hunger and exposure. These seabird ‘wrecks’ can be particularly bad in some years, such as in 2014, when thousands of dead birds washed up on our shores. Bad weather in winter can also have knock on effects in the breeding season, with storms in late winter and early spring influencing the ability of seabirds to get in prime condition for courtship and the demands of raising young.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Threats in our waters</h4><p><br /></p><p>What is clear is that seabirds require healthy, biodiverse, and productive oceans in order to give them the best chance of breeding and surviving all year round, and we therefore have a responsibility to ensure that this is the case where we have jurisdiction. However, some of our internationally important populations of seabirds, such as northern fulmars, European shags, Arctic skuas, and black-legged kittiwakes are declining alarmingly.For other species the picture is mixed, with Atlantic puffins doing poorly in places like Shetland and the Isle of May in the Northeast but faring better at Skomer and Skokholm Islands in Wales. Whilst the causes are often unclear as to exactly why these trends are occurring, with complex interactions between multiple stressors, we can identify some key factors in these declines:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Climate change</b></h4><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4VdjNS2dohAaxZRuAtPvyjq1Fkf3aZ0cZU1B1vvqr6R6-334FuCec6rnh5OR14VDIDvSGKPgRDMRZLoW7UXqfjkLi-tOLbNgRpe8XKcPrGY4NMX-HdanV_ngxCRh2Cu9QEf2ysnx5Co/s1920/Climate+change.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4VdjNS2dohAaxZRuAtPvyjq1Fkf3aZ0cZU1B1vvqr6R6-334FuCec6rnh5OR14VDIDvSGKPgRDMRZLoW7UXqfjkLi-tOLbNgRpe8XKcPrGY4NMX-HdanV_ngxCRh2Cu9QEf2ysnx5Co/s16000/Climate+change.png" /></a></div><br /><p>Warming oceans are affecting the availability of some prey species, such as sandeels, which are heavily relied on by birds like puffins and kittiwakes during the breeding season as a source of plentiful, nutritious food. Climate change is also increasing the incidence of severe storms, resulting in more seabird ‘wrecks’. The European shag is suffering this fate, being a coastal species which does not venture far from its colonies and having plumage which is not as waterproof as other seabirds it finds it difficult to escape bad weather and is therefore more susceptible to death by exposure. Climate change is going to be difficult to deal with, but the best way to ensure resilience against it is to deal effectively with other threats, such as overfishing, which are easier to deal with.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Overfishing</b></h4><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHsxvBEvGJP1yxHyI6lf4SrjzVsN-FXeY_Yj2YYsK6L2Hojdv3SKv-MrvQkr2gfvG4LdqO3BM3CvRgkf1p80Hdo0us3XYvnmEqpGhpvqzcD0VvlXQiY7KAB1zED6Z052yf3Bo7B20Eag/s1920/Overfishing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHsxvBEvGJP1yxHyI6lf4SrjzVsN-FXeY_Yj2YYsK6L2Hojdv3SKv-MrvQkr2gfvG4LdqO3BM3CvRgkf1p80Hdo0us3XYvnmEqpGhpvqzcD0VvlXQiY7KAB1zED6Z052yf3Bo7B20Eag/s16000/Overfishing.png" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div><div>Commercial fisheries, especially those which target specific species, can be devastating for seabird populations which rely on these species. For example, in Scotland, commercial sandeel fisheries were found to be creating food shortages for kittiwakes by depriving them of this crucial resource during the breeding season. In this case, a seasonal ban was introduced on fishing during this time, demonstrating that we can act accordingly when we understand the causes of declines, although food shortages are still an issue as a result of climate change. Overfishing is also thought to have contributed to the decline of naturally nesting populations of Herring gulls, combined with changes in fisheries practices such as a reduction in discards, and this species has started to find more reliable food sources in our towns and cities. Over exploitation of fisheries is also happening in overseas territories, with populations of sooty terns on Ascension Island plummeting as a result.</div><div><br /></div><div>We can deal with overfishing and other damaging economic activities by introducing bans and limits at certain times or year or by creating Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s). However, whilst nearly a quarter of the territorial waters around the UK are designated MPA’s, this is often in name only, with harmful activities such as fishing, bottom trawling and dredging still allowed. We therefore need immediate strengthening of these protections.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><b>Fisheries bycatch</b></h4></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYWXDbpuieQVo8YSuszrMg18u-2dr9hyphenhyphen-t__9tNFRdAQFodfn26o5t9ZyVIUw21GkRSCi7lxrsotwnNOe11eDLMMjphEs6V-sfU709QtMyEJtc9lAb-os4uVQ29-MYaV5-8GS4wD0lvY/s1920/Bycatch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYYWXDbpuieQVo8YSuszrMg18u-2dr9hyphenhyphen-t__9tNFRdAQFodfn26o5t9ZyVIUw21GkRSCi7lxrsotwnNOe11eDLMMjphEs6V-sfU709QtMyEJtc9lAb-os4uVQ29-MYaV5-8GS4wD0lvY/s16000/Bycatch.png" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div>Like many other marine animals, such as dolphins, sharks, and turtles, seabirds can end up being killed unintentionally by fishing vessels. Birds such as albatrosses are particularly vulnerable, getting caught on the baited hooks of longline fishing vessels and being dragged underwater, for example. Whilst progress is being made in reducing bycatch by developing new technologies, increased monitoring, and education, dealing with this problem requires international cooperation as these species often roam large distances through the territorial waters of multiple nations.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Invasive species</h4><div><br /></div><div>Though not strictly a marine problem, invasive alien species such as mice, rats, and cats are a massive problem for seabirds, with chicks and incubating birds often helpless against predation, and they can decimate populations on some islands. Removal of invasive species will be one of the most effective ways to prevent seabird declines across many colonies, with restoration projects such as the one currently being undertaken on Gough Island hopefully improving their prospects. On Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, rats were eradicated in 2006, and since then the seabird population has more than trebled, proving the effectiveness of dealing with this threat.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Pollution</h4><div><br /></div><div>Oil pollution can ruin the waterproofing of seabirds feathers, affecting feeding and thermoregulation and eventually resulting in death by exposure. Plastic pollution is a growing menace, within many species consuming large amounts of plastic and feeding it to their chicks. To them, as well as looking like food, plastic can also even smell like food, picking up a compound called dimethyl sulphide which is usually given off by some microorganisms when they break down, such as when they are being eaten. The seabirds can use this smell to detect prey which are eating the microorganisms, an amazing instinct which is unfortunately resulting in many deaths when birds eat the wrong things. Whilst plastic pollution is not a major cause of population declines at the moment, more and more plastic enters the oceans every day and production keeps increasing, and so it is vital to curb this threat now.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next time, join me for the final part of this series, where I will be looking at the ‘High Seas’, the oceans beyond national jurisdiction which cover around 50% of the planet! Here there is often a crucial lack of protection for seabirds, with some species spending a large proportion of their time in these waters. The threats I touched on in this article are often much worse in the high seas, where there is usually no oversight, monitoring, or legal protection. I’ll be looking in depth at this overlooked part of our oceans and show that in order to halt drastic seabird declines, the UK needs to be a key player in the upcoming negotiations for a ‘High Seas Treaty’, which will ensure a legally binding commitment to conservation and sustainable development in areas beyond national jurisdiction.</div></div>Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-69607770889288997512021-05-20T12:39:00.012-07:002021-06-24T13:54:11.990-07:00How Birds Use Our Waters – Part 1: Coastal Birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-q05LRsvZgRvoHhZ6Cs4075AyhmYkbjpOXG2YbUT3vNxXMQshaQUxTM3BvPTNPTFOu84RhcaVcGjd4IZGBSksfvxLVh_7FTxc4N2tc4MCJ0LPx43YCisM3w29yu7zo-xin9RqYm48Sc/s1920/bird2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-q05LRsvZgRvoHhZ6Cs4075AyhmYkbjpOXG2YbUT3vNxXMQshaQUxTM3BvPTNPTFOu84RhcaVcGjd4IZGBSksfvxLVh_7FTxc4N2tc4MCJ0LPx43YCisM3w29yu7zo-xin9RqYm48Sc/s16000/bird2.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When thinking about animals which use the marine environment, birds might not be the first to come to mind. However, the UK is responsible for globally important numbers of birds which use our shores and seas in some way. In this three part series, I’ll be journeying from our coastlines, into territorial waters, and finally beyond to the high seas, to show how birds rely on these environments, as well as the threats they face. This time, I’ll be looking into the species which live along our shores. With over 31,000 kilometres of coastline, there is plenty of habitat available for our coastal birds, and they are alive with activity all year round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Seabird Cities</b></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZDtLPNxYz7YK1dUwrRQdvfqiPUgZr6a7NolmPK2uIiv917VG-qGvKqH2C128lJfou-5zBEEhF-HMLHh7MjrCxws3DMO-qzz15UUAm1KnmxHvL051E1mI9GXPHNPYCKWz4860X2esk0M/s1920/Seabird+cities.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZDtLPNxYz7YK1dUwrRQdvfqiPUgZr6a7NolmPK2uIiv917VG-qGvKqH2C128lJfou-5zBEEhF-HMLHh7MjrCxws3DMO-qzz15UUAm1KnmxHvL051E1mI9GXPHNPYCKWz4860X2esk0M/s16000/Seabird+cities.png" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The coastlines of the UK are the perfect home for seabirds, where they jostle for space amongst our rugged cliffs and islands every spring and summer. These seabird cities are some of our most spectacular natural wonders, with places like the Farne Islands, Skomer Island, or the Isle of May being hugely popular wildlife attractions. It’s not hard to see why, as we are graced with a great variety of seabird species, some of which breed here in internationally important numbers. For example, the UK hosts 90% of the world’s population of Manx shearwater, a secretive seabird which returns to its underground burrows at night and migrates to South America and back each year. A few of the other species which breed here include the clownish Atlantic puffin, prehistoric looking European shags which sport iridescent plumage and snazzy head crests in the breeding season, dapper black and white razorbills, European storm-petrels which dance across the waves in stormy weather, and the bruisers of the skies, the great skuas. Seabirds in the UK are largely protected at their colonies, with many of our most important sites being free from human disturbance and free of invasive predators which can decimate their populations. However, this does not mean they are not threatened, with many of our seabird species in decline as a result of climate change and overfishing in our waters, issues I will delve into deeper next time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">In recent decades some of our seabird species, such as the herring gull and the kittiwake, have increasingly begun to nest in our cities, swapping the rocky cliffs for concrete ones. These are in fact two species which are declining alarmingly, both being Red listed in the UK as species of the highest conservation priority. Gulls receive a lot of bad press, which is often just scaremongering to grab attention, and we need to learn to be able to live amongst them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Beach Nesters</b></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Whilst many of us are aware of our seabird cities and the birds which breed there, there are a number of bird species which nest on our beaches, where they regularly come into close contact with humans. Species such as ringed plovers, oystercatchers, and little terns make small scrapes in sand or gravel, where they lay their eggs. These can often be very hard to see, and so it is important to take great care when walking on the beach. Beach nesting birds are also very vulnerable to disturbance, using precious energy trying to fend of threats. Dogs off their leads are one of the major sources of disturbance, so by placing dogs on leads where birds are nesting, you can do a great deal to give these birds a helping hand. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There are a number of sites around the UK where beach nesting birds receive 24hr protection during the breeding season in order to ensure them the best chance of success, with dedicated wardens educating the public to decrease disturbance and to ward off predators such as foxes, badgers or domestic cats. Some threats are harder to deal with however, with climate change leading to rising sea levels and increased stormy weather, threatening to wash these beach colonies away.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Wintering Birds</b></h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFOmigKa5kttOklXmVceZb2hv6O5MrU2_pc2rWcxGmdDazi0a7C6TN6QalV2t93d-O6FJgNUYm-10ALo9PEmJOX9He1aNaPZboKpYon_n-zDCod3cSSEtmqkPYOTKr3TQ9kkEvw8HzPc/s1920/Wintering+birds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFOmigKa5kttOklXmVceZb2hv6O5MrU2_pc2rWcxGmdDazi0a7C6TN6QalV2t93d-O6FJgNUYm-10ALo9PEmJOX9He1aNaPZboKpYon_n-zDCod3cSSEtmqkPYOTKr3TQ9kkEvw8HzPc/s16000/Wintering+birds.png" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The seabird cities and other coastal breeding sites go quiet at the end of the summer, with many birds heading out to sea or migrating to other shores to wait out the winter. Our coastlines now become important for a different reason, with hundreds of thousands of birds using our shores during these months as stopping off points on their migrations, using our coastal salt marshes and intertidal landscapes of sand and mud as feeding stations to refuel before continuing on their journeys. Many of them decide to stay for the whole winter, with birds from the Arctic and Scandinavia joining our resident birds which migrate to the coast from their inland breeding sites. One of our most important wintering sites, the Wash estuary in East Anglia, hosts up to 400,000 of these birds in the winter, and is internationally important for species such as curlew, redshank, knot and dunlin. Human development is threatening some of these crucial coastal areas, which can also provide natural defences for flooding caused by climate change.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As you may now be aware, the extensive UK coastline is home to a huge number of bird species which use our shores in many different ways. Next time I’ll be looking at how the fate of many of these birds is tied directly to the health of our territorial waters, where they are facing numerous threats. </div></div>Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-71636816920783143072021-03-25T04:57:00.006-07:002021-03-25T05:27:35.758-07:00Banking on a Better Future: Why You Should Switch to an Ethical Bank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYuejb4PtzT1fm2InsTcfaqhLuhIu7GomTkyzB68aKzykdt68WEfIlUO4H7LN3WVO5wlfUP-uLJStlMxkg7JMf7VCwkbldOqi64V1GOqXZ9KhCP2ax6lF3j_X-x5Omnxf7Bam3syZ_js/s2048/Piggy+bank+-+Ethical+banking.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYuejb4PtzT1fm2InsTcfaqhLuhIu7GomTkyzB68aKzykdt68WEfIlUO4H7LN3WVO5wlfUP-uLJStlMxkg7JMf7VCwkbldOqi64V1GOqXZ9KhCP2ax6lF3j_X-x5Omnxf7Bam3syZ_js/s16000/Piggy+bank+-+Ethical+banking.jpg" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">While changing my lifestyle to be kinder to the environment, banking never crossed my mind. I've seen enough films with greedy, unethical banker characters in them, but didn't connect the dots that <i>my</i> money may be being lent to dirty companies and projects. That is until last year, when I read <i><a href="https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-joyful-environmentalist-how-to-practise-without-preaching/9781786784704" target="_blank">The Joyful Environmentalist</a></i> by Isabel Losada, and the <i><a href="https://portfolio.earth/" target="_blank">Bankrolling Extinction</a></i> report, which made me uncomfortable with what my money may be financing and encouraged me to find out more. What I found was shocking, and encouraged me to make the switch to an ethical bank. Here, I share some research on what banks are using our money for, and what an ethical bank is.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What could banks be using our money for?</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I very naively used to assume any money I had in the bank just sat in my account until I made a purchase or withdrew it. This is obviously not the case, and the reality is much more complex. Banks use our money to lend and invest. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/bank-australia-coming-clean/2019/oct/04/do-you-know-what-your-bank-is-investing-your-money-in" target="_blank">We don't have control over this</a>, and it can include funding companies and projects that harm people and the planet.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Funding the climate and biodiversity crises:</i></h4><p style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://portfolio.earth/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Bankrolling-Extinction-Report.pdf" target="_blank">Bankrolling Extinction</a></i> revealed that in 2019, the top banks invested over <b>$2.6 trillion</b> into sectors that are driving the destruction of nature through mining, fossil fuels, deforestation, dirty transport, and pollution. <i><a href="https://www.ran.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Banking-on-Climate-Chaos-2021.pdf" target="_blank">Banking on Climate Change</a></i> found that the 60 largest commercial and investment banks invested a total of $3.8 trillion into fossil fuels from 2016–2020.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><a href="https://www.facing-finance.org/files/2018/05/DP6_ONLINEXVERSION.pdf" target="_blank">Dirty Profits 6</a></i> investigated banks that fund mining and extractive companies. These industries are complicit in horrific environmental and human rights violations, and despite being aware of this, banks continue to invest. The 10 banks investigated, including UK banks HSBC and Barclays, were found to have provided over <b>€100 billion </b>to 10 mining and extractive companies.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><i>Investing in nuclear weapons and the arms trade:</i></h4><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">The <a href="https://www.dontbankonthebomb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019_HOS_web.pdf" target="_blank">2019 report</a><i><a href="https://www.dontbankonthebomb.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019_HOS_web.pdf" target="_blank"> 'Shorting our security - Financing the companies that
make nuclear weapons'</a></i> by the <i>International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)</i> revealed that between 2017 and 2019, financial institutions invested <b>$748 billion</b> in top nuclear weapon producers.</p><p><br /></p><p>Banks also contribute to funding the arms trade to the Middle East and North Africa, and are therefore linked to the human rights abuses that occur in countries within these regions. Ten banks known to invest in global arms companies were investigated in the <a href="https://www.facing-finance.org/files/2019/05/ff_dp7_ONLINE_v02.pdf" target="_blank"><i>'Dirty Profits 7</i>'</a> report, which found that the total finance provided amounted to roughly <b>€24.2 billion </b>between 2015 and 2018. Of banks in the UK, Lloyds Bank was the largest provider, loaning <b>€4.1 billion </b>to arms companies.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How do I know if a bank is ethical?</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">While we can't choose what our bank does with our money once it is in our account, we can choose a bank that commits to using it to drive positive change. In order to choose an ethical bank, <a href="https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/" target="_blank">Ethical Consumer</a> advise you to ensure they:</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>are clear about how they will invest your money.</li><li>pay their fair share of tax. This is important as many banks operate subsidiaries out of known tax havens.</li></ol><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/shopping-guide/current-accounts" target="_blank">Ethical Consumer</a> and <a href="https://www.banktrack.org/search#category=banks" target="_blank">BankTrack</a> both have extensive information on individual banks, including what they invest in and whether they pay tax. <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/" target="_blank">Triodos Bank</a>, which I chose to switch to, are Ethical Consumer's 'Best Buy' for Current Accounts. There are alternative ethical banks listed in their guides, so it is worth considering more than one to find the best fit for you.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Bank of Scotland, Barclays, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, M&S, Natwest, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Santander all rate poorly for their environmental and social ethics.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">I don't have much money - is it still worth switching?</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Yes! I don't have much in the bank either, but I see it that I wouldn't even spend £10 at a company that I knew to be harming people or the environment, so banking isn't much different. If many individuals put a small amount of money into an ethical bank, collectively all of our money adds up and makes a difference. Ethical banks will choose to support positive projects, one example is <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/" target="_blank">Triodos Bank</a> have invested £8.2 billion into projects across Europe <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/sectors-we-finance" target="_blank">benefitting people and the planet</a> - wouldn't you rather support that than fossil fuel companies?</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How do I switch banks?</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Government regulation in the UK has forced banks to make it easy for customers to switch, and it takes as little as 7 days. Info on how to switch <a href="https://www.which.co.uk/money/banking/switching-your-bank/how-to-switch-your-bank-account-a3xmb4z4z97t" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Helpful resources:</h4><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.banktrack.org/" target="_blank">BankTrack</a><br /><a href="https://portfolio.earth/" target="_blank">Bankrolling Extinction</a><br /><a href="https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/shopping-guide/current-accounts" target="_blank">Ethical Consumer</a><br /><a href="https://www.facing-finance.org/en/publications/dirty-profits/" target="_blank">Facing Finance - Dirty Profits</a><br /><a href="https://www.ran.org/campaign/defund-climate-change/" target="_blank">Rainforest Action Network - Defund Climate Change</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p></p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-56050544658847339552021-03-08T12:08:00.006-08:002021-03-08T12:10:41.898-08:00International Women's Day: Inspiring Women and Advice for Working in Conservation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8L3CX1pTA7UME3ufvRyi-NIViSN1x0z0Lb_swNVkTzIkv3pQ6GKRag0R70oPIn7S20FQGFcSH9USubnB4MTRaG9oMllDqlxx4wszvkixae247K1PHkcI2QFh2d0OPxbbRUngkI6AAGg/s1080/2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo8L3CX1pTA7UME3ufvRyi-NIViSN1x0z0Lb_swNVkTzIkv3pQ6GKRag0R70oPIn7S20FQGFcSH9USubnB4MTRaG9oMllDqlxx4wszvkixae247K1PHkcI2QFh2d0OPxbbRUngkI6AAGg/s16000/2.png" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Today, people from around the world are coming together to celebrate International Women's Day. It is an opportunity to celebrate women's achievements and marks a call to action to accelerate gender equality.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"> I have written an article for UK Youth for Nature, to share details of our work, the women who inspire us, and advice for getting involved in the environmental sector. <a href="https://youthfornature.uk/2021/03/08/international-womens-day-2021/" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read it.</p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-75293129561984090672021-01-08T10:58:00.015-08:002021-01-08T12:04:22.185-08:002020 Conservation Successes: 10 Positive Environmental Stories<h3 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKDfe6YRWt6OyWEMfipVyETLK5di7U3YaXaiTpdIUi1IT7PGCZrRrW6CsB1_m78kBqP7ffUKJg4y9sqWYHfE8qigiiVRn30qUQsCuEgz4pdQbS4mzyYZ8drUZtnYfNV-VnuXPesDIapc/s2048/P1180582_Fotor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxKDfe6YRWt6OyWEMfipVyETLK5di7U3YaXaiTpdIUi1IT7PGCZrRrW6CsB1_m78kBqP7ffUKJg4y9sqWYHfE8qigiiVRn30qUQsCuEgz4pdQbS4mzyYZ8drUZtnYfNV-VnuXPesDIapc/s16000/P1180582_Fotor.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div>Looking back on positive conservation stories from the past twelve months is my way of finding the silver lining to the overwhelming and devastating year we have all experienced, keeping the </span><a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/10/conservation-optimism-and-motivation-in.html" style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">eco-anxiety</a><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"> at bay, and for remaining motivated for the year to come.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></div></h3><h3 style="text-align: center;"><br /></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;">Finding solace in nature</h3><div><br /></div>The comfort so many of us found in nature during lockdown has left me optimistic that more people than ever will now acknowledge its unparalleled value and work harder to protect our wildlife and their vulnerable habitats.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/18/uk-wildlife-hospitals-report-busiest-year-ever-as-lockdown-turns-focus-to-nature-aoe" target="_blank">Almost half of the UK population</a> have spent more time outside than before the pandemic, and a third of people reported noticing nature and wildlife more. The National Trust revealed that interest in nature has <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/uk-values-nature-more-as-a-result-of-lockdown-according-to-summer-solstice-poll-" target="_blank">risen by a third</a> since the first lockdown, and <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/uk-values-nature-more-as-a-result-of-lockdown-according-to-summer-solstice-poll-" target="_blank">more than half the population</a> plan to continue spending as much time in nature once things go back to normal. For many, having extra time also meant they could get involved in <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/04/take-part-in-citizen-science-projects.html" target="_blank">citizen science projects</a>. Butterfly Conservation saw the <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blog/big-butterfly-count-2020-the-results#:~:text=Encouragingly%2C%202020%20also%20saw%20the,increase%20of%2025%25%20on%202019." target="_blank">highest number of butterfly sightings</a> ever submitted to their Big Butterfly Count, with an increase of 25% on 2019. Even when people couldn't get outside, interest in nature was still prevalent, as The Wildlife Trust saw a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/dec/28/lockdown-nature-expense-wildlife" target="_blank">2,000% increase</a> in live <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/04/nature-webcams-to-help-with-self.html" target="_blank">wildlife webcam views</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>The quiet that came with lockdown provided a unique opportunity for research. The drop in noise pollution allowed scientists and artists to create <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/30/lockdown-yields-first-global-sound-map-spring-dawn-chorus-birds?CMP=twt_a-environment_b-gdneco" target="_blank">the first global public sound map of the spring dawn chorus</a>. Bird recordings were submitted to the <a href="https://dawn-chorus.org/the-chorus/" target="_blank">Dawn Chorus website</a> from people around the world with the aim of helping conservation and creating public art. In South Carolina, the absence of people during lockdown gave scientists a rare opportunity to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/06/synchronous-fireflies-rare-look-congaree-national-park/" target="_blank">observe fireflies and collect pristine data</a> in Congaree National Park.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Ocean optimism</h3><div><br /></div><div>Humpback whales have made an <a href="https://time.com/5837350/humpback-whales-recovery-hope-planet/" target="_blank">impressive comeback</a> after being reduced to just 450 individuals in the 50's due to commercial whaling. Last year, a study revealed that humpbacks can now be found in similar numbers seen before the days of whaling - a positive example of how nature can recover if allowed to. This recovery is also good news for the climate, as on average a single whale stores around 33 tonnes of CO2.</div><div><br /></div><div>A <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/05/new-pygmy-seahorse-species-discovered-africa/" target="_blank">new species of pygmy seahorse</a> as small as a grain of rice was discovered in the waters off the coast of South Africa. It is the first pygmy seahorse found in all of the Indian Ocean and the continent of Africa, and was compared to being like "finding a kangaroo in Norway" by one of the researchers. This is an exciting discovery and researchers are optimistic that there are many more species of pygmy seahorses waiting to be discovered.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seabirds are the most vulnerable group of birds, facing numerous threats globally, but some of these are easier to tackle than others. A recently published paper has found that after a decade working with the fishing industry in Namibia, the Albatross Task Force in the country has <a href="https://community.rspb.org.uk/getinvolved/b/albatross/posts/22-000-seabirds-saved-in-namibia-every-year-thanks-to-the-albatross-task-force-and-fishing-industry">managed to save the lives of around 22,000 seabirds</a>! The 98% reduction in deaths is a result of measures which scare birds away from getting accidentally caught by longline fishing vessels, and will hopefully be a model for fisheries all over the world. Another threat faced by breeding seabirds is invasive mammals, which prey on helpless seabird chicks. There is good news in this area too, as the <a href="https://www.goughisland.com/post/rspb-council-gives-the-go-ahead-for-2021-restoration-operation">RSPB council approved a mouse eradication scheme to begin in 2021</a> on Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean, where almost the entire world population of seabirds such as the Tristan albatross (<i>Diomedea dabbenena</i>) and the Atlantic petrel (<i>Pterodroma incerta</i>) breed, as well as many other species. The island was identified as the third most important in the world for an eradication project and would be a major boost for global conservation efforts.</div><div><br /><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">14 nations have committed to sustainably manage 100% of their coastal waters by 2025, protecting an area of the ocean totalling roughly the size of Africa. 👏🏽🐠 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ConservationOptimism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ConservationOptimism</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OceanOptimism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OceanOptimism</a><a href="https://t.co/7vVrFNX1Np">https://t.co/7vVrFNX1Np</a></p>— Danielle Shaw (@DanielleShaw92) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielleShaw92/status/1337094039385092096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center></div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Species reintroductions, rediscoveries and recoveries</h3><p><br /></p><p>2020 was the year of the beaver, and the news of their many reintroductions brought me some much needed joy. In August, they were given the <a href="https://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/news/government-says-beavers-can-stay-their-devon-home" target="_blank">permanent right to remain</a> in their East Devon river home - the first legally sanctioned reintroduction of an extinct native mammal to England. In September, <a href="https://www.dumbartonreporter.co.uk/news/national-news/18760046.male-beavers-released-join-females-part-rewilding-scheme/" target="_blank">two male beavers were released in Norfolk</a> as part of a rewilding scheme, <a href="https://twitter.com/WildKenHill/status/1315686226549145602" target="_blank">and quickly paired up with females already in the area</a>. In October, it was announced that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his siblings arranged for <a href="https://twitter.com/guyshrubsole/status/1317363056310161408" target="_blank">beavers to be released </a>on their father's estate, which is hopefully an indication that government will encourage the reintroduction of more species across the UK. In November, Cheshire Wildlife Trust <a href="https://twitter.com/CheshireWT/status/1323923837126410240" target="_blank">released a of pair beavers</a> into Hatchmere Nature Reserve, and beavers in Exmoor <a href="https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/national-news/18907848.beavers-build-first-dam-exmoor-400-years/" target="_blank">built their first dam</a> in over 400 years!</p><p><br /></p><p>In July, Natural England celebrated the <a href="https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/07/20/natural-england-celebrates-30-year-anniversary-of-landmark-re-introduction-of-red-kites/" target="_blank">30 year anniversary</a> of the landmark re-introduction of red kites. In 1980s, the red kite was a threatened species in the UK due to hunting with only a few breeding pairs left in Wales. In 1990, 13 young red kites were reintroduced to the Chilterns and the project has been a massive success as there are now an estimated 1,800 breeding pairs in the UK. </p><p><br /></p><p>The efforts to bring pine martens to England look to be going well, as the first reintroduced females that were brought from Scotland to England in 2019 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/13/first-signs-of-success-in-bid-to-reintroduce-pine-martens-to-england?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">had kits last summer</a>. The species is very rare in England, and the hope is that a population will be established over the next few years.</p><p><br /></p><p>The <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8026796936567656348/7529312956198409067" target="_blank">RSPB announced</a> that the UK common crane population is at its highest in over 400 years. The species was declared extinct in the UK, but natural recolonisation alongside extensive conservation work and a reintroduction programme has resulted in their population bouncing back, meaning more of us will hopefully be able to witness their graceful courtship dance for generations to come.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Environmental protection</h3><p><br /></p><p>Tristan da Cunha is one of the world's most remote islands, home to whales, sharks, seals, millions of seabirds, and under 300 humans. Last year, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2020/11/new-atlantic-marine-sanctuary-will-be-one-of-worlds-largest" target="_blank">the government announced</a> that the four-island archipelago will be designated as a marine sanctuary, and fishing and mining will be banned in 90% of the waters. </p><p><br /></p><center><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">It's hard to not feel gloomy about conservation sometimes, and then some amazing work like this reminds you that change is possible and it's all worth it! 💛 Such an achievement. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ConservationOptimism?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ConservationOptimism</a> <a href="https://t.co/Spp3xxw9UI">https://t.co/Spp3xxw9UI</a></p>— Danielle Shaw (@DanielleShaw92) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanielleShaw92/status/1273358769112711169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script></center><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Looking for more conservation optimism? Read:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/03/natures-good-news-recent-conservation_29.html?spref=tw" target="_blank">Early 2020 conservation successes</a></li><li><a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/top-positive-environmental-stories-from-2020/" target="_blank">Top positive environmental stories from 2020</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/12/wildlife-wins-good-news-stories-2020/" target="_blank">10 good-news stories for wildlife in 2020</a> </li></ul><div><br /></div><div>And for some inspiration on new year's resolutions for the environment:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/how-to-be-more-sustainable" target="_blank">35 Things You Can Do To Help Save The Planet In 2021</a></li></ul></div>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-38685182647826299272020-12-01T12:11:00.010-08:002021-01-15T11:05:10.008-08:00The Importance of the RSPB's 'Project Puffin'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fK1VEd8F3BumrIqQ8soHXXeQtHG3E99O7-L7eLK59BvVKzob4l8sZ6uKbzUmTYHh7N49mEsaEwSeKTnKTZvZMmcJUfZGHhnRN0SGyB3xNtz-WMxTcApnkOmjJfSem-okAR-l1qTCCEg/s2048/puffin+3_Fotor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8fK1VEd8F3BumrIqQ8soHXXeQtHG3E99O7-L7eLK59BvVKzob4l8sZ6uKbzUmTYHh7N49mEsaEwSeKTnKTZvZMmcJUfZGHhnRN0SGyB3xNtz-WMxTcApnkOmjJfSem-okAR-l1qTCCEg/s16000/puffin+3_Fotor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">A couple of months ago I joined the RSPB's Project Puffin team as a volunteer. Originating in 2017, the project set out to discover how puffin diet was changing at colonies around the UK, and whether this was linked to worrying declines of this iconic seabird. A great example of citizen science in action, it is beginning to reveal how warming oceans might be affecting the availability of their favourite prey species. In this post I delve into the threats facing puffins, as well as the essential work that the Project Puffin team is undertaking.</p><p><br /></p><p>Is there a more iconic and instantly recognisable bird in the UK than the puffin? Their clownish looks and clumsy antics are a huge draw for tourists across the country, and provide endless entertainment for those who are lucky enough to see them. The puffins which call our shores home are Atlantic puffins (<i>Fratercula arctica</i>), the scientific name translating as - '<a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-icelandic-saga-of-the-atlantic-puffin-the-little-brother-of-the-arctic" target="_blank">Little Brother of the Arctic</a>' - an endearing name given to them due to their black and white plumage resembling the robes of a friar. The other two species, the tufted puffin (<i>Fratercula cirrhata</i>) and the horned puffin (<i>Fratercula corniculata</i>) occur in the Pacific ocean, and are equally as flamboyant as their Atlantic cousins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Though we know little of their lives at sea outside of the breeding season, every year they return to their colonies, often to the exact same burrow, and carpet the cliffs and islands of the British Isles for another summer. They are just one part of the great wildlife spectacles that are our seabird cities, and to be immersed in one of these places is a life affirming experience. The dazzling sight of thousands of birds wheeling overhead and streaming to and from the sea. The cacophony of noise as parents and chicks call to each other, pair bonds are maintained, and rivals are seen off. The potent smell of guano combined with the salt air of the sea. They feel timeless, the same rhythms of life having been repeated for millennia, and it seems unreal that many of them could disappear within our lifetimes as current worrying trends suggest.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJXFi4Bs-22rwDVgNJXekXh02K7XosM0rYsW2qWPYPw2hzVXjh0wqpOp4ENh7VrA0QunqPfy8LyDA_RziYs-IDBjRB_qyyTTn8QWnsZm4aJ-favlodq8l8DSfIEFGGIuG5phRVHAm9k/s2048/DSCF0237_Fotor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBJXFi4Bs-22rwDVgNJXekXh02K7XosM0rYsW2qWPYPw2hzVXjh0wqpOp4ENh7VrA0QunqPfy8LyDA_RziYs-IDBjRB_qyyTTn8QWnsZm4aJ-favlodq8l8DSfIEFGGIuG5phRVHAm9k/s16000/DSCF0237_Fotor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719307499" target="_blank">Seabirds are the most threatened group of birds</a>, with almost half of all species in decline and many of them globally threatened. The threats they face are numerous, from predation at their colonies by invasive species, to overfishing, pollution and a changing climate. Puffins are no exception, with breeding failures and population declines at colonies in Norway and Iceland, and closer to home in places like <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327594730_Counts_of_Puffins_in_Shetland_Suggest_an_Apparent_Decline_in_Numbers" target="_blank">Shetland</a> and the <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/puffin-population-uk-isle-of-may-scotland-declining-climate-change-303971" target="_blank">Isle of May</a>. Global trends are concerning enough for the Atlantic puffin to be listed as <a href="http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/atlantic-puffin-fratercula-arctica" target="_blank">'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List</a> of threatened species, which led to it being 'Red listed' in the UK, the highest level of conservation priority. In some colonies however, like those of Skomer and Skokholm on the Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, numbers are doing <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/20/a-world-without-puffins-the-uncertain-fate-of-the-much-loved-seabirds" target="_blank">relatively well</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What is going on?</h3><p><br /></p><p>It is believed that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-threats-behind-the-plight-of-the-puffin-97873#:~:text=Although%20there%20are%20around%20450%2C000,over%20the%20past%20five%20years." target="_blank">main factor responsible</a> is changes in the availability of their favoured prey species as a result of climate change. Small, oily, highly nutritious fish called sandeels make up an extremely large part of their diet, and can sometimes be up to 90% of what the young puffins (adorably called pufflings) eat. <a href="http://www.mccip.org.uk/media/1818/mccip-sandeels-and-their-availability-as-prey.pdf" target="_blank">The timing of the sandeel's lifecycle</a> is critical for puffins to have enough food for when their chicks are developing. Warming oceans are affecting this cycle by causing sandeels to spawn later, and the plankton blooms the sandeels rely on for food to occur earlier. This mismatch means that the sandeel larvae can't find the right types of small zooplankton prey when they hatch. The larvae grow slower and struggle to survive, meaning less of them are available for the hungry pufflings when the puffin breeding season is in full swing. Rising ocean temperatures also mean that the copepod <i>Calanus finmarchicus</i>, an important prey for the sandeels, is being replaced by a warmer water species, <i>Calanus helgolandicus</i>, which is less nutritious. This means smaller, less nutritious sandeels for the puffins.</p><p><br /></p><p>Sandeels also depend on sand which they need to burrow in at night and during the winter, as well as to lay their eggs on. They are therefore limited as to where they can live and cannot shift away from warmer waters as other species might. Climate change might also be influencing ocean currents, affecting how the larvae are dispersed. This could be bad news for relatively isolated areas of sandeel habitat which rely on currents flowing their way in order to recruit more sandeels into the population. There are multiple, complex forces at work, with serious consequences for puffins. What's clear is that around some colonies there are simply not enough sandeels, and those present are not large or nutritious enough to feed the hungry chicks. This means that the adults need to travel further to find food and bring it back, which costs them more and more energy, and ultimately the adults have to choose self preservation over continuing to support their chicks. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCQ6Rv6oNOoanlERs0fIjja9cTj-9-sjSn5mTbzszEEHwkkOc4Y0nF7HEtwSIVSL7DPLWua-ClwHTyGCoK35idCNBVmMahjt7o68puWTq9mqDa8lJ9Hk4bkWXUCxJN8wsGM99nu5gQJI/s1600/image2_Fotor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMCQ6Rv6oNOoanlERs0fIjja9cTj-9-sjSn5mTbzszEEHwkkOc4Y0nF7HEtwSIVSL7DPLWua-ClwHTyGCoK35idCNBVmMahjt7o68puWTq9mqDa8lJ9Hk4bkWXUCxJN8wsGM99nu5gQJI/s16000/image2_Fotor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In colonies where puffins are doing well, it might be that these effects aren't being felt yet, with plenty of sandeels and other preferred prey still within a reasonable distance to ensure the chicks survive. There are other factors which might be contributing to their declines as well, such as prey being <a href="https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/18003213.puffins-front-line-climate-change-overfishing/" target="_blank">depleted by commercial fisheries</a> or an increase in extreme weather which causes <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-causing-mass-die-offs-in-seabirds-such-as-puffins-117803" target="_blank">massive 'wrecks' of puffins at sea</a>. What is clear is that we don't know enough to be sure as puffins are notoriously difficult to monitor. They spend much of their lives at sea, and often breed in inaccessible locations. So how do we know what they are eating?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Bring on the 'Puffarazzi'!</h3><p><br /></p><p>What more classic an image is there than of a puffin with a beak stuffed full of fish, and what better a record of the prey species that bird was bringing back to its chick? Thinking that this huge potential resource had gone untapped, in 2017 the RSPB's Project Puffin led by Dr. Ellie Owen ran a citizen science project (more about citizen science <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/06/the-power-of-citizen-science-and-how-to.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) enlisting members of the public - the puffarazzos - to submit their photos of puffins with prey in their mouths, no matter what the quality of the photo. The hope was for the first time to build up a picture of how puffin diet varied across the UK, and whether this could be linked to the declines that were being observed. <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/projectpuffin/" target="_blank">The initial response was a huge success</a>, with 1402 photos being submitted by 602 people at around 40 colonies. From this data it could be confirmed that puffins breeding in places where they are not doing so well, like Shetland and Orkney in the northeast of Scotland, were catching smaller fish and less sandeels than those in other parts of the UK. Though puffins feed on a mixture of fish, this evidence suggests an inability to find their main prey item may be driving declines. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Being a 'Puffineer'</h3><p><br /></p><p>The project is now in its second stages, beginning in March 2019, with photos being accepted from any year in order to see how puffin diet has changed at colonies across the UK over time. In phase two, 3439 photos have been submitted by 1160 Puffarazzi members, covering 57 colonies! It is this huge dataset that I am now a part of analysing, having become a member of the team, or a 'puffineer', a couple of months ago. It is a great privilege to be a part of the project and know that my work is helping to untangle the predicament that our beloved puffins are now facing. Being able to be involved in Project Puffin, especially during this pandemic, has been a great way to connect to the islands and birds which I love from afar.</p><p><br /></p><p>Puffins began my love of seabirds, and the time I spent with the colony on Skokholm Island (which I wrote about <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/07/life-as-skokholm-island-volunteer-part-1_17.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/09/life-as-skokholm-island-volunteer-part-2.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>) was a dream come true. That these birds could perhaps disappear within my lifetime is unbearable, and that future generations might not get to enjoy them as I have is something we should be determined to help prevent.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What does the work involve? </h3><p><br /></p><p>Every couple of weeks I get an email with 100 photographs, with two weeks to analyse them and send them back. The analysing process is quite straightforward, although it can take some time to figure out what is going on in the images. Puffins can hold a surprising amount of fish in their bills thanks to some inward facing serrations on the bill, and prey can be also be layered on top of one another, making counting every single individual quite tricky. There are four main prey types that we look for; the sandeels and their larvae, clupeids like sprat or herring, gadoids like cod or haddock, and rocklings. Puffin diet is very varied though and sometimes other things can crop up like a squid! Then we estimate the size of the fish, and note down how confident we are about our analysis. I find the work very enjoyable, and looking at these images is a fascinating insight into their lives. After days of maybe staring at a few too many photos however, my dreams are haunted by gleaming fish eyes.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">What does the future look like for puffins?</h3><p><br /></p><p>Whilst the future is uncertain at the moment, the findings from this project will hopefully provide us with vital information about how puffin diet has changed over time, and allow us to predict which colonies are likely to be affected the most by warming oceans and changing prey distribution. Though the effects of climate change are going to be hard to overcome, identifying where vulnerable colonies are located might help us to protect them in other ways. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320719307499" target="_blank">As a recent review suggests</a>, if we can deal with things like overfishing, pollution, or invasive species, which we do have solutions for, populations will be more resilient in the long run. For example, if puffins are changing where they locate their food, we need to be able to protect these areas from development and fishing activities. Though there is still a lot to learn about this iconic seabird in order to ensure they are properly protected, this project is taking critical steps in the right direction.</p><p><br /></p><p>This article also featured on the <a href="https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/biodiversity/posts/the-importance-of-the-rspb-s-project-puffin?CommentId=9a83bee2-6538-4304-a19f-aea80e757e09" target="_blank">RSPB website</a>.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeEXk6577Ee9PzRxFxe9PwbuyWkFh2RpL2fhUuy4_Yga7NGE86W1D4a8JyXDZf9a51Ld9Kp8ZooOAbL7Fufz1ZtERUPXBjy2VnjpgJaVCd0eNkVprdFzeN8iIRpGblmin-mUbht2OWWo/s2048/Puffin+1_Fotor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBeEXk6577Ee9PzRxFxe9PwbuyWkFh2RpL2fhUuy4_Yga7NGE86W1D4a8JyXDZf9a51Ld9Kp8ZooOAbL7Fufz1ZtERUPXBjy2VnjpgJaVCd0eNkVprdFzeN8iIRpGblmin-mUbht2OWWo/s16000/Puffin+1_Fotor.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-24673938495574305472020-11-15T10:41:00.003-08:002020-11-21T03:31:47.338-08:00Being Green on Black Friday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NklVlb050SZnRHMHgzGtVqYvQfjzTlflI75_sA-CHGeY-K306DqSwQtHxN6TIdlb0O8C87bMTx3hV-y7vUiEXoEhbP0L_VlmRprXNyR_6a4ohOnKbrlijbRALXHgePsJKzsLqbJ3Mso/s1600/Untitled+design.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NklVlb050SZnRHMHgzGtVqYvQfjzTlflI75_sA-CHGeY-K306DqSwQtHxN6TIdlb0O8C87bMTx3hV-y7vUiEXoEhbP0L_VlmRprXNyR_6a4ohOnKbrlijbRALXHgePsJKzsLqbJ3Mso/s16000/Untitled+design.png" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Black Friday originated in the US, and happens the day after Thanksgiving when shops lower their prices to signify the beginning of the Christmas season. The tradition has since spread across the world, including here in the UK, and in recent years has increased from a day of sales to a weekend, and for some stores even a whole week. It's a busy time for businesses and consumers, and last year, transaction value <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/dec/02/uk-retailers-outstanding-black-friday-sales" target="_blank">was up 16.5%</a> compared with the year before. This year, Black Friday falls on 27th November, and though it may be good for big businesses, it is bad news for people and the planet.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, it's important to mention that Black Friday can be a great opportunity for conscious purchases, particularly items that you need but couldn't previously afford. However, for many people it is a day of mindless consumption which is disastrous for our planet. </p><p><br /></p><p>The prices of fast fashion items plummet on Black Friday, but at what cost to people and the planet? <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/02/fast-fashion-part-2-do-brands-live-up.html" target="_blank">Many of the people making our clothes</a> live in poverty, are not paid fairly, and experience workers' rights violations and poor working conditions. On top of this, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/apr/07/fast-fashion-speeding-toward-environmental-disaster-report-warns" rel="nofollow">every year</a> the fashion industry contributes 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions and uses around 1.5 trillion litres of water, and is a <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/fashion-industry-carbon-unsustainable-environment-pollution/" target="_blank">massive polluter</a> of our air and water. In addition are the <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/should-black-friday-be-stopped-heres-what-environmental-experts-think-19355000" target="_blank">environmental impacts of packaging, which is often plastic, and carbon emissions and air pollution from an increase deliveries</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p>Low prices encourage over consumption and results in excessive, unnecessary waste. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/29/black-friday-sale-fashion-clothes-shopping" target="_blank">In Europe</a>, clothing prices have been dropping since 2000, and the average consumer is buying more items but keeping them for less time. In the UK, <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf" target="_blank">we buy more clothes per person</a> than any other country in Europe, and <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf" target="_blank">300,000 tonnes</a> of clothing ends up in household bins every year.</p><p><br /></p><p>As consumers, one big way to make a difference on Black Friday is with our wallets. Supporting unethical brands sends a message that it's acceptable for them to overproduce at the cost of people and the environment. For the sake of the planet, we should opt to spend our money only on items we truly need and try to <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/11/a-green-christmas-gifts-to-support.html" target="_blank">support ethical and small businesses</a>, rather than making unnecessary, impulse purchases in the rush of Black Friday. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81y4mulDt6gzIGSbucWTcdW6cWCrRP9Sm7PJVldRnKK9NK4cLbbWODvNKzOk9Eu68ssm3iGB_8Reuh9aCdK8jH8TBZv93YpKWmlKMPHA-FjcJVKjAbCywPtjKuiVW_acbblEC_M8jdHs/s1278/FR_BF2020_Asset3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1276" data-original-width="1278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81y4mulDt6gzIGSbucWTcdW6cWCrRP9Sm7PJVldRnKK9NK4cLbbWODvNKzOk9Eu68ssm3iGB_8Reuh9aCdK8jH8TBZv93YpKWmlKMPHA-FjcJVKjAbCywPtjKuiVW_acbblEC_M8jdHs/s16000/FR_BF2020_Asset3.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Throughout November, <a href="https://www.fashionrevolution.org/blackfriday/" target="_blank">Fashion Revolution</a> is asking people to take part in their Black Friday campaign by abstaining from shopping the discounts and spreading the message that overproduction costs the Earth with their <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ITH5cpPG3tL1noW8Tu9zJSufxlCqrz9N" target="_blank">free, downloadable social media assets</a>. Participants can also use their voices by reaching out to the big brands and asking <u>#WhoMadeMyClothes</u>? and <u>#WhatsInMyClothes</u>?, along with confronting brands about making less stuff. This campaign will also celebrate clothing longevity by asking participants to make, mend, upcycle, share, and swap clothes instead of buying new.</p><p><br /></p><p>This campaign is supported by Fashion Revolution’s global network, along with international organisations all working to shape a better fashion industry. Supporting organisations include The Sustainable Fashion Forum, Greenpeace & Make Smthng Week, Fashion Act Now, Global Fashion Exchange and Fashion Takes Action. In addition, the campaign is supported by a series of small sustainable fashion brands who are doing good this Black Friday by donating some profit to Fashion Revolution in lieu of hosting discounts.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>“Black Friday is a scam. It’s one more way to get citizens to think they are finding a bargain, when in fact they are hunting an illusion. Don’t just buy because it’s cheap, think of why you are intending to buy, inspect your potential purchase and only then decide. Black Friday is about the rush, the speed, the compulsion. At Fashion Revolution we are asking you to stay conscientious, to buy with purpose.”</p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">- Orsola de Castro, Fashion Revolution co-founder and creative director</p>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-62075090659277342752020-11-01T08:10:00.006-08:002020-11-01T08:32:39.047-08:00A Green Christmas : Gifts to Help the Planet and Small Businesses<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd7RxOSikZvCNvo3Dv9Th6H8TZzwzvKfRUMv9rViwReqoB_ajek5-ExowkwhTd2O5p3FetUqlimTwp8Did20OT7dk9gq7b5sYN_QnzVpmx3rqTZeu4AbwbgoXQsxnXCFVsa8MO48LNiQ/s2048/jeshoots-com-7VOyZ0-iO0o-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjd7RxOSikZvCNvo3Dv9Th6H8TZzwzvKfRUMv9rViwReqoB_ajek5-ExowkwhTd2O5p3FetUqlimTwp8Did20OT7dk9gq7b5sYN_QnzVpmx3rqTZeu4AbwbgoXQsxnXCFVsa8MO48LNiQ/s16000/jeshoots-com-7VOyZ0-iO0o-unsplash.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Christmas is a wonderful, but worryingly wasteful, time of the year. <a href="https://www.gwp.co.uk/guides/christmas-packaging-facts/#:~:text=Christmas%20Rubbish,region%20of%203%20million%20tonnes.&text=The%20UK%20will%20also%20throw,of%20Christmas%20lights%20each%20year!" target="_blank">An extra 30% of waste</a> is discarded during the festive period, and <a href="https://www.finder.com/uk/unwanted-gifts" target="_blank">over 21 million people</a> receive at least one unwanted Christmas present! </p><p><br /></p><p>However, there is no need to turn into Scrooge and give up on the magic of the holiday. Buying from independent and ethical brands means we can find unique gifts that are more likely to be cherished than thrown away, and also supports our local economy and community, which is particularly important after this tough year. Here are a handful of independent artists and businesses for some inspiration:</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>ART</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BebesArts" target="_blank">BebesArts</a>: I love Bee's paintings of UK animals and the countryside. I have several of her prints on the walls around my house, and my mum also bought some after seeing and loving mine!<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/byAliCottrell" target="_blank">byAliCottrell</a>: Ali's David Attenborough print gets a lot of love from guests to our house! All of Ali's products are sustainably produced and packaged.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GeorginaHackettArt" target="_blank">Georgina Hackett Art</a>: Georgina offers pet portrait commissions, and I couldn't resist her recent British garden birds print which I can't wait to get framed and up on the wall.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/misterpeebles" target="_blank">Mister Peebles</a>: Cute animal cards and prints, that are sent in plastic free packaging. I already have their 2021 calendar ready for next year!<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Raspberrythief?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=571096077&section_id=23414406" target="_blank">Raspberry Thief</a>: Art inspired by nature, including British animals, wildflowers, fungi and the four seasons.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/RoseAgarDesigns" target="_blank">Rose Agar Designs</a>: Rose's beautiful handmade lino prints are inspired by nature, and celebrate our glorious woodlands.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="http://toriratcliffe-art.co.uk/" target="_blank">Tori Ratcliffe</a>: Tori paints animals in watercolour, and offers pet portrait commissions. Not only is her art incredible, she has also donated over £22,000 of her profits to conservation charities!<br /></li></ul><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>BEAUTY</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://ethique.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ethique Shampoo Bar</a> - I had to include this shampoo bar, as after trialing what feels like 100 of them that left my hair feeling greasy, this year I <b>finally</b> found a brand that works! My hair is really oily, so I use the St Clements one, but they have options for all hair types.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://uk.lush.com/christmas/bubble-bars/snow-fairy-roll" target="_blank">Lush Snow Fairy</a> - Ok so not independent but I've allowed it under ethical grounds.. and no product says Christmas time to me quite like Snow Fairy, and the fact that the products are limited edition makes it even more special.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.theplasticfreeshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Plastic Free Shop</a> and <a href="https://plasticfreedom.co.uk/" target="_blank">Plastic Freedom</a> - both of these stores have loads of plastic free beauty options, and both support conservation charities.</li></ul><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>BOOKS</b></h3><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Books are always a good gift choice, and independent book stores need our support more than ever. It might feel easier to go to Amazon, but supporting a local bookshop really makes a difference to your community. They also provide much better, tailored service, and many also run outreach activities. I shared some of my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CG4pLD7gNHk/" target="_blank">recent nature reads here</a>, or if you're not sure what to buy, a voucher from your local bookshop is a good option. Visit <a href="http://www.indiebookshops.com/" target="_blank">Independent Bookshops</a> for more info.</div><div><br /></div><p></p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES</b></h3><p><b><br /></b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/helloDODOshop" target="_blank">hello DODO</a>: Will and I both own loads of patches from hello DODO, each have a jumper, and a screen print framed in our living room. Their designs are fun and colourful, and use ethically and sustainably sourced materials.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.sillygirlclub.com/" target="_blank">Silly Girl Club</a>: Handmade clothing made from old bedsheets which will leave you feeling nostalgic! Everything sells out super quickly so it's worth following them on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sillygirlclub/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> to keep up with restock dates.<br /><br /></li><li><a href="https://www.wyattandjack.com/" target="_blank">Wyatt&Jack</a>: Buy a unique bag and save plastic from ending up in landfill! Wyatt&Jack's bags and wash bags are made from old bouncy castles and inflatables.</li></ul><div><br /></div><div>I also wrote a guide to responsibly purchasing and disposing of Christmas cards and wrapping paper which you can read <a href="https://www.fsc-uk.org/en-uk/newsroom/id/693" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-82079246143840876522020-10-19T09:19:00.158-07:002020-10-23T04:18:13.617-07:00Eco-Anxiety and Conservation Optimism in 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ709fr299k3Mwd1rjORzw6JITWNDuHF5wYGWfzxIRt5zjdRwAd96t0QirXlCqdiAEhkps2gbMw3wKMEC1ogKlnGDHXFrGlmn6Os_ATCj56ogyINxLuTpti6ZsmNb0soHhE3eGNYSCpAY/s2048/corey-hearne-8Acojsr1j4I-unsplash.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ709fr299k3Mwd1rjORzw6JITWNDuHF5wYGWfzxIRt5zjdRwAd96t0QirXlCqdiAEhkps2gbMw3wKMEC1ogKlnGDHXFrGlmn6Os_ATCj56ogyINxLuTpti6ZsmNb0soHhE3eGNYSCpAY/s16000/corey-hearne-8Acojsr1j4I-unsplash.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Caring about the environment and being concerned about the future of our planet can be overwhelming. This feeling is so common that in 2017, The American Psychological Association defined it as '<a href="https://time.com/5735388/climate-change-eco-anxiety/" target="_blank">eco-anxiety</a>'. </p><p><br /></p><p>My coping mechanism when things get daunting has been <a href="https://conservationoptimism.org/about/" target="_blank">conservation optimism</a>. By looking at success stories for inspiration, remembering the many people working tirelessly for our planet, while remaining realistic and advocating for change, can make things feel more manageable. It was even the motivation for starting this blog - a place to share positive conservation news and ways we can all help the environment.</p><p><br /></p><p>However, I have struggled with optimism through the rollercoaster of 2020. The global pandemic, green spaces still not being safe or accessible enough for all, being failed by the government on environmental (and many other) issues, catastrophic forest fires around the world, and finding out the UK is on track to miss most of its biodiversity targets has made it a heavy year. But after taking a long break from posting, I have finally been hit with inspiration to write about staying motivated when leaning further toward despair. </p><p><br /></p><h3>Conservation Works</h3><p><br /></p><p>The most important thing for me was remembering that it's normal to feel pessimistic and/or anxious about the environment. There are plenty of reasons to and burying our heads in the sand and pretending everything is fine isn't how change happens.</p><p><br /></p><blockquote>"<a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate-change/how-cope-eco-anxiety" target="_blank">Actually feeling this anxiety is an emotionally mature state to be in, which shows that you are aware of the crisis that we are all facing. So, whilst it can be unpleasant, I would firstly say that this is a sign of willingness to face painful truths and facts..</a>"</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>But it's equally important to remember the progress that has been made so far, the hard work many individuals, communities, and organisations are putting in right now to make change, and that conservation does and can work. </p><p><br /></p><p>A study in <i>Conservation Letters</i> revealed that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/up-to-48-species-saved-from-extinction-by-conservation-efforts-study-finds-aoe" target="_blank">conservation efforts have prevented up to 48 bird and mammal extinctions since 1993</a> (the year that the UN Convention on Biological Diversity came into force). Authors said <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/up-to-48-species-saved-from-extinction-by-conservation-efforts-study-finds-aoe" target="_blank">their findings showed that governments should be encouraged to reaffirm their commitment to halting extinctions</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/12/climate-crisis-campaigns-pledge-real-change" target="_blank">Environmental victories, from the removal of lead petrol in 1999, to the fight against acid rain, show how civil society can force governments and business to change</a>, and can be a source of inspiration and motivation.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/12/climate-crisis-campaigns-pledge-real-change" target="_blank"></a></p><blockquote>"<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/12/climate-crisis-campaigns-pledge-real-change" target="_blank">It is easy to forget that environmentalism is arguably the most successful citizens’ mass movement there has been. Working sometimes globally, at other times staying intensely local, activists have transformed the modern world in ways we now take for granted.</a>"</blockquote><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9_3_DGVq3Ra0XUMcL8saplIQDNFEVkFe53eOlEV3X_otIKJ5AHE9Gj7kwo0g1rnaMCMWrddlhs-3HIrjfVEXnoAw9892S2K2ojVd0pzVX2_bpFGDuIiSlXUtViQ7mTbzmXVYMD5OeJM/s720/EWNnaEzXgAAh_gy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9_3_DGVq3Ra0XUMcL8saplIQDNFEVkFe53eOlEV3X_otIKJ5AHE9Gj7kwo0g1rnaMCMWrddlhs-3HIrjfVEXnoAw9892S2K2ojVd0pzVX2_bpFGDuIiSlXUtViQ7mTbzmXVYMD5OeJM/s16000/EWNnaEzXgAAh_gy.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://www.birdandmoon.com/about/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Google Sans", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">© </span>Rosemary Mosco</a></td></tr></tbody></table><h3><br /><br /></h3><h3>A Focus on Nature</h3><p><br /></p><p>One positive thing to come out of lockdown was the realisation that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/03/nature-got-us-through-lockdown-heres-how-it-can-get-us-through-the-next-one" target="_blank">so many people turned to nature for solace</a>. Hopefully, people who were previously apathetic about the nature crisis now realise how much we depend on the natural world, and will be more inclined to protect it going forward.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote>"<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/03/nature-got-us-through-lockdown-heres-how-it-can-get-us-through-the-next-one" target="_blank">The natural world is there for us, even in pandemics, even in lockdowns; it is there to console and repair and recharge us, often unrecognised and unacknowledged, but still giving life to every one of us, regardless.</a>"</blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Not only did the public find comfort in nature during this challenging year, but David Attenborough's documentary, <i>Extinction: The Facts</i>, showed that viewers are concerned about the state of the planet. Attenborough has previously been criticised for <a href="https://theconversation.com/our-planet-is-billed-as-an-attenborough-documentary-with-a-difference-but-it-shies-away-from-uncomfortable-truths-114889" target="_blank">shying away from uncomfortable truths</a> because of the fear that viewers will switch off. This was not the case in his recent offering, and producers were surprised that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/18/dont-look-away-now-are-viewers-finally-ready-for-the-truth-about-nature-aoe" target="_blank">viewers couldn't tear themselves away</a> from the heartbreaking scenes.</p><p><br /></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Community and Activism</h3><div><br /></div><div>Action is another way to deal with eco-anxiety. This could be through individual action such as lifestyle changes, working with your community (I love this example of a village in Oxfordshire <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/17/prickly-business-hedgehog-highway-knits-a-village-together-kirtlington-oxfordshire-aoe?CMP=share_btn_tw" target="_blank">working together to help hedgehogs</a>), taking part in <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2020/04/take-part-in-citizen-science-projects.html" target="_blank">citizen science projects</a>, or joining environmental groups. This year, I joined <a href="https://youthfornature.uk/" target="_blank">UK Youth For Nature</a>'s Organising Team, and being involved in campaigns with other people that are concerned about the environment has definitely helped.</div><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote>"<a href="https://time.com/5735388/climate-change-eco-anxiety/" target="_blank">When it comes to treatment, experts say taking action—either by changing your lifestyle to reduce emissions or getting involved in activism—can reduce anxiety levels by restoring a sense of agency and connection with a community. Collective action, says Hickman, is a good treatment for a collective problem.</a>"</blockquote><p><br /></p><div>Supporting others within the environmental community is crucial. Working in conservation and caring about the environment can be tough on everyone's mental health, but many people experience an extra burden of not feeling safe or welcome in the environmental sector or green spaces due to race, gender, class, sexuality, or a disability. Putting in the time to learn, discuss, and reflect on how we can improve this is essential: </div><div><br /></div><div><p><b>Resources</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://rootedinrights.org/video/accessnature/" target="_blank">Accessibility in the outdoors video</a></li><li><a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/access-nature-middle-class-working-class-communities-environment-agency-640311" target="_blank">Access to nature is too middle class, Environment Agency chief warns</a></li><li><a href="http://www.birdgirluk.com/2019/05/black2nature-me.html" target="_blank">Black2Nature</a></li><li><a href="https://climatereframe.co.uk/" target="_blank">Climate Reframe</a></li><li><a href="https://saracannon.ca/2020/06/27/decolonizing-conservation-a-reading-list/" target="_blank">Decolonising Conservation: A Reading List</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQhhr-bp7kA" target="_blank">Green Alliance 'Racism in the Environmental Sector' Webinar</a></li><li><a href="https://www.positive.news/society/right-to-roam-campaign-to-make-england-accessible/" target="_blank">Protest picnics and poetry: the campaign to make rural England more accessible</a></li></ul><p></p><p></p></div>Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-56979265158170338872020-04-21T07:50:00.003-07:002020-10-22T13:58:09.773-07:00World Curlew Day 2020<div style="text-align: center;">
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Today is <b><a href="https://www.curlewaction.org/world-curlew-day/">World Curlew Day</a></b>, a celebration of the <b>curlews</b>, a group of nine shorebird species in the genus <i><b>Numenius</b></i> which are widely distributed around the world. It is also a day to raise awareness of their plight, <a href="https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/03/01/why-are-we-losing-our-large-waders/">as most of these species are in trouble</a>. One of them - the <b>Eskimo curlew</b>, is probably extinct and another - the <b>Slender-billed curlew, </b>critically endangered with the last confirmed sighting in 2004. Two species breed in the UK, the <b>Eurasian whimbrel</b> and the <b>Eurasian curlew</b>, and both are red listed in this country as having the highest conservation priority. This post is primarily about the Eurasian curlew, which has suffered alarming declines across the country in recent years, especially in Ireland, Wales and the south of England. With the UK hosting <b>around a quarter of the world's breeding population</b> it is especially urgent that curlews receive the protection they need to survive. As a bird which I have only become familiar with in the past year or so, it is heartbreaking to think that it could eventually disappear from this country if current trends are not reversed. Read on to find out more about the curlew's plight and what you can do to help!</div>
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The issues that impinge upon this bird of meadow and moor are huge, no less than an ever-growing human population and the transformation of the Earth's atmosphere. We will have to dig deep into our reserves of compassion for wild things to secure their future. And curlews can give us nothing in return but songs of the soul and a glimpse of wildness.</blockquote>
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Mary Colwell, <i>Curlew Moon</i></div>
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I was inspired to write this post after finishing <a href="https://twitter.com/curlewcalls" style="text-align: justify;">Mary Colwell's</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> outstanding book </span><i style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.nhbs.com/curlew-moon-book">Curlew Moon</a>. </i><span style="text-align: justify;">A moving tribute to the curlew, the book follows Mary as she undertakes a 500 mile walk across Ireland and the UK in order to see how they are faring, what threats they face, and the people trying to save them - as well as raising money for curlew conservation and increasing awareness along the way. I would highly recommend it, both as an homage to the curlew, and more broadly as an exploration of the value we place on the natural world in modern society. Mary also contributed to a moving piece on the curlew in the recent </span><a href="https://www.bto.org/our-science/publications/bto-books-and-guides/red-sixty-seven" style="text-align: justify;">Red Sixty Seven</a><span style="text-align: justify;">, a lovingly crafted book which combines original artwork and words to celebrate our 67 Red Listed bird species. </span>
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With the UK being described as one of the <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/future-of-UK-nature">most 'nature-depleted' countries</a> on the planet, our relationship with nature must change if alarming declines in our wildlife are to be reversed. As with many species in this country, the curlew is being squeezed out of existence through a combination of habitat destruction, changing land-use, climate change and agricultural intensification. As the book details at length, though a fairly inoffensive bird in themselves, curlews are caught up in conservation issues which are highly complex and controversial. </div>
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Curlew numbers swell outside of the breeding season, with birds from other parts of Europe - <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/curlew/">an estimated 140,000</a> - joining our resident birds along our coastlines and estuaries for the winter months. This is how I have known the curlew, as a bird of the peripheries. The first time I heard one was as a long-term volunteer on Skokholm Island last autumn. There were usually a number of them roosting on the island, and lying in bed in the early morning I would hear their cries "<i>curlee...curlee...</i>" as they flew off to the mainland for the day. Their calls are hauntingly beautiful, and if you have never heard one calling then you should listen to them right now <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBjUVhw3NQ">HERE</a></b>. Walking around the island I would always catch a faraway glimpse of them, but could never get very close before they would spook and fly off.<br />
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The other times I have seen them, in Bangor harbour and at the seafronts in Ardrossan and Troon in North Aryshire, they were patrolling the shoreline and methodically probing the wet sand and mud for food. I also hope to see them as a summer bird, as a breeding bird, and I am lucky in that I can still do that if I travel to the right places. But for how long? Whilst we still have an estimated <a href="https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/curlew/">66,000 breeding pairs</a>, numbers <a href="https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/curlews-cant-wait-for-a-treatment-plan/">dropped by 48%</a> from 1995 to 2015, which is a 13.5% loss of the whole European population. Although in the uplands of England and Scotland breeding numbers are still high, in Ireland, Wales and southern England the situation is dire.<br />
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The wildlife we exist alongside is deeply connected to our history and culture, and each species we lose is a tragic loss for us and for future generations who will never get to experience them. Hope is not lost though, and there are some amazing people out there trying to save curlews, with lots of dedicated local conservation organisations working to prevent further declines. Organisations such as <a href="https://curlewcountry.org/" target="_blank">Curlew Country</a> based in the Shropshire Hills and Welsh Marches, <a href="https://www.curlewcall.org/">Curlew Forum</a> in southern and lowland Britain, <a href="https://www.npws.ie/farmers-and-landowners/schemes/curlew-conservation-programme">The NPWS Curlew Conservation Programme</a> in Ireland and others. <a href="https://www.curlewaction.org/world-curlew-day/">Curlew Action</a> was set up in 2018 on the back of Mary Colwells' work to bring people together in order to develop serious and urgent action plans to rescue the curlew. She also instigated the creation of <a href="https://www.curlewaction.org/world-curlew-day/">World Curlew Day on the 21st of April</a>, to celebrate and raise awareness for curlews worldwide. </div>
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Our goal is to support and develop cooperation with farmers and land managers by promoting careful monitoring and research, sharing of knowledge and experience, raising awareness, offering advice, and securing funding to implement effective conservation measures.</blockquote>
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Curlew Action</h4>
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Spread the word about curlews, it is easier to protect and save a species when more people know and cherish them. Another great way to contribute is to make a donation, however small, to some of the organisations working tirelessly for the curlew. You can <a href="https://www.curlewaction.org/donate/">donate to Curlew Action</a> to help fund their projects, including for a Curlew Fieldworkers Toolkit. You can also donate to local conservation organisations such as <a href="https://curlewcountry.org/" target="_blank">Curlew Country</a> who are doing such important work on the ground to try ensure that curlews breed successfully. You could also do more hands on work for curlew conservation, with Curlew Country <a href="https://curlewcountry.org/what-you-can-do/">needing volunteers</a> for surveying work, nest finding and office admin.<br />
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Positive partnerships between land managers, conservationists and communities and a pragmatic approach will be the methodology for achieving the common goal of keeping a viable curlew population in lowland UK.</blockquote>
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Amanda Perkins,<br />
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Further reference</h3>
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Apart from reading the excellent <i>Curlew Moon</i>, the <a href="https://wadertales.wordpress.com/category/curlew/">Wader Tales</a> blog has a huge amount of information on the research and conservation of curlews as well as our other wader species. <a href="https://www.curlewaction.org/">Curlew Action</a> and the websites for some of the curlew conservation groups such as <a href="https://curlewcountry.org/">Curlew Country</a> or <a href="https://www.curlewcall.org/">Curlew Forum</a> regularly post the latest news and updates.<br />
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Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-62935668141150258782020-04-13T03:35:00.000-07:002020-04-13T04:45:54.611-07:00Take Part in Citizen Science Projects During Isolation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULxIu86HC_6qLouiOzHxE26ezJ2NbVRcg3_PHbeo3k0ZNbXJiWQdTB_AkMv8GLK8uDXhV0eMeN9f7oMYs85EWtgqPXPSqxga_IYCqiSxRrb0sNt2AjeV70Ijd98ILWctBvnVDkQpJ7G4/s1600/cherryblossom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULxIu86HC_6qLouiOzHxE26ezJ2NbVRcg3_PHbeo3k0ZNbXJiWQdTB_AkMv8GLK8uDXhV0eMeN9f7oMYs85EWtgqPXPSqxga_IYCqiSxRrb0sNt2AjeV70Ijd98ILWctBvnVDkQpJ7G4/s1600/cherryblossom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">COVID19 lockdown means a lot of us have extra time at home, and many of us are missing exploring the great outdoors and engaging with nature. </span><a href="https://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/06/the-power-of-citizen-science-and-how-to.html" style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">Citizen science</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;"> is a fun and easy way to get our wildlife fix, whilst contributing to research all over the world. It can be done from home, and m</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">ost projects don't require experience or qualifications, just an enthusiasm for nature.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">Here are a few options which you can take part in from your home or garden:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">Zooniverse is a platform designed to enable volunteers to assist professional researchers. Research made possible from the platform has resulted in new discoveries, valuable datasets, and publications. There are lots of projects to choose from (</span><a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects" style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;" target="_blank">see here</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">) but here are a few that caught my eye:</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/penguintom79/penguin-watch" target="_blank">Penguin Watch</a></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">Very few of us will be lucky enough to observe penguins in their natural habitat, but this may be the next best thing! By looking at photos and counting penguins, you can help the <a href="https://zoology.web.ox.ac.uk/polar-ecology-and-conservation-group" target="_blank">University of Oxford</a> to understand why penguin populations in some regions are in decline, and learn more about </span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">population changes and changes in survival rates and timing of breeding. </span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/penguintom79/seabirdwatch" target="_blank">Seabirdwatch</a></b><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;">Seabirds are thriving in some areas, and declining in others. It's tricky to study seabird colonies so there has historically been insufficient data to effect change. Counting seabirds and identifying different species can enable researchers to demonstrate which threats are important and encourage policy makers to act.</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/ghthomas/project-plumage" target="_blank">Project Plumage</a></b><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px; text-align: center;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">If you're more interested in an evolution project, this one is for you!</span></span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Help the Natural History Museum to </span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">measure the dazzling array of plumage colouration in birds to gain a better understanding of how and why spectacular animal colouration evolves.</span></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/sandiegozooglobal/wildwatch-burrowing-owl" target="_blank">Wildwatch Burrowing Owl</a></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Another counting project! But this time focusing on burrowing owls. As well as counts, researchers need you to identify behaviours, and any visitors and predators to their burrows. </span></span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The information gathered will help land managers balance development and wildlife conservation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><a href="https://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/02/how-you-can-help-conservation-right-now.html" target="_blank">Biological recording</a> allows you to explore and identify wildlife, and submit your findings into databases which can be used for conservation research around the world. It is possible to<b> take part without leaving your garden, </b>making it a great option for the current corona virus isolation period. You can submit anything you find to <a href="https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/" target="_blank">iRecord</a>, or take part in these projects: </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/" target="_blank">Butterfly Conservation</a> are encouraging the public to submit recordings of moths and butterflies spotted in gardens. Engaging with nature is good for our mental health (particularly important during the current pandemic), and will also ensure databases are up to date which is vital for conservation. Find out more about the projects <a href="https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/recording-and-monitoring" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Join the <a href="https://www.bto.org/" target="_blank">British Trust for Ornithology</a> for their <a href="https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/gbw/join-gbw" target="_blank">Garden BirdWatch</a>! The project has been running since 1995, and data helps scientists to investigate changes in garden bird populations. Keep a list of what species you spot in your garden and submit them to the database. The project is usually run as a membership for £17 a year, including a book and quarterly magazine, but is currently <b>free</b> for a year during lockdown.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The <a href="https://ptes.org/" target="_blank">People's Trust for Endangered Species</a> want you to help them understand what mammals are living on our doorsteps. Take part in their <a href="https://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/garden/living-with-mammals/" target="_blank">Living with Mammals</a> survey by submitting any mammal sightings that you see, or even any footprints or droppings. The data collected by volunteers really is invaluable - it previously led to the discovery that hedgehog numbers had fallen by a third in urban areas in less than 20 years! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;"><a href="https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Woodland Trust's Nature's Calendar</a> aims to track the effects of weather and climate change on wildlife. Record your sightings and observations, and <a href="https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.uk/what-we-record-and-why/how-to-record-a-quick-guide/" target="_blank">make sure to find out</a> how often you need to do a follow up, as it varies between species. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">They might not get the same level of love as our charismatic mammals and birds, but slugs are just as important! Since the Green Cellar Slug was spotted in the UK and Ireland, records of the Yellow Slug have declined dramatically. <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/" target="_blank">The Royal Horticultural Society</a> needs lots of help to find out if t</span><span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">he Green Cellar Slug has taken over, and whether we may witness the extinction of a slug in Britain. <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/slugssurvey" target="_blank">Find out more here</a>, and don't worry - they are not considered pests to plants!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">The <a href="https://bsbi.org/" target="_blank">Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland</a> would like you to submit what wildflowers you can spot in your garden, on your balcony, or even a single planter by your front door. This will provide a picture of which wildflowers are growing in gardens across Britain and Ireland, and a better understanding of their distribution and ecology. Learn more about the Garden Wildflower Hunt <a href="https://bsbi.org/garden-wildflower-hunt" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "quicksand" , sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.5px;">I hope these gave some interesting ideas to get stuck into! There are more than enough projects to keep us busy, and it's more important than ever to make sure database's stay up to date so that conservation work can continue to make a difference. </span></span><span style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">Wanting to read more about citizen science? Check out our other posts </span><a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/search/label/citizen%20science?m=1" style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: quicksand, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.5px;">!</span></div>
Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-23587077362143861172020-04-05T02:13:00.000-07:002020-04-19T11:20:34.973-07:00Nature Webcams to Help With Self Isolation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #121212; font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In times of crisis, the natural world is a source of both joy and solace. The natural world produces the comfort that can come from nothing else.</span></span></blockquote>
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As the reality of the COVID-19 lockdown sinks in and we settle down into self-isolation, the importance of the natural world in keeping our spirits up is apparent. One form of exercise a day is currently permitted, which includes walking, and whilst some are lucky enough to live near places where nature can easily be found close to home, others may not have this luxury. Some have taken to finding wildlife in their gardens and birdwatching from their windows, but another way of getting a nature fix in this difficult time is to tune in to the endless array of live webcams online. This post features a selection that I have been enjoying recently and I hope you will too!</div>
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At this moment in time we have unparalleled access to the lives of animals around the world from the comfort of our own homes via live webcams. Here are some of my favourites:</div>
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<b>Wildlife Kate </b> </h3>
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<a href="http://www.wildlifekate.co.uk/home/4588862341">Kate MacRae</a> has been featured on shows like Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Countryfile for her wildlife film work. Her webcams are set up in her garden in Lichfield, and include live feeds of bird feeders, a mammal box, a blue tit nest box, and my favourite at the moment, <a href="https://www.wildlifekate-alfrescowild.co.uk/copy-of-roamwild-feeders">a blackbird nest</a>. All of the streams can be found <a href="http://www.wildlifekate.co.uk/live-cameras/4594845939">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44ICfBP3RekF4RhBgf_Mnl2WNTWZKsx4KIcjMKsLWmEmrY1aM6HRaOUes9GaPb5yb9XTDw25VoKLXaXeInl5eSTQHQbf3w6iOnXeVqDTXki-Ox7PFBqvKaSxIeQhmYhMXPxngIKs5Do4/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.22.37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44ICfBP3RekF4RhBgf_Mnl2WNTWZKsx4KIcjMKsLWmEmrY1aM6HRaOUes9GaPb5yb9XTDw25VoKLXaXeInl5eSTQHQbf3w6iOnXeVqDTXki-Ox7PFBqvKaSxIeQhmYhMXPxngIKs5Do4/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.22.37.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A blackbird snoozing on the nest in Kate MacRae's garden.</td></tr>
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<b>The Hawk and Owl Trust</b></h3>
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If you like owls the Hawk and Owl trust has both a <a href="https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/barn-owl-cam-live-somerset">barn owl</a> and a <a href="https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/tawny-owl-live">tawny owl</a> webcam live from Somerset. They also have live feeds of two peregrine nests, one from <a href="https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/norwich-cathedral-side">Norwich cathedral</a> and another in <a href="https://hawkandowltrust.org/web-cam-live/bath-1">Bath</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6IM9g3y_ADttqOPPKnnihvP7XLyZH1pI9w44rUXFsAfe78ixvXfYFOS8nyRIdH0vrFsM2vJPPvXvIg1Hjx7yCkIlyzDG64veWERtFex7W4buJY00lVHrAfOHQyPguwaTd78m4vT1SIY/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+16.53.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6IM9g3y_ADttqOPPKnnihvP7XLyZH1pI9w44rUXFsAfe78ixvXfYFOS8nyRIdH0vrFsM2vJPPvXvIg1Hjx7yCkIlyzDG64veWERtFex7W4buJY00lVHrAfOHQyPguwaTd78m4vT1SIY/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+16.53.49.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A pair of barn owls resting in a box on the Somerset Levels.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhbm8ONTbfkhO2tvqUi-5rSwpQ-i6jPzd_RlPbzn0bL0XMCF20pa2Ex-q4idwB33DZsmfvyZVA7ETq5LQCJLobwmZFLAnIS95PanEjnoqYDsq1a4ChQ7DxkQUtk_AwGxZqYyHrDhQ30/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+16.53.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZhbm8ONTbfkhO2tvqUi-5rSwpQ-i6jPzd_RlPbzn0bL0XMCF20pa2Ex-q4idwB33DZsmfvyZVA7ETq5LQCJLobwmZFLAnIS95PanEjnoqYDsq1a4ChQ7DxkQUtk_AwGxZqYyHrDhQ30/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+16.53.20.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">One tawny owl keeps watch while the other settles down in a box at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve.</td></tr>
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<b>The Wildlife Trusts</b></h3>
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The Wildlife Trusts have an incredibly diverse collection of webcams available from across the UK. Some highlights include a window into the most<a href="https://durhamwt.com/kittiwake-cam/"> inland breeding colony of kittiwakes at Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside</a>, a pair of <a href="https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/peregrine-cam">nesting peregrines at Nottingham Trent University</a> and a pair of <a href="http://www.dyfiospreyproject.com/live-streaming">ospreys at Cors Dyfi in mid-Wales</a> - which is very close to us! All the links can be found <a href="https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/webcams">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp8RmHcZN_7aZ1nuzyju3CRKLGrB8hyPPF5xhkeZfBwxLZB8cpr42DtGutTyILkUqjSMC87O17BR9IF-Bchi_7cI1YLg9UwbP2xjh6xyi4jCP_PH0OIkDYareeYNoR_5elEjIGcJo7yU/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+12.55.00.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYp8RmHcZN_7aZ1nuzyju3CRKLGrB8hyPPF5xhkeZfBwxLZB8cpr42DtGutTyILkUqjSMC87O17BR9IF-Bchi_7cI1YLg9UwbP2xjh6xyi4jCP_PH0OIkDYareeYNoR_5elEjIGcJo7yU/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+12.55.00.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A unique insight into a noisy urban kittiwake colony at the Newcastle-Gateshead Quayside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZeSq3ER3wFRxEoIPfDSSgZmGWbBZ05mmpIcbNwHRhT9ENmmaaivFpKymQo_lImtMTI4AH7N9_TxfhfspbMU7fq9JvD-tSgqOXdx81klJedf5puUjn_ga4xcZ4MoTvD3sVQdNR3ivHy8/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+13.02.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZeSq3ER3wFRxEoIPfDSSgZmGWbBZ05mmpIcbNwHRhT9ENmmaaivFpKymQo_lImtMTI4AH7N9_TxfhfspbMU7fq9JvD-tSgqOXdx81klJedf5puUjn_ga4xcZ4MoTvD3sVQdNR3ivHy8/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+13.02.35.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Peregrines nesting at Nottingham Trent University with a handy size chart for scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7N-57SDb9bg3mu2BL_jCFjaNHVBAjkzHa0Z7Lh-3K7ianFVW68IYafZbfaCn8QSCTkXwj4guVTrK35giE8oYp_77H6d_FoiYRU0cTvhErN9OXMosK1S4K9yJQ521NdYaRBOw-Qd3Hxw/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+13.35.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr7N-57SDb9bg3mu2BL_jCFjaNHVBAjkzHa0Z7Lh-3K7ianFVW68IYafZbfaCn8QSCTkXwj4guVTrK35giE8oYp_77H6d_FoiYRU0cTvhErN9OXMosK1S4K9yJQ521NdYaRBOw-Qd3Hxw/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-04+at+13.35.05.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">The ospreys have returned to Cors Dyfi in mid-Wales for another year!</td></tr>
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<br /><b>Coral City Camera </b></h3>
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Fancy some underwater action? Coral Morphologic has you covered! The Coral City Camera streams from an urban reef in Miami, Florida and is a public art and science project. The feed switches between a few different angles and it is incredibly soothing to watch the fish swimming past in a hurry and the light dance off the sand and corals. The link can be found <a href="http://www.coralcitycamera.com/">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtqYTiepONuMmVihXZj0pd_QL_FcHQtU6zlRe4j4hnfv7OfmbDFM1_63JtWU9aoETiwdEx_dZOG_pTT2eCy7n-m8NRkw3GSG9uoVWHZx58rdIUhThcPGC8pF8fFuz1hCc_xv7uZRjfls/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.53.02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXtqYTiepONuMmVihXZj0pd_QL_FcHQtU6zlRe4j4hnfv7OfmbDFM1_63JtWU9aoETiwdEx_dZOG_pTT2eCy7n-m8NRkw3GSG9uoVWHZx58rdIUhThcPGC8pF8fFuz1hCc_xv7uZRjfls/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.53.02.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">This fish in Miami, Florida had places to be.</td></tr>
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<b>The Cornell Lab of Ornithology</b></h3>
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The Cornell Lab has so many great live feeds which have provided us with a lot of entertainment, including our house cat Smudge! Be instantly transported to a bird feeder at the <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/panama-fruit-feeders/">Canopy Lodge in El Valle de <span style="color: #333333;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Anton</span></span> in Panama</a>, with a parade of tropical birds visiting throughout the day to feed on fruit. Or to the <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/cornell-lab-feederwatch/">Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca, New York</a> to see a host of North American birds at the feeders. Take a trip to a windswept <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/royal-albatross/">Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve in New Zealand</a>, which will give you views of a lonely Northern Royal albatross chick braving the elements and waiting for its parents to return. These are just a few selections, but you can find them all <a href="https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/all-cams/">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EMyyMm6SSqHHPRuMr540FFNXsmnkMJZZuis9e8CRTGj2V4RL0ctYHk6kUC47Apuw9OrAjCSLpOVIoMxBihR9pIxGDl2K00C4d2ibi3tWUNwprifcClxOUOgI53IoZ7NXBC4DUy4a4Bg/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.19.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EMyyMm6SSqHHPRuMr540FFNXsmnkMJZZuis9e8CRTGj2V4RL0ctYHk6kUC47Apuw9OrAjCSLpOVIoMxBihR9pIxGDl2K00C4d2ibi3tWUNwprifcClxOUOgI53IoZ7NXBC4DUy4a4Bg/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.19.55.png" /></a></td></tr>
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A rufous motmot taking centre stage at the Canopy Lodge in Panama. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsjgLF_QAXQBsJZhyphenhyphenIcpI1khaB2YqJAns6Meb_IwBwNb_OY_uB2T5gDHJe9mNgWhZ_T8QsF5SzchANODYm4sQs647m0JrH0hZH9sX90gddEA6qvtnov8XX3xQ1Ue_fkbZ0_ZQPl5wFIw/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.42.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsjgLF_QAXQBsJZhyphenhyphenIcpI1khaB2YqJAns6Meb_IwBwNb_OY_uB2T5gDHJe9mNgWhZ_T8QsF5SzchANODYm4sQs647m0JrH0hZH9sX90gddEA6qvtnov8XX3xQ1Ue_fkbZ0_ZQPl5wFIw/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.42.46.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A lonely Northern Royal albatross chick at Taiaroa Head, New Zealand.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7I8rrA03q7A3_kgzk3kfFPjwmOEpA7-L5YqlIYAH5EewqNXDbzoakzkNEWZ6UDhH7GoSN1KARf2RwcFIk0bRMRSz8APd_y6TGebQ2ZOlNAG_DfSh4lccuR19V1-7TEk3jXzOQnTMHYDo/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.44.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7I8rrA03q7A3_kgzk3kfFPjwmOEpA7-L5YqlIYAH5EewqNXDbzoakzkNEWZ6UDhH7GoSN1KARf2RwcFIk0bRMRSz8APd_y6TGebQ2ZOlNAG_DfSh4lccuR19V1-7TEk3jXzOQnTMHYDo/s1600/Screenshot+2020-03-31+at+14.44.35.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A squirrel interrupts feeding time at the Sapsucker Woods in Ithaca, New York.</td></tr>
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<b>Explore.org</b></h3>
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Explore.org has a huge selection of live webcams so there is a lot to keep you occupied here. A big part of their mission is to bring people closer to nature, and they certainly succeed on that front. Some of my favourites include a stunning pair of <a href="https://www.explore.org/livecams/currently-live/decorah-eagles">bald eagles in Decorah, Iowa</a>, tiny hummingbirds on a <a href="https://www.explore.org/livecams/hummingbirds/hummingbird-trees-nest-cam">nest in San Clemente, California</a>, a <a href="https://www.explore.org/livecams/oceans/channel-islands-national-park-anacapa-ocean">kelp forest off of Anacapa Island in the Channel Islands National Park, California</a> and a <a href="https://www.explore.org/livecams/african-wildlife/tau">watering hole in Madikwe Game Reserve</a> on the border of Botswana and South Africa. All of their live streams can be found <a href="https://www.explore.org/livecams">HERE</a>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvBpgNESuLmy0J__Gc8CVvR-lR0VsX2KZ4_EfpiyAinZqJH2qECM2ejkpT13BXzeou6ix_dqWWjJeb9oflzC7c0L9eIq9FbBYjnDH4jWJVcaNv7LwZFaZSl8K_IjijOzfEeOtGneYM3A/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.27.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvBpgNESuLmy0J__Gc8CVvR-lR0VsX2KZ4_EfpiyAinZqJH2qECM2ejkpT13BXzeou6ix_dqWWjJeb9oflzC7c0L9eIq9FbBYjnDH4jWJVcaNv7LwZFaZSl8K_IjijOzfEeOtGneYM3A/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.27.35.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Bald eagles nesting in Decorah, Iowa.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-36pT7GqmLYV5yCGiWrQQdeXDmOEDYqQHsyqUAWOSdJF0-xm0AaneBozPUSvlSlao8Ns1RgruMOdEtlYeQikkTuffmIR-f4mdFh1mi3qRwXudqh0eGJZ6y1q3WE8t81gvZYeM3QwpLcQ/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.35.58.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-36pT7GqmLYV5yCGiWrQQdeXDmOEDYqQHsyqUAWOSdJF0-xm0AaneBozPUSvlSlao8Ns1RgruMOdEtlYeQikkTuffmIR-f4mdFh1mi3qRwXudqh0eGJZ6y1q3WE8t81gvZYeM3QwpLcQ/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.35.58.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">Hummingbird nest in a rose tree in Orange County, California. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFt13C9-cp5fjStBVMntYsL6T7riCFY-apUI4s_fneZeuLIWkCtloNxIGFpn6Pj3CUfWDOeT-5YLeAMWCkWzJF5XT6WUQfKcZ-2VSWJX8MTwp_vDkN0FIp92v_V8iufgjxPrfHUTWz8M/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.34.56.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguFt13C9-cp5fjStBVMntYsL6T7riCFY-apUI4s_fneZeuLIWkCtloNxIGFpn6Pj3CUfWDOeT-5YLeAMWCkWzJF5XT6WUQfKcZ-2VSWJX8MTwp_vDkN0FIp92v_V8iufgjxPrfHUTWz8M/s1600/Screenshot+2020-04-01+at+16.34.56.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: right;">A majestic scene at the watering hole in Madikwe Game Reserve.</td></tr>
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This is just a tiny sample of the live nature webcams that are out there, and just a quick search online will reveal many more. Please feel free to share your own discoveries with us as we would love to hear about them!</div>
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Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-36445946314197003052020-03-29T11:21:00.000-07:002020-03-29T11:27:21.850-07:00Natures Good News : Recent Conservation Successes<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8vXytoHGiPnYhbeso-MoFOA_sO4DtVwAlChyphenhyphenNBaVRDTXB8-AM41VpefxNSOssXPbEvnLcH0eXAPTy493gBsBfkHKb9wUDeRICUpQ8BZIdT0gY4tU5B5aI5iwMeQ9QRadUYlTuqO2Q64/s1600/dattatreya-patra-RoghbRtRG28-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy8vXytoHGiPnYhbeso-MoFOA_sO4DtVwAlChyphenhyphenNBaVRDTXB8-AM41VpefxNSOssXPbEvnLcH0eXAPTy493gBsBfkHKb9wUDeRICUpQ8BZIdT0gY4tU5B5aI5iwMeQ9QRadUYlTuqO2Q64/s1600/dattatreya-patra-RoghbRtRG28-unsplash.jpg" /></a></div>
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Due to the current corona virus crisis, there is worry, fear and uncertainty all around the world. I'm very lucky that I am able to work from home, but have still been feeling anxious and lonely as I'm far away from family and friends and not sure when I will next see them. So I decided now was a good time to take a break from reading the news and worrying, and focus on some recent conservation successes. Hopefully this post will allow a few moments of positivity for anyone that needs it!</div>
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Powerful owls (<i>Ninox strenua</i>), native to southeastern Australia, don't build nests, they use hollows in old trees. But the removal of trees means the owls are struggling to nest and breed. Conservationists attempted to rectify this by building nest boxes, but the attempt was unsuccessful. A group of designers and ecologists from the University of Melbourne, Monash University, and Deakin University have <a href="https://theconversation.com/urban-owls-are-losing-their-homes-so-were-3d-printing-them-new-ones-133626">undertaken the challenge of 3D printing artificial nests.</a> The team were inspired by a photograph of owls nesting in a termite mound, and have so far printed one wooden and two hemp concrete nests. Data is still being collected, but the team are optimistic as early results are promising. Although still to attract owls, the nests have been visited by other species including rainbow lorikeets. </div>
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<a href="https://www.fauna-flora.org/news/roll-roll-precious-pangolins-caught-camera-vietnam" target="_blank">Camera traps hidden in secret areas in Vietnam have revealed numerous threatened species previously considered wiped out by poaching<span id="goog_29651691"></span>.</a> One particularly exciting discovery was the endangered Sunda pangolin, one of the world's most trafficked mammals. Fauna and Flora International will prioritise working with the Vietnamese government to hopefully increase the protection of areas where threatened species reside.</div>
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<a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2020/03/welcome-home-lost-english-species-making-comeback">It was great to see an uplifting story about England's reintroduced species in National Geographic this month!</a> The UK's 25-year Environment Plan includes the reintroduction of native species, and states that this is the key to nature's recovery. This includes the beaver, currently the subject of trials in the south west; the chequered skipper butterfly, part of a restoration project in Northamptonshire; the white-tailed eagle, which were released in the Isle of Wight in August 2019; and the pine marten, relocated in 2019 with the hope of more releases in 2020 and 2021. </div>
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Last year, 3,014 sites were monitored by volunteers for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/23/warm-summer-of-2019-gives-flight-to-butterfly-numbers?CMP=share_btn_tw">and results have revealed that more than half of Britain's butterfly species have increased in number!</a> This includes the ringlet, having its second-best year on record, the meadow brown having its fifth best year, and a 138% increase on the year before for the rare Lulworth skipper.</div>
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<a href="https://www.europapress.es/cantabria/noticia-nace-primer-quebrantahuesos-picos-europa-extincion-1956-20200317144043.html">The Picos de Europa National Park recently registered their first bearded vulture birth since the species went extinct there in 1956.</a> The chick was born to Deva, a female reintroduced to the park in 2010 as part of the bearded vulture recovery project, and Casanova, a male from the Pyrenees. National Park staff will monitor the progress, and there is hope that the reintroduction project will result in a stable population in the area.</div>
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The Humpback whale population in the Francisco Coloane Marine Park near the southern tip of Chile <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/chile-expedition-to-the-end-of-the-world-where-humpback-whales-are-thriving/">has increased from 40 individuals in 2003, to 190 in 2019</a>. This is in part thanks to the commercial ban on whaling. Although numbers have increased, they are still not as high as they were pre-commercial whaling, partly due to the species' slow rate of reproduction as females only give birth to one calf every two to three years. Humpbacks still face threats, including entanglement in fishing gear, water contamination, noise pollution and ships, but nevertheless, this steady increase in numbers is a step in the right direction.</div>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/Nottswildlife/status/1239873868438831105">Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust made the exciting announcement this month that Nottingham Trent University's peregrine pair laid an egg!</a> For some entertainment during lockdown, you can <a href="https://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/peregrine-cam">watch their live webcam here.</a></div>
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During their 2020 expedition to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, a team of scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey <a href="https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/antarctic-blue-whales-make-unprecedented-comeback">observed 55 Antarctic blue whales - an unprecedented number!</a> Blue whales in the area were almost made extinct due to commercial whaling, but the population appears to be bouncing back with scientists predicting it is a long-term trend. They also recorded 790 humpback whales and estimated there to be more than 20,000 individuals. </div>
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In Monte Alén National Park, <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/camera-traps-confirm-presence-of-lowland-gorillas-in-central-mainland-equatorial-guinea-for-first-time-in-over-a-decade/">wild western lowland gorillas have been captured on camera traps</a> - the first time they have been seen on film in over ten years, though local communities had reported sightings. This is an exciting time for researchers in the area, as it means they are still present despite heavy hunting pressure. Young gorillas of around four years old were also caught on film, meaning there is a whole new generation thriving in the area.</div>
Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-29740957367342886932020-02-16T08:54:00.000-08:002020-04-12T10:55:01.500-07:00Do Fast Fashion Brands Live up to Their Sustainability and Feminist Claims?<br />
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It's been around a year since I stopped buying from <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/04/fast-fashion-facts-are-your-wardrobe.html">fast fashion brands</a> after researching the industry's environmental and social impacts. I wasn't planning on writing another post about it, but my building irritation at fast fashion brands using sustainability and feminism in their marketing inspired me this weekend.<br />
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A few days ago I saw fast fashion brand Pretty Little Thing <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialPLT/status/1227910917641429003">celebrating International Women's Day by showing us what it's like to be 'a strong female at PLT'</a>. The brand introduced us to several female managers on their LinkedIn and Twitter. Women in managerial positions is always something to celebrate, but a fast fashion brand talking about International Women's Day felt pretty off.<br />
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International Women's Day is actually not until March, but the 11th February is a day dedicated to <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day">Women and Girls in Science</a> and the challenges that they still face. Not exactly relevant to a fast fashion clothing brand. To me, it felt that the brand saw this as a bandwagon to jump on, as if using feminism as a marketing tool shows they are an ally. <br />
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I didn't know much about the brand, I have never bought anything from them and only had my assumptions that they are a fast fashion brand so they must be bad, right? So I researched into it.<br />
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Fashion brands frequently use feminist themes in their marketing. In their advertisements and campaigns, and even feminist slogans on mass-produced t-shirts. Do we always know who made these and how much they were paid? Most of the time the answer is no. <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/feminist-clothing-harm-women_l_5db9debde4b0bb1ea373e237">Brands including Zara and Victoria's Secret have even been accused of stealing ideas and designs from women.</a><br />
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I don't think using feminism in campaigns is always wrong. But only if the brand is genuinely supporting women. Do fast fashion brands deserve to use feminism in their marketing?<br />
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Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing, that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed.<br />- Good on You </h3>
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According to Good on You, 80% of garment workers are female aged 18-35. In a deliberate move to save money, the majority of fashion brands produce their clothing in low-income countries with poor environmental policies and where workers' rights violations are common, including harassment, abuse, and child labour. Workers can also experience poor working conditions with little regard to health and safety.<br />
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A 2019 <a href="https://whatshemakes.oxfam.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Made-in-Poverty-the-True-Price-of-Fashion.-Oxfam-Australia..pdf">Oxfam report</a> surveyed male and female garment workers in Bangladesh. They found that 100% of garment workers earn below the living wage, with 91% unable to afford to feed their family, 72% unable to afford healthcare, 56% experiencing regular wage cuts, 85% unable to afford to finish their own education, and 89% unable to afford education for their children. Some garment workers in the UK are also being underpaid. The minimum wage for workers over 25 is £8.21 an hour, yet in 2018 factories in Leicester were found to be paying their workers as low as £3.50 an hour. And these are not isolated findings. A quick Google search will bring up countless other examples.<br />
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Consumers in the UK are getting pleasure and enjoyment from fashion and that is coming at a cost to workers and the environment..<br />- Dr Mark Sumner, University of Leeds</h3>
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The majority of clothes sold in the UK are produced in Asia. This is a very complex supply chain that the product passes through before ending up in a UK store. The supply chain starts with the raw material, like a cotton plant, goes through the factories where this material is made into clothing, and then through the distribution network before being available to buy in shops and online. When buying a new clothing item, it's pretty insane when you try to imagine the journey it has been through, and how the people who made it may have been treated.<br />
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Most labour and sourcing of materials happens across the world and passes through this complex supply chain before reaching the UK, and the majority of fashion brands don't take enough responsibility for exploitation and their environmental impact. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6398294/data/fashion-report-data.pdf">A 2015 Australian report</a> revealed that 91% of retailers surveyed were unaware of where their cotton came from, 75% did not know where their fabrics were sourced, and only 50% could trace where their products were cut and sewn. If fashion brands are unaware of where their clothing comes from, how do they know how their workers are treated? A 2016 report found that 77% of the leading retailers in the UK believed it was likely that modern slavery occurred at some stage in their supply chain. So they are aware it's happening, and they're profiting from it.<br />
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Because the major brands do not employ the workers directly, or own the factories they produce in, they are able to profit hugely, all while remaining free of responsibility for the effects of poverty wages, factory disasters, and the ongoing violent treatment of workers.<br />- Eco-Age</h3>
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On top of this is the environmental damage from the energy, water, land and chemicals used. The fashion industry is a major contributor to climate change through producing the equivalent of <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report.pdf" target="_blank">1.2 billion of CO2 a year</a> which is <a href="https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report.pdf" target="_blank">more than flights and shipping combined</a>! Fashion is also a water intensive industry, using <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf" target="_blank">79 billion cubic metres of fresh water every year</a>. <a href="https://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/valuing-our-clothes-the-cost-of-uk-fashion_WRAP.pdf" target="_blank">A shirt and pair of jeans can require between 10,000 and 20,000 litres of water to produce</a>. The industry is also polluting waters through the chemicals used to make and dye clothes. Even adding rips and tears into jeans requires more chemicals, putting water bodies and workers at risk. By 2030, the fashion industry is predicted to be using an extra <a href="https://globalfashionagenda.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Pulse-of-the-Fashion-Industry_2017.pdf" target="_blank">115 million hectares of land</a> to keep up with consumer demand. This land would be much better used to support wildlife going extinct due to habitat loss.<br />
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Many fashion brands are guilty of 'green washing', which is making untrue or misleading claims that their brand's behaviour is environmentally friendly. This can trick consumers into thinking the brand is conscious of the environment, potentially making them more likely to buy from them. Examples of this are recycling schemes available through brands such as H&M, Pretty Little Thing, and Boohoo. Brands may also offer small collections made from recycled materials, or 'conscious' collections, which to me is simply the brand admitting that the rest of their products are not conscious or sustainable. Some people may see this as positive and a step in the right direction, but the effectiveness of these recycling schemes is not clear, and these attempts at appearing to be environmentally conscious pale in comparison to the amount of damage these brands are inflicting to people and the planet.<br />
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So how do brands measure up? </h3>
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How can we tell if brands claims of being sustainable, environmentally conscious, and caring about and empowering women are actually true?<br />
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Good on You research into how brands impact people, planet and animals so that consumers can make informed, ethical choices. They use information from certification schemes such as Fairtrade and the Global Organic Textile Standard, independent ratings, and even the brand's own public statements. Then, they rate the brand from 1 ('we avoid') to 5 (great). Brands rated a 4 or 5 can then apply the 'good on you rated' stamp on their website.<br />
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Let's use Pretty Little Thing, owned by Boohoo, as an example as they are what inspired me to write this post. They are rated a 2 out of 5 meaning 'not good enough'. About them, Good on You says:<br />
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It does not publish sufficient relevant information about its environmental policies to give a higher rating. As a shopper you have the right to know how its production practices impact on the environment.</blockquote>
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Its labour rating is 'not good enough'. Its final stage of production is audited and reported through [SMETA]. It does not disclose where its final stage of production occurs. It does not disclose whether it pays a living wage at any stage of the supply chain. There is no evidence of listing countries for any of its suppliers. It audits some of its supply chain but does not state which part and what percentage.</blockquote>
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Its animal rating is 'it's a start'. It does not use fur, down, exotic animal skin, exotic animal hair and angora. However it uses leather and wool.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.prettylittlething.com/powerfulladiestogether">Associating themselves with International Women's Day</a>, using feminism to inspire their campaigns, and selling t-shirts with 'feminist' on feels even more nauseating after seeing their lack of transparency. Either they don't know the full story behind their clothing, in which case how can consumers make informed choices, or they are trying to hide something. <br />
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Other brands I looked at also scoring 'not good enough' included Missguided, Next, and New Look.<br />
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Good on You rated H&M '3 out of 5' meaning 'it's a start', but highlighted that they were accused of abuse of female garment workers in 2018, and in 2019 failed on their 2013 promise to pay 850,000 workers a living wage. So there's still a lot of work to do. About them, Good on You said:<br />
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It is a member of the Better Cotton Initiative. It offers a recycle program and reports on the percentage of production recovered. However it is a fast fashion brand that produces a mass quantity of clothing. It has set a target to use 100% renewable energy for its own operations by 2035 and it consumes a large proportion of renewable energy. It has not committed to setting a science-based climate change target and it uses some eco-friendly materials in its products. It has set a target to eliminate hazardous chemicals by 2020. It measures and reports on water usage and wastewater management for some of its supply chain.</blockquote>
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Its labour rating is 'it's a start' based on the 2018 Ethical Fashion Report. It has a Code of Conduct that covers all of the ILO principles however very few of its facilities have worker empowerment initiatives such as collective bargaining or rights to make a complaint. It traces most of its supply chain. It audits most of its traced facilities. It has made little progress towards ensuring payment of a living wage in its supply chain.</blockquote>
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Its animal rating is 'it's a start'. It uses leather and exotic animal hair. It uses down feather but 100% is accredited by the Responsible Down Standard. It uses wool from non-mulesed sheep. It does not use fur, angora or exotic animal skin.</blockquote>
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Other brands I looked at also scoring 'it's a start' included Zara, Primark, ASOS and Topshop.<br />
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What can we do? </h3>
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- Support brands that care about workers and the environment, and avoid ones that have a harmful impact or are lacking in transparency. Find these brands by checking ratings on the Good on You <a href="https://directory.goodonyou.eco/?_ga=2.154961144.1308099874.1581778954-210616094.1581778954">website</a> or their app for <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.org.goodonyou.goodonyou&hl=en_GB">Android</a> and <a href="https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/good-on-you-ethical-fashion/id1044017998">Apple</a>. <br />
- If you're concerned your favourite brands aren't doing enough then contact them and tell them so. Pressure from consumers is a huge driver for change. <br />
- Buy second hand to save items going to landfill. This way you can even shop your favourite fast fashion brands without supporting them financially. <br />
- Learn how to repair your clothes instead of immediately throwing them away. <br />
- If buying new clothes, be mindful of what materials the item is made from. <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/04/fast-fashion-facts-are-your-wardrobe.html">Popular fabrics like cotton, polyester and plastic can be harmful</a>.<br />
- Look up brands in Fashion Revolution's 2019 '<a href="https://www.fashionrevolution.org/about/transparency/" target="_blank">Fashion Transparency Index</a>' which reviewed brands on how much they disclose about their environmental and social policies and impact.<br />
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Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-52051477065559309442020-01-22T10:47:00.000-08:002020-04-12T10:55:25.987-07:00Green Technology: 6 (More) Apps to Help You Live More Sustainably <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago I shared <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/05/sustainable-apps.html">six apps that can help you on your journey to making your lifestyle more sustainable</a>, and it's been one of the most viewed posts on the blog so far! Here are six more resources that you can use to make it easier to be good to our planet.<br />
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1. <a href="https://www.bikemap.net/" target="_blank">Bikemap</a></h3>
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It's common knowledge that biking is one of the most carbon friendly travel options, but when exploring new places it can be easy to rely on driving. This app will inspire you with new travel routes and exciting bike tours. If you're not a confident cycler, <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/05/sustainable-apps.html" target="_blank">why not try BlaBlaCar</a> to link up with other drivers?</div>
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2. <a href="https://new.karma.life/" target="_blank">Karma</a></h3>
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The <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/05/sustainable-apps.html" target="_blank">previous apps post recommended Olio and Too Good To Go</a> to help reduce food waste and give you access to discounted restaurant food. <a href="https://new.karma.life/" target="_blank">Karma</a> is another app tackling food waste through connecting consumers to unsold restaurant food. The app launched in Sweden and has since been set up in London and Paris. So far, they have prevented 550 tonnes of food (that's 1 million meals and 800 tonnes of CO2!) from ending up in landfill.<br />
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3. <a href="https://www.happycow.net/" target="_blank">HappyCow</a></h3>
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If you're vegan, vegetarian, or just trying to reduce your meat intake for the sake of the planet, HappyCow allows you to search for the closest vegan and veggie restaurants. It's particularly helpful when travelling, and even has reviews so you can choose the most popular places.<br />
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4. <a href="https://www.recyclenow.com/" target="_blank">RecycleNow</a></h3>
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Recycling properly is a minefield as rules can vary in different areas of the country and to add more confusion, there are many items that <i>can</i> be recycled, but <i>can't</i> go into your recycling bin at home. RecycleNow advises you on how to recycle loads of different products from cans to Christmas trees, and even shows where the closest place is to take products that can't go in your recycling bin. Other useful information includes how recycling works and advice on composting, junk mail, and repairing items. </div>
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5. <a href="https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/" target="_blank">Love Food Hate Waste</a></h3>
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I'm slightly cheating with this one as it's a website not an app, but it's a great resource! <a href="https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/" target="_blank">Love Food Hate Waste</a> has tonnes of information about food waste including advice on how to reduce your waste, food storage tips and recipes. It's vital reading for all of us, especially considering in the UK <a href="https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/why-save-food" target="_blank">we waste 5 million tonnes of edible food each year</a>! </div>
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6. <a href="https://goodonyou.eco/" target="_blank">Good on You</a></h3>
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<a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/04/fast-fashion-facts-are-your-wardrobe.html" target="_blank">Our fashion choices can have detrimental impacts to people and the environment</a>. The <a href="https://goodonyou.eco/" target="_blank">Good on You</a> app is the perfect companion to take shopping. It allows you to check how sustainable brands are based on a rating system which considers their impact on people, the planet, and animals. </div>
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Danielle Shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00777811014496963018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-29363652284148240422019-10-19T13:15:00.003-07:002020-04-12T10:59:29.536-07:00Life as a Skokholm Island Volunteer : Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was with a heavy heart that I left Skokholm Island at the start of the month, and I still feel at a loss
now I’m back on the mainland. They call it ‘Dream Island’ for a reason, and I couldn’t have imagined
before I arrived how true this is. You might think it would get dull spending 3 months on an island
just a mile long and half a mile wide, but it still remained just as fresh and exciting on the last day as
it had the first. It’s a combination of being surrounded by the ever changing and sometimes raging
Celtic Sea, in blissful self-imposed isolation from the troubles of the world, living simply and
appreciating the rhythms of nature that are so often missed in day to day life. Being able to see a sky
full of stars at night, an endless horizon and the sun rise and set every day, and spending the time
with like-minded people who are interested in and care about birds and conservation. Its all of this
and so much more, a totally immersive experience, and this last post is about everything else that
happened on the island besides the seabird work. </div>
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I’m lying down comfortably on a bed of sea campion with my eyes closed, the sun beating down on
me, listening to the sounds of the sea crashing into the bay below. I can also hear rock pipits
chipping, echoing up off the walls, gull chicks peeping incessantly, begging their parents for food
until they fly off irritated, and the guttural greetings of the fulmars returning back from their fishing
trips. A pair of chough fly in squawking overhead. It’s my afternoon off after a frantic morning
cleaning the kitchen and the toilets for a guest changeover, and I’m having a brief nap at Twinlet Bay
on the rugged North Coast. It's the location of one of my fulmar productivity plots and the best napping spot on the
island - I tested a few! Voices approach and I open my eyes slightly to see the 15 guests standing
on the cliff opposite, looking down at the fulmars as part of their welcome walk. Richard, one of the
island wardens, does this talk twice a week, priming the new arrivals with a history of the island and
the birds which call it home. Not wanting to look like all us volunteers do is laze around I scurry back
up to main path, say a quick hello to everyone and head off back to the observatory for a coffee.<br />
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The guests are an essential aspect of life on Skokholm, and with only 2 boats a week in the peak
season and accommodation for no more than 20, it never feels crowded. Guests can stay for 3, 4
or 7 nights and having them on the island for this time means that you really get to engage with
them, living communally and having interesting conversations with first timers and regular visitors
alike. There are those there for a getaway, researchers, ringing groups, ex-volunteers,
photographers, artists, poets, university groups and work party volunteers. Every one of them adds
to the richness that is life on Skokholm and I made a lot of new friends and connections whilst I was
there.<br />
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As I go back to the observatory I walk past the surreal hummocky landscape created by the combined
burrowing of the manx shearwaters and the rabbits. The rabbits on the island are much tamer than
on the mainland, lacking predators apart from the opportunistic great blacked-backs. The lack of
predation has resulted in traits being expressed which you wouldn’t normally find on the mainland,
with some of them looking like they’ve just come straight from a pet shop. The extremely furry ones
we’ve even given names to, such as Fluffy Roger, Wooly Pete, Floofy Steve and Hairy Mike. Perhaps three
months was too long to be away?<br />
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Onwards next past North Pond, a large body of water when I arrived but dried up as the summer has
worn on. Once a large gull and oystercatcher roost, at various points I saw black-tailed godwit,
redshank, ringed plover, knot and green sandpiper on the pond as well a short-eared owl flying
around it for a few evenings. Now just a few dunlin probe the edges and meadow pipits bathe in the
pools that remain. We spent a few afternoons digging out the pond when it had almost dried out,
and it has since filled in a bit with a heavy downpour. Another landscaping project involved the expanding of Orchid Bog, making scrapes for waders and shoring up its banks so it could hold more
water. The Bog became a favourite hangout for snipe and water rails later on in the season.<br />
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Finally I get down to the observatory. The original buildings from Ronald Lockley’s time (the man
who founded the Bird Observatory in 1933) still remain, and after being bought in a state of disrepair
in 2010 by the Wildlife Trust were lovingly restored. His cottage and the surrounding farm buildings
provide accommodation and facilities for the guests, with original features such as timber plundered
from the wreck of the Alice Williams still intact (the ship ran aground on the island in 1928).<br />
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The
primary aim of the observatory is to record and ring resident, visiting, and migrating birds and to
conduct research on them. On a day to day basis, birds are mostly caught in the Heligoland traps or in
mist nets on calm days. Named after the German island of Heligoland where they were developed,
the traps are large mesh structures which funnel birds through which have flown in to the vegetation growing within. Walking through them pushes any birds to the end where they can be caught, and this is done throughout the
day. Mist nets are put up across areas where birds might be passing through, and are checked
regularly, with birds extracted by experienced individuals. All birds are taken back to the ringing hut for processing and then released. Although I had virtually no ringing
experience before I arrived, I got involved as my confidence grew and by the end had ringed a total
of 24 species on the island. Seeing any bird in the hand is a privilege, but some of my favourites have
to be the tiny 5 gram goldcrests with heads aflame with highlighter orange, a male stonechat we
caught using tape lures and a perch trap, a wheatear caught in the Heligoland traps and the robins
which look just as vibrant in the hand as they do singing from the tree tops.<br />
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As autumn migration kicked off more birds began to pass through, such as willow warblers, sedge
warblers, chiffchaffs, blackcaps, whitethroats, spotted and pied flycatchers, a couple of reed and
garden warblers, redstarts, goldfinch, skylarks, common rosefinch, linnets, pied and white wagtails and thousands of swallows
accompanied by the odd house or sand martin. A stunning firecrest was with us for a while and
survived a patch of extremely rough weather, and we all ran to catch a brief glimpse of a turtle dove,
an increasingly rare sight in the UK. We also had the luck of having two wrynecks with us at various points. Buzzards, peregrine, sparrowhawks and kestrels are also regular visitors and residents, with a red kite and a marsh harrier gracing us with their presence on other days.<br />
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Autumn also saw the birth of seal pups in Skokholm’s sheltered coves, with one
mother this year having twins, an extremely rare occurrence. Although worried that she would not be able to raise
two pups, after much observation we saw her feeding both of them, and they still appear to be
doing well! On the rocks below, turnstone pick amongst the seaweed at low tide, and cormorants and shags dry themselves, lacking the more waterproof plumage of other seabirds. Further out from the shore, especially on stormy days, the seas are alive with birds, and
sea watching was another thrill of island life. Gannets stream past the lighthouse going to and from
Grassholm, an island capped with the white of tens of thousands of breeding birds. Manx shearwaters
and fulmars power across the waves effortlessly, whilst kittiwakes flutter in the distance. I managed
to see a few bonxies (great skuas) and an exciting glimpse of an Arctic skua.<br />
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As evening arrives the birding ends and everyone gathers for dinner and the evening bird log in the cottage. With a fire going on cold nights it gets quite cosy and is always a highlight of the day. After careful checking on the forecast for the night, we would sometimes put out the moth trap. The variety of species we caught over the few months was astonishing, and it was always exciting seeing what we might unearth in the morning. Some of the highlights included a rare migrant bedstraw hawk moth from Europe, convolvulus hawk moths, hummingbird hawk moths, burnished brass, autumnal rustic, campion, Setaceous hebrew character, antler, garden tiger and orange swift, but the list is extensive and I could go on for a while!<br />
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Although it felt like a lifetime the months flew by so quickly, and the last few days became a mad rush to try and and make the most of the island before we left. The last day was gloriously sunny and calm in what had been a rough few weeks of delayed boats and stranded guests - Skokholm isn't a bad place to be stranded! - and although it was the 2nd of October it felt like July again. Having packed and cleaned the day before, the morning was spent with the mist nets open, ringing migrants passing through as the hours slipped away before our departure. Before we knew it we were down at the jetty for a swift turn around and a final emotional farewell. As we waved goodbye and the boat powered away, the buildings and landmarks we had come to know so well slowly started to disappear. It was time to get back to mainland life. Everything was strange at first - a dachshund walking down to the jetty at Martin's Haven, trees, cars, roads, tall buildings. After a few weeks I feel re-adjusted but am still feeling like something is missing.</div>
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Life on Skokholm is endlessly varied and exciting, and anything short of a book would undoubtably fall short of describing it all. I only had three months there, and so missed the spring migration and early seabird season, so there is still so much more to be seen and am already planning a return trip! You also never know what is going to turn up - we saw a great white egret in my very first week, a first for the island! Unfortunately, I missed out on the laughing gull and American golden plover before I arrived, and a red-eyed vireo just last week. There were countless moments that took my breath away and I couldn't quite believe how lucky I was. Ringing storm petrels under shooting stars, seeing tens of thousands of manx shearwaters take off from the sea all at once, gannets over Grassholm silhouetted against the setting sun, glorious mornings with thousands of migrants passing through, the joy of finding out that our fulmar chicks had fledged. It's the people that make the whole experience special as well, and everyone involved with the running of Skokholm does an amazing job, especially Giselle and Richard, who have run the island since it reopened in 2013. I can't thank them enough for the opportunity and I feel privileged to have been a part of it all, if just for a short while.</div>
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Don't miss out on part <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/07/life-as-skokholm-island-volunteer-part-1_17.html" target="_blank">one</a> and <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/09/life-as-skokholm-island-volunteer-part-2.html" target="_blank">two</a> of this series if you haven't already read them! You can find more information about Skokholm Island including volunteering opportunities and booking your own visit <a href="https://www.welshwildlife.org/skomer-skokholm/skokholm/" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8026796936567656348.post-73351029934229870262019-09-15T03:16:00.000-07:002020-04-12T10:59:47.442-07:00Life as a Skokholm Island Volunteer : Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #444444;">It has been almost 2 months since my last post about my
experiences working on Skokholm and the time has flown by. Summer has slipped away
and the great autumn migration is now fully underway! The seabirds have slowly
left us, although the manx shearwaters and storm petrels are still around for
now, and watching the island change through the seasons has been one of the
joys of living here long term. So much has happened it is hard to recount, so I
will attempt to review the main projects and monitoring we have been working
on.</span></div>
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Puffins</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #444444;">A week after my last post, the puffins left en-masse. The
day previous stormy weather broke what had been a fair and sunny few weeks, and as I was heading down
to the Crab Bay colony to re-sight colour rings I could see that they were up
in the air and circling around in their hundreds. There were also thousands
standing around outside their burrows and on the cliff edges. Although some did
come back, we never saw them again on land in such numbers. A few late breeders
and stragglers hung on but by the end of July they were virtually all gone. It
was sad to see them go, but<span style="border: 1pt none; padding: 0cm;"> the
puffins are far from the only thing to be excited about on Skokholm. </span></span><br />
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Fulmars</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">Last
time the oldest fulmar chicks were only two </span><span style="color: #201f1e;">weeks old and just starting to be
left alone whilst their parents were out feeding at sea. More hatched afterwards, and over the past two
months they have transformed from balls of fluff with heads to fully grown
birds with snowy white and silvery grey plumage. Though some of our pairs
failed at the egg stage, all the chicks which hatched fledged except one,
making this year the highest for productivity in a decade. The first chick
departed on the 23rd August and the final one only 6 days ago. The cliffs are
virtually empty now except for the odd birds hanging around, and their aerial
acrobatics will be missed greatly when they are gone. </span></span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">Storm petrels</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #201f1e;">In
the past two months we finished monitoring the storm petrels using tape
playback as well as the walks down to the Quarry with the infrared camera.
Instead we started using mist nets and tape lures to catch and ring
non-breeding birds down at South Haven where the boat comes in (catching
breeding birds in this manner would cause too much disturbance for those on
eggs or with chicks). There is still a lot to learn about storm petrels and so
ringing and re-capturing them can provide invaluable information about their
movements. Some of the birds
we caught came from France and the Channel Islands! On the first few nights,
under starry skies and shooting stars, we were catching over 100 birds each
time. The island guests were invited down to watch and took turns releasing
them. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Ringing
the chicks can be difficult, as storm petrels often nest in awkward and
inaccessible places. It is important to try though, as getting to the birds at
this stage means they can be definitively aged and their whole life history
known. We can also see if birds ringed as chicks return to the island or even
the same spots to breed. There was exciting news this year, with three chicks
hatched in the ‘Petrel Station’, an artificial nesting wall built back in 2016.
It’s the first time chicks have hatched successfully in the wall, meaning that
there is potential for more in the future and easier access to ring and monitor
them.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Manx
shearwaters </span></h3>
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</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">You
would be hard pressed to find a better job than monitoring the manx shearwater
chicks, and apparently I let out a distinctive and very audible “awwww” noise
whenever I lift a chick from out of its burrow. As Ronald Lockley discovered
when he first starting monitoring them on the island, the chicks and adults are
very resilient to disturbance, and so a few visits to check up on them as they
develop is of little consequence. As with the fulmars and the storm petrels,
the transformation from featureless ball of fluff to adult is something
magical, and seeing chicks which virtually resemble adults except for a tuft of
stylish feathers on the head or a fluffy bottom is a source of much amusement. The
parents stop coming in to feed them a little while before they leave the
burrows, and the nights have begun to get quieter where they were once filled
with their haunting cries. With a potential 60,000 or more chicks in burrows
across the island, the nights now are occupied with trying to catch and ring
the fledglings as they emerge, exercising off their excess weight and
stretching their wings before finally finding a high perch to take off and make
their way to South America! They have to be careful though, as now the moon has
begun to wax the great black-back gulls will find it easier to pick them off. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">There is a slightly darker side to this fledgling period, as unique to Skokholm and neighbouring Skomer Island is the mysterious condition ‘puffinosis’.
Afflicting the young manx shearwaters (</span><i style="color: #201f1e;">Puffinus
puffinus</i><span style="color: #201f1e;"> is their scientific names), the disease has been </span><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Manx_Shearwater.html?id=nWngAAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">studied extensively</a><span style="color: #201f1e;"> but it's causes remain elusive. Symptoms include blisters, limb spasticity, paralysis, conjunctivitis, shivering and fever, with birds showing signs of the illness usually seen wandering about in the day. What is known is that the condition is most prevalent in damp areas, and it is potentially contracted in the nest. In the next few weeks it is likely we will see more and more birds with puffinosis, although on the whole not a huge number are affected when compared to how many healthy chicks will fledge.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e;"><br /></span>
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<h3>
<span style="color: #444444;">Wheatear boxes</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #201f1e;">One
of the major projects we have undertaken and our legacy on the island is the
building and installation of 40 nesting boxes for wheatears. Continuing the
pioneering work of Peter Conder,</span><span style="color: #201f1e;"> </span><span style="color: #201f1e;">ex-warden of Skokholm and author of the ‘The Wheatear’, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/fatsnipe?lang=en-gb">Ian Beggs</a><span style="color: #201f1e;"> has
been conducting a long term study on the island's population since 2016.
Already the study is bearing fruit, with new revelations regarding partner
swapping and second broods being featured in </span><a href="https://britishbirds.co.uk/article/british-birds-september-2019/">this months issue of British Birds</a><span style="color: #201f1e;">. It is hoped that our boxes will help aid future research and monitoring,
and make it easier to access the chicks in the nest to ring them. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #201f1e;"><br /></span>
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<span style="border: none 1.0pt; color: #444444; padding: 0cm;">The boxes
were dug into the ground and covered with turf, and most of them are looking fantastic already apart from a few which the rabbits have dug up! We go around
regularly and add soil and water them, and hopefully they will be ready for
next years breeders. There is a theory that wheatears will scout out nesting locations for the next year, and with some of our boxes already proving popular with known colour ringed birds, it is hoped that we can prove this theory if these same birds return the nest boxes next year. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Although my posts have been focused mainly on seabird monitoring so far, in my next and final post about my volunteering experience I will be talking about all the other exciting things which have happened on the island since I started. A whole host of birds call the island home and pass through on migration, and ringing and monitoring them is a huge part of Skokholm Bird Observatory's work. We have also been trapping moths on a regular basis, something I have really got into since coming here. With just over two weeks left the end is getting closer and I'm starting to feel very sad about leaving!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #444444;">If you missed part 1 of life as a Skokholm Island volunteer, you <a href="http://www.naturesgoodnews.com/2019/07/life-as-skokholm-island-volunteer-part-1_17.html">can read it here</a>!</span></div>
</div>
<br />Will Bevanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12691488722984059676noreply@blogger.com0