BBCWildlifeMarch2015.pdf

CARING FOR WILDLIFE IS NOT ENOUGH. ITS TIME FOR ACTION!CHRIS PACKHAM

EXCLUSIVE

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LAND OF THE LEOPARDSHow the Amur leopard found sanctuary in Russias wilderness

SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION

NEWSINSIDE!

LATESTHow Ratty came back from the brink

RELIGION NATURES UNLIKELY SAVIOUR?

ETHICAL TRAVEL SPECIAL

EXTRA!

WATER VOLE REVIVAL

REVEALED

WAYS TO SAVE

BRITAINS WILDLIFE

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WELCOME

BBC WildlifeMarch 2015 3

ON THE COVER: Amur leopard by Emmanuel Rondeau

When Bill Oddie discussed religions role in conservation in our December issue, the letters soon started flooding in. He suggested Christianity didnt have the best record on attitudes to wildlife, and that a little papal intervention could

do a great deal to end the hunting of migratory birds in Malta and Cyprus each spring. However, readers including the Rev. Dr Alison Morgan took Bill to task, suggesting it is often the absence of religion that contributes to destructive attitudes to nature. This month we report how Jainist culture both protects and venerates the demoiselle cranes that flock to Rajasthan each year, and discuss four other spiritually inspired projects (p64). But no matter your beliefs, there is no doubt that it is time for a radical change in our attitudes to the natural world. Tony Juniper suggests we might start by harnessing one of the most modern and evangelical of world faiths: market economics (p30). Wed love to hear your thoughts.

Welcome

Matt Swaine Editor

[email protected]

IN BBC WILDLIFE THIS MONTH

GET YOUR

DIGITAL COPY

TONY JUNIPERTony is a writer and campaigner who outlines a new approach to conservation. To protect our economy we must sustain our ecology, he says. See p30

CONTRIBUTOR

CONTRIBUTOR MIKE UNWIN While visiting Man National Park, Peru, natural-history writer Mike ventured into the canopy: I climbed a 50m kapok tree on a fixed metal staircase. Never again! See p58

AXEL GOMILLE Axel is a photographer and film-maker with a passion for Indian wildlife: I associate cranes with wetlands, so seeing demoiselles in the Thar Desert was very intriguing. See p64

AMY-JANE BEER When I was growing up, the water vole always seemed foreshadowed by doom, says natural-history writer Amy. Its a joy to write positive news of dear old Ratty. See p70

Buy a digital edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine for iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, PC or Mac. Visit iTunes, the Google Play store, Amazon or www.zinio.com to find out more.

The space needed for a viable

urban hedgehog population See p15

WHAT WEVE

LEARNED this issue

2,226 The number of tigers in India,

according to a new census See p39

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PHOTOGRAPHER

CONTRIBUTOR

90ha

Owe their existence to bacteria and marine algae See p83

THE ARRIVAL OF UP TO 15,000 DEMOISELLE CRANES IS ONE OF NORTHERN INDIAS GREAT WILDLIFE SPECTACLES.Find out more on p64

DID YOUKNOW?

Clouds

4 March 2015BBC Wildlife

March 2015CONTENTS SAVEWHEN YOU

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Features AgendaWild06 Here be dragons

Fishing spirit bears, pregnant sea dragons and threat to Floridas wetland

12 Seven wild spectacles Boxing hares, goshawks and returning migrants

14 Displaying birds Plus Expert guide to waking hedgehogs

16 Wild challenge Twelve different spring wildflowers to look for FREE Download online!

18 Discover pond life Explore your garden pond, from spawning frogs to diving beetles. Plus how you can help pond surveys

30 7 ways to save Britains wildlife Tony Junipers ambitious agenda to restore nature

48 Land of the leopards Amazing photos of Amur leopards in Russian Far East

58 Rainforest discoveries Camera-traps are rewriting the rules on treetop wildlife

64 Religion: natures unlikely saviour? Indias Jainists are helping the cranes they venerate

70 Water vole revival How Ratty at last returned to every English county

85 Responsible Travel Our expert guide to

39 Tigers: new census Why good population news could be so much better

40 Tree poaching crisis Thailands battle to stop illegal trade in hardwoods Plus Whale-extract beer

41 Space-aid rhinos How space-industry tech could help protect rhinos

41 Mark Carwardine Should you kill one owl to save another, rarer one?

42 What Europe does for us We investigate what the EU achieves for conservation

44 Your Feedback Getting young people into nature, fox hunting, and the species readers would save

Exclusive: how conservationists are trying to save Russias Amur leopards, the most endangered big cats on Earth

48

20 Latest scientific research Gorillas seen using tools to feed for the first time, the insect with the most varied sex life, and the fish that uses scent as camouflage

Why dunnocks signal with their wings

14

March 2015

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Discover Reviews Regulars

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79 Do insects have blood? Plus Does anything live in clouds, do spiders have teeth as well as fangs, do all primates have colour vision, and how bird songs and calls differ

84 Make a footprint trap Plus Do optical illusions work on other animals?

103 WhaleFest Join us at Britains top marine-conservation event

104 Book reviews Enigmatic conservation hero John Muir, dragonflies and new nature writing

106 TV and Radio New series about Sri Lanka, Alaska and hidden Britain

109 Local wildlife events

25 Chris Packham Caring is no longer enough: lets take action!

27 Bill Oddie You can never quite know where birds will turn up

28 Subscription offer Save an amazing 35%

101 Reader Holiday A Highlands wildlife adventure to remember

119 Crossword Win a nestbox camera

120 Your Photos Share your best photos at www.discoverwildlife.com

122 Tales From the Bush Rescuing baby seahorses in the English Channel

5BBC Wildlife

Killing a wagtail sends out a terrible message about how we value life or not.p25

How gadgets are unlocking the secrets

of howler monkeys and other rainforest species

The conservation army driving the recovery of Britains water voles

Do butterflies such as this pearl-bordered fritillary have something like blood?

READ OUR COLUMNISTS

CHRIS PACKHAM

If spotted owls vanish, there will be a weaker argument for protecting their forests.p41

MARKCARWARDINE

Every birder knows a hotspot. It could be a gate, an old tractor or a bramble patch.p27

BILLODDIE

Sand martins are back in the UK!

12

Find out how to have a great holiday that

helps wildlife too

85

WILD MARCHWHAT TO SEE O NATURALIST SKILLS O DISCOVERIES

Spirit of the forestSome spirit, or Kermode, bears a subspecies of American black bear

mainly found in the dense Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia

famously have ghostly fur, caused by a recessive gene. Photographer

Daisy Gilardini took this picture of an adult female last autumn during

the annual run of pink salmon, when large numbers of bears gather

at riverbanks to fish. The bear was about 10 years old, with two cubs

to feed, says Daisy. The action happened so fast that I only noticed

the eggs flying out of the salmons swollen, pregnant body when

reviewing my images on my computer at the end of the day. But this

valuable ecosystem may be at risk. The oil company Enbridge plans to

build a pipeline to bring tar-sand oil from Alberta to the coast, where

supertankers will take it to be refined in Asia. Aside from the scars

left on the forest, a spill would only be a matter of time, says Daisy.

Photograph by Daisy Gilardini

4 SPIRIT BEAR

Pregnant malesA narrow 14,000km stretch of Australias southern coastline, from

Melbourne to Perth, represents the entire global range of the leafy

sea dragon. It slurps up tiny crustaceans with its tubular snout, its

ornate camouflage helping it merge with surrounding coral reefs or

eelgrass beds. As in closely related seahorses, the brood develops

inside the pregnant male. The female deposits up to 250 bright

pink eggs into the spongy brood patch on the underside of his

tail, and these take up to nine weeks to hatch. Unlike seahorses,

however, leafy sea dragons cannot use their tail to grip and,

without a caudal (tail) fin, they are relatively weak swimmers that

float like seaweed in the water but struggle to travel great distances.

This, coupled with the fact that the eggs dont freely disperse,

makes leafy sea dragons particularly vulnerable to habitat loss,

pollution incidents and accidental bycatch by fishing fleets.

Photograph by Michael Patrick ONeill

4 LEAFY SEA DRAGON

WILD MARCH

Troubled watersAt first glance, the headwaters of Floridas paradisal Rainbow River

appear pristine. Some of the planets clearest fresh water gushes

from underground springs, flowing lazily downstream over an

unbroken carpet of aquatic vegetation that shelters the occasional

alligator. Waterbirds such as this double-crested cormorant abound.

But water is a fast-disappearing resource here the Rainbow Rivers

tranquillity belies problems bubbling just below the surface. Over

the past 50 years the daily flow from its springs has shrunk by a

quarter, due largely to excessive extraction to quench the thirst of

agriculture, industry and coastal urbanisation. Meanwhile Floridas

fragile underground aquifer is also threatened by pollution

fertiliser and human and animal waste seep into it, causing nitrate

levels to skyrocket. They are now 100 times what they should be.

It remains to be seen if the Sunshine State will find a better balance

between economic growth and preserving its wildlife riches.

Photograph by Michael Patrick ONeill

4 DOUBLECRESTED CORMORANT

TO SEE THIS MONTH

SEVENWILDLIFESPECTACLES

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2 GOSHAWK TThis enigmatic bird is one of our most sought-after and hard-to-see raptors. Though widespread, it has a patchy distribution in the UK and usually prefers large tracts of undisturbed forest. But March is one of the best months to spot the normally secretive species, as pairs perform spectacular sky dances above the trees. Try watching these aerial displays from a viewpoint that oers a wide, uninterrupted vista clear, still days are best. Sparrowhawks and buzzards will also be displaying, so dont assume that every raptor is a goshawk!BEST SPOT New Fancy View Forest of Dean

3 BROWN HARE WIn early spring the UKs fastest land mammals become mad March hares, chasing, leaping and boxing as the females fend o males (their antics can be seen at other times, but March is peak season). Scan open habitats such as fields, heaths and saltmarsh at dawn and dusk, before the grass grows too long. Brown hares are lankier than rabbits, with longer, black-tipped ears. They dont burrow either but spend the day in shallow depressions in the ground, relying on speed to escape danger.BEST SPOT Forest of Bowland Lancashire

1 WHEATEAR SThis member of the chat family (a female is shown) is one of our earliest returning African migrants, making landfall along southern coasts in March before moving on to its upland and moorland breeding grounds. Wheatears run or hop along the ground in grassy areas but prefer elevated perches. Look for the black T on the birds tail and the bright white rump its name is a corruption of white arse.BEST SPOT Rye Harbour Nature Reserve East Sussex

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Share your best tips for

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local area on our forum at

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WILD MARCH5 WOOD ANEMONE TWood anemones are some of the first wildflowers to appear in spring, opening before the woodland canopy becomes too dense and shades them out. The seeds are mostly infertile; instead the plants spread slowly by root growth. Swaths of anemones are good indicators of ancient woodland, though they grace parks, hedgerows and gardens too. The plant is also known as smell fox for its leaves musky odour.BEST SPOT RSPB Stour Estuary Essex

7 SAND MARTIN XBritains smallest swallow and martin species is also the first to arrive in spring from its wintering grounds in Africa, usually appearing from around mid-March. You might think that there were no flying insects so early in the year, but over water there are already enough gnats and flies to sustain these aerial feeders. Most lowland water bodies, from lakes and reservoirs to rivers and canals, will attract newly arrived sand martins. This sociable species nests in colonies, with up to several hundred pairs digging long nesting burrows into steep banks or clis.BEST SPOT Rutland Water Nature Reserve Rutland

4 COMMON TOAD SThe first mild, damp nights of spring mark the beginning of a mass amphibian migration as common toads emerge from hibernation and travel to their spawning ponds. Breeding sites are used year after year, but the journey can be hazardous and many die crossing roads. Those that make it mate, and the females lay long, double-stranded strings of eggs, which hatch after about two weeks. Find out how you can help improve the toads odds of survival on p109.BEST SPOT Tophill Low Nature Reserve East Yorkshire

BBC Wildlife

6 WILD DAFFODIL SThe cheery yellow of daodils is one of the most welcome signs of spring, though virtually all of those carpeting gardens, parks and roadsides are planted or escaped varieties. The true wild daodil was once a common wildflower, but is now largely confined to woods, orchards and meadows in parts of western Britain. Wild blooms are smaller than cultivated types, with pale petals and a darker yellow trumpet. The Golden Triangle in north-west Gloucestershire is an area famous for its wild displays.BEST SPOT Betty Daws Wood Gloucestershire

m TWEET OF THE DAYhttp://bbc.in/1Q4cO

March 201514 BBC Wildlife

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naturalistINSTANTBen Hoares

Essential fieldcraft, skills and knowledge you need to discover the natural world.

Seabirds are renowned for their elaborate courtship, but you dont need to go all the way to a clifftop

colony to see birds perform fascinating breeding displays. Many common garden species also have territorial and mate-forming rituals that are easy to observe in late winter and early spring.

Some displays are accompanied by song for example, a male greenfinch twittering wheezily on a high perch will often launch, still singing, into a looping butterfly flight to impress a watching female. A male blue tit will

deliver a brief trembling trill, before taking off and parachuting towards his mates chosen nest site.

Other airborne displays include the theatrical up-then-down flights of male woodpigeons and collared doves, which climax with the birds descending on fanned wings. Courtship feeding is quite widespread, though youre most likely to see it in robins.

But male dunnocks without doubt have some of the strangest displays. Rival males face off and use wing semaphore to settle territorial disputes.

UNDERSTAND BREEDING DISPLAYS

Male blue tits often perform an

exaggerated, gradually descending

glide on outstretched wings in the

vicinity of their nestbox or nesthole.

Nest glides

Male dunnocks competing

for territories lift up and hold

their wings, either one at

a time or both together.

Wing waving

When a female robin finishes

building a nest, her mate starts

feeding her to reinforce the pair

bond and help her to form eggs.

He oers food up to a few

dozen times a day throughout

the incubation period.

Mate feeding

Male greenfinches have a bat- or

butterfly-like display. They slow-

flap a treetop circuit, pitching

from side to side while singing.

Song flights

March 2015 15BBC Wildlife

Four highlights of early spring to look for this March.

OCommas emerge from hibernation on

sunny days. This first generation peaks

by early April, or slightly later in the north.

O Early bumblebees are a species with

distinctive orange tails. Any you see now

are queens foraging or nest-site hunting.

GARDEN WATCH

When do hedgehogs wake up?Mostly in March and April, with males active

first. So far climate change doesnt seem to

have changed emergence dates. But Scottish

hedgehogs used to stir later than those in the

south and these patterns appear less distinct.

Are warmer winters bad news?Not necessarily. But variable winter weather

is an issue for hedgehogs, since they use fat

reserves going into and out of hibernation

and theres very little natural food to top up

reserves. Severe cold isnt a problem the

species lives as far north as the Arctic Circle.

What about flooding?No one has studied this, but hedgehogs could

be badly aected by flooding if it happens

quickly, or over winter. Animals trapped in

nests would struggle, though hedgehogs are

good swimmers and have buoyant spines.

Do hedgehogs roam far?Farther than youd think on average 12km

a night, and a viable urban population needs

at least 90ha (900,000m2). That means

access to hundreds of gardens, hence the

importance of linkages and corridors.

How I can I help hedgehogs?Food is the first thing on a hedgehogs mind

in spring, quickly followed by sex. Put out

meaty pet food and water for the early risers.

Sow an area with wildflowers to boost insect

food for hedgehog families later in the year.

6 0 S ECO N D E X P E RT

Waking hedgehogs

OHenry Johnson co-ordinates the UKs

leading hedgehog-conservation project.

Join in at www.hedgehogstreet.org

WILD MARCH

HENRY JOHNSON

As the soil warms up in spring, earthworms become more obvious again. Emma Sherlock of the Natural History Museum is urging us to follow the lead of Charles Darwin, who used to

go out after dark to observe nightcrawlers, one of our 27 species. Much earthworm behaviour,

including the precise function of middens (piles of debris over burrows), is poorly understood.

X Find out more at www.earthwormsoc.org.uk

GET INVOLVED WORM WATCHING

Watch long-tailed tits nestbuilding. Unlike most small birds, both sexes help; thorny shrubs are favourite nest sites.

OGreater bee-flies also emerge early.

A long, protruding proboscis and dangling

legs give them a bizarre profile in flight.

Theres a simple way to

sex hoverflies and other

true flies in the order

Diptera their eyes.

Females have well-

spaced eyes; in males

theyre larger and nearly

touch in the middle.

TO P T I P S

O Garden spiders are spinning their first

webs. By April look for clusters of yellow

spiderlings, from eggs laid last autumn.

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WILD

The dozen wildflowers and trees we have illustrated are in the vanguard of spring,

bursting into life well before the shady canopy of woodland or competing plants rob them of light. In southern areas and sheltered spots, particularly after milder winters, some of these blooms and fresh foliage can be spotted as early as February.

Generally, the widest variety of spring flowers graces older woods and hedgebanks, partly because woodland plants tend to be slow to colonise new areas. Some other common early spring species, not shown here, include lesser celandine, red dead-nettle, ground ivy and bugle. Jot down when you see each one flower to compare dates with other years.

Also keep an eye out for early pollinators. Primroses attract brimstone butterflies, white-tailed bumblebees and bee-flies (see p15), while blackthorn is good for a range of bees and hoverflies.

SIGNS OF SPRING

challenge

Add your records of seasonal events to the Woodland Trust Natures Calendar survey: www.naturescalendar.org.uk

CAN YOU FIND ALL TWELVE?

How many of these spring flowers and foliage can you spot? Post your pictures on our forum and well feature the best in the magazine: www.discoverwildlife.com

b

Sweet violetHeight Up to 15cmScented purple or white flowers. Woods and hedgerows. Grows from creeping runners, unlike dog violet.

Early dog violetHeight Up to 15cmLilac flowers. Woods and hedgerows. Spur behind each flower is dark (pale in similar common dog violet).

HawthornHeight Usually under 8mFresh leaves (edible) open in March, earliest in south or sheltered areas. Frothy blossom in late April and May.

Wych elmHeight Up to 30mBunches of purple-pink flowers in FebruaryMarch. Woodland and old hedgerows, especially in hills.

Germander speedwellHeight Up to 20cmBrilliant azure flowers. One of the first flowers in pasture and grassy clearings and rides; also on banks.

Opposite-leaved golden saxifrageHeight Up to 10cmCreeping plant forming mats in wet woodland; tiny yellow flower clusters.

PrimroseHeight Up to 15cmYellow flowers in rosette of wrinkled leaves. Early-flowering or pink blooms may be garden polyanthus crosses.

ElderHeight Up to 10mLeaflets unfurl in March or even February. Tree with a weed-like ability to thrive on waste ground and verges.

Herb RobertHeight Usually under 30cmAbundant weed with pretty pink flowers; fern-like leaves redden with age. Whole plant smells mousy.

BlackthornHeight Usually under 4mMasses of white flowers on thorny twigs. One of the first hedgerow and woodland-edge trees to blossom.

Marsh marigoldHeight Up to 30cmGolden flowers like giant buttercups. Glossy green leaves. Water margins, ditches and damp or flooded woods.

Wood sorrelHeight Up to 10cmDelicate, drooping white flowers. Leaves in threes, like clover; taste acidic and lemony. Mossy woodland.

Download this page at www.discover wildlife.com, where youll also find other nature guides, and share sightings with readers on our forum!

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a gorgeous snow leopard toy

an adoption pack regular updatesfrom the field

from just

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=+ +

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6. Instructions to your Bank or Building Society Please pay WWF- UK Direct Debits from the account detailed on the instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with WWF-UK and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society. Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instruction for some types of account.

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Adopt a snow leopard today by filling in the form

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Snow leopards have survived in the Himalayasfor thousands of years. But right now, there areas few as 300 left in Nepal. The harsh reality isthat theyre being slaughtered by poachers fortheir bones and precious fur and they urgentlyneed your help if they are to live on.

By adopting a snow leopard today, youll help protect thisendangered big cat for future generations.

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These miniature wetlands are a focus of wildlife interest in any garden, especially in spring.

Even on cold days ponds have plenty of life below the surface, with many amphibians and

invertebrates stirring periodically, but spring sunshine and rising water temperatures soon trigger a renewed surge of activity. There are signs that warmer springs may be causing this process to happen earlier, with Britains frogs, newts and aquatic insects all apparently responding to changes in climate.

The Freshwater Habitats Trust hopes to get more people than ever exploring the ecology of ponds this spring. Its spawn-counting

and pond-dipping projects aim to produce nationwide insights into the changes taking place in these abundant wildlife oases amazingly there are thought to be 1.52 million of them in the UKs gardens.

Perhaps the most striking finding from previous years surveys is the importance of the tiniest ponds. For example, though larger ponds do tend to support more species, one in four ponds measuring just a metre square hosted dragonfly nymphs.

O If you want to take part in the Big Spawn Count and the Big Pond Dip, visit www.freshwaterhabitats.org.uk

DISCOVERgarden ponds

Grey wagtailO Ponds are magnets for wildlife and one of the best ways to boost a gardens bird list. Even in built-up areas you can attract grey wagtails, which breed by rushing water but often move to towns and suburbs in winter. Your pond might also be visited by grey herons, while local birds will use it to drink and bathe.

O On mild days check the surface of your pond you might spot these tiny, shiny, black, oval-shaped beetles rotating around. Back in the autumn the adults took flight to search for new ponds to colonise, then overwintered in silt at the bottom. The ones you see in early spring are the handful of survivors.

Whirligig beetle

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19BBC Wildlife

4 MORE TO SPOT

WILD MARCHPOND SNAILS Several of Britains 40 freshwater snails may turn up in gardens. They graze bacteria and algae from aquatic plants and decaying leaves.

DRAGONFLY NYMPHS Even a pond as small as 1m2 can support dragonfly larvae. Species look near-identical, with a fat body ending in short spikes. Predatory.

DAMSELFLY NYMPHS Much slimmer body than dragonfly larvae, tipped with three flattened plates, or lamellae. Also predatory. Several species likely in gardens.

DIVING BEETLES The UK has a fantastically diverse diving beetle fauna, with over 100 similar-looking species. All are predators as both adult and larva.

Frog numbers build up for a few weeks during the main

spawning period, then most disperse around gardens.

Blue-tailed damselfly larva

Southern hawker larva

Great pond snail

Common black diving

beetle

Common newtO Some newts overwinter at the bottom of ponds, but most shelter on land in damp corners often among log piles or long grass, or under bark or mossy rocks. They start returning to water in February and March, but usually breed after frogs have finished spawning.

Pond-skaterO These water-skimming bugs are true early birds among the first to emerge in spring, and to arrive at newly created ponds (sometimes within hours). Having hibernated in a sheltered spot away from water, the overwintering adults become active again in warm weather.

March 2015


DiscoveriesThe latest news in scientific research, by Stuart Blackman.

Male mantids can increase their chances of surviving a romantic encounter by avoiding the feistiest females, new research shows. While cannibalised males do give their developing brood a nutritional head start in life, theyd be better o escaping with their lives to sire other broods elsewhere. Male Parastagmatoptera tessellata mantids, at least, boost their prospects by steering clear of females they have previously seen attacking other males.

Fleeing the femme fataleWhat? Mantids that use their heads are more likely to keep them.

4 ARGENTINA

SOURCE Animal Behaviour

LINK http:// /1CjA7N4

Gold swift moths have been found to enjoy what is possibly the most varied sex life of any insect. While they do sometimes settle for a moths standard mating method in which females attract mates with scent, they may also reverse roles, with males luring females. Alternatively males may gather in swarms and chase passing females. More romantically, there is also the option of a mutual, mid-air courtship dance. Add to this a variety of copulatory positions and the result is a veritable lepidopteran Kama Sutra.

In a world-first, a wild gorilla has been seen using tools to acquire food. The female mountain gorilla had been watching a male scooping ants from a hole with his hand and getting bitten in the process. But after she made the same painful mistake as her mentor, inspiration struck, and the gorilla used a long, thin piece of wood to fish the insects out much like chimpanzees do.

Variety is the spice of a moths sex lifeWhat? Our very own Phymatopus hecta might just have the most colourful sex life of any insect.

The mother of inventionWhat? Researchers have witnessed a clever gorillas Eureka! moment.

4 UK

SOURCE Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

LINK http://bit.ly/1BoDNil

SOURCE American Journal of Primatology

LINK http://bit.ly/1z7IcF2

Bladderworts aquatic carnivorous plants that catch microscopic animals in sophisticated, bladder-like root traps are also partial to a side salad, according to new research. In fact algae and pollen grains constitute 90 per cent of the species food. Plants deprived of vegetable matter are smaller than those that enjoy a balanced diet.

Meat, and veg tooWhat? A carnivorous plant that remembers to eat its greens.

4 AUSTRIA

SOURCE Annals of Botany LINK http://bit.ly/1CjAuY8

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WILD MARCH

+ GET IN TOUCH

If you see some

interesting

behaviour or an

unusual species,

share it at www.

discoverwildlife.

com/forum

Its not just garlic lovers that smell like their last meal. The harlequin

filefish, which lives and feeds on Acropora coral, smells so much like its favourite food that the

scent provides camouflage against predators. The filefish even smells like home to specialised Acropora-dwelling crabs. Its the first evidence of diet-induced camouflage for any vertebrate, though the researchers believe it might be a common, if overlooked, strategy.

Odour eatersWhat? Research reveals that a filefishs camouflage is not to be snied at.

4 THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

SOURCE Proceedings of the Royal Society B

LINK http://bit.ly/1v2qxZB

Scientists have discovered a novel advantage of avian long-haul migration. Dutch barnacle geese that migrate to Svalbard to breed have been found to turn down their immune systems compared with those that stay in the Netherlands year-round perhaps they are exposed to fewer infectious diseases in the frozen north. The energy saved can be spent on reproduction.

A new species of fanged frog discovered in Indonesia exhibits a baing mode of reproduction. Instead of producing spawn to be fertilised externally by the males, the females give birth to live tadpoles. Exactly how internal fertilisation is achieved, however, remains a mystery, because the male frog doesnt seem to possess a penis.

Good for the gooseWhat? Migration gives birds immune systems a break.

Mating mysteryWhat? Scientists have found a frog with internal fertilisation and live birth.

4 THE NETHERLANDS & SVALBARD

4 SOUTHEAST ASIA

SOURCE PLoS ONE

LINK http://bit.ly/1xoeNkQ

SOURCE PLoS ONE LINK http://bit.ly/1yb2krO

22 BBC Wildlife

BBC Wildlife is on the hunt for schools that are leading the way in natural- history education. This month we are

launching our new Schools Digital Wildlife Award that will celebrate the most innovative teachers and the most enthusiastic classrooms around the country.

We are asking classes to submit a digital presentation from the classroom. It could be in the form of a three-minute video or a concise Prezi-style presentation that can combine words, video and pictures (see http://prezi.com). As long as the presentation relates to wildlife, you can choose any topic

you like. In fact wed like you to be as creative as possible when deciding your theme, but weve suggested some ideas to help you get started (see box, right).

SCHOOLS DIGITALWILDLIFE AWARD

NEW WILDLIFE SCHOOL PRIZE Calling all teachers: a new award aims to celebrate the most dynamic wildlife education in British schools.

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS All entries must be submitted by a teacher or representative of the school over 18 years old by 5pm on 3 June 2015. Videos must be no longer than three minutes and can be sent via File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or posted to us at BBC

Wildlife Magazine, Immediate Media Company, 2nd Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol, BS1 3BN on a CD-ROM. Do use voiceovers, but we want to avoid on-screen presentation. So no pupils should appear in the presentation or video.There will be separate awards for Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3. Contact Matt Swaine (left) for guidelines on how to make and submit your presentation before getting started. Visit www.discoverwildlife.com/competitions to read the rules as well as full terms and conditions.

kk YOUR SCHOOL

WILDLIFE ZONE

Your digital project could focus on your schools wildlife zone, reporting on the dierent species that live there, the behaviour youve seen and any seasonal changes.

kk INTERNATIONAL

CONSERVATION

You could report on a conservation issue somewhere in the world using research that has been discussed in the classroom anywhere from Africa to the Antarctic, from rainforest to desert.

kk SPECIES-

SPECIFIC

Whether youve been studying birds, mammals, ocean wildlife or invertebrates, you can create a presentation that looks at groups of animals or even just a single species.

kk LOCAL WILDLIFE

Report on a wildlife reserve nearby, local conservation eorts or a specific species that is found in your area.

SOME IDEAS TO GET YOU STARTED...

+ FIND OUT MORE

If your school is

interested in getting

involved, email matt.

swaine@immediate.

co.uk for full details

using the subject

line Wild Schools.

WILD MARCHIf you know a teacher

who brings wildlife into their classroom then we want to hear from them.

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Back in 1977 I was standing in a sweaty crowd watching Eddie and the Hot Rods. They were singing

Do Anything You Wanna Do and I thought, okay, I will. Later I was at the same music venue, still sweaty, listening to another punk band called Penetration. They were singing Shout Above the Noise and I thought, hell yes. And Ive been trying to do both ever since.

But now everyone can join in thanks to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, online petitions and so on. For all its alleged ills, social media has proved to be a highly effective tool in the conservationists toolkit. It allows all of us to engage with big issues and start a debate.

Last September I was waiting for a train when I saw a tweet about a pied wagtail trapped in a supermarket and apparently about to be shot (under licence from Natural England). Surely it was possible to catch and release the poor bird? Killing a wagtail sends out a terrible message about how we value life or not. Every little counts.

So I tweeted 140 characters to my followers and copied in Tesco. There was outrage at the birds plight, but also a prompt response from the store asking for help. I put it in touch with the BTO, which released the wagtail. A great example of how social media empowers us. Were all conservationists now. Our collective voice can cajole or at least embarrass powerful people and organisations into taking notice.

On 10 August last year I also lent a hand to Hen Harrier Day, a glorious awareness-raising initiative which, I think it is fair to say, was entirely facilitated by social media, Mark Averys excellent blog and those of its supporters such as Birders

Against Wildlife Crime. On the day of the photocall in deepest Derbyshire, the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha dumped a lot of rain on our parade, but it didnt matter as at 10am over two million people across the UK received an automated Twitter message telling them about our grousing.

A YouTube clip later showed people who couldnt be there what theyd missed, while TV, radio and printed media picked up the story so that even more of the public knew that we were all sick of the illegal persecution of raptors on driven

grouse moors. And do you know what, it didnt cost us anything (apart from a few tanks of fuel and train tickets).

Thats the difference between advertising and publicity the latter is free. I learned this from the Sex Pistols, whose stunts made them world-famous and cost their manager Malcolm McClaren very little. Poor old cash-strapped conservation is learning from the Pistols, too.

Publicity is so much easier to achieve now that we can communicate instantaneously with like-minded millions and help set the agenda. And as the above examples modestly show, we can make a difference.

But whats most encouraging of all is the way in which young people are taking control of this newfangled stuff. Twelve-year-old Findlay Wilde, one of the real stars of Hen Harrier Day, has a superb blog, as does Georgia Locock, just three years his senior. Both are slick and engaging, and campaign harder than some professional suit-wearing conservationists.

There are many other great wildlife and conservation blogs (just take a look at the BBC Wildlife Local Patch Reporters project). I urge you to read and be inspired by them, or start your own.

So I have a new mantra and its not one inspired by punk rock for a change. Im telling anyone wholl listen that now, in these dark days of unscientific culls, illegal persecution and catastrophic losses of wildlife, Caring is not enough.

Caring wont change the world doing something does. Paying your subs to any number of conservation groups isnt

enough. Take a stand for what you believe in. Dont just care, do something. Tweet tweet.

Chris Packham

PAYING SUBS TO ANY NUMBER OF

CONSERVATION GROUPS ISNT

ENOUGH. TAKE A STAND FOR

WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN.

GUEST COLUMNIST

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CHRIS PACKHAM is a conservationist and broadcaster. Join the BBC Wildlife Local Patch Reporter blogging project at www.discoverwildlife.com/forum

Caring wont change the world doing something does. Make your voice heard.


Birds are unpredictable creatures you never know where they will choose to hang out.

Once upon a time there was a tree. It stood halfway up a grassy slope on Parliament Hill near

my home in North London. It wasnt the only tree on the Hill, but this tree was different.

First of all, it was dead. Second of all, it was much loved by birds and therefore also by birdwatchers. Over several years especially in the migration periods the tree provided a resting place for many species. Some days it had a different one perched on top every time we looked. The bird, whatever the species, would be checking its inner satnav, taking on fuel by flycatching from the lower branches or even having a little snooze sheltered or shaded by the few remaining leaves. We called it The Migration Tree.

Then one morning we birders gathered on the Hill to find that the tree had disappeared, its execution no doubt ordered by the Hampstead Heath Management Committee. This was confirmed by one of the rangers. Why? we asked.

The excuse we were given was rather predictable: Health and safety.

But, we protested, it was only a spindly little tree, and it wasnt even by a footpath. The ranger gave us an Im only following orders shrug, and tried to console us by pointing out that there was another tree about 10m away, which was around the same size and actually alive. Surely the birds would use that instead.

But they didnt. Since that day springs and autumns have come and gone, but no migrant has ever perched on or in the other tree, nor on the sad little stump that is all that remains of the original and still the greatest. No doubt fed up with our constant whingeing, the Committee eventually

announced that they were planting another tree as a memorial to Peter, an elderly birder who had just passed on. It was one of his last wishes that The Migration Tree be replaced. But of course theres no way to revive a dead tree.

We will never know why the migrating birds found the dead tree so irresistible. All we do know is that it was a hotspot every birder can name at least one. It could be a dilapidated gate, an abandoned tractor, a damp ditch or a patch of bramble. You learn to recognise them, but you cant

really create them deliberately.For example, a couple of

years ago the RSPB sowed a small wildflower meadow on the slope of Parliament Hill. It was meant to attract house sparrows and it was enclosed by a fence, or rather a dangly rope that kept entangling local dogs but generally deterred people (and was eventually removed). Nevertheless, in two years the meadow attracted not a single sparrow. The fence, on the other hand, became a hotspot for inveterate perchers such as meadow pipits, wheatears (see p12), whinchats and redstarts. We and they really miss that rope.

Conservation groups such as the RSPB and The Wildlife Trusts are extremely successful at creating and managing habitats on their reserves. Build it and they will come is an apt motto. But there will always be fortuitous accidents. Late last year the London Birders site (http://londonbirders.wikia.com/wiki/LatestNews) posted regular bulletins from a traffic island in Leyton. Some thought it must be a joke, especially

when sightings in mid-December included both a reed warbler and a whitethroat the two species should have been in Africa at that time of year.

But it wasnt a joke. The whitethroat only left when the council chopped down its favourite brambles not on purpose, Im sure and the reed warbler made it through Christmas! A total aberration? Maybe, but preferable to being shot at or trapped in the Mediterranean.

Later this year The Wildlife Trusts will be highlighting the value of, and threats

to, unofficial and unprotected wildlife havens. I hope that they dont ignore the importance of traffic islands.

Bill Oddie

EVERY BIRDER KNOWS A HOTSPOT. IT COULD BE A DILAPIDATED GATE, AN ABANDONED TRACTOR, A DAMP DITCH OR A PATCH OF BRAMBLE.

WILD AT HEART

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BILL ODDIE OBE presents natural-history programmes for the BBC. His new book Unplucked is published in March.

Available from

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BBC Wildlife Magazine is full of breathtaking photos and fascinating features on the most interesting animals

and habitats in the UK and around the world. With the latest news and conservation issues, practical expert advice and ideas for really wild days out, you will

understand and enjoy nature more.

A new approach to conservation seeks to calculate the value of nature to our nations health, wealth and security. It could unleash ambitious policies with the potential not only to save the wildlife we have left, but to restore Britains nature at scale within a single human generation. Tony Juniper investigates.

7 WAYSTO SAVEBRITAINSNATURE

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BBC Wildlife 31

To save Britains nature within a generation, we have to radically rethink our approach. For more than a century, conservation has focused on protecting natural habitats from people, while politicians and economists have insisted this blocks progress and prosperity. But a new idea is emerging that seeks to identify the value that nature brings to our health and economy. Britains nature is estimated to be worth 1.5 trillion each year, providing services such as replenishing

water supplies, guarding against floods, storing carbon and producing food.

A new strategy that fully values natures contribution to our lives has the potential to create win-win policies that deliver for both people and wildlife. And that could trigger change that can be quantified not just in barn owls, bluebell woods and bumblebee colonies, but also in our GDP, infrastructure and physical and mental health. Here are seven key areas we should be focusing on.

SHARED PLANET

COMPLEMENTS

BROADCAST ON

The presence of barn owls indicates we are using land

well. They thrive in joined-up landscapes with healthy soils

and invertebrate life, which also reduce the risk of flooding.

We tend to be drawn towards bigger wildlife, but in the end its the small, even invisible, species that sustain everything. Among them are thousands of species of bacteria and fungi, and the larger earthworms, bees, hoverflies and

butterflies. Yet weve become accustomed to the idea that food security depends on technology, so have lost sight

of the vital role played by pollinating insects and by soil ecosystems in recycling nutrients.

Its estimated soil degradation costs Britain between 900 million and 1.4 billion every year, including the flood damage caused by erosion as soil from fields ends up in riverbeds. The minimum cost of restoring the

1START WITH INVERTEBRATES

populations, and help birds such as lapwings (left), corn buntings and tree sparrows.

Cider-producer Thatchers provides another case

study of how conservation and making a decent profit go together. The 60-million-a-year Somerset company is restoring bumblebee habitat

because bumblebees are better pollinators than domesticated

honeybees, and is helping them thrive in the orchards that drive its

profits. Conserving old hedges and grasslands is part of the plan, in turn favouring owls and bats.

If we reformed the way that farm payments are allocated and set up farmer-advisory services to help growers change how they use the land, the benefits seen at the Allerton Project and Thatchers orchards could be commonplace across Britain.

32 BBC Wildlife March 2015

UKs pollinators, should they be lost, has been put at 1.8 billion annually.

We could slash those huge sums if more UK farmland looked like the Allerton Project in Leicestershire, managed by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. This initiative has demonstrated how big cuts in soil erosion can be achieved if tractor lines follow contours rather than go across them up and down slopes, which prevents silt entering streams, protecting the habitat of fish such as brown trout. Its flower-rich field margins, tree planting and hedgerows help to improve soil, boost pollinator

BBC Wildlife 33

Left: flower-rich field margins boost pollinators, farmland birds and soil structure. Below: bottlenose dolphins are a tourism asset in the Moray Firth and Cardigan Bay.

SAVING NATURE

2SAVE OUR SEAS

1.8 BILLION COST TO RESTORE UKS POLLINATORS, SHOULD THEY BE LOST

THE

VALUE OF NATURE

Britains seafood market is worth 2.73 billion a year, and the right policy mix can preserve that value while improving the health of our marine ecosystem. Fishing is based on food-webs that are in the end reliant on photosynthetic plankton. Tiny plants feed tiny animals that feed bigger ones including ultimately the cod, haddock, plaice, shellfish and other species that comprise the UKs half-million-tonne annual seafood catch. Just over 10,000 people using about 6,575 vessels rely on this harvest for their income, with thousands more jobs in processing, retail, gear manufacture and maintenance.

Meanwhile, those same food-webs sustain the seabird colonies, seals, dolphins and basking sharks that are such magnets for tourism, bringing millions of pounds a year to coastal communities from Shetland to Skomer and the Scillies. Yet all these benefits are being undermined by, among other things, destructive fishing methods and pollution coming from the land.

Much of this damage is avoidable. Official regulators could encourage more British water companies to install the kind of

technology being pioneered by Thames Water at its Slough sewage treatment works, which strips phosphorous from wastewater before discharge. This is protecting river and coastal waters from excessive nutrient enrichment, while making fertiliser that is then sold to farmers.

Another neat technological fix is trawling gear redesigned to minimise damage to the seabed for example, vessels based at Brixham in Devon have fitted wheels to the ends of the heavy trawl beams that would otherwise crash into the seafloor. The new designs actually increase fishing incomes, since nets last longer and less fuel is needed to roll their wheels along.

But the biggest measure to save British seas by 2050 would be to create more protected areas covering a variety of environments, from Scottish kelp forests to cold-water reefs in the English Channel. Counterintuitively, this neednt cost the fishing industry. The experience of Lundy Islands Marine Conservation Zone shows that lobster size increases with no-take zones, and that this effect also expands into surrounding areas still being exploited.

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By restoring habitat and using land differently, we can clean up water supplies and reduce flooding, saving tens of millions of pounds annually while enhancing the environment. We just need to design legislation that realises the potential in Britains green infrastructure.

One step would be to map Britain to identify where the big wins for water treatment, flood-avoidance, conservation and recreation lie. Such a map could promote joined-up land use, by helping co-operation between companies, farmers and government agencies.

Some water companies already harness natures capacities. A high proportion of their costs comes from water treatment, to remove pesticides, soil particles and the peaty coloration leaching from degrading uplands. Expensive technology has often been installed to strip out these pollutants, but a far cheaper alternative is to repair natural habitats and work with farmers to reduce soil loss and chemical use. Measures to improve water purity can reduce flood risk, as healthier habitats hold water in the environment for longer. Work by South West Water to restore blanket bogs on Exmoor brought rapid results. Northern Ireland Water is restoring blanket bog in the Dungonnell catchment area, delivering cheaper water and a win for species such as hen harriers (right), merlins and the rare yellow marsh saxifrage.

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The arbitrary lines crisscrossing Britain that arise from a long history of ever-changing ownership dont match

where key green assets lie or could be most beneficially restored.

So if we are really ambitious about conservation, we need

to go beyond each field, farm gate, boundary and official label whether nature reserve, AONB or national park to preserve nature at landscape-scale.

This idea isnt new it has steadily gained currency over the past decade, with The Wildlife

Trusts launching its Living Landscapes initiative in 2006 but it remains a challenge to the

status quo. It requires us to escape the straightjacket of who happens to own or manage particular bits of land or coast. The experience of The Wildlife Trusts in places such as the Cambridgeshire Fens, Chiltern Hills, Sherwood Forest, Lincolnshire coastal marshes and Upper Tawe Valley shows that the benefits to nature can be enormous, provided there is the will to bring together many different land-owners and managers.

How can we spread this approach more widely? One answer is a Nature and Wellbeing Act like that proposed by The Wildlife Trusts and RSPB, which would empower (indeed, require) local authorities to restore and join up natural landscapes.

3

4

WORK WITH NATURES OWN INFRASTRUCTURE

THINK AT LANDSCAPE-SCALE

BBC Wildlife34

5SAVING NATURE

Research proves beyond doubt the medical benefits of being in nature. Treating mental-health problems costs an estimated 105 billion per year in England alone, s0 could natures ability to alleviate depression and anxiety help control a spiralling NHS bill?

We know hospital patients recover faster if they can see greenery or hear birdsong from their beds. This is why the new Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, set to open in Liverpool in the autumn, incorporates extensive green areas, including iconic turfed roofs.

The health benefits of spending time immersed in nature are most

pronounced among lower-income groups. Theres also evidence that improving access to green spaces, such as city parks, allotments and nature reserves, reduces crime rates. In that context, the 1.5 million cost of Woodberry Wetlands, the inspiring new reserve opening this year in Stoke Newington, North London, looks like small beer. Opportunities abound to align conservation and social goals.

Its in our national economic interest to have wildlife-rich areas near where people live. With a Nature for Health strategy, we could reverse the fortunes of many declining species.

Left: wetland restoration helps otters while cutting our water bills.Top right: Richmond Parks wild areas contribute to the wellbeing of city dwellers. Below: the rewetting of Cambridgeshire fenland has benefits for farming, tourism and nature.

650 MILLIONCOSTS AVOIDED BY 10 MILLION RESTORATION OF SOUTH-WEST CATCHMENTS

THE

VALUE OF NATURE

5

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KEEP US HEALTHY

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When you start to account for the value that nature gives our economy, its easy to start identifying policies that benefit people and wildlife alike. But in an era of spending constraints, the question of how we actually fund wildlife restoration is crucial. The challenge is to use existing budgets cleverly.

Take farming subsidies, for example. Without reform, birds such as the yellow wagtail, turtle dove and grey partridge could be lost to the UK within a decade. Subsidies also encourage the kinds of behaviour that exacerbate the soil damage that in turn increases flood risk and pushes up costs for water companies. So society is not getting the value it deserves from this investment.

Surely a better approach would be to distribute funding through public subsidies in a joined-up fashion so

that investors in water companies and officials who allocate farm payments are working to broadly the same plan. At the moment, one chunk of expenditure (in this case farm payments) ends up increasing expenditure in other areas (such as water supply and reducing the risk of floods).

Over the next 15 years, about 100 billion will be spent in Britain on agricultural subsidies, our water supply and either defending against or cleaning up after flooding. On top of that is the money that will be spent on environmental schemes by government conservation agencies, wildlife charities and companies. Then theres the NHS budget, where huge savings from nature are possible. If a more joined-up approach were adopted, these vast resources could work harder for wildlife.

Moving beyond protecting species and habitats from people towards seeing nature as essential for people worries some conservationists. They fear that an economic rationale for conservation will lead to nature being commodified or privatised, instead of valued for its own sake. Yet as a society weve tried saving nature for its own sake and its not enough. As it stands, conservation groups and public bodies simply arent doing enough between them.

Assessing natures economic contribution will help us all to appreciate its true worth. Revealing the financial stimulus that nature offers Britain will give us a fighting chance of turning round a situation in which 60 per cent of our species are in decline.

One practical step would be to create an Office for Environmental Responsibility. The principle of having an expert body that can advise governments and hold ministers to account was enshrined in the 2008 Climate Change Act, and does work. We can learn from this and plenty of other inspiring examples. The big question is whether there is an appetite to do so.

ASSESS NATURES TRUE VALUE

TONY JUNIPER is a conservationist

and former director of Friends of

the Earth (www.tonyjuniper.com).

His new book What Nature Does

for Britain is out now (9.99, Profile Books).

Tony debates the relationship between

economics and nature in Beavers in

Business, part of BBC Radio 4s Shared Planet series.

Listen at www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04n31w4

FIND OUT MORE+

100 BILLION

FARM SUBSIDIES, FLOOD & WATER INVESTMENTS IN NEXT 15 YEARS

THE

VALUE OF NATURE

6 7Reform of farming subsidies could not only save Britains yellow wagtails, but also cut heavy spending in areas such as flood prevention.

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March 2015 BBC Wildlife 39

ii UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES | BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

INDIAS TIGERS BURNING BRIGHT

Tiger numbers in India are on the up, but

experts say there is room for plenty more of

these iconic big cats.

AGENDAWE ASKED YOU...

Which animal species would you save?h THE TOP ANSWERS INCLUDING YOUR WINNER ARE ON P45

The first survey in 2006 found only an estimated 1,411 animals.

Karanth said that states such as Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand had used extra funding for tiger conservation effectively by improving protection, promoting the voluntary relocation of villagers and expanding habitat.

But he added: The fact is that 3040 major source populations hold over 90 per cent of our tigers. Out of 380,000km2 of existing forests in which tigers

once occurred, less than 200,000km2 is currently occupied by tigers, and of this, only 20 per cent supports reasonable densities.

India launched Project Tiger in 1973, and despite arresting the imminent extinction of the tiger, it has not been able to substantially increase numbers in the past 42 years.

Julian Matthews, of Travel Operators for Tigers (TOFT), said tourism had a key role to play in conserving tigers. While conceding that it was far from

perfect, with education often non-existent and development unplanned and poorly executed, Matthews said: A study in 2010 concluded that a single tiger in a well-visited reserve is worth $750,000 a year in revenue. When it only costs a few thousand dollars a year to preserve a tiger in the wild, this huge rate of return is a figure that no government can ignore. James Fair

India has room for between 5,000 and 10,000 tigers if central and state

governments and conservation groups get their policies right, according to one of the worlds leading tiger experts.

Dr K Ullas Karanth, of the Wildlife Conservation Society in India, made his comments as the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) released its third country-wide census showing another big increase in tiger numbers in the past four years.

Since 2010, tiger numbers are estimated to have increased 30 per cent to 2,226 (within an error margin of 1,9452,491).

NEW GOVERNMENT DATA SUGGESTS THAT THE POPULATION HAS INCREASED BY 58 PER CENT SINCE 2006.

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1

+ FIND OUT MORE

Read the Wildlife Institute of Indias report: www.wii.gov.in/ status_tiger_2014


SHARK BIRTHA thresher shark in the Philippines has been photographed giving birth, possibly a photographic-first for an oceanic species. The researcher who lead the expedition, Dr Simon Oliver, said he freaked out when he first saw the photo.

THAI FOREST POACHING CRISIS

briefing

Whale and Dolphin Conservations Vanessa Williams-Grey on a new beer, Hvalur 2, that contains smoked fin-whale testicles.

WE HOPE THAT VISITORS

TO ICELAND WILL TREAT

THIS OFFERING WITH

THE DISDAIN THAT

IT DESERVES.

CONSERVATION

CAPER PLAN IN BALANCE

ILLEGAL DEMAND FOR VALUABLE HARDWOOD IS FUELLING A DANGEROUS CONFLICT.

A rare hardwood is at the centre of an escalating poaching war in the eastern forests of Thailand. Conservationists fear that the incursion of armed gangs into the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex, a 6,000km2 UNESCO World Heritage Site, could have implications for other species such as tigers and elephants.

With its blood-red hue, Siam rosewood is highly sought-after in China for the manufacture of hongmu furniture, which has become a status symbol a single chair can sell for up to $1m.

The forests of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have been virtually stripped of rosewood, and as

its price has soared as high as $100,000 per m3, the gangs have set their sights on Thailand.

Eric Ash of the Freeland Foundation, an anti-trafficking organisation that helps train anti-poaching rangers, said camera-traps had recorded a 950 per cent increase in poacher numbers in one three-month period alone.

Groups of up to 150 men, mainly Cambodians who cross the nearby border illegally, are entering the forest armed with chainsaws and AK-47s, Ash said. As well as taking the wood, they poach wildlife for food and clear large areas for their camps. If we cant protect the Siam rosewood, its going

to have significant implications for other species, he warned. Rangers are outnumbered and under-resourced. In the past two years several have been wounded and one killed.

Trade treaties require permits for international commerce, but these and legislation to protect the species in the range states of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have been largely undermined by large-scale smuggling and rampant corruption. Ann & Steve Toon

Removing pine martens

is not certain to help.

A plan to remove pine martens from Scottish woodlands to help capercaillies will not happen before 2016 if at all according to the director of conservation for the Cairngorms National Park, Hamish Trench.

At the end of 2014, news emerged of a proposal from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust to translocate pine martens out of capercaillie habitat to protect eggs and chicks.

But Trench said there was no proof that the plan really would help capercaillie numbers recover: The idea has not yet developed far enough for us to say whether its good or not.

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A ranger guards a consignment of illegal rosewood, but an estimated 3.5 million m3 got through to China between 2000 and 2013.

+ FIND OUT MORE

The Foundations site has more details: www.freeland.org

+ FIND OUT MORERead about capercaillies in the Cairngorms NP: http://cairngorms.co.uk/look-after/cairngorms-nature/


NEW SAKI MONKEY ALREADY AT RISK

SPACEAID RHINOS

SPRING VOTEThe Maltese electorate will vote on whether to end the controversial spring hunting season on 11 April. The hunting of turtle doves a species that has declined in Europe by an estimated 95 per cent and quail has long been deemed to be unsustainable and in contravention of EU legislation. It has been brought to national attention in the UK by campaigners such as Chris Packham (see p25).

AGENDA NEWS

Can space technology help

the fight against poaching?

A system that would allow rangers to remotely monitor nature reserves is being developed by students exploiting technology that is used in the space industry.

The students from Cranfield University, Bedford, want to put high-resolution imaging systems created for space telescopes onto sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones).

They say this would allow park staff to receive detailed pictures

A new saki monkey may have been found in

Brazil, and while its exact status is under

debate, it is certainly threatened. It was

found by mammalogist Manoel dos Santos

Filho in a 3ha forest remnant in Minas

Gerais. Remarkably, the animal is not tiny:

a saki monkey is the size of a pet cat, and makes large, obvious

jumps. Agricultural expansion in the region is now so fast that

soya is being grown in areas biologists have never visited, and

the saki was discovered in just such a place. Adrian Barnett

covering up to 1km2 in almost real time, potentially alerting them to illegal intrusions by poachers. The UAV they want to develop would fly higher, farther and for longer than conventional drones.

Edward Anastassacos, a member of the project team, told BBC Wildlife that they had had exploratory talks with two conservation groups in the UK, LionAid and Save the Rhino.

North American conservationists are facing a tricky

dilemma. In the 1980s endangered northern spotted owls were at the centre of a bitter dispute between loggers and environmentalists over the protection of their habitat, the old-growth forests of the Pacific North-West. They are under threat once again this time from other owls. More aggressive barred owls have been expanding their range across North America, and wherever they turn up in the North-West, the spotted owls disappear.

After a lot of soul-searching, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has decided to try shooting enough barred owls to create breathing room for the spotted owls (far be it from me to suggest that they should have saved plenty of room for them in the first place). But how many is enough? Some experts are talking about a figure of 10,000 barred owls every year, indefinitely. Is that even possible? And would the species survive?

Some protagonists liken owl removal to pulling up weeds, while others are concerned that this

approach ignores any sense of compassion. It is a choice between the survival of an endangered species and the lives of individual animals, with the added worry that, if the spotted owls disappear, there will be a weaker argument for protecting their forests. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is damned if it does, and damned if it doesnt.

Conservationists often remove some animals

for the sake of others. In the UK we kill grey squirrels to protect reds and American mink to protect water voles (see p70), while rats, mice and other introduced predators are killed everywhere from New Zealand to South Georgia to safeguard ground-nesting birds.

There is no easy answer. It makes sense to sacrifice invasive rodents, yet I sympathise with the man who told the US Fish and Wildlife Service,You should trap the barred owls and put them on a train to us. Well have them.

THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE IS DAMNED IF IT DOES, AND DAMNED IF IT DOESNT.

Mark Carwardine is a zoologist, photographer, writer, conservationist and BBC TV presenter.

THE DILEMMAS OF CONSERVATION

MARKCARWARDINE

+ FIND OUT MORE 2014 was a record year for rhino poaching: www.save therhino.org/rhino_info

15%The estimate for whats left of native forest cover in the area of Minas Gerais where the new saki monkey was found.

More than 1,200 rhinos were poached in South

Africa alone in 2014.

1979

The then-EEC ratifies the Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (the Birds Directive), which requires member states to classify Special Areas of Conservation (SPAs) for two groups: birds that are known to be rare and all migratory birds.

LEGAL EAGLES: HOW EUROPE PROTECTS OUR WILDLIFE

Legislation that improves the environment has been a key part of Europes agenda.

1992

The European Commission adopts the Habitats Directive. This

requires members to designate land as Special Areas of Conservation or SACs, with priority given to habitat types that are rare, under threat or mainly found within the EU.


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Though regarded by conservationists as vital pieces of wildlife

legislation, the European Birds and Habitats Directives are under threat thanks to a suspicion within the European Commission (EC) that they stifle economic growth.

Its feared that a review being carried out this year could seek to relax the directives in order to remove obstacles to trade. This could escalate into the biggest battle of all time or we could put it to bed for a generation, says the RSPBs campaigns manager Andre Farrar. It will be the

EUROPEAN BIRD POLICY IN FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

WITH CRUCIAL WILDLIFE LEGISLATION FACING REVIEW, JAMES FAIR FINDS OUT JUST HOW IMPORTANT EUROPE HAS BEEN IN PROTECTING BRITISH SPECIES AND THREATENED HABITATS.

biggest thing that any of us have ever had to fight.

According to the RSPBs senior policy officer Alistair Taylor, the origins of the review date back to comments made by UK chancellor George Osborne in 2011. If we burden [business] with endless social and environmental goals however worthy in their own right then not only will we not achieve those goals, but the businesses will fail, jobs will be lost, and our country will be poorer... We will make sure that gold plating of EU rules on things like habitats

arent placing ridiculous costs on British businesses.

New EC president Jean-Claude Juncker then took up the fight against red tape when he assumed his post in 2014.

But Farrar is in no doubt that the directives have protected British wildlife. London Gateway, for example, a port that opened in 2013, only got the go-ahead when its developer DP World agreed to create habitat for waders because the site it wanted to build on was a Special Protection Area (SPA), a designation that was created by the Birds Directive.

Migrant dunlin are protected by the Birds Directive.

Curlews have benefited from EU legislation with the protection

and creation of coastal habitats in the UK.

1996

Legislation requiring EC countries to manage air quality is introduced. Today, a number of directives and regulations set legally binding limits on concentrations of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and ammonia.

2000

The Water Framework Directive is passed. The directive requires countries to ensure that rivers, lakes and coastal waters are in a good condition, based on criteria such as their suitability for fish, pollutant levels and the condition of riverbanks.


+ FIND OUT MOREThe EC review: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/legislation/fitness_check/index_en.htm

AGENDA ANALYSIS

numbers today estimated to be less than half what they were in 1970. Some specialist species, such as corn buntings and grey partridges, have declined by as much as 90 per cent, and many point the

finger at CAP.But whats happened to our

skylarks and yellowhammers isnt necessarily the fault of CAP, says the BTOs head of land-use research, Gavin Siriwardena. In the 1970s and 80s, it was the policy mechanism that underpinned the intensification of agriculture, Siriwardena says. There were improvements in agrochemicals, mechanisation and crop varieties that allowed winter sowing, all happening at the same time CAP allowed these to happen, so it was the means rather than the cause.

And crucially, Siriwardena adds, CAP includes a regulatory element that obliges landowners to take account of nature in the way they farm. My general impression, he concludes, is that, at an EU level, there is more interest in investing in social and environmental issues than the average UK government would have.

HOW EUROPE CHANGED BRITAIN

green space to relieve pressure on heathland nightjar habitat.

The Birds Directive is the leading piece of legislation for nature in the world, says Farrar. Birds on Annex 1 do better in SPAs than outside them, and better within the EU than in the rest of Europe. Without it, we would not have the Wash, the Ribble or the Mersey [as habitats for wading birds].

IS EUROPE ALL GOOD?

These two key directives are just part of what Europe has done for us. European legislation has also made our beaches and coastal waters cleaner, reduced pollution in rivers and maintained our air quality, and most people recognise this. Two-thirds of the British public think that Europe has been positive in protecting the environment, says RSPB chief executive Mike Clarke.

Some aspects of EU policy, however, have been less beneficial for wildlife. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for example, does not have an impressive track record. Since the UK joined the EEC in 1973, populations of farmland birds have pl

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