Lee Brady's Recording Blog

Big Profit from Nature Protection

Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns, according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the natural world.

via news.bbc.co.uk

I would also add, that whilst taking the environment into consideration brings financial rewards (along with other less tangible gains), NOT taking the environment into consideration can prove very costly.

Michael Howard to Fight Nuclear Decision

Dungeness was rejected because of worries about the threat to the local eco-system from coastal erosion and flooding should a new plant be constructed there.

The decision will now be subject to a 15-week consultation.

Mr Howard, whose Folkestone and Hythe constituency includes the Romney Marsh, accused the government of letting environmental considerations outweigh the need to protect local jobs.

via news.bbc.co.uk

I don't suppose Mr. Howard will be around when climate change results in the power station being swamped by rising sea levels. It genuinely frightens me that many politicians simply don't understand that issues relating to the environment require a long-term outlook. Spouting rhetoric to win a few votes is about all some of them can achieve. Perhaps Mr. Howard wants to convince his constituents that the £17,351 he recently claimed for 'gardening' was money well spent. 

Applying the Three Tests

Cheshire East Borough Council granted permission to Millennium Estates Limited to demolish a house that contained a small pipistrelle roost. The planner’s report mentioned the need to apply for a Natural England licence and granted planning permission with a condition that a licence and appropriate mitigation be satisfied at a later date.

A bat licence was acquired by Millennium in July 2008 and the building was demolished in August 2008. But in January 2009 Millennium went into administration and the site was left as an open development plot.

The planning permission was challenged by a local resident and in court it was argued that the local authority had failed to make sure that bats were not being negatively impacted by the development, which is not in line with the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 (as amended).

The local authority defended its actions saying that the only duty imposed on an authority at the planning stage was to note the existence of the relevant legislation and the bats impacted and that the applicant requesting permission needed a licence. Beyond these points the local authority did not feel it was it was required to act.

This was not accepted in court as a reasonable argument because a local authority should not be able to release its duty by making the obtaining of a licence a condition of the grant of permission. The planning officer's report had made no mention of the Directive or the Regulations. It referred to the need to have a condition for the mitigation of disturbance to the bats, but that did not amount to consideration by the local authority. This resulted in the planning permission being revoked.

This case will have a knock on effect to planning departments across the Country serving to strengthen the protection that bats receive, and the consideration that they are given within the planning system.

via www.bats.org.uk

This is a ruling that was noted on the Bat Conservation Trust's website a little while ago. The ruling is of interest since it applies to all European Protected Species (EPS), not just bats. And yes, that includes great crested newts. 

In order to ensure that the possible presence of great crested newt is adequately considered, it is essential that appropriate survey work is undertaken. Such survey work should be undertaken as early as possible (certainly before the final design has been agreed upon). If great crested newts (or any other EPS) are confirmed present either on or close to the proposed development site, the likely impacts of the scheme will need to be fully considered. It may be necessary to consider whether there are favourable alternatives to the proposed development that avoid harm - this could mean abandoning the current site and building elsewhere. Developers who fail to engage the services of a professional ecological consultant early in the planning process are significantly increasing the chances that their project will be refused planning permission.  

What is clear from the judicial review is that it will no longer be possible for local planning authorities to simply condition that an EPS licence be obtained. Such an action would leave developers at risk from subsequent legal challenges that may result in planning decisions being overturned. 

Secrets of Frog Killer Laid Bare

Scientists have unravelled the mechanism by which the fungal disease chytridiomycosis kills its victims.

via news.bbc.co.uk

Chytrid is apparently quite widespread in several amphibian populations across the UK.

Man Arrested for Allegedly Shining Torch at Helicopter

It was an £8.45 torch normally used for counting great crested newts in Torben Merriott's garden pond.

But the battery-powered device, with the advertised power of two million candles, landed the north Suffolk grandfather in a police cell after he allegedly shone it at an Apache helicopter hovering over his home.

via www.edp24.co.uk

I hope he has a great crested newt survey licence...

Mayor Keen on Thames Gateway Airport Plan

London's mayor is to press ahead with the next stage of plans for an airport in the Thames estuary.

via news.bbc.co.uk

BBC - Earth News - Lizards filmed 'walking on water'

Remarkable slow-motion footage has been taken of two lizards that seem to do the impossible - walk on water.

A high-definition film, shot at 2,000 frames per second, shows a brown basilisk lizard running across the surface of a pond in Belize.

More footage shows how a species of gecko is so tiny that it can walk across a puddle without breaking the water's surface tension.

These amazing feats are captured for the BBC natural history series Life.

via news.bbc.co.uk

It's one way to avoid being eaten by a great crested newt. Perhaps Britain's frogs should watch the show?!

Appeal to Save Historic Wildlife Reserve

A major appeal has been launched in a bid to raise £100,000 to protect a wildlife reserve.

The Kent Wildlife Trust this week called on the county to help fund a major restoration programme to ensure the continued success of Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve – a site of special scientific interest – and a pioneering site in the history of wildlife conservation.

The trust’s reserves officer, Dave Hutton, said: “More than 50 years ago, this remarkable site made history when many local volunteers started to make it the first of its kind in Britain – a gravel and sand quarry transformed into a site for nature conservation.

“Today, it is hard to imagine that where there are now five beautiful lakes, reed beds, ponds and woodland, and home to more than 2,000 recorded species – was once a sterile industrial landscape.

“Since the trust took over the management of the site in 2005, continued progress has been made to improve habitats and facilities. 

“We now need to conduct a further programme of major restoration work, to build on conservation success already achieved.”

via www.kentnews.co.uk

I wonder how the trust will fund this one...

There are records of great crested newt, common toad, viviparous lizard, slow-worm and grass snake for the reserve.

[Testing the new 'Blog It' function that's available in TypePad btw] 

Lunatic Amphibians?!

A recent paper published in the Journal of Animal Behaviour suggests that amphibian breeding may be closely linked to lunar cycles. Research by Rachel Grant, Elizabeth Chadwick and Tim Halliday found that frog and toad arrival at breeding ponds, amplexus and spawning were more likely to occur around the time of the full moon than new moon. The researchers also found that the fist sightings and peak nocturnal counts of newts were more likely to occur around the new/full moon. An outline of the full paper can be read here, with a summary also available on the BBC website. 

There are several online calculators available that allow moon phase to be calculated for a specific date. The researchers hypothesis may therefore be relatively easy to test. There are 29 Key Amphibian Sites currently listed in the KRAG database. Many of these include relatively high counts of great crested newt. I therefore thought that it may be interesting to test the theory that great crested newt counts at 10 Key Amphibian Sites will be highest around the new/full moon. 

I tested the sites using a Lunar Phase Calculator:

Site Maximum Adult GCN Count Date Moon's Age from New (Phase)

Peter's Pit 236 05/05/1995 5.7 (first quarter)

Wanshurst Green 115 25/05/2005 16.9 (waning gibbous)

Lydd Airport 103 22/04/1995 22.2 (last quarter)

Shorne Wood C.P.  70 07/06/2004 19.3 (waning gibbous)

Beacon Wood C.P.  67 04/05/1996 16.3 (full)

Well Court Farm  54 06/04/1995 25.1 (morning crescent)

T.W. Grammar School  35 31/03/2008 24.3 (morning crescent)

Pluckley 36 28/03/2007 9.7 (waxing gibbous)

Chilston Park  35 05/05/2006  7.5 (first quarter)

Barnett's Wood  20 26/04/2007 9.2 (first quarter)

For newts, we therefore want a moon age that is close to either 0, 13.5 or 27. Survey data at Wanshurst, Beacon Wood, Well Court and TW Grammar School are reasonably close (40%). Of course the results presented above are for interest only and are most certainly not statistically valid. Although newt activity will be affected by many other factors (e.g. temperature, rainfall etc), it may just be worth keeping an eye on the moon during next year's amphibian survey season. 

Dragon Garden Wins Bronze

The first public event attended by the newly formed Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust was at this week's Hampton Court Flower Show. ARCT volunteers helped to build a garden specifically designed to encourage reptiles and amphibians. Congrats to all for winning a Bronze Medal. 

The garden can be seen on the Hampton Court website. 

I must admit though, the garden strikes me as having a lot of path and very short grass. I know, I know, things have to grow. But what on earth were they were thinking when they built that rockery! Hi-rise slow-worms, who would have thought it?!