Moth populations in steady decline in Britain, study finds

Long-running survey finds 1976 heatwave boom has been followed by dropping numbers.

Moths are declining in abundance by 10% each decade in Britain but the average weight of moths caught in traps is still double what it was in 1967, according to a new study.

Researchers studying the biomass of moths caught in the world’s longest-running insect survey said their findings suggested that if there had been an “insect armageddon” in Britain, it had occurred before scientific recording began in 1967.

Rather than a precipitous recent decline, scientists at the University of York found that moth populations had boomed following the 1976 heatwave – and moth biomass today was still twice as high as 1967 levels – but there had been a steady decline in abundance since 1982.

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Britain’s national parks ‘risk losing UN nature reserve status’ because wildlife dying out so fast

‘National parks are now places where wildlife goes to die’

Staff Reporter

Monday 25 March 2019 15:45 

The Lake District was home to golden eagles until the last breeding pair died in 2004 ( Getty )

The head of the RSPB has warned Britain’s National Parks are at risk of losing their protected status because human activity is wiping out so many species and areas outside the parks are often in better condition.

Kevin Cox said the UK’s farming policies are driving farmers to work in a way which is increasingly damaging the environment in supposedly protected areas.

“National parks are not delivering for wildlife and are often in worse condition than areas outside the park,” Mr Cox said in an interview with The Sunday Times. “They aren’t being monitored, lack funding and have no clear purpose.

“The biggest driver of the damage is farming. It is down to [government] policy encouraging the use of chemicals and intensification of livestock and crops.”

He suggested even calling them “national parks” was misleading because practices including farming, tourism and grouse shooting were doing so much damage.

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Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain

Study reveals declines in distribution of many species of bees and hoverflies

Date:  March 26, 2019

Source:  Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

Many insect pollinator species are disappearing from areas of Great Britain, a new study has found.

The research, led by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, measured the presence of 353 wild bee and hoverfly species across the country, from 1980 to 2013. It showed one third of species experienced declines in terms of areas in which they were found, while one tenth increased. For the remainder of species, their distribution was either stable or the trend was inconclusive.

A positive but unexpected finding of the study was the increase in key bee species responsible for pollinating flowering crops, such as oil-seed rape. This could be in response to the large increases of mass-flowering crops grown during the study period and government-subsidised schemes that encourage farmers to plant more of the wildflowers they feed on.

The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, also showed that on average, the geographic range of bee and hoverfly species declined by a quarter. This is equivalent to a net loss of 11 species from each 1km square.

Overall losses were more notable for pollinator species found in northern Britain. This may be a result of climate change, with species that prefer cooler temperatures reducing their geographical spread in response to less climatically suitable landscapes.

Dr Gary Powney of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, who led the research, says: "We used cutting-edge statistical methods to analyse a vast number of species observations, revealing widespread differences in distribution change across pollinating insects. There is no one single cause for these differences, but habitat loss is a likely key driver of the declines.

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Dig for Britain: householders urged to build ponds to help frogs, newts and hedgehogs

Sightings of frogs have slumped in recent years 

 Sarah Knapton, science editor

12 MARCH 2019 • 6:00AM

Householders are being urged to dig ponds in their gardens, or fill washing up bowls with water, to help stem the decline in frogs, newts and hedgehogs.

The Wildlife Trusts and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) are concerned that the disappearance of ponds is damaging wildlife.

Recent figures from the RSPB showed frog sightings have fallen by 15 per cent while toads have declined 28 per cent since 2014.

Ponds are a vital habitats and water sources for amphibians and small mammals but housebuilders now rarely include them in garden designs, and the number of municipal ponds has halved from one million to 500,000 in the past 150 years.

Health and safety fears has led to many ponds being filled in in recent years following calls from the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa).

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Adders are facing near extinction in Britain according to study of national adder population trends

March 5, 2019, University of Reading

The adder could all but disappear from the UK countryside by 2032, according to new research conducted with the help of citizen scientists.

The findings, published in the Herpetological Journal, are the culmination of 11 years of nationwide monitoring and showed that 90 percent of adder populations surveyed were declining. Experts warn that, if these trends continue, within just 10-20 years adders could be restricted to just a handful of sites in the UK.

The adder is a conservation priority species in the UK. Although concern has been growing among reptile experts for decades that our native adder populations are in decline, this study is the first time that national adder population trends have been measured, and the data confirm that our adders are in serious trouble.

The data were collected by Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK (ARG UK) through the 'Make the Adder Count' project, a citizen science survey to monitor adder populations across the UK, which was set up in 2005. Each spring, volunteer surveyors visit their local adder sites to count the numbers of animals, in order to assess whether populations are changing. Dr. Emma Gardner, a researcher from the University of Reading, has analysed the first 11 years of monitoring data.

"Our analysis shows that 90 percent of the sites surveyed have small populations and on average these small populations are declining." said Dr. Gardner. "When surveyors visit these sites, they typically record less than 10 adders. Only 10 percent of sites have large populations, which seem to be doing ok. If these trends continue, within 10-20 years, adders will be restricted to just a few sites in the UK, significantly increasing the extinction risk for this priority species in Britain."

This is not just bad for adders. Adders are an indicator species. If adders are in serious decline, this suggests many other species who depend on the same habitats are likely to be suffering too. So why are so many adder populations in decline and what can we do about it? The study also identified key threats currently affecting the adder sites. Top of the list was public pressure through disturbance.

"Almost half of the adder sites surveyed reported public pressure through disturbance as negatively affecting their adders." said Dr. Gardner. "This ranged from people inadvertently trampling vegetation, to off-lead dogs disturbing the adders and people getting too close trying to photograph them. We know that there are some sites were adders live perfectly happily alongside people, so we really need more research to assess the impacts of disturbance on adders and identify what conditions are needed to allow both adders and people to enjoy the same spaces together.

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Adders now active all year with warmer UK weather

Shorter hibernation period may accelerate demise of Britain’s only venomous snake

Nicholas Milton

Wed 6 Mar 2019 06.30 GMT

The adder, Britain’s only venomous snake, has for the first time been confirmed as being active in every month of the year.

Adders normally hibernate underground from October to March, a strategy designed to enable them to survive a cold winter, but with warmer weather have now been seen throughout the year.

They are declining as a result of increasing habitat loss, persecution, predation, disturbance and inbreeding. A shorter hibernation period and becoming more active in winter is likely to accelerate their demise, as snakes will be much more susceptible to any cold weather that follows a warm spell.

Following the record warm temperatures in February, adders have been seen in every calendar month. While the adder is well adapted to cold weather, occurring further north in the world than any other snake species, this is new behaviour and experts warn it is a clear sign of the impact climate change is having on wildlife.

Nigel Hand, a trustee of Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK and one of the country’s leading adder experts, confirmed the trend.

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Britain's most endangered species identified for first time as Natural England launches 'Back from the Brink' campaign

Helena Horton 

1 FEBRUARY 2019 • 10:59PM

Britain's 20 most endangered species have been identified for the first time by a host of wildlife and woodland charities, as Natural England has launched a campaign to bring them back from the brink of extinction.

The charities, including the RSPB and the Woodland Trust, have been given over £7.7 million in funding from the National Lottery and other donors to work together to save the endangered animals and plants.

Since the ambitious project began a year ago, the charities have already managed to reintroduce of the Chequered Skipper butterfly to the Rockingham Forest area of Northamptonshire. It  had been extinct in England since 1976.

Now, the various charities are working together for the first time to safeguard the rest of the animals on the list.

The species include the pine marten, which used to be Britain's third most common predator until it was hunted almost to extinction for its beautiful pelt.

While the population is recovering in Scotland, they are scarce in England. By the conclusion of this project, it is hoped they begin to colonise in Northumberland and Cumbria.

Funding for the project will mean that nest boxes can be built for them in the woodland areas they thrive in, and that the current pairs can be tracked.

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Asian mussel confirmed on British beaches

January 2, 2019, University of Portsmouth

An Asian mussel named after a British naval officer has found its way to Britain and is making itself at home on southern beaches, according to new research.

Peter Barfield, a marine scientist at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of Marine Sciences, is the first to publish confirmation that the Asian date mussel has made a home in British waters.

The small, fragile mussel is considered edible in China.

Its native range stretches from Siberia to Singapore. In addition to British waters, it has also been found in The Netherlands.

Peter said: "After the initial finding of a single mussel on the beach near Titchfield Haven, in the Solent, a year ago, there's clear evidence now it is living and feeding on the south coast.

"It's listed on invasive species databases as 'one to watch out for', but whether it thrives here or causes problems for British native species depends on a wide range of factors.

"It would be prudent to keep an eye on it."

The Asian date mussel, or Arcuatula senhousia, was first found in China, and was described in 1842 by William Benson. It is believed he named it after Sir Humphrey Fleming Senhouse, a British naval officer who died in Hong Kong in 1841 during the infamous Opium War between Britain and China.

It is coloured olive and brown, and it can be distinguished from British native mussels by zig-zag markings on the shell.

In UK waters, it has been found living in soft sediment and it is known to also attach to hard substrates, such as other shells beneath the sea and up to the high water mark.

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Britain's biggest butterfly threatened by rising seas

New charity warns Britain’s largest butterfly could be lost within four decades as rising seas turn its habitat into saltmarsh

Patrick Barkham

Fri 29 Jun 2018 12.27 BSTLast modified on Fri 29 Jun 201813.40 BST

Britain’s biggest butterfly, the swallowtail, could become extinct within four decades because of rising sea levels, a new charity has warned.

New inland habitat needs to be created for the swallowtail because rising seas are predicted to turn much of its current home, the Norfolk Broads, into saltmarshes later this century.

The British swallowtail caterpillar’s only food plant, milk parsley, cannot survive in saltwater, and so the plant and the butterfly will need to be translocated to the Cambridgeshire fens, according to butterfly experts.

“At least 90% of the current swallowtail breeding sites will become salt marsh with a sea level rise of 50cm,” said Mark Collins, chair of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, a new charity working to save the 500 swallowtail and birdwing butterfly species worldwide. “We could be looking at 30 or 40 years and these sites will be gone, given the rate of sea-level rise and also tidal surges and ‘salination events’, where saltwater comes rushing up the Broads’ rivers.”

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Why scientists are counting seal pups in the Thames Estuary

By Helen BriggsBBC News

29 June 2018

Sixty years ago the Thames Estuary was regarded as "biologically dead" and largely devoid of wildlife.

But, in recent years seals have returned to the Thames as well as to the coastal and low-lying lands bordering the estuary.

Last year, scientists recorded more than 3,500 harbour and grey seals.

Now, they are starting the first count of seal pups to see how important the area is a breeding ground.

"These seals are higher predators in the estuary," says Thea Cox, conservation biologist at the Zoological Society of London.

"Knowing how many there are is a really good indicator of the health of the estuary, what habitat is available to them, what food source is available to them."

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More woodland management needed to help save dormice

June 26, 2018, University of Exeter

Managing woodlands to a greater extent could help stop the decline of Britain's dormice, new research suggests.

Dormouse numbers are falling in Britain—down by 72% in just over 20 years—and the scientists say this could reflect changes in climate and the composition and structure of woodland habitats.

The findings, from two new studies led by the University of Exeter, show dormice favour woodland with varied heights and areas of regrowth, including species such as hazel and yew that provide the flowers, fruits and nuts they enjoy.

The researchers call for a return to active woodland management, which can include coppicing, glade creation and small-scale tree felling, to create a "mosaic" of trees of different ages and sizes, especially areas of new growth and medium-height trees.

Dormouse numbers are higher in woodlands with more varied tree heights and scrubby areas, and they prefer to use areas of woodland edge, and dense trees and shrubs, when they move around at night.

"Habitats that we found to be good for dormice have been in decline," said lead author Dr. Cecily Goodwin, of the Environment and Sustainability Institute on the University of Exeter's Penryn Campus in Cornwall.

"Dormouse conservation would benefit from more broadleaf woodland in the landscape and more diverse woodland structure—ranging from new growth and scrub to mid-height woodland to old trees.

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Fifth of Britain’s wild mammals ‘at high risk of extinction’

Species including the wildcat and black rat may be lost within a decade while others such as deer are thriving, analysis shows

Damian Carrington Environment editor

Wed 13 Jun 2018 06.01 BST

The wildcat and mouse-eared bat are on the brink, but deer are spreading and otters bouncing back, according to a comprehensive analysis.

At least one in five wild mammals in Britain faces a high risk of extinction within a decade and overall populations are falling, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date.

Most at risk are the Scottish wildcat and the once-widespread black rat, while there is only a single male greater mouse-eared bat left. Also falling in number are hedgehogs, rabbits and water voles. However, some species have thrived since the last national analysis in 1995, including otters, no longer poisoned by pesticides, and deer, which lack a natural predator.

More than half the 58 wild land mammals known to breed in Britain are rodents or bats, and one in eight is an alien species, such as the thriving grey squirrel and mink. The most numerous species is the field vole at 60 million, followed by the mole, at 41 million. But both are easily outnumbered by people, at 64 million, and their livestock, with 44 million sheep and cattle and 181 million chickens.

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One new species of 'micro-moth' found in Britain every year

Experts say almost 30 species of pyralid moths have flown in or been transported via the horticultural trade

Patrick Barkham

Thu 14 Jun 2018 06.00 BST

They are often tiny, frequently brown and always challenging to identify but an average of one new species of pyralid moth each year is turning up in Britain, according to experts.

Almost 30 new species of this large family of “micro-moths” have been recorded over the last 30 years – either flying in themselves or being transported via the horticultural trade.

While the abundance of moths is in decline, more than 125 new species of moth have been spotted in Britain this century alone, with 27 species establishing themselves as breeding species.

People are being urged to spot and help document these new arrivals as part of this year’s Moth Night, an annual three-night event to record and celebrate moths, organised by Butterfly Conservation, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and wildlife publisher Atropos.

“Just because something is called a micro-moth, don’t assume it’s tiny and brown and dull and impossible to identify because some of these aren’t,” said Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation. “Moths in general are a fantastic, interesting group of wildlife that’s still relatively diverse – there are hundreds of species in your back garden. Anyone who is interested in wildlife will find that exciting and inspiring.”

Newly arrived micro-moths include Musotima nitidalis, originally from Australia and New Zealand, which reached Britain in 2009 via the horticultural trade. The moth is now found in several locations in southern England, where its caterpillars feed on ferns such as bracken.

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Red squirrels 'may have introduced' leprosy to Britain

11 May 2018

Red squirrels may have brought leprosy to Britain more than 1,000 years ago, scientists have said.

Swiss researchers said DNA taken from a fifth-century victim of the disease in Essex revealed the same strain of leprosy carried by red squirrels today.

The discovery supports the theory that the rodents, once prized for their meat and fur, played a role in the spread of the disease throughout medieval Europe.

Grey squirrels were not introduced to the UK until the 19th Century.

Scientists at the University of Zurich took samples of leprosy DNA from 90 Europeans with skeletal deformations characteristic of the disease from AD400 to AD1,400.

From the fragments they reconstructed 10 new genomes - complete genetic codes - of medieval Mycobacterium leprae, the bug that causes leprosy.

One was from Great Chesterford, Essex, and dated to between AD415 and AD545. It was this leprosy genome, the oldest yet constructed, that contained the red squirrel clue.

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Climate change threatens rare British orchid that tricks bees into mating

Researchers find that warmer temperatures are upsetting the seasonal relationship between the early spider orchid and pollinating bees

Patrick Barkham

Thu 5 Apr 2018 12.37 BSTLast modified on Thu 5 Apr 2018 22.00 BST

It is one of the most cunning and elaborate reproductive deceits: the early spider orchid (Ophrys sphegodes) wafts a floral bouquet into the air that mimics the irresistible scent of a virgin female solitary mining bee, tricking gullible male bees into attempting intercourse with several flowers, thereby ensuring the plant’s pollination.

But the sexual success of this rare and declining orchid in Britain is imperilled by climate change, researchers have found.

The orchid’s ruse only works if a female mining bee, Andrena nigroaenea, has not emerged from hibernation, because as soon as this happens, the orchid cannot compete with the alluring scent of the real thing – and the plant is ignored by the male bees.

While warmer springs cause the early spider orchid to flower earlier in May, climate warming is also causing female bees to emerge from hibernation even earlier – confounding the orchid’s attempts to dupe the male bees.

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Warming climate could see butterfly loved by Churchill return to UK

Former PM unsuccessfully tried to reintroduce black-veined white in 1940s, but conditions may now allow species to prosper

Patrick Barkham

Sat 7 Apr 2018 06.30 BST

He was the consummate politician who could bend nations to his will, but Winston Churchill was powerless when it came to butterflies.

The British prime minister hired the country’s leading lepidopterist and spent years attempting to reintroduce two extinct species into his back garden.

Despite his best efforts, and the release of hundreds of black-veined whites and swallowtails in the 1940s, his schemes to have rare butterflies feasting on “fountains of honey and water” at Chartwell in Kent were an ignominious failure.

Churchill may, however, simply have been seven decades ahead of his time: new research has revealed that climatic conditions may be suitable for the black-veined white to fly in Britain once again.

The species – which is still found across much of Europe – became extinct in Britain after a series of disastrously wet autumns in the early part of the 20th century. Now, with average temperatures rising, experts believe it could prosper here once again.

Two studies in northern France, which has a similar climate to southern England, have found that it would be easy to provide for the black-veined white’s needs by creating flowery field margins and allowing the growth of young scrub such as hawthorn and blackthorn.

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Return of pine martens could save Britain's red squirrels, say scientists

Areas with growing pine marten populations have seen grey squirrel numbers fall as they provide easy prey for the predators – unlike native reds, a new study shows

Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor

Wed 7 Mar 2018 06.01 GMT

The invasion of grey squirrels that has decimated native reds across the UK is reversed when pine martens prowl the woods, new research has shown. Unlike reds, grey squirrels appear to be easy meat for the predator.

Pine marten populations have also been drastically reduced in the past. But where they are recovering, they send grey squirrel numbers plummeting while reds thrive, according to scientists.

The spread of pine martens from their Scottish stronghold into England is the best long-term solution to controlling grey squirrels, said Emma Sheehy at the University of Aberdeen, who led the work: “It should be all that you need. But it may be some time getting to that place.” As a result, she said it would be foolish to stop current control programmes now.

There were once 3.5 million red squirrels across the UK, but the introduction of “ornamental” grey squirrels from the US in the 1870s has left just 250,000 reds, mostly in Scotland. The larger greys carry a pox disease which is deadly to reds, and also outcompete their smaller cousins.

Pine martens have also suffered, having been killed for their fur and as predators of poultry and game birds, and are essentially extinct in England. They only gained legal protection in the 1980s but there are now a few thousand in Scotland.

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Britain must designate its marine territories as 'bluebelt' to protect oceans and wildlife

Sarah Knapton, science editor 

10 DECEMBER 2017 • 9:00PM

Britain must designate its overseas territories as ‘bluebelt’ to help protect wildlife and prevent plastic pollution entering the oceans, campaigners have said.

Following the final episode of Blue Planet II which showed the devastating impact of humans on the world’s seas, the Great British Oceans coalition called on the government to safeguard its remote marine zones, which are home to some of the world’s most endangered species.

Already 133 MPs have backed the campaign to create 1.5 million square miles of protected ‘bluebelt’ around seven British overseas territories which contain the breeding grounds for a quarter of the world’s penguins, and one third of the world’s albatrosses.

The proposed zone would cover Ascension Island, South Georgia, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha and the South Sandwich Islands, in the south Atlantic, as well as the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory and Pitcairn Islands in the southern Pacific. It would be the world’s biggest network of ocean sanctuaries.

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Migrant moths arriving from Europe to eat Britain's ivy

Spectacular insects include silver-striped hawk-moth which is more often found in Africa and south Asia

Tom Embury-Dennis 

Wednesday 11 October 2017 23:30 BST

The Independent Online

Hungry migrant moths from Europe are arriving in Britain and eating the nation’s ivy, with warm weather from the continent expected to drive a surge in numbers. 

Over the next three nights nature lovers are being urged to investigate local patches of ivy, which produces a lifeline to moths and butterflies as it flowers late in the year when other sources of nectar have disappeared. 

The spectacular moths include the silver-striped hawk-moth, which is more often found in Africa and south Asia, and the giant convolvulus hawk-moth, which has a wingspan of up to four inches. 

Richard Fox, Butterfly Conservation Head of Recording, told The Independent that rare moths are being "blown up by the wind" and into Britain.  

"We've got very mild temperatures, which is really good for our resident moths," he said. "On top of that we’ve got these southerly winds that are likely to bring migrant moths up to Britain."

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Specieswatch: efforts are being made to preserve the Arctic char in Britain

Some 10,000 young char have been released into Kielder Water with the aim of saving this ancient fish, an important relic of our past

Paul Brown

Sunday 22 October 2017 21.30 BSTLast modified on Sunday 22 October 2017 22.00 BST

The Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, is a remarkable survivor from the ice age in Britain, having been trapped in various lakes and Scottish lochs for 10,000 years. As a result, if you manage to catch one, the fish may look considerably different from those in other lakes, because they have had many generations to evolve to survive in local conditions after being cut off from the oceans when the ice retreated.

Some scientists went to the trouble of designating each of these populations of Arctic char as separate species because of these different characteristics, but this idea has generally been dropped as too difficult, not least because there are dozens of cut-off populations, some yet to be described.

Further north than Britain in colder waters, particularly Norway, char are numerous, dominating some rivers in the Arctic regions too cold for salmon and trout. Like salmon these char migrate out to sea, returning to spawn, but do not die with the effort and can return many times. In the UK and Ireland they have adapted to live all their lives in cold freshwater.

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