Showing papers by "The Lodge published in 2014"

A mid-term analysis of progress toward international biodiversity targets

Abstract: In 2010, the international community, under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity, agreed on 20 biodiversity-related “Aichi Targets” to be achieved within a decade. We provide a comprehensive mid-term assessment of progress toward these global targets using 55 indicator data sets. We projected indicator trends to 2020 using an adaptive statistical framework that incorporated the specific properties of individual time series. On current trajectories, results suggest that despite accelerating policy and management responses to the biodiversity crisis, the impacts of these efforts are unlikely to be reflected in improved trends in the state of biodiversity by 2020. We highlight areas of societal endeavor requiring additional efforts to achieve the Aichi Targets, and provide a baseline against which to assess future progress.

Mechanisms underpinning climatic impacts on natural populations: altered species interactions are more important than direct effects.

Abstract: Shifts in species' distribution and abundance in response to climate change have been well documented, but the underpinning processes are still poorly understood. We present the results of a systematic literature review and meta-analysis investigating the frequency and importance of different mechanisms by which climate has impacted natural populations. Most studies were from temperate latitudes of North America and Europe; almost half investigated bird populations. We found significantly greater support for indirect, biotic mechanisms than direct, abiotic mechanisms as mediators of the impact of climate on populations. In addition, biotic effects tended to have greater support than abiotic factors in studies of species from higher trophic levels. For primary consumers, the impact of climate was equally mediated by biotic and abiotic mechanisms, whereas for higher level consumers the mechanisms were most frequently biotic, such as predation or food availability. Biotic mechanisms were more frequently supported in studies that reported a directional trend in climate than in studies with no such climatic change, although sample sizes for this comparison were small. We call for more mechanistic studies of climate change impacts on populations, particularly in tropical systems.

The importance of local forest benefits: Economic valuation of Non-Timber Forest Products in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania

Abstract: Understanding the spatial distribution of the quantity and economic value of Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP) collection gives insight into the benefits that local communities obtain from forests, and can inform decisions about the selection of forested areas that are eligible for conservation and enforcement of regulations. In this paper we estimate transferable household production functions of NTFP extraction in the Eastern Arc Mountains (EAM) in Tanzania, based on information from seven multi-site datasets related to the behaviour of over 2000 households. The study shows that the total benefit flow of charcoal, firewood, poles and thatch from the EAM to the local population has an estimated value of USD 42 million per year, and provides an important source of additional income for local communities, especially the poorest, who mainly depend on subsistence agriculture. The resulting map of economic values shows that benefits vary highly across space with population density, infrastructure and resource availability. We argue that if further restrictions on forest access to promote conservation are considered, this will require additional policies to prevent a consequent increase in poverty, and an enforced trade-off between conservation and energy supply to rural and urban households.

Upland land use predicts population decline in a globally near‐threatened wader

Abstract: Summary Changes in large-scale land use may fragment and degrade habitats, affecting animal species adapted to these habitats In the UK uplands for example, changes in sheep and game management, and afforestation, have altered the configuration of internationally important moorland habitat and are predicted to have increased predation pressure for a globally unique suite of breeding birds of international conservation importance Some of these upland bird species have declined, with particular concern over ground-nesting waders Using resurveys of the rapidly declining Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata as a focal species of global conservation concern, we investigate whether upland land use predicts low nesting success and population decline Curlew population changes over an 8- to 10-year period were positively related to gamekeeper density (a surrogate of predator control intensity) and inversely to the area of woodland surrounding sites, as a likely source of predators to adjacent open ground Model predictions suggest that increasing woodland cover from 0% to 10% of the land area within 1 km of populated sites requires an increase in human predator control effort of about 48%, to a level associated with high-intensity grouse production, to achieve curlew population stability Curlew nesting success, known to be a key driver of population trends, was also positively related to gamekeeper density and inversely to woodland area surrounding sites, providing a plausible mechanistic link between land use and population change Synthesis and applications Upland land use is associated with curlew declines, with predation a likely mechanism, and this may apply to other breeding waders The removal of isolated woodland plantations from otherwise unafforested landscapes may help reduce predation pressure across a range of systems including moorland However, direct predator control may also be important to conserve ground-nesting birds in these landscapes, for example, where moorland management and forestry coexist as major land uses Predator control may also mitigate climate change effects by enhancing wader productivity, particularly where climate effects coincide with changing land use Emerging land uses in open landscapes, including native woodland restoration and wind farms, require careful siting to minimize further impacts on open-area breeding birds

Benefits and costs of ecological restoration: Rapid assessment of changing ecosystem service values at a U.K. wetland.

Abstract: Restoration of degraded land is recognized by the international community as an important way of enhancing both biodiversity and ecosystem services, but more information is needed about its costs and benefits. In Cambridgeshire, U.K., a long-term initiative to convert drained, intensively farmed arable land to a wetland habitat mosaic is driven by a desire both to prevent biodiversity loss from the nationally important Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve (Wicken Fen NNR) and to increase the provision of ecosystem services. We evaluated the changes in ecosystem service delivery resulting from this land conversion, using a new Toolkit for Ecosystem Service Site-based Assessment (TESSA) to estimate biophysical and monetary values of ecosystem services provided by the restored wetland mosaic compared with the former arable land. Overall results suggest that restoration is associated with a net gain to society as a whole of $199 ha � 1 y � 1 , for a one-off investment in restoration of $2320 ha � 1 . Restoration has led to an estimated loss of arable production of $2040 ha � 1 y � 1 , but estimated gains of $671 ha � 1 y � 1 in nature-based recreation, $120 ha � 1 y � 1 from grazing, $48 ha � 1 y � 1 from flood protection, and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worth an estimated $72 ha � 1 y � 1 . Management costs have also declined by an estimated $1325 ha � 1 y � 1 . Despite uncertainties associated with all measured values and the conservative assumptions used, we conclude that there was a substantial gain to society as a whole from this land-use conversion. The beneficiaries also changed from local arable farmers under arable production to graziers, countryside users from towns and villages, and the global community, under restoration. We emphasize that the values reported here are not necessarily transferable to other sites.

Clutch-size variation in Western Palaearctic secondary hole-nesting passerine birds in relation to nest box design

Abstract: Secondary hole-nesting birds that do not construct nest holes themselves and hence regularly breed in nest boxes constitute important model systems for field studies in many biological disciplines with hundreds of scientists and amateurs involved. Those research groups are spread over wide geographic areas that experience considerable variation in environmental conditions, and researchers provide nest boxes of varying designs that may inadvertently introduce spatial and temporal variation in reproductive parameters. We quantified the relationship between mean clutch size and nest box size and material after controlling for a range of environmental variables in four of the most widely used model species in the Western Palaearctic: great tit Parus major, blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca and collared flycatcher F.albicollis from 365 populations and 79610 clutches. Nest floor area and nest box material varied non-randomly across latitudes and longitudes, showing that scientists did not adopt a random box design. Clutch size increased with nest floor area in great tits, but not in blue tits and flycatchers. Clutch size of blue tits was larger in wooden than in concrete nest boxes. These findings demonstrate that the size of nest boxes and material used to construct nest boxes can differentially affect clutch size in different species. The findings also suggest that the nest box design may affect not only focal species, but also indirectly other species through the effects of nest box design on productivity and therefore potentially population density and hence interspecific competition.

Supplementary feeding of mealworms enhances reproductive success in garden nesting House Sparrows Passer domesticus

Abstract: Capsule Mealworm provisioning increased clutch size and chick survival in garden-nesting House Sparrows.Aim We tested experimentally whether invertebrate availability limits reproductive success in garden-nesting House Sparrows Passer domesticus.Methods Mealworms were provided in feeders as supplementary food for House Sparrows nesting in suburban and rural domestic gardens. Surveys of provisioning adult sparrows were used to determine mealworm usage and nest outcomes were monitored.Results Provisioning parent sparrows travelled up to 165 m from nests to collect mealworms, but most usage of supplementary food was confined to nests within 30 m of feeders. Mealworm provisioning increased clutch size and chick survival which together increased fledgling production by 55%.Conclusions Management interventions that increase the availability of invertebrate prey for garden-nesting House Sparrows have the potential to stimulate substantial increases in reproductive success.

Synergies between site protection and agri‐environment schemes for the conservation of waders on lowland wet grasslands

Abstract: Two conservation strategies have been put in place in Europe to address precipitous population declines of wading birds that breed on lowland wet grasslands. These are site protection and agri-environment schemes (AESs) and the two are rarely compared, or their synergy assessed. Increasingly, efforts to recover populations of previously widespread species follow a landscape-scale approach whereby habitat improvement takes place at key sites through partially overlapping protected area management and AESs. To investigate whether site protection and AESs improve the conservation status of breeding waders and how these interact, we partially repeated a 2002 survey of breeding waders on protected areas (nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and sites with wader-specific AES options in England in 2009 and 2010. We then assessed the individual and combined effects of these delivery mechanisms on field occupancy, breeding density and population change of four species of declining wader (Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus, Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago, Eurasian Curlew Arquata numenius and Common Redshank Tringa totanus). Although results for Curlew differed from the other species, in general field occupancy was positively influenced by conservation delivery mechanisms, with the highest occupancy and breeding densities on land where site protection was combined with wader-specific AES options. Field occupancy varied between different types of AES, with higher occupancy associated with higher-level options in fields, particularly those on nature reserves. Outside nature reserves, the history of AES management did not influence wader populations, but within nature reserves and on fields that gained AES management between 2002 and 2009–2010, populations of Curlew and Snipe were more likely to have persisted and population change in Snipe and Lapwing was more positive. We conclude that the conservation of breeding waders will be most effective when site protection and AES management are combined on the same land. Using limited AES money to support management for breeding waders on, around and between the existing network of protected sites will protect remaining populations while presenting opportunities for population expansion in future.

Geolocator tagging reveals Pacific migration of Red‐necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus breeding in Scotland

Abstract: The migration route of Red-necked Phalarope populations breeding on North Atlantic islands has been subject to considerable speculation. Geolocator tags were fitted to nine Red-necked Phalaropes breeding in northern Scotland to assess whether they migrated to Palaearctic or Nearctic wintering grounds. Of four birds known to return, two had retained their tags, of which one was recaptured. This male Phalarope left Shetland on 1 August 2012 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the Labrador Sea off eastern Canada in 6 days, then moved south to reach Florida during September, crossed the Gulf of Mexico into the Pacific Ocean and reached an area between the Galapagos Islands and the South American coast by mid-October, where it remained until the end of April, returning by a similar route until the tag battery failed as the bird was crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The total migration of 22 000 km is approximately 60% longer than the previously assumed route to the western part of the Arabian Sea, and this first evidence of migration of a European breeding bird to the Pacific Ocean also helps to indicate the possible migratory route of the large autumn movements of Red-necked Phalaropes down the east coast of North America.

Climate Change Adaptation: Putting Principles into Practice

Abstract: Carrying out wildlife conservation in a changing climate requires planning on long timescales at both a site and network level, while also having the flexibility to adapt actions at sites over short timescales in response to changing conditions and new information. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), a land-owning wildlife conservation charity in the UK, achieves this on its nature reserves through its system of management planning. This involves setting network-wide objectives which inform the 25-year vision and 5-year conservation objectives for each site. Progress toward achieving each site’s conservation objectives is reviewed annually, to identify any adjustments which might be needed to the site’s management. The conservation objectives and 25-year vision of each site are reviewed every 5 years. Significant long-term impacts of climate change most frequently identified at RSPB reserves are: loss of intertidal habitat through coastal squeeze, loss of low-lying islands due to higher sea levels and coastal erosion, loss of coastal freshwater and brackish wetlands due to increased coastal flooding, and changes in the hydrology of wetlands. The main types of adaptation measures in place on RSPB reserves to address climate change-related impacts are: re-creation of intertidal habitat, re-creation and restoration of freshwater wetlands away from vulnerable coastal areas, blocking artificial drainage on peatlands, and addressing pressures on freshwater supply for lowland wet grasslands in eastern and southeastern England. Developing partnerships between organizations has been crucial in delivering large-scale adaptation projects.

Active Blood Parasite Infection Is Not Limited to the Breeding Season in a Declining Farmland Bird

Abstract: Avian blood parasites can have significant impacts on adult breeding birds but studies of parasitism outside the breeding season are rare, despite their potentially important implications for host–parasite dynamics. Here we investigate temporal dynamics of blood parasite infection in adult yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella. We screened blood samples collected between December and April of 2 consecutive winters using PCR. We found a high prevalence of both Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon parasites, with a mean prevalence of 50% across 2 winters. Prevalence of both parasites was higher during the second, colder winter of the study. Temporal trends differed between the 2 genera, suggesting that chronic Haemoproteus infections gradually disappear throughout the winter but that Leucocytozoon infections exhibit a relapse during late winter, possibly coincident with reduced food availability. Our results highlight the difference in temporal dynamics between 2 blood parasite genera infecting the same hos...

Community palliative care clinical nurse specialists: a descriptive study of nurse-patient interactions.

Abstract: Background With an ageing population and changes to the UK process of commissioning health-care services, it is important that the role of the community palliative care clinical nurse specialist (CPC-CNS) is better understood. Aim This study aimed to describe CPC-CNS activities during interactions with patients. Methods Four CPC-CNSs were observed and audio-recorded during interactions with 34 patients. The data was assessed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results An enormous breadth of activities were observed, within a framework of assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation. Cross-cutting themes were real-time decision making, leadership, ability to respond to and coordinate complex and varied situations, and communication techniques. Data saturation was not achieved. Conclusion CPC-CNSs provide multifaceted care, requiring wide-ranging knowledge to enable them to act as liaison points in a complex health service, respond independently to the fluctuating needs of patients, and provide eff...

Prediction of mean adult survival rates of southern African birds from demographic and ecological covariates

Abstract: Estimates of annual survival rates of birds are valuable in a wide range of studies of population ecology and conservation. These include modelling studies to assess the impacts of climatic change or anthropogenic mortality for many species for which no reliable direct estimates of survival are available. We evaluate the performance of regression models in predicting adult survival rates of birds from values of demographic and ecological covariates available from textbooks and databases. We estimated adult survival for 67 species using dead recoveries of birds ringed in southern Africa and fitted regression models using five covariates: mean clutch size, mean body mass, mean age at first breeding, diet and migratory tendency. Models including these explanatory variables performed well in predicting adult survival in this set of species, both when phylogenetic relatedness of the species was taken into account using phylogenetic generalized least squares (51% of variation in logit survival explained) and when it was not (48%). Two independent validation tests also indicated good predictive power, as indicated by high correlations of observed with expected values in a leave-one-out cross validation test performed using data from the 67 species (35% of variation in logit survival explained), and when annual survival rates from independent mark-recapture studies of 38 southern African species were predicted from covariates and the regression using dead recoveries (48%). Clutch size and body mass were the most influential covariates, both with and without the inclusion of phylogenetic effects, and a regression model including only these two variables performed well in both of the validation tests (39 and 48% of variation in logit survival explained). Our regression models, including the version with only clutch size and body mass, are likely to perform well in predicting adult survival rate for southern African species for which direct survival estimates are not available.

Winter habitat selection by Marsh Tits Poecile palustris in a British woodland

Abstract: Capsule Radio-tracking and remote sensing showed Marsh Tits selected for English Oak Quercus robur trees within large winter home-ranges.Aims To investigate winter habitat selection by Marsh Tits in a British wood, testing for preferences in tree species and woodland structure.Methods Thirteen Marsh Tits were radio-tracked during the winter, and home-ranges were derived. Lidar and hyperspectral data were used to compare the vegetation structure and tree species composition of entire home-ranges and the core areas of intensive use within. Instantaneous sampling observations provided further information for tree species utilization.Results The mean home-range was very large (39 ha, n = 13). There were no significant differences in mean tree height, canopy closure, understorey height, or shrub volume between full home-ranges and the core areas of use. Core areas contained a significantly greater proportion of English Oak relative to availability in the full home-ranges. Instantaneous sampling confirmed that ...

Effect of plot type, age and date on seed depletion and bird use of Wild Bird Seed Mixtures in England

Abstract: Capsule Bird and seed abundances decreased in both standard and enhanced Agri-Environment Scheme seed mixtures (plots of seed-bearing crops) between November and February.Aims We analysed effects of Agri-Environment seed mixture type (‘standard’ or ‘enhanced’), plot age and non-target species on seed and bird abundance.Methods Surveys were conducted in November/December and January/February on 36 standard and 19 enhanced seed mixtures to test effect of plot type and age on abundance of buntings, finches and seeds.Results Bunting and finch densities decreased between January/February and November/December. Seed decreased by approximately 70% between surveys, plot type did not affect depletion. Second-year plots contained nearly 90% less seed, and non-significantly lower bunting and finch densities. Bunting densities were positively related to cereal seed abundance, and finch densities to non-cereal seed; these relationships did not differ between plot types. There was no evidence that non-target species af...

Influence of crop type and Agri-Environment management on the use of over-winter stubbles by farmland birds in England

Abstract: Capsule Bunting densities decreased in winter wheat stubbles between November/December and January/February, but not in spring barley stubbles.Aims We investigated bird use and vegetation in relation to Agri-Environment Scheme over-winter stubble type and preceding crop.Methods We surveyed 15–17 fields each of: ‘standard’ Agri-Environment Scheme stubble on Entry Level Stewardship farms (EF6); ‘standard’ Agri-Environment Scheme stubble on Higher Level Stewardship farms (HF6); stubble preceded by low-input cereal (HF15); extended over-winter stubble (EF22) and non-Agri-Environment Scheme stubble in November/December 2011 and January/February 2012. Stubbles were preceded by spring barley or winter wheat crops.Results Previous cropping and time of year were the main factors influencing bird densities: bunting densities declined in winter wheat stubbles between surveys, but not in spring barley stubbles.Conclusion The main factor limiting the ability of over-winter stubbles to reverse national population trend...

Retrofitting for water efficiency: A hotel case study

Abstract: Water efficiency in building makes good environmental, economic and social sense.There are improvements to water efficiency standards in new buildings – domestic andnon-domestic which is influenced by recent changes to building regulations, increase inenvironmental awareness, corporate social responsibility, delivering better lifetime valueto clients and customers etc. Retrofitting water efficiency in existing buildings however,can be more challenging due to uncertainties about the cost-benefits of certaintechnologies, existing building systems and products, existing and anticipated userresponse and engagement etc.This paper will present a retrofitting case study of a small to medium sized hotel inSussex, England. It will discuss the reason for the retrofit program from the hotel andwater company perspective. It will then discuss the methodological approach todetermining the potential and actual outcomes of the water efficiency retrofits, integratingthe client and user perspective where necessary. The paper will conclude with lessonslearned and recommendations to similar programmes on hotel sites.This project is carried out collaboratively by the Lodge at Winchelsea, ChandlersBuilding Supplies, Southern Water and the Water Efficiency Lab, University of Brighton.