Bogged Down: Peat Bog Loss Means Greater Carbon Emissions

Peat Bogs are hugely significant in the fight against climate change, playing a critical role through carbon sequestration. Peat bogs act as sinks, which fix and store carbon from the atmosphere.

The gradual erosion of England's Peat Bogs diminishes their capacity to store carbon, and physically releases it in gaseous form - carbon dioxide - when dried out. Mismanagement of peat bogs through overgrazing by sheep and pollution from industry, has resulted in their decline. Overgrazing leads to greater surface runoff, accelerating topsoil loss and releasing carbon.

Fred Worral, a peat specialist of Durham University, says that land-based emissions are possibly as serious as those of aviation and road transport. Peat bog can potentially store up to 5000 tonnes of carbon per hectare. The National Trust organised hundreds of volunteers from energy and conservation bodies to help begin restoring Peat Bogs in England, though it is unlikely they will return to complete blanket bog.

The fight against climate change continues to be fought on several fronts.

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Science and the Welsh Assembly: Green Chemistry and the Environment

The Science and the Assembly meeting was held yesterday at the Welsh Devolved Assembly Government in Cardiff.

The British Ecological Society took the opportunity to create a presence at The Welsh Assembly Government, to promote the science of ecology and forge links with relevant organisations.

Talks were held at the Wales Millennium Centre on the theme of 'Green Chemistry and the Environment,' hosted by the The Royal Society of Chemistry. Of particular interest were talks of relevance to ecology and policy; 'Grassland for a Sustainable Future' by Professor Mervyn Humphreys of Aberystwyth University and 'Bioactive Natural Products from Common Plants' by Professor Mark Baird of Bangor University.

Grassland for a Sustainable Future

Key aims of current and future research included using renewable feedstocks, preventing waste, reducing pollution and renewable energy. Prof. Humphreys hopes to develop methods for screening genotypes of grass species such as Miscanthus, (a perennial grass native to Japan and China that can be used as a fuel). Genotypes differ in lignin content, which affects the boiling point of oils produced and thus their potential for different uses. Other topical work included looking at how clover roots can improve soil structure and sequester carbon; and investigating high sugar-content grasses' ability to reduce nitrogen wastage from cows and sheep and possibly reduce methane output.

Bioactive Natural Products from Common Plants

Chemical compounds naturally produced in plants can be used for human benefit in terms of pest control, health purposes and biofuels. For example, bioactive products from native welsh bluebells could potentially be used to control bracken, and products could also potentially be used to help fight TB, cancer, diabetes and be used for glues and pigments. Additionally, fatty acids (triglycerides) in certain native welsh plants could be used and/or modified for the purpose of biofuels. However regarding the use of native plants as biofuels, there was uncertainty surrounding the scale of plantations needed in order to match existing fossil fuel supplies, and scant mention of the potential social and environmental consequences of such a move.

Jane Davidson encouraged the scientific community to contact her with any information that could be of use to help the Welsh Assembly Environment team in future policy making, or such matters.

Natural England Publishes First Annual Report

Natural England has today published its first annual report and a manifesto setting out the action needed "to set the nation on a greener path".

The report reveals that, amongst other findings:

• The natural environment is less rich than 50 years ago and remains under threat from a significant number of pressures: from more intense land and sea use, economic development and climate change.
• Lack of woodland management has caused a 50% decline in species of native woodland butterfly.
• Well-managed, targeted projects can have successful outcomes: the long-term decline of farmland birds is slowing due to more environmentally friendly farming practices.

The report also reveals that more species are colonising urban environments. In the 12 years to 2006, pigeons, green woodpeckers, goldfinches and great tit populations all increased in cities and towns. Birds, bees and other insects are leaving intensively farmed rural areas for urban gardens and brownfield sites.

Natural England has pledged to publish a map of suitable areas for onshore wind farm development and to better allocate the £2.9billion it governs under green management schemes to support people and nature in adapting to climate change. The agency also plans to connect existing wildlife sites through a "wildlife super-highway". Natural England has called for a more joined up, landscape-scale approach to conservation.

Biodiversity in Drastic Decline

Data from the Zoological Society London (ZSL) suggests that between a quarter and a third of all species have been lost since 1970. The Earth is currently undergoing a major extinction episode, the like of which has not seen since the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event, 65.5million years ago. However the fundamental correlates of decline of this extinction episode are rooted in pollution, farming and urban expansion resulting in habitat loss, over-exploitation of marine resources and hunting.

According to the ZSL's data, populations of land-based species have fallen by 25%, marine by 28% and freshwater species by 29%. African antelopes, swordfish and hammerhead sharks are said to have undergone some of the most marked declines.

The press release is timely insofar as the Convention on Biological Diversity is hosting the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Bonn on the 17-18th May this year. The aim of the convention was to accomplish a "significant reduction" in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010. The ZSL is sceptical that the target will be met, and is critical of governments; citing a lack of policy implementation in order to achieve this goal.

BES members are invited to comment on this article.

Invasive Non-Native Species: BES POSTnote Seminar at Parliament

Fay Collier, this year's Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) fellow (awarded by the British Ecological Society), researched and wrote a review for POSTnote on Invasive Non-Native species: their ecological and economic threats. A seminar was held on the topic today at Portcullis House, Westminster, chaired by the Earl of Selborne with speakers Prof. John Mumford (Imperial College London), Dr. Niall Moore (Non-Native Species Secretariat), Dr. Paul Raven (Environment Agency) and Dr. Dick Shaw (CAB International).

Prof John Mumford:

Described invasive species colonisations as 'explosive and insidious events.' Highlighted how establishment and impact are key predictors of risk. Professor Mumford called for more money to be spent on natural competition research, given the uncertainty surrounding the impact of natural competition on invasive species.

Niall Moore:

Spoke of the economic implications of non-native species, citing them as the 2nd biggest drivers of biodiversity loss, with a huge economic cost - 5% of world economy is the cost of cleaning up all invasive species. Niall suggested that improved monitoring and rapid response will help tackle invasive species. For example, between 1999 and 2004, Bullfrogs were identified in south-east England, but the problem was identified quickly and they were dispatched before they became a problem; prevention being better than cure.

Stakeholder input is required into identifying policy objectives, public engagement should be actively encouraged. Currently there are legislative shortcomings such as no compulsory access for government agents to sites where removal of invasive species is required.

Dr Paul Raven:

Gave an overview of invasive species' social and economic impacts including describing the following:

Top ten 'most wanted' invasive species by the EA:

1) Japanese Knotweed (structural damage to buildings; clogs waterways)
2) N. American crayfish (outcompetes native crayfish; impacts on invertebrate plant communities
3) Mink (linked to huge decline in water vole and moorhen populations)
4) Giant hogweed (toxic and causes skin irritation; suppresses native plants)
5) Floating Pennywort (forms mats that choke waterways and starve them of light, nutrients an d oxygen)
6) Himalayan Balsalm (lures bumblebees form native plants)
7) Australian Swamp Stonecrop (destroys pond life and impacts on recreational activities)
8) Chinese Mitten Crab (secondary host of parasitic lung fluke; outcompetes native species)
9) Parrots Feather (forms dense mats; can increase drowning risk for children)
10) Top mouth gudgeon (prolific breeder that outcompetes native species)

Dr Dick Shaw (CABI):

Believes control is the most effective way of dealing with invasive species. He talked about a number of problem species in the UK and in Australia, including the loss of eucalyptus forest to rubber vine weed. Identifying host-specific natural enemies of exotic invasives (i.e species that will naturally specifically predate/attack the target species and not other species), is a key aim of CABI's research. For example, CABI determined that the weevil Aphalara itadori specifically attacks japanese knotweed, and their research is now being subjected to 'Pest Risk Analysis' scrutinized under peer-review, and subject to public consultation, will be released to tackle the knotweed.

The seminar was an excellent event in its own right, with fascinating talks from high-profile speakers in the subject area, and with some thought-provoking discussion and ideas at the end.
It is also an excellent opportunity to meet and speak with researchers and people from industry on a topic of great interest.

Read more about POST at http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_offices/post/new.cfm

Click here to read about how to apply for this fellowship.

Greater Scientific Evidence Required by Policy Makers

Policy-makers need to build stronger relationships with the scientific community in order to access the best scientific evidence: that was the message from today's Institute of Biology Affiliated Societies' Forum, attended by the BES's Science Policy Team.

Sari Kovats, an epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, outlined just some of the risks posed to human health from climate change, including an increased incidence of heat waves and vector-borne diseases. The 2003 heatwave in Europe caused 14,000 excess deaths in France, affecting the sick and frail but also younger, healthy members of the population. Climate models predict that by 2040, the conditions experienced in that heatwave could be the average summer temperature.

Dr Andrew Stott, Defra's head of Biodiversity and Landscape, Natural Environment Division, stressed the need to improve the two-way flow of information between the research community and policy-makers. Policy can no longer be based on considerations of the way the environment has behaved in the recent past but must be based on the latest scientific evidence.

Professor Katherine Willis of the University of Oxford's School of Geography and the Environment, gave a compelling presentation outlining the resource offered to policy-makers by long term ecology: analysing the fossil record to reconstruct the climate of the past. An analysis of the pollen record of the biologically diverse littoral forest of Madagascar has revealed that a combination of periods of drought and increasing salinity, through sea level rise, led to the ecosystem 'tipping' from forest into heathland. Such an approach can assist an understanding of non-linear ecosystem effects, potential tipping points and biological thresholds.

Finally, Professor James Crabbe, University of Bedfordshire, gave a fascinating presentation comparing conservation approaches taken towards coral reefs in Jamaica and Belize, outlining, in the case of Belize, how co-operation between NGOs, policy-makers and scientists, and an understanding of the economic value of environmental resources amongst local communities, can help to conserve these precious resources.

Carbon Dioxide Levels Reach Record High

Latest figures published in the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggest that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have reached a high not seen in 650,000 years. Levels now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), which is 40% higher than levels seen during the industrial revolution.

There are now fears that anthropogenic induced climate change has spun out of control, given that the average rate of input of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere has been higher in the last seven years (2.1 ppm per year) compared to the 1970-2000 average of 1.5ppm per year. The last four years have seen incremental rises in input of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, the chief greenhouse gas. This comes despite strong talk by governments on tackling climate change and stern advice from economists and top scientists concerning the imperative to reduce greenhouse gases. Some scientists now believe that this increase is down to the Earth losing its capacity to absorb the vast quantities of carbon dioxide being inputted to the atmosphere each year.

See the trend for the last four years on The Earth Systems Research Laboratory.

The BES invites members and readers of the blog to discuss these findings.