P
peter hayes
Guest
December 26, 2002
Global warming: A big problem for Santa?
It was my son that finally drove home to me the gravity of the situation. With that innocence that children can only muster until a certain age, Lucas asked: "But Daddy, if the North Pole ice melts, where is Santa going to live?" I was sitting in front of my computer at home. On the monitor were way-cool maps, with complex patterns of colorful bands, the results of a NASA research project. The maps show that the part of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice at its minimum for an average year had shrunk 9 percent between the 1980s and the 1990s.
More information - CNN.com
Chemicals giant drops its support
An agrochemical company that came under fire for supporting the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) has withdrawn its sponsorship. Syngenta, a multinational firm which develops genetically-modified products and pesticides, offered to give funding to the trust after it relocated to Guildford. But it decided to stop providing sponsorship after the Advertiser reported how some SWT members were unhappy that a company responsible for producing GM crops was involved with the trust. Although Syngenta has a history of supporting conservation groups, some felt it was not a suitable partner for Wokingbased SWT, which manages land in Mole Valley.
More information - icSurreyOnline
Spanish slick coats dozens of sea mammals
A disastrous oil spill off Spain's north-west coast has nearly smothered several dolphins and threatens the lives of many more marine mammals, Spanish environmentalists and scientists say. Five bottlenosed dolphins, six common dolphins, three porpoises and 13 sea turtles have been found coated in the tar-like heavy fuel oil off Galicia province where a loaded tanker sank more than a month ago, Spain's Organisation for the Study of Marine Mammals (CEMMA) says.
More information - ABC
Moors scheme hailed by Euro chiefs
A North Yorkshire Moors scheme has won high praise from Brussels Eurocrats. The park's Farm and Rural Community Scheme could help form a pattern for future imitation on the continent, said the Euro chiefs. They are particularly impressed with a successful community caretaker scheme at Danby, Commondale and Westerdale parish which helps with snow clearance and looking after old folk. And they believe various other land management parts of the scheme could spread to the rest of the country and abroad as good practical examples. The conservation success has emerged after a report by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and the Land Use Policy Group, a joint organisation of conservation, countryside and environmental agencies.
More information - icTeesside
Plan your plot with wildlife in mind
It's a frightening fact that more than 10,000 species worldwide become extinct each year, while more than 600 species are at risk in Britain. Those in rapid decline include the house sparrow, whose numbers have dropped by an estimated 50 per cent over the past 25 years, while around 230,000 miles of native hedgerows have been destroyed since the 1960s, leading to a significant loss of habitat. With this in mind, three leading charities are campaigning for gardeners to help create a better environment for wildlife, with a series of events throughout next year. The Royal Horticultural Society, The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are calling on gardeners to think of the environment and encourage wildlife when planning their gardens.
More information - icTeesside
Farmers urged to help birds
A campaign has been launched to revive the fortunes of one of Lincolnshire's best-loved birds - the lapwing. Also known as the green plover and the peewit, the species is familiar in winter on farmland all over the county. Flocks can often be seen on the sandflats near Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and sometimes on the resort's Taylor's Avenue playing fields. But the bird - which is the emblem of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust - is rapidly vanishing as a breeding species. Now, the RSPB has launched Operation Lapwing to encourage farmers to help reverse the decline. It calls on those who own or manage agricultural land to become "lapwing champions" by: Identifying at least one field each year that can be managed to help lapwings - for instance by growing a spring cereal or root crop.
More information - this is grimsby
Farmers target help for wildlife through 'bird maps'
Farmers in Northumberland are now able to target help for wildlife through "bird maps" of their land. The RSPB scheme has matched 18 farmers with volunteer bird surveyors. The farmers have now received maps of their land, pinpointing key areas for birds. The results have also revealed new information about the distribution of birds on the county's farms. The volunteers make four visits to each farm between April and July to record details of the birds in the area. The maps show the locations of each type of bird, along with information and conservation advice about each species. The results have already provided valuable information for farmers entering into wildlife-friendly farming initiatives, such as the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
More information - icNewcastle
Birdies bid for golfers
Brough Golf Club is taking part in a new environmental management scheme. It is aimed at looking after plants and animals around the course. The English Golf Union and English Nature are funding ecologist Lee Penrose to spend a day walking the course with greenkeepers. He will then produce a detailed report offering advice on how to manage wildlife. Measures such as using bird boxes, relaxing cutting regimes and developing hedgerows can all help. The club will receive support for 18 months.
More information - this is hull
Police need help to stop badger baiting
Badger baiters have been at work in Brighouse, according to a worried wildlife expert. A badger sett near a housing development in Bailiff Bridge has been dug up, badgers removed and the sett carefully back-filled by baiters, said Edward Ashman, of the Calderdale Badger Protection Group. He is now calling on the public to report those responsible so they can be brought to justice. The latest interference to the protected animals was discovered by an environmental consultant working on the housing development, who checks the sett regularly.
More information - This is Bradford
Wildlife could protect the hill
A housing developer's long-term plan to build on Woodcock Hill could be scuppered now that the land has been designated as an official wildlife site, according to campaigners. The Woodcock Hill Open Space 4 Ever! (WHOSE!) group this week expressed delight that the hill, off Barnet Lane, had been identified as a County Wildlife Site. The newly-designated wildlife site incorporates nine acres which a housing developer has been trying to get released from the Green Belt so it can be built on after 2011. Hertsmere Borough Council this week confirmed that the designation could have an impact on whether planning permission would be granted for development.
More information - This is Hertfordshire
Global warming: A big problem for Santa?
It was my son that finally drove home to me the gravity of the situation. With that innocence that children can only muster until a certain age, Lucas asked: "But Daddy, if the North Pole ice melts, where is Santa going to live?" I was sitting in front of my computer at home. On the monitor were way-cool maps, with complex patterns of colorful bands, the results of a NASA research project. The maps show that the part of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice at its minimum for an average year had shrunk 9 percent between the 1980s and the 1990s.
More information - CNN.com
Chemicals giant drops its support
An agrochemical company that came under fire for supporting the Surrey Wildlife Trust (SWT) has withdrawn its sponsorship. Syngenta, a multinational firm which develops genetically-modified products and pesticides, offered to give funding to the trust after it relocated to Guildford. But it decided to stop providing sponsorship after the Advertiser reported how some SWT members were unhappy that a company responsible for producing GM crops was involved with the trust. Although Syngenta has a history of supporting conservation groups, some felt it was not a suitable partner for Wokingbased SWT, which manages land in Mole Valley.
More information - icSurreyOnline
Spanish slick coats dozens of sea mammals
A disastrous oil spill off Spain's north-west coast has nearly smothered several dolphins and threatens the lives of many more marine mammals, Spanish environmentalists and scientists say. Five bottlenosed dolphins, six common dolphins, three porpoises and 13 sea turtles have been found coated in the tar-like heavy fuel oil off Galicia province where a loaded tanker sank more than a month ago, Spain's Organisation for the Study of Marine Mammals (CEMMA) says.
More information - ABC
Moors scheme hailed by Euro chiefs
A North Yorkshire Moors scheme has won high praise from Brussels Eurocrats. The park's Farm and Rural Community Scheme could help form a pattern for future imitation on the continent, said the Euro chiefs. They are particularly impressed with a successful community caretaker scheme at Danby, Commondale and Westerdale parish which helps with snow clearance and looking after old folk. And they believe various other land management parts of the scheme could spread to the rest of the country and abroad as good practical examples. The conservation success has emerged after a report by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and the Land Use Policy Group, a joint organisation of conservation, countryside and environmental agencies.
More information - icTeesside
Plan your plot with wildlife in mind
It's a frightening fact that more than 10,000 species worldwide become extinct each year, while more than 600 species are at risk in Britain. Those in rapid decline include the house sparrow, whose numbers have dropped by an estimated 50 per cent over the past 25 years, while around 230,000 miles of native hedgerows have been destroyed since the 1960s, leading to a significant loss of habitat. With this in mind, three leading charities are campaigning for gardeners to help create a better environment for wildlife, with a series of events throughout next year. The Royal Horticultural Society, The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB are calling on gardeners to think of the environment and encourage wildlife when planning their gardens.
More information - icTeesside
Farmers urged to help birds
A campaign has been launched to revive the fortunes of one of Lincolnshire's best-loved birds - the lapwing. Also known as the green plover and the peewit, the species is familiar in winter on farmland all over the county. Flocks can often be seen on the sandflats near Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and sometimes on the resort's Taylor's Avenue playing fields. But the bird - which is the emblem of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust - is rapidly vanishing as a breeding species. Now, the RSPB has launched Operation Lapwing to encourage farmers to help reverse the decline. It calls on those who own or manage agricultural land to become "lapwing champions" by: Identifying at least one field each year that can be managed to help lapwings - for instance by growing a spring cereal or root crop.
More information - this is grimsby
Farmers target help for wildlife through 'bird maps'
Farmers in Northumberland are now able to target help for wildlife through "bird maps" of their land. The RSPB scheme has matched 18 farmers with volunteer bird surveyors. The farmers have now received maps of their land, pinpointing key areas for birds. The results have also revealed new information about the distribution of birds on the county's farms. The volunteers make four visits to each farm between April and July to record details of the birds in the area. The maps show the locations of each type of bird, along with information and conservation advice about each species. The results have already provided valuable information for farmers entering into wildlife-friendly farming initiatives, such as the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
More information - icNewcastle
Birdies bid for golfers
Brough Golf Club is taking part in a new environmental management scheme. It is aimed at looking after plants and animals around the course. The English Golf Union and English Nature are funding ecologist Lee Penrose to spend a day walking the course with greenkeepers. He will then produce a detailed report offering advice on how to manage wildlife. Measures such as using bird boxes, relaxing cutting regimes and developing hedgerows can all help. The club will receive support for 18 months.
More information - this is hull
Police need help to stop badger baiting
Badger baiters have been at work in Brighouse, according to a worried wildlife expert. A badger sett near a housing development in Bailiff Bridge has been dug up, badgers removed and the sett carefully back-filled by baiters, said Edward Ashman, of the Calderdale Badger Protection Group. He is now calling on the public to report those responsible so they can be brought to justice. The latest interference to the protected animals was discovered by an environmental consultant working on the housing development, who checks the sett regularly.
More information - This is Bradford
Wildlife could protect the hill
A housing developer's long-term plan to build on Woodcock Hill could be scuppered now that the land has been designated as an official wildlife site, according to campaigners. The Woodcock Hill Open Space 4 Ever! (WHOSE!) group this week expressed delight that the hill, off Barnet Lane, had been identified as a County Wildlife Site. The newly-designated wildlife site incorporates nine acres which a housing developer has been trying to get released from the Green Belt so it can be built on after 2011. Hertsmere Borough Council this week confirmed that the designation could have an impact on whether planning permission would be granted for development.
More information - This is Hertfordshire
