Possibly there is good news for bees in the form of a proper government ban on neonicinotinoids, which kill them. We have been here before though, with the previous government granting exemptions year on year, mostly to the lucrative benefit of sugar beet farmers, which they described as “emergency authorisations”, which seems very Orwellian. NFU (National Farmers’ Union) Sugar and British Sugar have once again asked for approval to use these toxic chemicals in 2025, seemingly failing to realise that as pollinators at least, bees are rather important. Even when bees are not killed outright, their foraging behaviour and the productivity of hives can be affected and the pesticides linger in the soil. Research has shown they have had a part to play in the terrible decline of our butterfly populations (the image above shows a Speckled Wood). Chief Executive of Butterfly Conservation says, “We thank the Minister for listening to the concerns of Butterfly Conservation’s members and supporters. However, the current process for assessing emergency authorisations is clearly not fit for purpose and poses an ongoing risk to butterflies and moths until that legislation comes into force.”
Comments tally with my own doubts. When will this actually happen? These things have a habit of being kicked into the long grass. The American Environmental Protection Agency says that flupyradifurone is a safer alternative, although I am not sure how much I trust that source. Someone asks what will the geese who winter in Norfolk and feast on the crop do, but currently they too, presumably, are ingesting neonicitinoids.
It is good to read that the troubled RSPB is to expand its reserve at Wallasea Island in Essex, which “is the site of Europe’s largest coastal habitat-restoration project and lies in the confluence of the River Crouch and River Roach.”
Research at Royal Holloway University of London, using GPS trackers, has revealed the blindingly obvious (but I suppose it needed saying) that dogs on leads do less damage to lowland heath habitats that those that are allowed to run all over the place. They also bring in their urine and faeces of course. In spite of signage 85% of dogs were walked off-lead in the breeding season to the obvious detriment of ground-nesting birds. At Snelsmore Common near me, for which see:
more than 90% of the site was disturbed by dogs. “The researchers recommended that dogs are kept on paths to reduce habitat disturbance, calling for improved compliance with dog-walking regulations. Land managers should provide alternative green spaces for owners to exercise their dogs and restrict access to sensitive areas.” I have another solution – ban dogs from these places altogether.
A new warden is being sought for Alderney’s Bird Observatory, which sounds like a dream job (for which I would not begin to be remotely qualified of course) but I will be visiting that Channel Island in the spring. My brother and I enjoyed family holidays when we were children for at least six years running. I remember it well and very fondly. The beaches are magnificent, the German WWII fortifications grimly fascinating, and our hotel had a bar sunk below the ground with portholes through which you could see people under water in the swimming pool. We are going to scatter the ashes of our parents, long overdue. I know they would approve. I am very much looking forward to seeing the Gannet colony in particular.
Leave a Reply