The State of Nature Report

The recently published “State of Nature” report has attracted a great deal of press interest thanks to the sheer enormity of its scope. A collaboration between twenty five conservation charities from across Britain, the report looks at a range of different habitats from cities to forests, documenting a variety of case studies which ultimately tells quite a sorry story for many species.

In relation to the uplands, the report mentions that out of 877 species associated with the British uplands, 65% have decreased to some extent during the past fifty years, and 35% are described as having decreased “strongly”.  Fourteen upland species have become extinct altogether in the U.K., and a number of plants and insects are gravely threatened.

The report links these declines to largely to intensive grazing and burning, as well as commercial afforestation and habitat fragmentation. There are some positive outcomes, such as a successful initiative to conserve the Twite on upland farms, but the predominantly downward trend is clear to see.

As with all conservation issues, there are some elements of controversy to the report. Rather than accept the impressive array of statistics and case studies as the definitive “last word” on modern British conservation, the report serves an even more important purpose by generating discussion and helping people to look ahead to the future of Britain’s countryside.

Click here to download a copy of the State of Nature Report

Black Grouse Breeding

Lek surveys across Scotland showed an appreciable increase in black grouse numbers during the spring of 2012, but the subsequent wet summer last year has surely had knock-on effects on successful reproduction.

Like red grouse, black grouse chicks are extremely vulnerable to periods of cold, wet weather, particularly in their first two or three weeks of life. There are already anecdotal reports of blackcock numbers struggling to hold their own, and some smaller leks have vanished altogether. It remains to be seen what the survey results will reveal for the 2013 season.

Broods of black grouse in Scotland tend to be made up of more chicks than broods in England, meaning that the birds could soon bounce back from last year’s disastrous weather given a mild, dry summer. 

Interestingly, birds in Scotland tend to live only half as long as their English counterparts – a sorry statistic apparently linked to more intensive gamekeeping south of the border. A blackcock in England might well live up to seven years in the wild, whereas a Scottish bird will struggle to make three years.

In some areas, increases in black grouse numbers are being linked to the expansion of native woodland. While there is no doubt that some trees are an advantage to the birds, it is hard to deny that sensitive upland agriculture, predator control and the sound management of heather moorland are the foundation for healthy black grouse populations.