By Chris Kelsey
The birds and butterflies you see – or don’t see – on a country walk can tell you a lot about the state of the environment
As summer approaches many of us will be heading out into the countryside to enjoy the wildlife and landscapes of rural Wales.
But how aware are we, as we walk across a peat upland or linger in a wooded valley, of how much the wildlife around us can tell us about the health of our environment.
For many people birds are the most easily observed living things around us. RSPB Cymru publishes an annual report, called the State of Birds in Wales, which presents a survey of the health of bird populations across the country
It will be no surprise to learn that many bird species have recorded severe population declines in recent years. The RSPB described the fall in numbers among some farmland and woodland birds as “huge”, adding that “several species soon will, or have already halved in abundance since the Wild Bird Indicator started in 1994.”
Among those that have registered particularly large declines are such familiar species as starlings, which have decreased by 58%, yellowhammer (40%) and curlew (46%).
The golden plover once numbered several hundred pairs in Wales in the 1970s, and was an iconic sight in upland and wetland habitats across the country.
But its population had crashed to just 36 pairs by 2007, and according to the report it must now be considered a rare-breeder.
Other birds, once common in farmland, have declined so much that they no longer breed every year in Wales. The corn bunting and turtle dove are two examples of previously familiar birds that are now rarely seen – or heard.
The State of Birds in Wales report is the result of a partnership between RSPB Cymru, the Welsh Ornithological Society, the Countryside Council for Wales, the British Trust for Ornithology and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and is the most comprehensive survey of bird populations across Wales.
It also shows the success of efforts to conserve rare species and their habitats.
These have seen some spectacular successes. The stonechat, a bird that is related to the thrushes, has seen its numbers rise by 168% between 1995 and 2008.
The great spotted woodpecker, which has become a familiar visitor to many gardens, has increased by159%.
Some particularly rare birds have grown in number in recent years, often benefiting from sites protected and owned by RSPB Cymru, the CCW and other conservation bodies.
The avocet bred for the first time in Wales at Newport Wetlands in 2003 and is now up to five pairs, looking set to spread to more sites.
The bearded tit is breeding at two sites and the little egret, which first bred here in 1996, has spread to sites all over the country.
Overall, the numbers of birds on farmed habitats and lowland farmland are 14% lower than when the population indicators began in 1994, although woodland bird populations have remained stable.
In their introduction to the report the authors said that the Assembly Government had missed their target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010 “by a mile.”
Broadcaster and conservationist Iolo Williams said: “If governments don’t take this seriously, we will have large numbers of extinct bird species. I don’t know when, but it will happen – and Wales will be poorer for it.”
He added: “Birds are a natural environmental indicator. If there is something seriously wrong with the bird population, we’re in trouble.
“It will affect plants and insects, and in the end it will affect us – it is really the time to worry.”
Ian Johnstone, senior conservation scientist for RSPB Cymru, said the picture was “not only one of doom and gloom”.
“Work is being done to improve the future for many bird species. It is particularly encouraging to see increasing numbers of some rare breeding birds such as avocet and bearded tit on our nature reserves where the conditions they need can be provided,” he said.
Dr Sian Whitehead, senior ornithologist for the Countryside Council for Wales, added: “Breeding avocets almost became extinct in the UK in the 1900s, however they bred for the first time in Wales in 2003 at the Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve and we hope, through continued management work at the site, that these birds will continue to do well.”
Second only to birds for the ease with which they can be seen on a country walk are butterflies, and to a lesser extent moths.
According to Butterfly Conservation Wales, two thirds of Welsh butterflies and more than 69 species of previously common moths have declined significantly in the last 20-30 years.
“Because they have annual lifecycles, butterflies and moths are good indicators of environmental change – both climate change and changes to ecosystems,” said Russel Hobson, head of conservation at Butterfly Conservation Wales.
“We have good information on how butterfly populations are performing each year from butterfly transects around Wales,” he added.
Transects are counts of butterflies done by volunteers in a fixed place each week from April to September.
“Butterfly and moths have declined because the countryside has less diverse habitats and management, with fewer wildflowers,” Mr Hobson said.
The good news, though, is that Wales is still a UK stronghold for some species, such as the small pearl-bordered fritillary and the Welsh clearwing moth.
The pearl-bordered fritillary is a particular success story, having been brought back from the brink of extinction in Wales.
It is now thriving on its last nine sites in Wales thanks to the efforts of a number of conservation organisations.
On Butterfly Conservation’s Eyarth Rocks reserve in Denbighshire the butterfly is once again seen in good numbers every year and spreading on to adjoining land, according to Mr Hobson.
“But success is fragile and could still be lost as funding cuts bite,” he said.
Understanding why bird and insect populations have declined, and why the countryside is under stress, could be helped by a project under way at the National Botanic Garden Wales.
The new project, claimed to be one of the first of its kind in the world, will see the National Botanic Garden cataloguing all our 1,143 species of native flowering plants based on each plant’s unique gene sequence.
It means tiny pollen grains which will identify specific plants will help track where pollinators, like bees, have been.
Once reference barcodes are in place, unknown DNA sequences can be compared in order to find out what plants they are. It means plant species in Wales will be identifiable from the tiniest fragment of leaf, seed or pollen grain.
Dr Natasha de Vere, from the Garden, is leading the study along with Dr Tim Rich from the National Museum of Wales and Professor Mike Wilkinson from Aberystwyth University.
“We aim to be one of the first nations to DNA barcode all of their flowering plant species and to use our barcodes for biodiversity conservation and to improve peoples’ lives,” Dr de Vere said.
She added that there are many potential applications of DNA barcoding for plants, including finding out why bees are endangered.
The team is taking on the substantial task of collecting samples from every species of Welsh flora. For each species, they need to have multiple specimens barcoded. This allows errors to be spotted and picks up any variation within species.
Using a combination of freshly picked plants and dried specimens housed in the National Museum Wales collections, they have gathered examples of all of Wales’ floral heritage.
By comparing the DNA barcodes of modern day plants with specimens from the Natural History Museum of Wales, the team will be able to determine if plants are losing their genetic variation.
The results of the Barcode Wales project are due to be published this summer. The findings will be used to establish tailored conservation programmes.
Most of the Welsh countryside is farmland, and how that is managed is fundamental to the health of our environment and our wildlife populations.
Changes to the Glastir land management scheme proposed by the Assembly Government this spring were criticised by conservationists and farmers.
Arfon Williams of RSPB Cymru, the sole environmentalist on the scheme’s review group, said he had walked out in protest at the environmentally damaging recommendations being suggested.
Mr Williams, who produced a minority report on behalf of Wales Environmental Link, which represents 32 groups, said he was pleased the rural affairs minister had rejected some of the recommendations.
NFU Cymru President Ed Bailey said: “Good farming and good conservation can go together on the same farm, they are complementary and not contradictory.
“We must also remember that the scheme is not just about biodiversity gains but also carbon capture and improvements to water quality and landscape.”
The changes announced by then rural affairs minister Elin Jones included reducing the width of hedges from three to two metres, a mini-Glastir option, complete re-costing of work, full access to the capital grant scheme and retention of maintenance options.
Wales Environment Link said environmental groups strongly support Glastir, but some of the review group’s recommendations could reduce its ability to deliver for the environment and help declining species like the yellowhammer, brown hare and small pearl-bordered fritillary.
Mr Williams said: “It is vitally important that we have a scheme that is popular with farmers and that fully rewards them for delivering a range of environmental benefits on behalf of wider society. These include water management, carbon sequestration and protecting and restoring our threatened and vulnerable wildlife.”
Mr Williams said RSPB Cymru welcomed many of the recommendations, but was disappointed at the option to reduce protective fencing for hedgerows from 3m to 2m. He said wider hedges were significantly more beneficial for biodiversity and support a variety of vulnerable wildlife including many declining farmland bird species.
“RSPB Cymru remains a strong supporter of Glastir and continues to believe that the scheme, through the targeted expenditure of public money, has the potential to deliver significant environmental benefits for all of Welsh society.
“But before the accepted recommendations are included, there must be a clear demonstration of the contribution to Glastir’s stated objectives, including contributing to the Welsh Assembly Government’s legal duty to halt biodiversity decline.”
Link: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/go-green/go-green-green-living/2011/05/10/wales-wildlife-populations-reflect-changing-environment-91466-28663159/#ixzz1NBdOZw9X
