Page 54 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #02

Most British rivers may
now be contaminated with ORIOLE'S
new pesticides, hitting
freshwater species VAGRANT
such as mayflies.
VALUE

The value of a single
black-backed oriole in
Pennsylvania, in the US,
has been calculated at
$223,000 (£166,000) by
a team of scientists lead Mayflies: Catalin Eremia/Shutterstock; oriole: Ricardo Medina/Shutterstock; hawfinch: Fernando Sanchez de Castro/Alamy
by a Phd student from the
University of New South
Wales in Sydney.
That’s because the oriole
was a vagrant, spotted some
5,000km from its usual
home of Mexico in January
2017, and an estimated
1,800 birders came from the
US and Canada to see it over
UK RIVERS POLLUTION CRISIS 67 days, spending $3,000
a day on travel, food and
accommodation.
Monitoring carried out in 2016 in Norfolk were the two most “This suggests if you stop using Some birdwatchers
found high levels of pesticides polluted rivers, probably because them, they stop coming down the contribute “significant time
in our freshwater habitats. of the use of neonicotinoids on river,” he says. and financial resources”
sugar beet, Buglife says. Neonicotinoids are highly to viewing rare or vagrant
Monitoring of 23 rivers in “We have known there’s been toxic to aquatic insects such as birds, notes author Cory
the UK has revealed massive a problem with neonicotinoids mayflies, thereby impacting on Callaghan in the journal,
contamination of our freshwater in our rivers since 2009,” says both fish and birds. the Human Dimensions
systems with the pesticides Buglife’s Matt Shardlow. The Environment Agency says of Wildlife.
known as neonicotinoids. According to Shardlow, the it has not taken any action to
The data was obtained by use of these pesticides in arable reduce neonicotinoid pollution
Buglife but not released by the fields is not the only problem in England since the work was
Environment Agency, which – contamination coming from carried out. “We monitor for
carried out the work, or the greenhouses and pets treated for pesticides annually at 18 sites, and
Department for Environment, flea control is also a big issue. the data is issued to the EC, Defra
Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), There is a glimmer of hope, and the Health & Safety Executive
which is responsible for policy. Shardlow says. The River Ouse, to inform policy decisions,” it says
Nearly 90 per cent of sites in in Bedfordshire – which is largely in a statement. James Fair
Britain were contaminated with surrounded by fields used for
neonicotinoids, with eight rivers oilseed rape – has low levels of + FIND OUT MORE
exceeding recommended levels. pollution. The EU banned the use Read Buglife’s report: This oriole was
The Waveney, on the Norfolk- of neonicotinoids on flowering http://bit.ly/2Bl3NTZ worth £166,000,
say academics.
Suffolk border, and the Wensum plants, such as rape, in 2013.
Owl: Simon Litten/FLPA; Caroline Lucas: Mark Thomas/Alamy; otter: Arterra/Getty

ON
CONSERVATION briefing

E
BARN OWL RESERVE A SCREECHING U-TURN
The Hawk and Owl Trust is looking to ` AND A HUGE WIN
o
expand its Sculthorpe Moor reserve
FOR
in Norfolk after receiving grrant FOR CAMPAIGNERS."
money to help it develop plans for
the purchase of two new paarcels of
land. The reserve currently covers The rea c ction of Green MP Caroline Lucas to Michael Gove’s
announc cement that the Government would pass legislation
18ha and is home to barn and forcing m
ministers to consider animal welfare and sentience
w policies. It followed political controversy when MPs
m
tawny owls and breeding marsh in all new
rejected the same idea while considering an amendment put
harriers in the summer. forward b by Lucas to the EU Withdrawal (Brexit) Bill.
54 BBC Wildlife February 2018