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In this issue: Page
Welcome from the SAC Chair 2
Exporting good practice – helping to save endangered fish species
in Canada 2
Farmers experience of transitioning to agroecological systems 3
Genetic diversity and wider biodiversity 4
Using tags to describe breaching behaviour of basking sharks in an MPA proposal 4
Securing Nature for Future Generations 6
Conferences and meetings 8
SNH Staff profile 8
SAC Expert Panel member profile 9
Scottish Natural Heritage
Science Newsletter Issue 24 – June 2018
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Welcome from the SAC Chair Bob Furness Welcome to the June SNH Science newsletter. We hope you enjoy the diversity of topics in this issue. Although I would claim to have interests in a wide diversity of topics, I spent most of my research career studying bonxies, which are charismatic and rare seabirds breeding mostly in Shetland and Orkney. However, they are much disliked by crofters because they occasionally kill lambs, and are much disliked by the general public, and many conservationists, because they kill puffins, kittiwakes, and many other nice birds. My research group discovered that some individual bonxies specialise. For example, a single pair was responsible for eradication of an entire black guillemot colony. However, our studies of bonxie pellets and of isotopes in their feathers showed that many bonxies feed on fish and don’t kill birds (or lambs). This had already been recognised for a long time by crofters, who realise that ‘problem’ bonxies represent only a tiny fraction of the population. Recently I was external examiner for a PhD student, George Swan*, working on impacts of buzzards on pheasant poults in Cornwall. Through direct observation and stable isotope analysis, his research established that there are some ‘problem’ buzzards that specialise in taking pheasant poults, but that many buzzards do not represent any ‘problem’. Individual specialisation among predators seems to be widespread, and has huge implications for our understanding of interactions and appropriate management**. But there are now powerful but simple tools, such as camera traps, analysis of isotopes in fur or feathers, or fatty acids in blood plasma, which in addition to analysis of scats or pellets, allow such specialisations to be identified.
*Swan, G.J.F. 2017. Understanding conservation conflicts surrounding predation and game shooting interests. PhD thesis, University of Exeter (Cornwall Campus). **Roos, S., Smart, J., Gibbons, D.W. and Wilson, J.D. 2018. A review of predation as a limiting factor for bird populations in mesopredator-rich landscapes: a case study of the UK. Biol. Rev. Camb. Philos. Soc. doi 10.1111/brv.12426.
Exporting good practice – helping to save endangered fish species in Canada Colin Bean
The UK Coregonid Group, chaired by SNH’s Colin Bean was visited in April by Andrew Breen, leader of the Atlantic Whitefish Recovery Project. This project is part of a federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada initiative to prevent the extinction of this species within its native Nova Scotian range. Recent estimates suggest that fewer than 1000 of these fish remain, and without practical intervention this species will become extinct within the near future. The project was especially keen to learn lessons from the successful recovery projects that have been carried out to conserve
similar species, such as powan and vendace, within the UK.
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Whilst species translocations to new ARK sites are not new, the development of robust guidelines, firstly by the IUCN and more recently by SNH through the Scottish Code for Conservation Translocations, places SNH at the forefront of this increasingly common approach to conserve rare species. Information: [email protected]
Farmers experience of transitioning to agroecological systems Cecile Smith SNH, with the Land Use Policy Group (LUPG)*, recently published a report Transitions to Agroecological Systems: Farmers’ Experience, which provides insight into the trajectories of farmers who changed their way of farming through agroecology. This work follows on from two previous reports which the LUPG published on the role of agroecology in sustainable intensification and lesson-learning from other European countries on policy support for agroecology. In this new study, we wanted to hear from the farmers themselves and understand their experience of transitioning to agroecological systems, their motivations for change, and the challenges and opportunities they encountered. We asked the Organic Research Centre (ORC), in collaboration with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and the Open University, to interview farmers who had embraced agroecological practices or systems. These were developed as case studies from face-to-face interviews with fourteen farmers. Some of the approaches found on the farms included agroforestry, pasture-fed livestock systems, organic and integrated farming with direct drilling and/or integration of livestock in arable operations. The farmers’ pathways were compared to two models: the Efficiency-Substitution-Redesign framework developed by Hill (1985)1 and the ‘trigger events’ cycle presented by Sutherland et al (2012)2. The Efficiency – Substitution-Redesign stages were identified in several farms but did not necessarily occurred in sequence. The findings also suggest that the improved efficiency or substitution of technologies/inputs do not always pave the way for system redesign. The stages of cyclical trigger events i.e. trigger, active assessment and implementation were often overlapping and events became triggers when the farmers interpreted those as grounds for change. The case studies showed that progression is not necessarily linear and transition is an active learning process. Farmers carried out on-farm experiments, sometimes unintentionally, and this helped them to gain self-confidence. They reported cognitive shifts in their understanding of farming as well as emotional shifts in enjoying new skills and knowledge and increasing self-reliance. Some farmers sought to future-proof their farms through agroecology e.g. soil health was a recurrent concern with farmers choosing to invest in the natural capital of soil and soil fertility. Some lamented the fact that some incentive schemes were not fit for purpose to support what they were trying to achieve. Some of the challenges mentioned include self-belief, relations with others as a result of being different from the mainstream, financial issues and technical problems. Information: [email protected]
1 Hill, S. 1985. Redesigning the food system for sustainability. Alternatives, 12, 32-36.
2 Sutherland, L.-A., Burton, R. J., Ingram, J., Blackstock, K., Slee, B. & Gotts, N. 2012. Triggering change: towards
a conceptualisation of major change processes in farm decision-making. Journal of environmental management, 104, 142-151.
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Genetic diversity and wider biodiversity Jeanette Hall The Aichi targets stress the importance of safeguarding genetic diversity, as well as ecosystems and species. In terms of woodland conservation, perhaps the most obvious reason for conserving the genetic diversity of tree species, and the processes that determine it, is to ensure that trees are able to continue to adapt to environmental change, contributing to the resilience of Britain’s forests and woodlands. However, there is also clear evidence that genetic diversity of tree species can relate to wider biodiversity, and this is perhaps an area where we would benefit from greater knowledge. Two papers by Glenn Iason and others have demonstrated this in relation to pine and aspen. The first 3 shows that higher genetically determined chemical diversity of Scots pine trees is positively related to species richness of the associated ground vegetation. The second4 looked at epiphytes on aspen, and found that genetic variation within aspen is associated with the diversity of epiphyte communities of lichens, mosses and liverworts. This demonstrates the importance to wider conservation of maintaining locally adapted genetic diversity. In practical terms, this generally means ensuring that all tree species present on a site are able to regenerate – usually by controlling herbivore impact. A Europe-wide approach to genetic conservation involves the creation of a network of Gene Conservation Units5. Whilst the UK has not yet designated any GCUs, there is considerable interest in the potential for creating one at Beinn Eighe, to recognise the distinctiveness of its pine. The requirements are not onerous, and conform well to the existing site objectives, simply requiring that the site hosts a minimum population of 500 reproducing trees, and that there is a basic management plan stating that genetic conservation of forest trees is a key management goal. This might be a valuable opportunity for SNH to contribute to a greater awareness of the importance of genetic conservation. Information: [email protected]
Using tags to describe breaching behaviour of basking sharks in an MPA proposal Suzanne Henderson This is the first multi-day study to use state-of-the-art satellite tracking and movement tags on basking sharks to provide fine-scale information on the spatio-temporal variation of breaching behaviour. This work is part of a joint project between SNH and the University of Exeter to collect data on basking shark movement to allow detailed descriptions and analysis of behaviour such as swimming and feeding, as well as potentially describing courtship and breeding behaviour. Describing normal basking shark behaviours could be used in future research to investigate any effects of anthropogenic interactions within the MPA proposal. Initial results were presented as a poster at the Marine Biological Association postgraduate conference in May by Jessica Rudd, an MRes student at the University of Exeter. Whilst more conventional tagging has explained many aspects of basking shark movement ecology, their courtship and breeding behaviour remains largely unknown. Breaching in marine
3 Iason, G.R., Lennon, J.J., Pakeman, R.J., Thoss, V., Beaton, J.K., Sim, D.A. and Elston, D.A. 2005. Does
chemical composition of individual Scots pine trees determine the biodiversity of their associated ground vegetation? Ecology Letters 8, 364-369. 4 Davies C, Ellis CJ, Iason GR, Ennos RA (2014). Genotypic variation in a foundation tree (Populus tremula L.)
explains community structure of associated epiphytes. Biology Letters, 10, 20140190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2014.0190 5 https://www.forestry.gov.uk/PDF/FCPN021.pdf/$FILE/FCPN021.pdf
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vertebrates may have an important role in communication, mate-guarding, play or parasite dislodgement. However, little is known of the function of breaching behaviour in non-air breathers, such as sharks. Three basking sharks were tagged in the Sea of the Hebrides MPA proposal between August and September 2017 which recorded data over a period of 4-32d on tri-axial accelerometry and magnetometry, depth, speed, temperature and location. A total of 69 breaches were recorded, with up to 47 single breaches per shark. Multiple consecutive breaches were also recorded; 11 double breaches, 3 triple and 1 quadruple breach. Clear rolling behaviour was demonstrated during breaching, with fast ascents (5.2m.s-1) from depths of up to 57m. By using body acceleration as a proxy for energetic expenditure, breaching was found to be 100-folds more energetically demanding than swimming at the surface, highlighting that this behaviour could be a courtship display of fitness and receptivity to mating. Key areas for breaching were Gunna Sound and to the south west of Tiree, occurring predominantly in daylight hours. This adds to the existing evidence that the Sea of the Hebrides MPA proposal is important for basking sharks. Further analysis of the data is ongoing which may elucidate further basking shark behavioural patterns.
Figure 1. (A) Breaching basking shark showing rolling behaviour; (B) time-series of vectorial dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA) and shark depth (m) of a quadruple breaching event (time of day)
(A)
(B)
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Figure 2. Locations of shark at the surface around the islands of Tiree (west) and Coll (East), (grey dots) and closest locations (within 30 min.) to when breaching occurred (red dots); Sea of the Hebrides MPA proposal (pink polygon).
Information: [email protected]
Securing Nature for Future Generations Sally Thomas
The ‘Securing our Natural Environment for Future Generations’ Symposium in Manchester was a great opportunity to put what we do at SNH into a wider context, think about the future for nature conservation, and test our working assumptions. Is the approach to conservation that we’ve developed over the last 25-50 years likely to stand us in good stead for the next 25-50 years? Thought-provoking contributions from the speakers included how to move from a narrative of protection to one of restoration, responding to environmental change,
action for species and ecosystems in a landscape scale context, and how to engage young people from BAME communities. There were also some great positive references to SNH and our work. The first session set the scene through the ‘challenges and opportunities’. John Lawton gave an excellent overview of 100 years of conservation, noting that what were to become protected areas in the early 20th Century were generally larger areas set in a matrix that was, overall, benign or kind to nature. Through the mechanisation and increased use of chemicals in farming this pattern changed especially over the last 50 years to one of smaller and more isolated protected areas set in a matrix that is much more hostile to nature. The solution, from
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‘Making Space for Nature’, of ‘more, better, bigger, joined’ protected areas can only work if they are set in an environment kinder to nature. Activity on protected areas must go hand-in-hand with activity in the surrounding countryside, and that is exactly the thrust of our own 2020 Challenge work on protected areas. The standout presentation for me was from a young naturalist from Fermanagh, Dara McAnulty. Aged just 14, he challenged us to be more positive about young people and their engagement with the environment. Highlighting the common phrase about a lost generation he challenged us “we are not lost, we just haven’t been found’. In the Year of Young People that feels a lot like a challenge for us at SNH. Louise Macdonald reinforced Dara’s presentation with some great examples of co-design and joint work between Young Scot and SNH on the ReRoute Panel. Helena Craig (Black2Nature) continued the theme of ‘who is conservation for’ with a view from the BAME communities. Looking at the almost all white audience, it was easy to see how conservationists could unconsciously stereotype audiences to create a largely single white view on how to connect with nature. If nature is for everyone we must reflect that diversity in our policy and practice. Tony Juniper and Henk van Zeijts both challenged us to be pragmatic and flexible in accepting a range of motivations to protected and enhance nature. We already use at least four (science, aesthetic, intrinsic and spiritual values), so why not add a fifth to make explicit the benefits that people derive from nature? Conveying that through the language of natural capital can help to make the political case for restoration. Chris Thomas put matters into perspective emphasising how nature changes in both space and time. Change is the only constant and we need to learn to live with that. For instance, almost all of the vascular plant species in landscapes deemed to be of high nature conservation value are not native to them, rather, resulting from selection and management by people. Since the 1600s, over 2000 species have been brought into Britain, and none have been lost. Baselines in conservation are arbitrary and indefensible. He gave us three principles to look forward: accept change (it isn’t the same as ‘loss’); maintain flexibility, including genes and species to provide the building blocks to fuel future change; and, think global (what is Britain important for globally, including assemblages and landscapes?). Hazel Curtis (Seafish UK) reinforced earlier points about the importance of co-design, especially in fisheries to reduce the otherwise escalating transaction costs of implementation and monitoring. One striking image showed a 90% reduction in by-catch as a result of changing trawling techniques. She also endorsed the importance of John Lawton’s ‘matrix’, noting that sustainable use of marine resources is as important as protection. Susan Davies (SWT) brought these points together in a well-argued case for placing species management in a landscape context, co-designed and relating to wider social and economic interests and concerns. There was much more, including much on food and nature, and the recently appointed Chief Scientific Adviser for Marine, Colin Moffat, kept our energy levels high with a great talk on marine ecology and the important roles that we each play as individuals through our lifestyles and what we choose to consume. SNH staff were involved in presenting, chairing workshops and contributing in other ways to make the Scottish presence keenly felt. An event like this doesn’t happen by accident, so full praise to the organisers from BES and the four agencies, with Clive Mitchell and Des Thompson representing SNH. Information: [email protected]
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Conferences and meetings Saturday 2nd June 2018 – 10.00-16.00, Eden Court, Inverness RSE @ inverness: Scotland’s Biodiversity – Ask the Experts Family Day At this Family Event, RSE Fellows and other experts will be offering interactive displays and activities, storytelling, Q&A sessions and short talks on topics including Marine Science, Scottish Wildcats, Butterfly Conservation, Wildlife of the Cairngorms, Scotland’s Woodlands and what we can do in our own gardens to assist biodiversity. Full programme: https://www.rse.org.uk/event/rse-inverness-scotlands-biodiversity-ask-the-experts-family-day/ Sunday 10th June 2018 – James Hutton Institute, Glensaugh Farm, Laurencekirk, Aberdeenshire Open Farm Sunday – Glensaugh Farm Further information: http://www.hutton.ac.uk/events/open-farm-sunday-2018-new-venue Sunday 10th June 2018 Williamwood Farm, Open Farm Sunday – Kirtlebridge, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, DG11 3LN
This event will show the public how we farm for wildlife at Williamwood Farm. RSPB expert guided walks around nature-friendly areas of the farm. A wonderful time of the year to see all the wildflowers. Nature friendly live-stock farm. Environmental stewardship
Further information: https://www.nffn.org.uk/event/williamwood-farm-open-farm-sunday/
SNH Staff Profile Steven Sinclair
Steven joined SNH in September 2017 as part of the SNH Graduate Placement programme. He works in the National Operations Unit, based at Battleby, Perth. Steven graduated from the University of Dundee with an undergraduate degree in Geography in 2011. Due to a downturn in the economic climate and a lack of entry level positions in the environmental sector at the time he graduated, he found work with Dundee Heritage Trust as a supervisor at the Verdant Works Jute Museum. Over the course of two years, he gained a range of transferable skills in the tourism and cultural heritage industry. At the same time, he secured a voluntary position with Tayside Biodiversity Partnership compiling a biodiversity education guide for primary teaching. This position lasted for three years, serving as a foothold, and a catalyst for his passion for nature.
In 2013, Steven embarked on a newly launched postgraduate course at the University of Dundee in Water Hazards, Risk and Resilience which he completed in 2014. Here, he developed a keen interest in communications, and the benefit of traditional and digital media for community education, knowledge sharing and natural hazard mitigation. Between 2015 and late 2016, while working with Dundee Science Centre as a duty manager, Steven volunteered with
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SAGE Publications as a social media co-ordinator, setting up and managing the Twitter feed for The Holocene Journal. Before working with SNH, Steven was employed with Scottish Water as a data analyst, marking his final step into the environmental sector. Steven’s passion for the natural environment and creativity is deeply rooted: in his spare time he is a keen nature photographer and self-trained environmental artist, with interests in spiritualism, mindfulness and story-telling. Steven co-ordinates a Twitter feed (@ssinclair1611), Instagram (@thatcreativekid_) and Behance art portfolio page with the aim to inspire people to explore and experience the outdoors for enjoyment, to find a personal spiritual connection, and to care for nature. Steven’s Graduate Placement focusses on the Year of Young People 2018 - the current Scottish Government themed year which celebrates the ideas, ambitions and contributions of young people across Scotland. His placement project focusses on engaging young people in nature using the SNH National Nature Reserves (NNR), with an emphasis on co-production – that is, the contribution of young people in the design and delivery of their own activity or event. So far, he has been working with the Isle of May, St Cyrus, Tentsmuir, Blawhorn, Loch Leven and Forvie NNRs, giving him the opportunity to explore Scotland, and connect with a range of audiences. Steven is also involved in NNR Communications, which includes sourcing, sharing and creating content for social media in line with the SNH monthly themes, and to promote the reserves as a resource for conservation, recreation and education. During his time with SNH, he has co-ordinated over 20 posts for the Scotland’s Nature blog, developed videography and interview skills and produced videos about reserve and volunteer management; and continually seeks opportunities to provide the Communications team with relevant, engaging content. With an interest in communications and creative arts, Steven has recently been involved as a social media co-ordinator for two SGP events, set up the SNH Art Exhibition based at Battleby, and acts as an advisor for SNH’s teams looking to adopt the Year of Young People 2018 aims, objectives and ethos.
SAC member Profile Neil Metcalfe
Neil Metcalfe is Professor of Behavioural Ecology at the University of Glasgow. He is interested in the links between the ecology, behaviour and physiology of animals, mostly studying fish and birds. After completing a degree in Zoology at the University of Durham he moved to Glasgow to undertake a PhD on the behaviour and ecology of wintering waders (principally turnstones, purple sandpipers and lapwings), with a focus on antipredator behaviour. He switched to antipredator behaviour of juvenile salmon in a postdoctoral project, and then expanded that work in subsequent postdoctoral fellowships to look more broadly at links between behaviour, growth and life history patterns in salmon. This theme has
continued (with the inclusion of physiological measurements) in more recent research by his group; the focus has been on the ecology of freshwater fish, but he has maintained a link to research on birds. Neil’s work on salmon and trout has involved long-running collaborations with biologists at the Pitlochry Freshwater laboratory and the Cromarty Firth Fisheries Board.
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A recent interest has been in the causes and consequences of variation in metabolic rate – why do some individuals in a species have a metabolic rate that is three times higher than others of the same size, age and nutritional condition? The work has examined all facets from the cellular (e.g. the link between metabolic rate and the production of damaging free radicals, which cause ageing) to the whole animal (e.g. showing that fish with higher metabolic rates are better competitors for feeding territories). While much of the work has used fish held in captive conditions (using semi-natural stream tanks where possible), there have also been some large-scale field experiments using salmon in the River Conon catchment, where the absence of natural spawning in tributary streams has allowed the group to create replicate populations containing representatives of the same families in each stream. One such recent experiment investigated the impact of decomposing adult salmon carcasses on the stream ecosystem, showing that the nutrients released from the carcasses increased both macroinvertebrate abundance and the growth rate of the next generation of salmon; the extra nutrients also increased the genetic diversity of the surviving young salmon, since it removed the otherwise strong selection for higher metabolic rates. Neil is a fan of citizen science, who has for many years conducted breeding bird surveys for the British Trust for Ornithology (usually on a really boring bit of the uplands; in some years there are only two species recorded breeding in a 1 km2 plot, but he lives in hope of finding something more interesting than skylarks and meadow pipits). Every year he also undertakes a roost count for the Bat Conservation Trust of the soprano pipstrelle bats emerging from the eaves of his cottage (peak roost count over 900 in the 1980’s, but now usually around 300). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Member of the Academia Europaea, a Member of the Ethics Committee for the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour, and has recently joined the Board of the Clyde River Foundation.
SNH Science newsletter Editor: Lynne Clark, [email protected]
