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October 08, 2002
Zino's Petrel Under Threat
The Portuguese Ministry of Defence has announced plans to build a radar station at the summit of Pico do Areeiro, Madeira, Portugal, site of the only known breeding colonies of Zino's Petrel Pterodroma madeira, a Critically Endangered species that numbers around 20-30 breeding pairs, and considered to be the rarest breeding species in Europe.
The radar station is part of a wider NATO network, and considered to be of 'national strategic interest'. SPEA (BirdLife in Portugal) is very concerned about any development in close proximity to the breeding ledges of Zino's Petrels and has alerted the Portuguese Ministry of Defence and other governmental agencies about the potential impacts of building and operating a radar station in this area.
In a letter to NATO, BirdLife has called for a full and appropriate assessment to be conducted which takes full account of the requirements and conservation objectives of the European Union's Birds Directive because the proposed site is designated as a Special Protection Area and so has the highest level of protection under European law.
Readers worried about the developments are urged to send polite letters expressing their concerns to:
Prime Minister of Portugal,
Dr Dur Barroso,
Rua da Imprensa strela, 4
1200-888 LISBOA,
Portugal
email: gmapm@mapm.gov.pt
Please cc any correspondence to
Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves,
Rua da Vit 53,
3 Esq.
1100-618 Lisboa,
Portugal,
email: spea@spea.pt
and:
NATO Secretary-General
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
NATO Headquarters
Blvd Leopold III
1110 Brussels
Belgium
Email: natodoc@hq.nato.int
[The above text is adapted from the forthcoming December 2002 issue of BirdLife's World Birdwatch magazine, www.birdlife.net/help/wbwmag.cfm]
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
Prestige Disaste
The RSPB's BirdLife International Partner in Spain, the Spanish Ornithological Society (Sociedad Espa de Ornitolog SEO/BirdLife, has been on alert since the incident happened. Volunteer ornithologists recorded the first groups of oiled seabirds coming ashore on Friday and a full-scale survey was conducted yesterday. They counted more than 250 individual oiled seabirds of 18 different species. The most commonly affected were Yellow-legged Gull, Black-backed Gull, Shag, Black-headed Gull, Northern Gannet and Razorbill, and to a lesser extent Common Guillemot and Manx Shearwater.
At this time of year, thousands of seabirds, including gannets, shearwaters, gulls, and divers from further north in Europe, including from UK colonies, are migrating to winter quarters via the Galician coast. Among the species most threatened by the spill is the Balearic Shearwater, a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Balearic Islands, which moves from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay to overwinter. These birds stop over south of Finisterre in order to rest and feed during their migratory journey.
The potential disaster precipitated by the foundering of the Prestige could be exacerbated if other petrol tankers take the opportunity to clean their tanks close to Cape Finisterre. Such illegal discharging, which is thought to have happened already in the immediate aftermath of the Prestige, has taken place previously following major oil spills, when boats exploit the opportunity of a major oil spill as a smokescreen to cover their illegal activities. To prevent this, SEO/BirdLife is calling on the authorities to keep a close watch on the movements of petrol tankers in the vicinity.
SEO/BirdLife argues, as did the RSPB when the oil tanker Erika sank off France, that it is necessary to establish, through international agreements, shipping exclusion zones in the most sensitive areas or areas that are high risk areas, where ocean-going traffic is managed or even prohibited. "This is a situation we've seen over and over again," said Dr Sharon Thompson, the RSPB's Marine Policy Officer. "An old single-hulled oil tanker breaks up in bad weather, dumping its cargo into sensitive waters and coastlines, leaving wildlife and fisheries-dependent communities to deal with the consequences. More needs to be done faster on the international stage if we're to prevent pollution like this in the future. We badly need sensitive areas to be designated to protect vulnerable costal regions like the Galician coast."
Approximately, every three years the coastlines of Europe are devastated by an oil tanker spilling its cargo. On this basis we will have to suffer another four spills before single-hulled tankers are phased out in 2015.
Today we are renewing our call to the UK Government to honour its pledge to introduce a network of Marine Environment High Risk Areas (MEHRAs), which would route dangerous vessels away from the UK's most sensitive coastal sites and most hazardous shipping areas.?
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 07, 2002
NO CASE FOR A NEW AIRPORT AT CLIFFE
NO CASE FOR A NEW AIRPORT AT CLIFFE - RSPB ARGUES FOR DEMAND MANAGEMENT, PLUS BETTER USE OF EXISTING CAPACITY.
Speaking at a conference that is being held to highlight major aviation issues(1) RSPB Director of Conservation, Dr Mark Avery, will demolish the case for a new airport at Cliffe.
"Any thoughts of building a new airport at Cliffe should be consigned to the realms of fantasy," says Dr Avery. "Although the RSPB readily acknowledges the increasing demand for air travel within the UK, Cliffe is among Europe's most important sites for wildlife and is protected by international and national law.(2)
Over 1,000 residential properties would have to be destroyed to build the airport. There is no evidence that the airline industry supports the Cliffe option and the private finance needed for construction would not be forthcoming."
The effects of building at Cliffe would make it one of the most ecologically destructive developments known in the UK and the Government would have to pass the very strict legal tests designed to protect the internationally important wildlife sites in situ. The replacement of almost an entire estuarine Special Protection Area and Ramsar site has never been attempted in the UK: even small-scale replacements have proven difficult to achieve (3)
The RSPB has extensive experience in creating and managing new habitats, but in this instance cannot see how it will be possible to replace the complex ecosystem that would be lost if an airport was built at Cliffe.
If the Government were to choose to build an airport there they would face a protracted legal battle, which could last for years.
The RSPB believes that any sustainable air transport policy must combine demand management through fiscal measures and by promoting alternatives for short-haul travel and improving capacity at existing airports.
"Even SASIG (4) agrees that Government should constrain the growth in demand for air travel," Dr Avery points out. "One way is to keep prices constant, which could halve growth in demand. This and making best use of existing infrastructure is the intelligent way forward, not the off-the-wall proposals to destroy yet more of south east's precious environment."
Notes:
1: Air Transport of Tomorrow' - The Centre for Transport Policy
Wednesday 20 November 2002 - 09.45-17.15
CBI Conference Centre, New Oxford Street, London
2: The Cliffe marshes area is part of one of the most important, and well-protected, nature conservation areas in Europe. It forms part of the Thames Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area and Ramsar site - internationally important wetlands also designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The area supports a wide range of other important wildlife habitats, including ancient woodland. Some of the most important areas are managed as nature reserves, including six which are managed by the RSPB.
The Government will have to prove that it has no alternative solutions to building a new airport in this location and that imperative reasons of overriding public interest exist to justify the environmental destruction. The RSPB considers it will not be possible to pass such strict tests in this case.
3: For example, five years after the European Court of Justice ruling against it, the UK Government still hasn't created new habitat to compensate for the destruction of just 22ha of Special Protection Area mudflat at Lappel Bank, Sheerness - just a few miles from Cliffe.
4: The Strategic Aviation Special Interest group published its report Monday, although there was not universal local agreement. Eleven members of SASIG objected to, or at the time had not taken a position on, specific mention of Cliffe as the new airport of choice to serve the South-East . Two local groups, Medway District Council and Kent County Council have both resigned from the Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group.
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2002
NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE NEWS UPDATE
Greetings all,
'Countryfile,' to be broadcast at 11am on BBC1 Sunday the 24th/11th includes a feature highlighting NA@C campaign issues - it's presented by John Craven, who kindly visited the peninsula and RSPB reserves there, earlier this week.
Please note that due to so much wet weather the 23rd/11th NA@C march location changed from Bromhey Farm to Rochester - Meet at the Castle Grounds, Rochester at 10.00 am for a march through Rochester starting at 11am.
Please do write to the Department of Transport and your MP, register your concerns now, before the consultation period closes on 30th/11th, information is available to assist, on the dedicated NA@C pages of the RSPB website at: www.rspb.org.uk - if you've already written -THANK YOU!
Here follows the RSPB press release response to the SASIG report:
AVIATION REPORT IS COMEDY OF ERRORS AT WHICH NO-ONE IS LAUGHING
The RSPB has slammed yesterday's report by SASIG (Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group) as worthless. The SASIG claim that an airport at Cliffe is the 'visionary solution' is strewn with errors and omissions, and is not the official voice of local government as it has been portrayed.
Chris Corrigan, RSPB Regional Director, said:"There is so much wrong with the SASIG document, it is difficult to know where to start. It is all the more worrying given that SASIG are not the true voice of Local Government. They are but a small part of the Local Government Association, which won't decide its position until 12th December"
The following are just examples of how wayward their thinking is:
With regard to the wildlife implications of an airport at Cliffe, the SASIG report glaringly omits the key designation, the Special Protection Areas (SPAs), and clearly does not understand how this legislation protects the area.
On the economic front, SASIG claim that an airport at Cliffe 'could result in London having twin hubs, with Heathrow's two runways continuing to provide the home base for one of the airline alliances and Cliffe providing for the other'. RSPB research clearly shows that a dual hub is an unworkable option in the UK. Were another hub to be constructed, it is likely that airlines would either remain at Heathrow, especially if expanded, or possibly move to another the new hub, but not both.
SASIG claim that a 'relatively small number of properties' would be affected and that 'this must be one of the very few locations in the South East where adequate land is available with relatively low impact on people.' This is clearly myth when the 1,100 properties that would have to be 'taken' in the Cliffe option is considerably higher than any of the other options.
Chris continues, "SASIG own mission statement is to 'seek a national aviation strategy for the UK that reconciles economic, social and environmental issues in a sustainable way'. In recommending the Cliffe option, they seem to be failing that in every way."
Last but not least, an article from yesterdays Telegraph:
Wildlife may save Cliffe from ravages of airport
By Charles Clover, Environment Editor
(Filed: 19/11/2002)
'It doesn't look that big on the Government's map but when you visit the site of the proposed Cliffe airport, on the north Kent marshes, it takes your breath away.
If you stand at Cliffe Pools, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve on a bend in the Thames east of Gravesend, you can see the villages of St Mary's Hoo and Allhallows which would be destroyed to make the runway. The furthest point is five miles away.
Some 26 square miles would be developed, including also part of High Halstow, Lower Stoke and part of Cooling, a total of 1,100 homes would be destroyed and a huge projecting wall of the Thames escarpment would be folded on to the marsh below to raise the four runways and prevent them flooding.
The village of Cliffe, ironically, would be the only one unscathed by the bulldozer. The others would simply disappear off the map.
Jools Holland, the genial musician, lives in a house within the ruins of the former castle at Cooling, and is understandably unimpressed. He said: "I fear no corner of England is safe."
Cooling churchyard reputedly provided the inspiration for the first meeting of Pip and Magwitch in Dickens's Great Expectations. But it is the wildlife of the Hoo peninsula which its residents are hoping will prevent its destruction.
The marshes and pools of the Hoo peninsula attract some 200,000 waders and wildfowl in winter, mostly ducks and geese. The grazing marshes also support a variety of breeding waders including avocet, little egret, redshank and lapwing.
There are other scarce breeding birds such as marsh harriers, tern and Mediterranean gulls. The marshes are also regarded as important for their population of water voles, scarce emerald damselflies and the recently rediscovered Maid of Kent rove beetle.
All this enjoys the highest level of legal protection European law can bring. The airport would either destroy or damage four areas of marsh protected by the EU as a Special Protection Area for Birds and as a wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
The terms of the EU Habitats directive specifically say that developments can be justified only in terms of national economic necessity and there must be alternative provision made, on a similar scale, for wildlife.
The RSPB, which humiliated the Government over a development on Lappel Bank, also in north Kent, sounds confident of its ground. The RSPB has five significant nature reserves in the area, including Cliffe Pools, where 112 species were counted in 24 hours including, on the day I visited, shoveler and pochard, and Northward Hill, a large area of ancient woodland and the largest heronry in the country with 160 pairs.
But the human impact of the airport, and the blight that the Cliffe has brought to people's lives, should not be overlooked. Robert Maclean's family has farmed 2,000 acres of freshwater marsh and hill since 1936 as tenants of the Church Commissioners.
Mr Maclean, as a tenant, is being offered only six year's rent and three year's profit - not much in bad times for farming - as compensation for losing his livelihood and the roof over his head.
George Crozer, leader of the liaison group for local parishes, lives in High Halstow, close to one of the RSPB reserves and has a fabulous view over the Thames estuary. The area would be destroyed to build the runways.
He points out that the development would not stop at the boundaries of the airport but flow across north Kent. A report for Kent county council by the respected consultants Mott Macdonald estimates the number of houses needed for airport workers at 109,000.
On the other hand, Cliffe does have environmental and regeneration advantages - shifting London airport there would put most air movements, and hence noise, out over the Thames estuary instead of over London.
It would also help to regenerate east London and run-down towns of the Thames estuary and is closest to the Channel Tunnel. It looks attractive to some, particularly if they happen to live anywhere near Stansted in Essex'.
Cheers,
Perry Haines
RSPB No Airport At Clifffe campaign co-ordinator.
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 05, 2002
Senate OKs Broad Waiver for Pentagon on Migratory Birds
By Elizabeth Shogren, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Wednesday passed and sent to the president
compromise legislation designed to give the Defense Department a broad
exemption from the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects 850
species of birds from harmful practices.
The bill, which passed the House on Tuesday, is only a partial victory for the Pentagon, which had sought exemptions from eight landmark environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Nonetheless, environmentalists and their supporters in Congress were outraged at the migratory bird waiver.
"The provision, which was inserted at the Bush administration's request, will effectively give the Defense Department license to bomb and destroy at will the natural habitats of migratory birds, endangering more than 1 million birds and curtailing the enjoyment of more than 50 million bird enthusiasts in this country," said Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.).
The measure was inserted into the $393-billion defense authorization bill, which approves funds for a variety of military programs, during a conference committee meeting, in which a small group of Senate and House members hammered out the differences between their two versions of the bill. The House version contained an exemption; the Senate's did not.
The provision passed Wednesday would give the Defense Department an interim exemption from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and would direct the Interior secretary within a year to come up with regulations permanently exempting military readiness activities from the law. The provision also would require the military to take appropriate actions to avoid unnecessarily killing or harming migratory birds, and to monitor the effect of the exemption on birds.
Members of Congress who supported the military's requests for exemptions were angered that Congress had given the military so little of what it had asked for, especially at a time when it is poised to put American forces in harm's way.
"The secretary of Defense submitted eight ideas; we enacted half of one," said Rep. James V. Hansen (R-Utah), chairman of the House Resources Committee.
Hansen said that because the migratory bird provision would shift responsibility to the Interior secretary, rather than writing the exemption into law, delays and lawsuits would be likely to keep the military from getting what it wants.
"That is going to open up a can of worms and is clearly not going to be sufficient even over the short term," Hansen added.
The Pentagon and its supporters in Congress argued that environmental laws have been inhibiting training at bases across the country and on the waters offshore.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act had caused the Pentagon a particular headache since March, when a U.S. district court in Washington held that the military must comply with the act.
The Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based environmental organization, had sued the Defense Department because the Navy conducts bombing exercises on Farallon de Medinilla, a 200-acre island in the middle of the Pacific that is part of the Northern Mariana Islands. Many birds are killed during those exercises, including some protected by the act, such as the Micronesian megapode, which is on the endangered species list; great frigatebirds; and three types of boobys -- masked, red-footed and brown.
The judge ordered the Defense Department to stop the bombing until it came into compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. During the case, a government lawyer argued that bird lovers benefit when the military kills birds because "bird watchers get more enjoyment spotting a rare bird than they do spotting a common one."
Judge Emmet G. Sullivan reprimanded the government for that argument. "There is absolutely no support in the law for the view that environmentalists should get enjoyment out of the destruction of natural resources," he said.
Peter Galvin, the California and Pacific director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said his organization would try to fight the exemption through the courts and in Congress. He blamed the Bush administration for creating a climate that encouraged such actions.
"The current administration's attitude toward environmental law is summed up by their submission in the case that environmentalists and birders should enjoy bombing because it makes birds rarer," Galvin said.
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
90 Day Comment Period on Cerulean Warbler
The U.S. Fish Wildlife Service (USFWS) has opened a 90-day comment period to allow the general public to provide information on listing the cerulean warbler as "threatened" on the Endangered Species List. This is a positive step towards getting this songbird the protections it needs to survive! The comment period will close on January 21, 2003.
The cerulean warbler - a small woodland songbird known for its bright blue plumage and distinctive song - was once common in eastern forests. But over the last 30 years, the species has declined more than 70%, and 80% in the core of its range! Cerulean warblers range across eastern North America, from the Great Plains, north to Minnesota, east to Massachusetts, and south to Louisiana. It breeds primarily in the Ohio and Mississippi River basins - and spends winter months in the Andes Mountains of South America.
Unfortunately, due to habitat destruction in both its breeding and wintering ranges, primarily because of development, logging, roadbuilding and, more recently, mountaintop removal mining, the cerulean warbler has become one of the fastest disappearing birds in the United States!
Now the general public has until January 21, 2003 to provide additional information to the USFWS as to why the cerulean warbler should be included as "threatened" on the Endangered Species List. Such listing will provide the species protections under the Endangered Species Act and an earnest effort at recovering the species can begin. If you have information on present or threatened destruction or modification of cerulean warbler habitat, or other information illustrating the need to protect the species, please do not miss this opportunity to share it with the USFWS! Be sure to submit your comment by the January 21 deadline! Comments and any supporting materials should be directed to: Field Supervisor, Ecological Services Field
Office, U.S. Fish
Wildlife Service, 608 East Cherry Street, Room 200,
Columbia, MO 65201, or FAX: 314-876-1914.
For more information on the
process, log onto the USFWS website at:
http://midwest.fws.gov/Endangered/birds/cerw_find.html
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 04, 2002
RSPB Answers Cliffe Questions
SB Q - The RSPB are obviously very aginst the airport proposal!
PH A - The RSPB is extremely concerned by the Government's proposal for a new airport on the North Kent Marshes, centred on Cliffe, as one of its options for infrastructure expansion in the current consultation on runway capacity in South East England, we are calling on the Department for Transport to rule out the option of a new airport at Cliffe when it publishes its definitive Aviation White Paper early next year. As soon as the news was first leaked in the FT back in March, our Chief Executive Graham Wynne wrote to John Spellar to communicate that we would oppose the proposal vigorously. I was tasked with the role of NA@C RSPB campaign co-ordinator and immediately began active campaigning here on the peninsular, by the end of May we were out on the ground and had provided the NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE slogan, first phase leaflets, T-shirts etc, with dedicated pages on the RSPB website up and running, we've enjoyed much mutual support, working with a whole variety of concerned groups and individuals, especially the communities, councils and conservationists. The Cliffe option shouldn't even have been included in SERAS in my view!
SB Q - Are the SERAS report economic benefit forecasts convincing?
PH A - No, the South East Regional Air Study (SERAS) contends that building a four-runway airport at Cliffe would cost 8.9 billion-by far the most expensive option-but would produce 17.3 billion in benefits, creating a net benefit of 8.4 billion. However, there are other, ambiguous figures contained in the document - For example, the SERAS summary document admits that building a four-runway airport at Cliffe could incur capital costs of up to 11.5bn, which is 2.6bn more than the figure used in the cost benefit analysis.
SERAS goes on to say that, if CO2 emissions charging were enforced, economic benefits would be reduced by an additional 1 billion. These uncertainties mean it is very difficult to get an accurate picture of how much Cliffe would cost, and what the economic benefits would be. One thing is clear, though whichever way you look at it, Cliffe is the most expensive option on the table.
SB Q - Can you be more specific regarding costs?
PH A - Estimated costs of Cliffe have been grossly underestimated not least because a number of aspects have not been included. These are additional costs relating to: risk 700m; earthworks 500m; airport 600m; lower Thames crossing 500m; environmental compensation 300m; rail and road access 200m. The total cost of Cliffe might well be underestimated by somewhere in the region of 3bn, which will have a significant impact on net present value of the project.
SB Q - Would the proposal compliment regional regeneration?
PH A -There are serious problems with the contention that an airport at Cliffe would regenerate the regional economy. Kent County Council, who oppose an airport at Cliffe, argued in a public statement (July 23): That the South East Regional Aviation Study (SERAS) does not include a dedicated new rail-link from the airport to London, domestic and international rail services may have to be reduced to make room for the 100,000 airport passengers a day expected to travel by rail - equivalent to the total Kent commuters a day travelling to London already. Kent County Council also argues that there is already concern about the capacity of the M25 to take this increase from the Kent side of London, and that; "It makes absolutely no sense to put an airport in Kent on the far side of London, away from the rest of England." Kent County Council is also concerned that it would distract from the regeneration schemes already in place for the Kent Thames Gateway. This should come as no surprise. The Standing Advisory Committee on Trunk Road Assessment (SACTRA) examined the links between transport provision in general and economic activity (SACTRA, 1999). SACTRA found that new transport infrastructure does not necessarily lead to any gains in economic performance, and only has a role to play in economic regeneration if a whole number of other factors are also put into place.
SB Q - What are the environmental consequences?
PH A - Devastating, some say surely only King Canute could imagine preventing wave after wave of birds using this precious area as a migration hub, as they have done throughout the ages, land within a 13km radius would effectively have to be rendered unsuitable for birds according to CAA guidelines, which is a mammoth unprecedented piece of hypothesis in this case. By the way, an interesting observation is that the compensation area suggested to compensate for Cliffe (on the Isle of Thanet) is actually within 13km of Manston!
Cliffe is the wrong place for any major infrastructure development, let alone a new airport, given its outstanding value to wildlife and its consequent protected status under both national and international law. The proposed airport would destroy large areas of proven national, European and international importance for wildlife. This includes important wetland and estuarine habitats, including part of four Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and the Thames Estuary and Marshes Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. The Thames is one of the most important sites for waterfowl in the UK, supporting an average of over 155,000 wintering waders and wildfowl. The area supports internationally important numbers of brent goose, oystercatcher, ringed plover, grey plover, knot, dunlin, bar-tailed godwit and redshank during winter. The proposed airport would also destroy most of the RSPB's Nature Reserve at Northward Hill and affect a number of other important landholdings in the area.
This part of Kent also has high historic, cultural and landscape value and, assuming the area's many assets are nurtured, it will play an important role in the regeneration of the Thames Gateway. Many organisations have been working together imaginatively to ensure that this potential is fulfilled. Overall, a new airport at Cliffe would be one of the most environmentally damaging proposals ever seen in the UK.
SB Q - What about demand management?
PH A - The RSPB's work on aviation focuses on its environmental impact, both in terms of direct impact on important wildlife sites and the indirect effects of emissions from aviation and associated infrastructure on climate change. The "predict and provide" approach to policy, which failed for roads, is failing too for aviation. Instead, we believe that the overarching principle for policy on air travel should be to manage demand within environmental and social limits, through policy mechanisms such as:
Bringing responsibility for aviation emissions within the remit of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol. Once there, aviation emissions would be capped and could be traded with other emissions. Also, as a matter of urgency, resolving the issue of allocating emissions to countries, by point of sale of fuel. If responsibility for emissions remains in the International Civil Aviation Organisation, impose a standard rate of tax, world-wide. (This would not be levied internationally but in each country at the same rate.)
Meanwhile, in the interim, the EU imposing a tax on fuels used on all flights within the EU. At a minimum, the UK should impose a fuel tax on domestic flights. Plus, introducing VAT or a sales tax on all flights, preferably a standard tax across the EU but, in the first instance, certainly in the UK. Then there's adding an environmental surcharge to the Air Passenger Duty, auction takeoff and landing slots and introducing a 'dual till' approach to takeoff and landing charges, as well as promoting alternatives to aviation for short-distance travel, notably rail.
According to the Department for Transport's own analysis, it would be extremely cheap to create a vast reduction in demand. If GDP were to fall by 0.5%, from the assumed average of 2.25% per year to 1.75% per year, passenger numbers would fall from about 400 million in 2020 to about 330 million. If airfares did not fall at 1% each year but remained constant, demand in 2020 would fall dramatically from about 400 million to about 300 million (i.e. roughly a 50% increase on present demand rather than 100%). This demonstrates that demand can be managed simply, and without imposing anywhere near the tax burden on aviation that the other transport sectors bear.
SB Q - What about efficiency savings?
PH A - We strongly believe that any unavoidable need for capacity expansion should be strictly limited and met first by improved efficiencies and only then by new airports infrastructure. The Government is committed to making best use of existing infrastructure, which it should do by increasing the efficiency of main airports. This can be achieved with improvements in air traffic control, baggage handling and aircraft wing design.
SB Q - Jools Holland is a high profile NA@C campaigner isn't he?
PH A - Yes, Jools has indeed been terrific in his support, generously sharing his media spotlight and valuable input with the NA@C campaign, I have worked with him quite closely and have upmost respect for the man and his many talents, he has a very very real love for the area and thinks it is quite magical, sentiments that I share entirely!
Bill Oddie came onboard early on in the campaign too, as has born and bred local actor Chris Simmonds, who stars in the TV series The Bill, every pocket of Cliffe and the marshes have special memories for Chris, whilst Bill Oddie has been visiting the area to watch birds and enjoy the natural beauty here for decades.
SB Q - Have you any other points you would like to make?
PH A - We must keep up the pressure, for example on the 7th of December the RSPB are hosting a boat trip along the Thames to view the threatened marshes from the great river, we will have over 100 young people onboard, including members of Medway Youth Parliament, this is to be sure that the youth are aware that their heritage is under threat, Bob Marshall Andrews will also sail with us, so as to add his highly valued stalwart support, his sterling opposition has been without hesitation and unflinching!
I'm of course very aware that homes and peoples lives would be destroyed if the proposed airport went ahead - 1,100 homes are actually quoted in the report. I would like to take this opportunity to say that we will do all that we can to fight these ludicrous proposals, so that future generations can enjoy their natural, national, indeed international heritage that is under threat. Conservation groups and the community are all in this together, we are united and we will make sure our message is heard loud and clear - NO AIRPORT AT CLIFFE!
As the RSPB motto says: FOR BIRDS, FOR PEOPLE, FOR EVER!
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
October 03, 2002
eBird, Audubon and Cornell's Exciting New Citizen Science Avian Monitoring Tool
Audubon is proud to announce eBird, a new citizen science tool that allows anyone to report any bird species anywhere anytime. This joint venture of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology opens a new era of citizen science, which will help our birds in a time of increasing threats such as habitat loss, climate change and West Nile virus.
The goal of eBird is to have an "All Great Backyard Bird Count all the time" by allowing birders to log into the site and record their sightings for specific locations. This will, over time, create a huge database of bird sightings from throughout North America. Since this database is accessed by a username and password, not only will you be helping scientist and conservationists track North America's bird populations, you will also have access to any sightings you submit as your own personal database. There are also database query tools available, which will grow more sophisticated over time and as the amount of data grows. Eventually, you will be able to ask, for example, "where are all the locations in Connecticut that have records for Blue-winged Warbler in June?", and it will show you a map and/or table.
This will not only help people to learn more about where to best see certain species of birds, but will be a tremendous tool for conservation planners.
Today we have a unique window of opportunity, as the vast majority of the species of birds in North America still exist in viable numbers in some remnant of suitable habitat. Today, we who love birds as well as the natural world in general exist in greater numbers than ever before, and those numbers are growing rapidly. Today we have the tools that allow us to know and monitor that fragile world with depth and breadth that was unimaginable 10 years ago, let alone 102 years ago when the first CBC was held. eBird, will be an important tool not only for helping us to learn more about bird distribution, but it will also help us to better recognize and understand both short term and long term avian population trends.
Now you can help us make birds count for conservation. You can participate in eBird and other citizen science projects through BirdSource. Several projects are available, no matter your level of ability and comfort.
Remember, you will double your impact if you take along a friend; and you'll multiply it many times over if you include a scout troop or a class of kids.
To try eBird go to http://www.birdsource.org. It is also available through the Audubon website http://www.audubon.org/bird/ebird/index.html
Posted by Surfbirds at 11:18 PM | Comments (1)
Galapagos Islands Warning
BirdLife International has warned that the bird life of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, may be facing a new threat from flies, the larvae of which feed on nestling birds. At least three species of fly, presumably accidentally introduced, have recently been discovered on the islands (the first in 1997). A paper in Ibis 144: 445?451 reports on nesting success and nestling mortality of both native and introduced bird species affected by the flies parasitic larvae.
Although parasites that have evolved a host-parasite relationship often do not seriously harm their host populations, those brought into parasite-free populations often cause severe harm before defence mechanisms evolve. For example, in Hawaii the accidental introduction of a mosquito species allowed the spread of avian malaria and resulted in the extinction of many endemic bird species.
Researchers found that on the island of Santa Cruz, 97% of endemic finch nests were infected by the ectoparasite Philornis downsi, with an average of more than 23 parasites per nestling and a relatively high nestling mortality of 27%. Although it is difficult to be certain that parasites caused nestling deaths, malnutrition did not seem to be a factor and infestation may have severely weakened nestlings as birds with holes in the back, neck and under the wings were discovered.
The potential impact of the newly discovered parasites may be massive, and further study of the scale of the threat is urgently needed. Currently, flies seem to be absent from small dry islands, where adults may be unable to survive without a humid climate.
The above news item is just one of many from the forthcoming December 2002 issue of BirdLife International's World Birdwatch magazine, the essential magazine for world birdwatchers.
Other news items include the recognition of at least six new species world-wide, including a new European endemic...
For details of how to subscribe, see www.birdlife.net/help/wbwmag.cfm
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October 02, 2002
Audubon WatchList 2002
New York, NY, Wednesday, October 23, 2002- Despite the exciting recovery of Endangered birds like the Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon, more than one-quarter of America's birds are in trouble or decline, according to the National Audubon Society. In a report released today, entitled "WatchList 2002", Audubon identifies 201 species that show either significantly decreasing numbers or restricted range, or are under other threats.
"Audubon WatchList 2002 is a warning system that shows us where to focus our attention and resources if we want to help the survival of a vast number of bird species," says Frank Gill, Audubon's chief ornithologist and senior vice president for science, and author of the comprehensive reference, Birds of North America. "It is also a powerful tool that policy-makers, businesses, and the general public can use now to take positive conservation action."
Based on a stoplight model, WatchList places selected bird species in green, yellow, or red categories, depending on the danger they face. A centerpiece of conservation efforts at Audubon, the WatchList aims to halt the declines of America's birds and to rebuild their populations to healthy, green-light status.
WatchList serves to underscore some disturbing trends; since 1970, many songbird species have declined by as much as 50 percent or more. The California Thrasher and the southeast's Painted Bunting both show declines in excess of 50 percent, while the Cerulean Warbler of the eastern U.S. has declined by more than 70 percent and the Henslow's Sparrow from the Midwest has dangerously dropped by 80 percent. The Hawaiian 'Akikiki from Kauai has dropped from about 6,800 birds in the early 70's to only 1,000 individuals today.
Ironically, these declines come at a time when bird watching is hitting an all-time high in popularity; the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment tallies 71 million Americans participating in 2001, up 250 percent from 1982, making birding the fastest-growing outdoor activity in the U.S. And, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Americans spent $40 billion on wildlife watching in 2001, up steadily from $30 billion in 1996 and $21 billion in 1991.
"WatchList is preventative medicine," continued Gill. "It will be used first and foremost to enlist federal, state, and local governments to focus their resources towards protecting these birds before they become endangered or threatened - when they would demand more serious action and major taxpayer support to recover."
Audubon WatchList is a unique project that filters information on bird populations compiled by field scientists in the U.S. and overseas. The final product recognizes three levels of concern:
RED - Species in this category of global conservation concern are declining rapidly, have very small populations or limited ranges, and face major conservation threats. Audubon identifies several red-listed species as probable candidates for inclusion on the Federal Endangered or Threatened Species Lists.
YELLOW: Category includes the majority of species identified. Yellow-list birds are declining, but at slower rates than those in the red category. These typically are birds of national conservation concern, and those that can be saved most cost-effectively.
GREEN: species in this category are not declining, have unknown trends, or have very large population sizes. These species are not included on the Audubon WatchList.
For the first time in 2002, the Audubon WatchList includes birds of Hawaii and Puerto Rico, in addition to the birds of mainland North America.
"The reasons for identifying species on the WatchList is not entirely
altruistic," concluded Gill. "Like the proverbial canary in the coalmine, birds are primary indicators of environmental health, and what hurts birds also hurts the people who share the same space. We should in no way take WatchList birds for granted; we should rather listen to what their declines are telling us about the ecosystems we both inhabit."
Methodology used in the WatchList was developed in conjunction with Partners in Flight, a coalition of North American ornithological groups of which Audubon is a leading member. Bird Life International developed global methodology; Audubon is the U.S. partner designate for BLI.
Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based Audubon nature centers and chapters, environmental education programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.
Contact: John Bianchi
212-979-3026
jbianchi@audubon.org
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October 01, 2002
Europe's Birds Under Pressure
"Thirty-seven of Europe's 73 mountain bird species (>50%) are threatened by over-exploitation, inappropriate farming and forestry practices, and unsustainable tourism activities carried out in mountain areas", said BirdLife International?s Head of European Division, Canan Orhun, in a letter sent to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) informing the organisation of BirdLife's intention to join UNEP's International Year of the Mountains partnership initiative.
"Many of Europe's regionally threatened species including the majestic Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos face the threat of regional extinction if the mountain ecosystems they depend on in the Alps and Pyrenees continue to be over-exploited for winter sports and summer tourism developments", said BirdLife European Conservation Manager, Szabolcs Nagy.
Another species at risk is the flamboyant Caucasian Black Grouse Tetrao mlokosiewiczi which is declining due to habitat destruction and persecution in the Caucasus, he said.
BirdLife International partner organisations in Europe have also contributed information to a special web presentation (http://www.birdlife.net/europe/mountains/) which includes detailed data about 558 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) which occur in mountain areas, and Europe's 73 mountain bird species, as well as a selection of photographs and maps.
The web presentation is part of a BirdLife initiative promoting better protection of mountains through the establishment of mountain reserves and the promotion of environmentally sustainable development such as eco-agriculture, eco-forestry and eco-tourism with the involvement of local communities.
BirdLife International, the German Society for Nature Conservation (NABU - BirdLife in Germany), Azerbaijan Centre for the Protection of Birds, and the Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife are also developing a community-based project in the Caucasus mountains to improve the conservation status of Caucasian Black Grouse at 5 sites in Georgia and Azerbaijan, and plan to promote some of these pilot areas amongst responsible eco-tourist operators worldwide to help increase local incomes.
BirdLife International has identified 558 Important Bird Areas in mountainous areas which are critical to conserve in order to save the rich diversity of Europe?s mountain birds?, said Szabolcs Nagy.Ninety-one percent of these mountain sites are subject to one or more threat resulting from unsustainable human activities.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
1. BirdLife International is a global alliance of national conservation organisations working in more than 100 countries who, together, are the leading authority on the status of birds, their habitats and the issues and problems affecting bird life. The BirdLife International Partnership is represented in Europe by 40 organisations working together on The BirdLife International European Programme to conserve birds across the region.
2. The UN General Assembly has proclaimed 2002 as the International Year of Mountains (IYM). The aim of IYM 2002 is to ensure the well-being of mountain and lowland communities by promoting the conservation and sustainable development of mountain regions. See: http://www.mountains2002.org
3. Mountain habitats support significant populations of 73 bird species in Europe with some of these, such as the Black Throated Accentor Prunella atrogularis and the Snow Finch Montifringilla nivalis, exclusively restricted to mountain environments.
4. The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Programme of BirdLife International is a global initiative aimed at identifying and protecting a network of sites critical for the conservation of the world's birds. 16% of Important Bird Areas in Europe are in mountainous areas.
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BTO Garden Bird Survey
A detailed survey of birds using 277 gardens across the UK shows that for seven species: Great Tit, Coal Tit, Goldfinch, Wood Pigeon, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Pheasant last winter's numbers were higher than ever before.
David Glue, writing in the latest issue of BTO News, highlighted three reasons for the high figures: lack of key wild-fruits in the hedgerows and woodland, an increasing reliance upon gardens and improved seed-mixes and food provision.
Species at all-time low levels in 2001/2002 were House Sparrow, Starling, Reed Bunting and Black-headed Gull, the first three of which are Red-listed on the Birds of Conservation Concern list for 2002-2007.
Unusual visitors to Garden Bird Feeding Survey gardens included Red Kite, the 162nd species to be seen eating at volunteers' feeding stations in the 32 year history of the survey.
The BTO is always looking for volunteers to take part in its garden bird surveys. For an information pack about membership of Garden BirdWatch and to receive a free issue of Bird Table, the Garden BirdWatch magazine, please phone 01842 750050.
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The No Airport @ Cliffe Big Sit
A big thank-you to all the birdwatchers nationwide who 'Birdwatched for Cliffe' on Saturday 28th September in support for the RSPB NoAirportAtCliffe campaign, and for the full participation of all the rare bird lines, email and pager services who helped collate the records.
The single-day snapshot of Britain's birds, which helped generate media attention to the campaign, saw 247 different species found across the country and pledged to the total, a brilliant response. Alan Parker, RSPB Warden at Northward Hill, birdwatched solely on the actual footprint of the proposed airport and achieved 99 species, the highest total we received from any one site in the UK, beating Minsmere by one!!
Nationally, the sightings of birds such as Pacific Golden Plover from Eastern Siberia, American Wigeon from North America and Sooty Shearwater from the South Atlantic, gave a powerful image that the UK is already an international airport - for birds.
The watchers at Cliffe were joined on Saturday by Jools Holland, who knows and loves the area, and pledged his complete support to the campaign. To show your support, please email noairportatcliffe@rspb.org.uk or ring RSPB
Wildlife Enquiries on 01767 680551. Loads of campaign information is
available on www.rspb.org.uk.
Perry Haines, RSPB NA@C Co-ordinator
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BTO Ringing News
On Saturday 7 September 2002 a catch of 26 Oystercatchers was made at Wainfleet, Lincolnshire which included one bird which was ringed at Snettisham, Norfolk on 13 August 1967! This bird sets a new Oystercatcher (and wader)longevity record for Britain and Ireland. A group photo was taken of the Oystercatcher along with all the team members present at the catch who were younger than the bird! See BTO web site or www.wwrg.org.uk
Most Oystercatchers which spend the autumn and winter on the Wash breed in Norway. When first caught this bird was a youngster, probably newly arrived from Scandinavia. Having had ring numbered ED00745 put on it probably spent its first eighteen months feeding on cockles and mussels on the Wash estuary. Since then it will probably have flown to Norway each year to raise a family. The bird was previously caught on 1 August 2000 at Friskney, just a couple of miles from Wainfleet.
The Wash Wader Ringing Group operates with canon nets and mist nets, around the shores of The Wash in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire, with the main aim of providing a better understanding of the waders using the Wash. The Group has been operating since 1959 and has built up a large and valuable database for study. Nearly 250,000 birds have been ringed in this time.
Ringing, as a practical science, can only be learnt working in the "field" with a qualified Trainer, of which there are over 300 in the country.
The BTO runs the Ringing Scheme and issues ringing permits under licence from the Government agencies. After undergoing a period of training, usually of two years or more, a successful Trainee can apply for a permit, allowing him or her to ring without direct supervision.
Part of the BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership of the BTO and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales and the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland). The Scheme also receives support from Duchas the Heritage Service - National Parks and Wildlife (Ireland). Volunteer ringers give freely of their time and expertise and also provide a substantial part of the Scheme's funding.
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