Boerenlandvogels – WP

Auteur: Henk Tennekes

  • A group of Italian researchers isolated a bacterial strain able to clear soil from pesticide residues

    A group of Italian researchers isolated a bacterial strain able to clear soil from pesticide residues

    A study carried out by the Italian National Research Council revealed the important function of some microorganisms able to metabolize toxic elements employed in agriculture, reclaiming soil and water.
    A group of Italian researchers identified a bacterial strain able to clear soil from pesticide residues. This strain has been isolated from pesticide-treated soil samples. It is a natural occurring bacteria: the Rhodococcus wratislaviensis, able to mineralize herbicide such as terbuthylazine, which is one of the most common pesticide worldwide. Unfortunately, these toxic substances tend to persist in the environment and their use in agriculture in one of the most common cause of soil and water contamination. The surveys carried out revealed the presence of these microorganisms in pesticide-treated soil, then it can be assumed that this bacterial strain naturally developed this capacity to suit to the environment. In other words, these bacteria transform the toxic elements presence in an advantage by the production of enzymes able to mineralize these compounds, which are transformed into nutrients for their growth. The wide diversity of microbial metabolism makes microorganisms an innovative and sustainable solution for agricultural problems. In other words, they represent a new approach to farm management, from pest control to water management and soil fertility.

    A study carried out by the Italian National Research Council revealed the important function of some microorganisms able to metabolize toxic elements employed in agriculture, reclaiming soil and water.
    A group of Italian researchers identified a bacterial strain able to clear soil from pesticide residues. This strain has been isolated from pesticide-treated soil samples. It is a natural occurring bacteria: the Rhodococcus wratislaviensis, able to mineralize herbicide such as terbuthylazine, which is one of the most common pesticide worldwide. Unfortunately, these toxic substances tend to persist in the environment and their use in agriculture in one of the most common cause of soil and water contamination. The surveys carried out revealed the presence of these microorganisms in pesticide-treated soil, then it can be assumed that this bacterial strain naturally developed this capacity to suit to the environment. In other words, these bacteria transform the toxic elements presence in an advantage by the production of enzymes able to mineralize these compounds, which are transformed into nutrients for their growth. The wide diversity of microbial metabolism makes microorganisms an innovative and sustainable solution for agricultural problems. In other words, they represent a new approach to farm management, from pest control to water management and soil fertility.

    – See more at: http://www.biovegetal.it/eng/desc_news.php?id=104&titolo=Microorganisms:%20a%20new%20approach%20to%20farm%20management#sthash.cjkVMGpD.dpuf

  • Het hoofd van de school in Bihar, waar 23 kinderen overleden nadat zij vergiftigde schoolmaaltijden aten, heeft zichzelf aangegeven bij de politie

    Het hoofd van de school in Bihar, waar 23 kinderen overleden nadat zij vergiftigde schoolmaaltijden aten, heeft zichzelf aangegeven bij de politie

    De Indiase politie heeft het hoofd van de school in Bihar waar vorige week 23 kinderen overleden nadat zij vergiftigde schoolmaaltijden aten opgepakt, meldt de BBC. Meena Devi, de directrice van de school, gaf zichzelf vandaag aan bij de politie. Het drama vond plaats in Masrakh, een dorpje in het noordoostelijke Bihar, de armste deelstaat van India. De slachtoffers waren bijna allemaal tussen de vier en tien jaar oud. Na het eten van een gratis maaltijd bestaande uit rijst en bonen en bereid in mosterdolie, werden in totaal 47 schoolkinderen ziek, aldus de BBC. Daarop kwam het op verschillende plekken in de deelstaat tot geweldsuitbarstingen tegen de regering, die verantwoordelijk is voor de kwaliteit van de maaltijden. Politiejeeps werden in brand gestoken en ruiten van overheidsgebouwen ingegooid.

    De Indiase politie heeft het hoofd van de school in Bihar waar vorige week 23 kinderen overleden nadat zij vergiftigde schoolmaaltijden aten opgepakt, meldt de BBC. Meena Devi, de directrice van de school, gaf zichzelf vandaag aan bij de politie. Het drama vond plaats in Masrakh, een dorpje in het noordoostelijke Bihar, de armste deelstaat van India. De slachtoffers waren bijna allemaal tussen de vier en tien jaar oud. Na het eten van een gratis maaltijd bestaande uit rijst en bonen en bereid in mosterdolie, werden in totaal 47 schoolkinderen ziek, aldus de BBC. Daarop kwam het op verschillende plekken in de deelstaat tot geweldsuitbarstingen tegen de regering, die verantwoordelijk is voor de kwaliteit van de maaltijden. Politiejeeps werden in brand gestoken en ruiten van overheidsgebouwen ingegooid.

    Het programma van gratis schoolmaaltijden werd geïntroduceerd om hongersnood en schoolverzuim tegen te gaan, en bereikt zo’n 120 miljoen kinderen op 1,2 miljoen scholen in heel India. Het is een van de meest succesvolste welzijnsmaatregelen in India, aldus persbureau Reuters. Voor veel arme families in India is de gratis schoolmaaltijd de enige volwaardige maaltijd die kun kinderen krijgen op een dag. Daardoor worden zij gestimuleerd om hun kinderen naar school te sturen.

    Bron: NRC, 24 juli 2013
    http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2013/07/24/schooldirectrice-opgepakt-om-vergiftige-schoolmaaltijden-in-india/

  • De l’insecticide dans le repas d’une cantine : 23 enfants meurent

    De l’insecticide dans le repas d’une cantine : 23 enfants meurent

    Un puissant insecticide se trouvait dans l’huile ayant servi à préparer le repas qui a mortellement intoxiqué 23 enfants dans une école du Bihar, dans l’est de l’Inde, selon un rapport médical publié samedi. Le repas de lentilles, de pommes de terre et de riz destiné le 16 juillet aux élèves de cette école avait été préparé avec une huile qui contenait un pesticide organophosphoré, selon ce rapport d’un laboratoire de médecine légale cité par la police à Patna. « Le rapport a trouvé un composé organophosphoré dans des échantillons d’huile prélevés dans l’école où le repas de midi a été préparé et consommé par les enfants », a déclaré un haut responsable de la police, Ravinder Kumar.

    Un puissant insecticide se trouvait dans l’huile ayant servi à préparer le repas qui a mortellement intoxiqué 23 enfants dans une école du Bihar, dans l’est de l’Inde, selon un rapport médical publié samedi. Le repas de lentilles, de pommes de terre et de riz destiné le 16 juillet aux élèves de cette école avait été préparé avec une huile qui contenait un pesticide organophosphoré, selon ce rapport d’un laboratoire de médecine légale cité par la police à Patna. « Le rapport a trouvé un composé organophosphoré dans des échantillons d’huile prélevés dans l’école où le repas de midi a été préparé et consommé par les enfants », a déclaré un haut responsable de la police, Ravinder Kumar.

    Source: DNA, 20/07/2013
    http://www.dna.fr/actualite/2013/07/20/de-l-insecticide-dans-le-repas-d-une-cantine-23-enfants-meurent

  • Organic farming is the clean green solution to pesticide residues

    Organic farming is the clean green solution to pesticide residues

    A new study, published in the latest Environmental Pollution journal, has found agricultural chemical residues in the sediments of South Island streams. The authors linked their findings to previous studies that found residues in pine tree needles and mountain air. One pesticide, chlorpyrifos was found in 87% of samples of waterway sediments. These pesticides are not used by organic producers. “We need to urgently improve the environmental record of our agricultural sector so that we can live up to our international brand of producers of clean safe food,” said Green Party agriculture spokesperson Steffan Browning. “The Environmental Protection Authority is effectively the ‘Chemical Promotions Authority’ and is too freely allowing these pesticides through.

    A new study, published in the latest Environmental Pollution journal, has found agricultural chemical residues in the sediments of South Island streams. The authors linked their findings to previous studies that found residues in pine tree needles and mountain air. One pesticide, chlorpyrifos was found in 87% of samples of waterway sediments. These pesticides are not used by organic producers. “We need to urgently improve the environmental record of our agricultural sector so that we can live up to our international brand of producers of clean safe food,” said Green Party agriculture spokesperson Steffan Browning. “The Environmental Protection Authority is effectively the ‘Chemical Promotions Authority’ and is too freely allowing these pesticides through.

    “We can’t just keep pumping more and more pesticides into our environment and keep a hold of our clean green image overseas; something is going to give.

    “Alternatives to these pesticides exist, and many farmers and growers successfully use these alternatives, but the lack of vision from the National Government and our regulators is risking our clean green marketing advantage.

    “There are more and more farms out there showing that organic production methods are good for the environment, for animals, human health and for the bank balance.

    “The organic sector globally has had average annual growths of 8 percent, New Zealand exports of organics increased by 25 percent over the last 3 years, and international demand keeps rising.

    “That’s where our focus should be, on pesticide free production not pesticide reliance.”

    The Environmental Pollution article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026974911300359X

    Source: Scoop News, 25 July 2013
    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1307/S00375/organic-farming-clean-green-solution-to-pesticide-residues.htm

  • Frogs living in remote mountain ponds in the Sierra Nevada are ingesting pesticides used to grow crops 50 to 100 miles away in California’s Central Valley

    Frogs living in remote mountain ponds in the Sierra Nevada are ingesting pesticides used to grow crops 50 to 100 miles away in California’s Central Valley

    Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey identified 10 distinct chemicals in the frogs’ tissues, including residues of DDT, an insecticide that’s been banned for more than 40 years. While the new study, published Thursday in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, found only trace amounts of the agricultural chemicals, researchers say that’s almost beside the point: The mere fact that the pesticides had made their way to distant sites in national parks and other public lands was their primary concern. Amphibians are considered excellent indicators of ecosystem health due to their sensitivity to environmental change. And while they’re not as charismatic as polar bears,“they are a part of the food web,” said study leader Kelly Smalling, a research hydrologist who monitors pesticides in amphibians for the U.S. Geological Survey. A recent study of frogs in the U.S. showed that even populations of species thought to be doing well are disappearing at a rate of almost 3% per year. They’re so fragile that Congress created the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative in 2000 to keep track of the vulnerable animals.

    Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey identified 10 distinct chemicals in the frogs’ tissues, including residues of DDT, an insecticide that’s been banned for more than 40 years. While the new study, published Thursday in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, found only trace amounts of the agricultural chemicals, researchers say that’s almost beside the point: The mere fact that the pesticides had made their way to distant sites in national parks and other public lands was their primary concern. Amphibians are considered excellent indicators of ecosystem health due to their sensitivity to environmental change. And while they’re not as charismatic as polar bears,“they are a part of the food web,” said study leader Kelly Smalling, a research hydrologist who monitors pesticides in amphibians for the U.S. Geological Survey. A recent study of frogs in the U.S. showed that even populations of species thought to be doing well are disappearing at a rate of almost 3% per year. They’re so fragile that Congress created the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative in 2000 to keep track of the vulnerable animals.

    Study co-author and herpetologist Gary Fellers of USGS began monitoring frogs in California in the early 1990s. In 2009, as Fellers prepared to do his usual counts, Smalling decided to tag along to see whether pesticides were contributing to amphibians’ demise.

    Before long, she was in Yosemite, wading around ponds at night and imitating mating calls When a male responded, she and Fellers would “scoop them up in a net” and then euthanize them, she said.

    The pair collected frogs from seven sites in the Sierra Nevada, ranging from Lassen Volcanic National Park in the north to Giant Sequoia National Monument in the south. All of the animals were members of the species Pseudacris regilla, an impossibly bright green creature about the size of a half-dollar, according to the study.

    Back in the lab, the researchers ground up the frogs and screened their tissues for evidence of 98 pesticides. They found 10, including a degraded form of DDT, which was outlawed in 1972. Several of the compounds had never before been observed in frogs.

    The three most common chemicals were pyraclostrobin, tebuconazole and simazine, all of which are used to kill pest fungi and plants.

    The amount of pesticides found was considered “trace,” but Smalling said it’s impossible to know whether it was enough to cause damage, since these chemicals have never been found in frogs before. “Every pesticide is going to affect organisms differently,” she said.

    While the chemicals are not used in the vicinity of the frog ponds, they can travel through the atmosphere.

    “They’re moved by the prevailing winds,” she said. “They’re either released via dust or precipitation.”

    The researchers were surprised that none of the pesticides discovered in the frogs were detected in water samples from the ponds where the frogs lived. Very few of the chemicals were found in sediment samples either.

    Many studies examining the effects of chemicals on wildlife place more emphasis on collecting samples from water and soil rather than the animals that live in and on them. But the results of this study highlight the problems with that approach, Fellers said.

    “The frogs are being exposed to much higher concentrations than we would have suspected just by doing the basic environmental sampling,” he said.

    Now that pesticides have been in frogs, the next step is to figure out their effects. Death is not the only outcome that concerns Smalling and her team. “Even if concentrations are not high enough to be lethal,” the chemicals could leave the frogs more vulnerable to diseases, they wrote.

    Source: Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2013
    http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-frogs-pesticides-sierra-nevada-20130726,0,5060885.story

  • A key government scientist whose research was used by ministers to argue against a ban on pesticides thought to harm bees is to join Syngenta

    A key government scientist whose research was used by ministers to argue against a ban on pesticides thought to harm bees is to join Syngenta

    Dr Helen Thompson will leave the government’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) to join Syngenta on 1 September. Thompson led a field trial of the effect of neonicotinoids – the world’s most widely used insecticides – on bees, which was fast-tracked and frequently cited by ministers – although the UK subsequently failed to block a two-year ban in Europe on the pesticides after 15 other EU nations voted in favour. “Government policy should be informed by unbiased and disinterested scientific research,” said Joan Walley MP, chair of the environmental audit committee, whose report in April accused the environment secretary Owen Paterson’s department of “extraordinary complacency” over bees and pesticides. “This principle is undermined if the government research agency is too close to the pesticides industry and if scientists are zigzagging between the two.” A Fera spokeswoman said: “Dr Thompson’s move is a reflection of her expertise and international reputation within the scientific community. There is no conflict of interest. There are very specific rules for civil servants governing the acceptance of appointments outside the civil service.”

    Dr Helen Thompson will leave the government’s Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera) to join Syngenta on 1 September. Thompson led a field trial of the effect of neonicotinoids – the world’s most widely used insecticides – on bees, which was fast-tracked and frequently cited by ministers – although the UK subsequently failed to block a two-year ban in Europe on the pesticides after 15 other EU nations voted in favour. “Government policy should be informed by unbiased and disinterested scientific research,” said Joan Walley MP, chair of the environmental audit committee, whose report in April accused the environment secretary Owen Paterson’s department of “extraordinary complacency” over bees and pesticides. “This principle is undermined if the government research agency is too close to the pesticides industry and if scientists are zigzagging between the two.” A Fera spokeswoman said: “Dr Thompson’s move is a reflection of her expertise and international reputation within the scientific community. There is no conflict of interest. There are very specific rules for civil servants governing the acceptance of appointments outside the civil service.”

    Thompson was immediately withdrawn from research projects which could lead to a conflict of interest when she informed Fera of her new job on 4 July. A Syngenta spokesman said that for one year Thompson would “have no direct professional contact” with Fera or the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), nor work on any UK or European Union projects. “Syngenta is committed to fully understanding and developing solutions to the problem of declining bee health,” said the spokesman. “Experienced scientists are the key to achieving this goal.” For the first year, Thompson will work on a “range of international projects”, said Syngenta.

    Bees and other pollinators are vital for the production of three-quarters of the world’s food crops but have seen serious declines in recent decades. Loss of flowery habitats and rising disease have been blamed, as well as increasing use of pesticides.

    Thompson led a field project intended to test the effect of neonicotinoids on bumblebees. However, the study was criticised as flawed after the near ubiquitous use of the insecticides led to the contamination of colonies meant to be pesticide-free controls. Thompson also worked on a Fera project on bees and pesticides paid for by Syngenta, as well as having worked on the registration of some pesticides. In April, the Observer revealed intense behind-the-scenes lobbying by Syngenta, including threatening to sue individual officials at the European Food Safety Authority involved in publishing a report that found the pesticides posed an unacceptable risk to bees.

    “Given the obvious scope for conflicts of interest, we need assurances that the civil service code on impartiality has been applied in this particular case,” said Walley. “When my select committee scrutinised pesticides regulation, we highlighted the need for increased transparency in relation to testing and trials. This case demonstrates why that recommendation was so important. Defra will publish its response to our report soon, and I look forward to reading its proposals on enhanced transparency.”

    A Defra spokeswoman said: “Dr Thompson is a respected scientist and we have absolute confidence in the professionalism and independence of her work. All civil servants are bound by the Official Secrets Act on appointment and are not allowed to disclose confidential information to any future employer.”

    In June, ministers launched an “urgent” review of the crisis facing bees and other pollinators in the UK and pledged to introduce a national pollinator strategy.

    Friends of the Earth’s Paul de Zylva said: “This is yet another example of the revolving door that exists between government and big business. The public must have confidence that the government is doing all it can to safeguard Britain’s threatened bees. The best way to do this by ensuring its national pollinator strategy tackles all the causes of bee decline – including pesticides.”

    Regarding the contract work performed for companies by Fera, the Fera spokeswoman said: “Fera’s commercial activities are governed by HM Treasury guidance. In addition, all Fera employees are bound by the civil service code which covers standards while in post.”

    Source:
    The Guardian, 26 July 2013
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jul/26/government-bee-scientist-pesticide-firm

  • Trichomonas infection detected in 86% of Britain’s Turtle Doves

    Trichomonas infection detected in 86% of Britain’s Turtle Doves

    Trichomonas gallinae is an emerging pathogen in wild birds, linked to recent declines in finch (Fringillidae) populations across Europe. Globally, the main hosts for this parasite are species of Columbidae (doves and pigeons); here we carry out the first investigation into the presence and incidence of Trichomonas in four species of Columbidae in the UK, through live sampling of wild-caught birds and subsequent PCR. We report the first known UK cases of Trichomonas infection in 86% of European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur sampled, along with 86% of Eurasian Collared Doves Streptopelia decaocto, 47% of Woodpigeons Columba palumbus and 40% of Stock Doves Columba oenas. Birds were more likely to be infected if the farm provided supplementary food for gamebirds. We found three strains of T. gallinae and one strain clustering within the Trichomonas tenax clade, not previously associated with avian hosts in the UK. One T. gallinae strain was identical at the ITS/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal region to that responsible for the finch trichomonosis epizootic. We highlight the importance of increasing our knowledge of the diversity and ecological implications of Trichomonas parasites in order further to understand the sub-clinical impacts of parasite infection.

    Trichomonas gallinae is an emerging pathogen in wild birds, linked to recent declines in finch (Fringillidae) populations across Europe. Globally, the main hosts for this parasite are species of Columbidae (doves and pigeons); here we carry out the first investigation into the presence and incidence of Trichomonas in four species of Columbidae in the UK, through live sampling of wild-caught birds and subsequent PCR. We report the first known UK cases of Trichomonas infection in 86% of European Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur sampled, along with 86% of Eurasian Collared Doves Streptopelia decaocto, 47% of Woodpigeons Columba palumbus and 40% of Stock Doves Columba oenas. Birds were more likely to be infected if the farm provided supplementary food for gamebirds. We found three strains of T. gallinae and one strain clustering within the Trichomonas tenax clade, not previously associated with avian hosts in the UK. One T. gallinae strain was identical at the ITS/5.8S/ITS2 ribosomal region to that responsible for the finch trichomonosis epizootic. We highlight the importance of increasing our knowledge of the diversity and ecological implications of Trichomonas parasites in order further to understand the sub-clinical impacts of parasite infection.

    Source:

    ROSIE J. LENNON et al (2013) Parasitology / FirstView Article, pp 1-9
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0031182013000887

    http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8956876&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0031182013000887

  • Do you remember? Windscreens were covered once, at the end of a car trip in high summer, with an insect massacre: splattered moths and squashed flies and wasps and gnats and God knows what

    Do you remember? Windscreens were covered once, at the end of a car trip in high summer, with an insect massacre: splattered moths and squashed flies and wasps and gnats and God knows what

    But in recent years more and more drivers seem to be finding their windscreens clear. Is it just a vague perception? Or might it correspond to something real and serious, the widespread disappearance of insects in general? Conservationists are starting to think the latter proposition is true. “Anecdotal evidence pointing to the decline of British insects abounds,” said Dr George McGavin, acting curator of entomology at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. “Most people over the age of 50 talk of seeing many more species of moths, butterflies and other insects when they were children.” With a colleague, Dr McGavin in 2000 examined insect records in Warwickshire from 100 years ago and the present day, and found that about 20 per cent of the species surveyed (including beetles, bees, dragonflies and butterflies) had disappeared or were in marked decline. A closer examination showed that 394 beetle species alone had been lost, a decline of 24 per cent.

    But in recent years more and more drivers seem to be finding their windscreens clear. Is it just a vague perception? Or might it correspond to something real and serious, the widespread disappearance of insects in general? Conservationists are starting to think the latter proposition is true. “Anecdotal evidence pointing to the decline of British insects abounds,” said Dr George McGavin, acting curator of entomology at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. “Most people over the age of 50 talk of seeing many more species of moths, butterflies and other insects when they were children.” With a colleague, Dr McGavin in 2000 examined insect records in Warwickshire from 100 years ago and the present day, and found that about 20 per cent of the species surveyed (including beetles, bees, dragonflies and butterflies) had disappeared or were in marked decline. A closer examination showed that 394 beetle species alone had been lost, a decline of 24 per cent.

    Britain’s best insect records are kept by Rothamsted Research, the former government agricultural research station at Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Rothamsted supervises a network of 16 insect suction traps around Britain, which have been emptied daily, with the insects kept, for more than 30 years. This year a pilot project for English Nature assessed how much change there had been in the total weight of insects caught in four traps since 1970.

    There had been no change in the trap at Rothamsted itself, slight declines in traps in Devon and Kent, but a 60 per cent decline in the trap in Herefordshire. “That was a very dramatic drop, but it is not yet possible to speculate on the reasons,” said the scientist running the project, Dr Richard Harrington.

    When specific records for six moth species at Rothamsted were examined last year, five were found to have suffered substantial declines; many more are now being examined. It is a situation paralleled with butterflies; with bumblebees; and with mayflies, the upwing flies of rivers on which trout feed. The trend seems to be especially serious with Britain’s 4,000 beetle species: many, such as ladybirds, are tumbling in numbers.

    But although these individual declines are becoming well known, there is a lack of data that might indicate general declines across Britain as a whole, which is where the splatometer comes in. It consists of a simple, postcard- sized piece of transparent PVC film, which sticks to the front of the car – on the bumper, number plate or body – and traps the insects that collide with it.

    At the end of a given journey, an identical piece of film is slipped on top of the original to protect its spattered haul, and the whole is peeled off (without leaving a sticky residue) and sent for analysis.

    The beauty of the system, and the aspect that makes it possible to use on a large scale, is that each plate can be analysed quickly and automatically by a computer picture scanner, which can give an accurate reading of the marked area. The mindboggling task of trying to count the insects by hand never arises.

    For the past few weeks the splatometer has been tested on the cars of RSPB staff based at the society’s headquarters in Sandy, Bedfordshire, supervised by two young scientists, Dr Richard Bradbury, an expert in the decline of farmland birds, and Dr Mark Telfer, an entomologist.

    They gave The Independent an exclusive demonstration – Dr Bradbury’s 20-mile car journey to work produced a boldly splattered plate – and they are convinced now that the splatometer will work, will be easy to use, very popular, and can be rolled out for mass use, very probably next summer.

    Once operating, it will produce a statistical baseline for insect abundance against which declines in future years can be accurately measured. And straight away it will yield some really significant results, such as regional variations, and date variations.

    The widespread disappearance of such once-common farmland birds as yellowhammers and grey partridges is what has set the ornithologists of the RSPB on the trail of insect decline; the one is thought to be caused by the other. But what is causing such widespread insect decline remains to be established. It is probably a combination of factors, including habitat loss, changes in land management practice, and climate change.

    The phenomenon has hitherto received virtually no publicity. This may be because many people see insects as “creepie-crawlies”, and feel the fewer the better. But it may also be because a conservation community, which long ago alerted the world to threats to the giant panda, the tiger and other “charismatic megafauna”, is only now waking up to the fact that things appear to be going badly wrong with insects and other invertebrates, or, as the great Harvard zoologist Edward O Wilson famously called them, the “little things that rule the world”.

    SPECIES IN DECLINE

    BEETLES

    Large numbers of Britain’s 4,000 beetle species are thought to be declining in abundance and range.

    This applies especially to the larger ones and those associated with rotten wood, such as the stag beetle, the subject of a biodiversity action plan. The loss of large beetle species may be behind the extinction of one of Britain’s most attractive birds, the red-backed shrike, which fed on them.

    BUTTERFLIES

    About three quarters of Britain’s 55 butterfly species have declined in recent decades, according to Britain’s leading authority, Dr Jeremy Thomas. Two have become extinct – the large tortoiseshell and the large blue (although the large blue has been successfully reintroduced). Several more species, including the high brown fritillary, the pearl-bordered fritillary, the wood white and the Duke of Burgundy, have virtually gone.

    MAYFLIES

    The numbers of mayflies and the other 50 aquatic upwing fly species on which trout feed may have declined by as much as about 60 per cent since the Second World War, according to a study organised three years ago. The Millennium Chalk Streams Fly Trends Study was based on the records and recollections of 365 experienced anglers on the chalk streams of southern England. The anglers said that they thought the numbers of flies were plunging.

    MOTHS

    Many of Britain’s 900 or so larger moths are thought to be rapidly declining. When records for six species, caught in the moth trap network run by Rothamsted Research over 30 years, were examined, five, including once-common species such as the garden tiger and the magpie moth, were found to be plummeting in number. A large number of other moth records are now being scrutinised

    Source: The Independent, 30 June 2003

  • The pesticide industry and EU regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s-1990s that Roundup causes birth defects – but they failed to inform the public

    The pesticide industry and EU regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s-1990s that Roundup causes birth defects – but they failed to inform the public

    This report, co-authored by international scientists and researchers, reveals that industry’s own studies (including one commissioned by Monsanto) showed as long ago as the 1980s that Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate causes birth defects in laboratory animals.The facts are these:1. Industry has known from its own studies since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses;2. Industry has known since 1993 that these effects also occur at lower and mid doses; 3. The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations; 4. The EU Commission’s expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations; 5. The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations. This was the year it signed off on the current approval of glyphosate. But this information was not made public. On the contrary, the pesticide industry and Europe’s regulators have jointly misled the public with claims that glyphosate is safe. As a result, Roundup is used by home gardeners and local authorities on roadsides, in school grounds, and in other public areas, as well as in farmers’ fields. As recently as 2010, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, BVL, told the Commission there was “no evidence of teratogenicity” (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate.

    This report, co-authored by international scientists and researchers, reveals that industry’s own studies (including one commissioned by Monsanto) showed as long ago as the 1980s that Roundup’s active ingredient glyphosate causes birth defects in laboratory animals.The facts are these:1. Industry has known from its own studies since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses;2. Industry has known since 1993 that these effects also occur at lower and mid doses; 3. The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations; 4. The EU Commission’s expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations; 5. The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations. This was the year it signed off on the current approval of glyphosate. But this information was not made public. On the contrary, the pesticide industry and Europe’s regulators have jointly misled the public with claims that glyphosate is safe. As a result, Roundup is used by home gardeners and local authorities on roadsides, in school grounds, and in other public areas, as well as in farmers’ fields. As recently as 2010, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, BVL, told the Commission there was “no evidence of teratogenicity” (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate.

    Questions in the EU Parliament
    The following EU parliamentary questions to the European Commission (EC) have been asked about Roundup, some of them about our report:

    – Glyphosate: concern over the delayed glyphosate review, 3 Oct 2011, Question from Sir Graham Watson (ALDE),
    – Cultivation of genetically-engineered seed and use of Roundup weed killer in EU Member States, 13 Sept 2011, Question from Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/NGL),
    – Glyphosate: recent and worrying reports, 1 Aug 2011, Question from Linda McAvan (S&D), Answer from the EC
    Review of glyphosate, 20 July 2011, Question from William (The Earl of) Dartmouth (EFD),
    – Glyphosate: using Monsanto’s research on the substance to inform decisions on its safety for use, 20 July 2011, Question from Timothy Kirkhope (ECR),
    – Review of glyphosate, 12 July 2011, Question from William (The Earl of) Dartmouth (EFD),
    – Suppression of information about the side effects of glyphosate in the herbicide ‘Roundup’, 30 June 2011, Question from Franz Obermayr (NI),
    – Public kept in the dark on Roundup link with birth defects, 27 June 2011, Question from Michail Tremopoulos (Verts/ALE),
    – Roundup herbicide spray, 27 June 2011, Question from Andreas Mölzer (NI),
    – Consequences for the EU of the discovery of a new pathogen in Monsanto’s GMO products, 13 March 2011, Question from Kartika Tamara Liotard (GUE/NGL),
    – Renewal of registration of glyphosate, 10 Feb 2011, Question from Michail Tremopoulos (Verts/ALE),
    – Error in the Commission’s answer to my written question on glyphosate, 15 Dec 10, Question from Michail Tremopoulos (Verts/ALE),
    – Safety standards regarding widely used pesticide, 1 Oct 2010, Question from Michail Tremopoulos (Verts/ALE), Answer from the EC

    As recently as 2010, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, BVL, told the Commission there was “no evidence of teratogenicity” (ability to cause birth defects) for glyphosate.

    BVL made this comment in its rebuttal of an independent scientific study by Argentine scientists which showed that Roundup and glyphosate cause birth defects in experimental animals at concentrations much lower than those used in agricultural spraying. The study was prompted by reports of high rates of birth defects and cancers in areas of South America growing genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready soy, which is engineered to tolerate being sprayed liberally with glyphosate herbicide.

    In its rebuttal of the Argentine study, BVL cited as proof of glyphosate’s safety the industry studies submitted for the Commission’s 2002 approval of glyphosate (the approval that is currently in force in Europe).

    But the authors of the new report obtained the approval documents and found that contrary to BVL’s claim, industry’s own studies, conducted in the 1980s and 1990s, showed that glyphosate/Roundup causes birth defects in experimental animals.

    Source: GreenMedInfo, 25 July 2013
    http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-and-birth-defects-public-being-kept-dark
    The report – Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark? – is attached

  • In 20 Jahren sind die Bestände der Wiesen-Schmetterlinge in Europa um fast 50 Prozent zurückgegangen

    In 20 Jahren sind die Bestände der Wiesen-Schmetterlinge in Europa um fast 50 Prozent zurückgegangen

    Das deutet auch auf den Rückgang vieler anderer Insektenarten hin. Inmitten landwirtschaftlicher Monokulturen haben sie es schwer. Und auch auf lange brachliegendem Land finden sie sich selten: Typische Wiesen-Schmetterlinge werden immer seltener. Innerhalb von 20 Jahren ist in Europa fast die Hälfte dieser Falter verschwunden. Das berichtet die Europäische Umweltagentur (EUA), die die Bestände der Insekten seit Jahrzehnten beobachtet. Schmetterlinge seien wichtige Indikatoren “für die Biodiversität und die allgemeine Gesundheit des Ökosystems”, teilt die EUA in einem jetzt veröffentlichten Bericht mit. Dieser fasst Daten von 1990 bis 2011 zusammen. Um die Bestände einzuschätzen, beobachten Menschen in 19 teilnehmenden Staaten die Entwicklung von 17 Schmetterlingsarten.

    Das deutet auch auf den Rückgang vieler anderer Insektenarten hin. Inmitten landwirtschaftlicher Monokulturen haben sie es schwer. Und auch auf lange brachliegendem Land finden sie sich selten: Typische Wiesen-Schmetterlinge werden immer seltener. Innerhalb von 20 Jahren ist in Europa fast die Hälfte dieser Falter verschwunden. Das berichtet die Europäische Umweltagentur (EUA), die die Bestände der Insekten seit Jahrzehnten beobachtet. Schmetterlinge seien wichtige Indikatoren “für die Biodiversität und die allgemeine Gesundheit des Ökosystems”, teilt die EUA in einem jetzt veröffentlichten Bericht mit. Dieser fasst Daten von 1990 bis 2011 zusammen. Um die Bestände einzuschätzen, beobachten Menschen in 19 teilnehmenden Staaten die Entwicklung von 17 Schmetterlingsarten.

    ◾Seit 1990 gingen demnach die Bestände von acht Arten zurück, darunter der Hauhechel-Bläuling (Polyommatus icarus).
    ◾Zwei Arten blieben stabil; dazu zählte der Aurorafalter (Anthocharis cardamines).
    ◾Eine Art, der Rote Würfel-Dickkopffalter (Spialia sertorius), konnte sich sogar ausbreiten.
    ◾Für sechs Arten war die weitere Entwicklung “unsicher”, darunter für den Mattscheckigen Braun-Dickkopffalter (Thymelicus acteon).

    Die intensive Landwirtschaft gilt als eine wichtige Ursache für den Rückgang bei den Wiesen-Schmetterlingsarten. Aber auch die Aufgabe von Feldern in gebirgigen Regionen vor allem in Süd- und Westeuropa ist ein Grund, denn dort wandeln sich Wiesen nach und nach zu Gestrüppflächen oder Wäldern – und diese bieten den Wiesen-Schmetterlingen keine Heimat. In einigen Regionen in Nordwesteuropa bleiben den Faltern so nur noch die Grasflächen an den Straßenrändern, an Bahnstrecken oder in den Städten, schreibt die EUA. Die Behörde betont zudem, dass die Bedingungen für Falter sich schon deutlich vor 1990 zunehmend verschlechtert hätten.

    “Wir müssen die Bedeutung dieser Schmetterlinge und anderer Insekten anerkennen”, sagt EUA-Chef Hans Bruyninckx. “Die Bestäubung, die sie leisten, ist entscheidend für das natürliche Ökosysteme und die Landwirtschaft.” Wenn es nicht gelänge, deren Lebensräume zu erhalten, könnten viele dieser Arten für immer verloren sein, warnt er.

    Die EUA ist zwar eine EU-Behörde, an dem Projekt sind aber nicht nur EU-Staaten beteiligt. Auch die Schweiz steuerte Daten bei. Ebenso sind Informationen aus dem Westen der Ukraine sowie einer Region in Westrussland in den Bericht eingeflossen.

    Quelle: Der Spiegel, 23.07.2013
    http://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/bestaende-von-wiesen-schmetterlingen-schwinden-europaweit-a-912617.html