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  • There are no rural hedgehogs in South West England

    Led by scientists from the University of Reading and Nottingham Trent University, the study exposed the sad news that most of the countryside in England and Wales is no longer occupied by hedgehogs, due to changes in farming methods and rising badger populations which eat the prickly animals and much of their food sources. Labelled the first systematic national survey, the shocking results published in the journal, Scientific Reports, showed that numbers are believed to have fallen by 80% since the 1950s.

    As part of the study, 261 rural sites were monitored by analysing footprints left by hedgehogs in special tracking tunnels. A map was then created, using the survey findings, depicting the pattern of hedgehog occupancy on sites in England and Wales in relation to relative badger density: The worryingly low levels of hedgehog numbers are most disturbing in the South West of England, where there were found to be no rural hedgehogs at all.

    Source: Country Living, Sep 8, 2018
    https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a23022368/no-rural-hedgehogs-south-west-england-new-national-study/

  • Less than a million wild hedgehogs left in the UK

    Britain’s native hedgehog population has declined by half in the last two decades, with less than a million now remaining in the UK. The reclusive creatures are vanishing from rural areas at record rates, according to a new study by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and People’s Trust for Endangered Species. The State of Britain’s Hedgehogs report warns there are fewer than one million of hedgehogs left living in our gardens, hedgerows and fields. This is down half a million on 1995’s estimations.

    Intensive farming methods are among the many reasons for hedgehog decline in rural areas. Emily Wilson, Hedgehog Officer for Hedgehog Street, said: “The intensification of agriculture through the loss of hedgerows and permanent grasslands, increased field sizes, and the use of pesticides which reduce the amount of prey available, are all associated with the plunge in numbers of hedgehogs in rural areas.”

    Source: Country Living, February, 2019
    https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/countryside/a26232314/hedgehogs-uk-decline/

  • Rabb’s fringe-limbed treefrog went extinct this decade

    The Rabbs’ fringe-limbed treefrog (Ecnomiohyla rabborum) was unlike any other species on planet Earth. Inhabiting only the forests of Panama, the frog had enormously charismatic brown eyes, and feet so oversized they looked cartoonish. But what made the frog truly special was the way it looked after its tadpoles. The Rabbs’ was the only known frog in the world where tadpoles would eat the literal flesh of their fathers’ back to survive their early days of life. That’s right: Dads could feed their offspring with their own flesh.

    You can think of it as a clever invention, wrought by evolution. Nature is filled with these quirks of survival, which can take hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years, to evolve. But in 2016, the very last known Rabbs’ tree frog died in an Atlanta Zoo. And with the death of the last one — a male, nicknamed Toughie — all the biological machinery that came with the frog was wiped off the face of the earth.

    Source: Vox, Dec 9, 2019
    https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/12/9/20993619/biodiversity-crisis-extinction

  • Api e neonicotinoidi: gli insetticidi vietati contaminano ancora i campi europei

    Nonostante la moratoria europea del 2013 sull’uso all’aperto, e la successiva conferma in senso restrittivo e permanente (a eccezione delle serre) del 2018, i neonicotinoidi clotianidina, imidacloprid e thiamethoxam sono ancora molto presenti sui terreni del vecchio continente e, in particolare, su quelli francesi, dove questi insetticidi sono stati vietati del tutto nel 2018 per tutelare le api e gli altri insetti impollinatori.

    Lo dimostra uno studio condotto sul campo dai ricercatori del CNRS, dell’INRA e dell’Institut de l’Abeille (ITSAP), e appena pubblicato su Science of the Total Environment, nel quale, in media, le sostanze incriminate sono state trovate in circa un campione su due, con una grande variabilità a seconda della stagione, del tipo di terreno e di altri fattori, ad esempio le piogge.

    I ricercatori hanno raccolto 536 campioni in 292 campi di colza invernale per cinque anni a partire dall’inizio della moratoria, tra il 2014 e il 2018, e hanno scoperto che tutti e tre si riscontravano molto spesso. In particolare, l’imidacloprid è stato trovato nel 43% dei campioni, pari al 48% dei campi analizzati, e non si è osservata una tendenza alla diminuzione: al contrario, nel 2015 era positivo il 5% dei campioni e nel 2016 il 90%, senza un apparente motivo. Va detto che il 92% dei campioni positivi conteneva valori molto bassi di imidacloprid, compresi tra 0,1 e 1 nanogrammo per millilitro, ma in alcuni casi la concentrazione era di 70 ng/ml, ovvero superiore a quella che di solito si riscontra nei terreni trattati.

    Per quanto riguarda le api, il rischio di mortalità più marcato si è avuto tra il 2014 e il 2016, quando il 12% dei campi mostrava una contaminazione tale da poter causare la morte del 50% delle api e dei bombi. Secondo gli autori è chiaro che queste sostanze sono molto persistenti, e che bisogna fare di più per controllare che i divieti siano rispettati e, se possibile, arrivare ovunque al bando totale.

    Source: Il Fatto Alimentari, 2 Dicembre 2019
    https://ilfattoalimentare.it/api-bombi-neonicotenoidi.html

  • PBL: terugdringen watervervuiling door bestrijdingsmiddelen blijft achter bij de doelstellingen

    Het ingezette beleid om de vervuiling van water met bestrijdingsmiddelen terug te dringen, levert niet de beoogde effecten op. Overschrijding van de waterkwaliteitsnormen neemt wel af, maar minder dan de doelstelling, blijkt uit een tussentijdse evaluatie van het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving. Dat ligt aan telers, maar ook aan tekortkomingen in het beleid. Glyfosaat blijft de belangrijkste probleemstof voor de drinkwaterwinning.

    Het PBL heeft bekeken in hoeverre het beleid om vervuiling van milieu en water door gewasbeschermingsmiddelen te verminderen op koers ligt. De ambities daarvoor zijn bepaald in de nota Gezonde Groei, Duurzame Oogst, die in 2013 is vastgesteld door het kabinet.

    Halverwege zou gekeken worden naar de voortgang: in 2018 moest het aantal overschrijdingen met 50 procent zijn afgenomen ten opzichte van 2013. Die evaluatie leert nu dat tussentijdse doelen niet zijn gehaald. De biodiversiteit in het agrarisch gebied gaat zelfs achteruit. En ook de belasting van het water blijkt minder snel af te nemen dan de bedoeling is. In 2017 is het aandeel gemeten overschrijdingen van de waterkwaliteitsnormen voor de Kaderrichtlijn Water (KRW) niet met de beoogde 50 maar met 15 procent afgenomen ten opzichte van 2013.

    Bron: H2O, 22-06-19
    https://www.h2owaternetwerk.nl/h2o-actueel/pbl-afname-bestrijdingsmiddelenresten-in-water-gaat-te-traag

  • Bees and pesticide regulation: Lessons from the neonicotinoid experience

    Neonicotinoid insecticides have been signaled as an important driver of widespread declines in bee diversity and abundance. Neonicotinoids were registered in the 1990s and by 2010 accounted for one third of the global insecticide market. Following a moratorium in 2013, their use on open-field crops was completely banned in the EU in 2018. Pesticide regulation should be based on solid and updated scientific evidence, whereby products showing unacceptable effects on the environment are not approved. Clearly, pesticide regulation failed to detect the ecological threats posed by neonicotinoids.

    We argue that at the time neonicotinoids were authorized, risk assessment (RA) protocols were inadequate to detect some of the risks associated with neonicotinoid properties, including high efficacy, long persistence, high systemicity, high mobility, and application versatility. We advocate for the adoption of a more holistic RA approach that should account for: a) temporal and spatial dimensions of pesticide exposure; b) co-exposure to multiple compounds; c) differences among bee species with different life histories in levels of exposure and sensitivity; and d) sublethal effects (mostly ignored in current RA procedures). We also argue that regulatory studies conducted to support pesticide registration should be publicly available, and that pesticide regulation should not be discontinued once a product has been authorized. We should use the knowledge acquired through the neonicotinoid experience as an opportunity to profoundly revise bee RA schemes. These efforts should be initiated promptly; the neonicotinoid story has also taught us that the regulatory system is reluctant to react.

    Source: Fabio Sgolastra et al. Biological Conservation Volume 241, January 2020, 108356

  • Waterkwaliteit in sloten, plassen en vennen zorgelijk, blijkt uit groot burgeronderzoek

    Kleine wateren vormen samen een derde van het Nederlandse oppervlaktewater. Ze staan vaak rechtstreeks bloot aan vervuilingsbronnen als meststoffen en bestrijdingsmiddelen. Drinkwaterbedrijven sloegen eerder dit jaar al alarm over de zorgelijke kwaliteit van het oppervlakte- en grondwater in Nederland. Rivieren raken steeds sterker verontreinigd met chemische stoffen en medicijnresten, terwijl meststoffen en bestrijdingsmiddelen steeds dieper doordringen in het grondwater. De winning van drinkwater komt daardoor in gevaar, waarschuwde de Vereniging van waterbedrijven in Nederland (Vewin).

    Van de wateren die systematisch worden gecontroleerd, voldoet slechts 1 procent aan de gestelde normen. In ongeveer een derde van de wateren in Nederland wordt de kwaliteit echter nooit of zelden gemeten. Om de kwaliteit van de kleinere waterlopen en plassen toch in beeld te krijgen, besloten Natuur & Milieu en ASN Bank de hulp in te roepen van burgers. Dat leverde 782 bruikbare metingen op uit het hele land.

    Onderzoeker Sven Teurlincx van het NIOO ziet grote meerwaarde in burgeronderzoek. ,,In korte tijd konden we op deze manier veel meer metingen verzamelen dan we ooit met professionele onderzoekers hadden gekund, op veel meer plekken. Met betaalde krachten zou dat ook veel duurder zijn geweest. Bovendien creëert zo’n project meer betrokkenheid van burgers bij de waterkwaliteit in hun omgeving.’’

    Die resultaten roepen waarschijnlijk nog een te rooskleurig beeld op, zegt Teurlinkx. ,,We hebben niet gemeten of er poepbacteriën of blauwalg in het water zitten of onderzocht of het water veilig is om in te zwemmen. Ook stoffen waar grote wateren wel op worden gecontroleerd, zoals pesticiden, medicijnresten en zware metalen, zijn niet gemeten. Of denk aan PFAS, waar nu veel discussie over is. Het zou goed zijn om daar in een vervolgonderzoek wel naar te kijken.’’

    Desalniettemin geeft het burgeronderzoek volgens de ecoloog een goede indicatie van de toestand van het Nederlandse oppervlaktewater. ,,In driekwart van de door ons onderzochte wateren bleek het stikstof- of fosfaatgehalte boven de norm. Het gaat om meststoffen uit de landbouw, maar ook van burgers die hun tuintjes bemesten, eendjes voeren of stikstofoxiden uit uitlaatgassen die uit de lucht neerslaan. Dat is niet alleen een probleem voor de biodiversiteit, zoals nu wordt benadrukt in de stikstofcrisis. Een overschot aan voedingsstoffen zorgt niet alleen voor minder vissen, maar bedreigt ook de kwaliteit van ons drink- en zwemwater doordat bijvoorbeeld blauwalg en botulisme oprukken.’’

    Bron: AD, 05-12-19
    https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/waterkwaliteit-in-sloten-plassen-en-vennen-zorgelijk-blijkt-uit-groot-burgeronderzoek~ae907ea6/

  • Decline in bird population first sign of ecological ‘breakdown’

    A decline in bird populations is the first indication that something is ecologically amiss, according to an expert from a wildlife organization. “Birds are the first stimulus of degradation in an area. If there is a decrease in the bird populations somewhere, it indicates that something is wrong there,” Ahmet Emre Kutukcu, a wildlife expert from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Turkey, told Anadolu Agency (AA).

    Citing the relationship between bird populations and the balance of nature as an example, he said that at one time in Europe, birds that were feeding on farmlands decreased because of a pesticides-related reduction in the insect population, which also caused a decrease in pollination. “However, if there is a sufficient proportion of raptors, there is no need for pesticides, since there will be fewer rodents there,” he added, noting that the U.S. and European countries have conducted many projects to tackle this problem.

    Touching on the key role of migratory birds on the environment, Kutukcu said they serve as cleaners in the ecosystem and also control the population of rodents and rabbits on farmland. “Because of a decrease in the vulture population last year in India and Pakistan, rabies has increased in the two countries, and this also led to financial losses,” he said.

    He went on to say that storks, which feed on lizards and frogs, make a contribution to agricultural production as they keep the populations of these two animals under control. “Insectivorous birds, for example, also play an important role as part of public health by preventing the increase of disease-carrying insects and mosquitoes,” he said.

    Highlighting another significant contribution of migratory birds to pollination, he said fieldfares ensure the spread of many seeds, especially fruit seeds. That marks a huge contribution to the sustainability of an ecosystem as everything in the environment is connected to each other.

    Source: Daily Sabah, 27 Nov 2019
    https://www.dailysabah.com/environment/2019/11/27/decline-in-bird-population-first-warning-of-ecological-breakdown

  • Insektensterben und Artenschwund: Das sagt die chemische Industrie

    Laut Industrieverband Agrar (IVA) hat das Insektensterben viele Gründe. Problematisch sei, dass es in der heutigen Landschaft weniger Ruderalstandorte gebe, weniger extensive Wiesen und Weiden, weniger Blütenpflanzen, weniger Feuchtgebiete, Hecken, Feldränder und Rohböden.

    Auch in einer intensiven Landwirtschaft gebe es viele Möglichkeiten, die Artenvielfalt zu erhöhen. Dazu brauche es Nahrungs- und Nisthabitate, erprobte Hilfen, wie Lerchenfenster, oder größere Abstände bei Saatreihen auf Teilflächen im Getreide. Vor allem aber seien die Hilfen zu planen und zu managen.

    6 Hauptgründe für den Insektenrückgang
    Das gelte für die landwirtschaftlich genutzten Flächen ebenso wie für solche von Gemeinden und Privatgärten. Die wichtigsten Ursachen für den Artenrückgang:

    1. Die Flächenversiegelung durch Bebauung aller Art,
    2. Der Mangel an Strukturen und Habitaten in der Landschaft,
    3. Der Einsatz von Insektiziden und anderen Pflanzenschutzmitteln,
    4 Die Lichtverschmutzung als Zunahme von Lichtquellen und –intensität,
    5. Die enorme Zunahme des Auto- und Lkw-Verkehrs,
    6. Das ungeeignete Biotopmanagement im kommunalen Bereich, etwa das Mulchen von Randstreifen.

    Quelle: Top Agrar, 01.11.2019
    https://www.agrarheute.com/pflanze/getreide/insektensterben-artenschwund-sagt-chemische-industrie-560903

  • Münchener Studie bestätigt starkes Insektensterben in Deutschland

    Die Langzeitstudie des Entomologischen Vereins Krefeld war im Oktober 2017 wie eine Bombe eingeschlagen: Innerhalb von dreißig Jahren sei die Anzahl der Fluginsekten in Deutschland um drei Viertel zurückgegangen. Nun bestätigt ein Forscherteam um Sebastian Seibold und Wolfgang Weisser, die an der Technischen Universität München terrestrische Ökologie lehren, diesen Insekten-Schwund. Sie veröffentlichten ihre Ergebnisse am 30. Oktober in der Fachzeitschrift Nature.

    “Bisherige Studien konzentrierten sich […] entweder ausschließlich auf die Biomasse, also das Gesamtgewicht aller Insekten, oder auf einzelne Arten oder Artengruppen”, stellte Forschungsgruppenleiter Seibold die Besonderheit der neuen Forschungsarbeit heraus.

    “Das Urteil ist klar. Mindestens in Deutschland ist der Insektenschwund real – und er ist so schlimm wie befürchtet”, schrieb der Biologieprofessor William Kunin von der University of Leeds in einem Kommentar zu der Studie. Die Studie liefere den stärksten bisher verfügbaren Beleg für das Insektensterben, betonte er.

    Die Wissenschaftler hatten zwischen 2008 und 2017 regelmäßig in drei Regionen des Landes sowohl Fluginsekten als auch andere Gliederfüßer wie Spinnentiere oder Tausendfüßer gezählt. Die Studie betrachtete 290 Standorte mit Wäldern und Graslandschaften auf der Schwäbischen Alb, im Hainich – einem bewaldeten Höhenrücken in Thüringen – sowie in der brandenburgischen Schorfheide.

    Die Wissenschaftler untersuchten 150 Standorte in Graslandschaften jährlich zwei Mal. Mit Netzen sammelten sie die Tiere von der Grasfläche ein. Von den 140 Waldstandorten nahmen sie 30 jährlich unter die Lupe, der Rest an drei Jahren innerhalb des Jahrzehnts. Sie fingen die Insekten dort mit Fallen.

    Insgesamt analysierten die Wissenschaftler Daten von mehr als einer Million Insekten und anderen Gliederfüßlern, die zu mehr als 2700 Arten gehörten. Sie berücksichtigten bei der Erhebung auch Schwankungen im Wetter, um damit verbundene Messfehler weitestgehend auszuschließen.

    Sowohl auf Wiesen als auch in Wäldern ging die Artenzahl im Studienzeitraum um etwa ein Drittel zurück. Auch deren Gesamtmasse nahm ab, besonders ausgeprägt in den Graslandschaften – dort um 67 Prozent. In den Wäldern schrumpfte sie um etwa 40 Prozent. Vermutlich hänge der Rückgang mit der Landwirtschaft zusammen, schreiben die Forscher. “Dass solch ein Rückgang über nur ein Jahrzehnt festgestellt werden kann, haben wir nicht erwartet”, sagte Weisser. “Das ist erschreckend, passt aber in das Bild, das immer mehr Studien zeichnen.”

    Quelle: Deutsche Welle, 31.10.2019
    https://www.dw.com/de/m%C3%BCnchener-studie-best%C3%A4tigt-starkes-insektensterben-in-deutschland/a-51051311