Following  tests on other plant species, Defra the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, insist the introduced psyllid will not cause problems of its own to native plants but will be an effective control to Japanes Knotweed.

The introduction of the insect will be the first form of bio-control used in the UK, though other countries have used this method to control problematic species with mixed results. In Australia, the introduction of the cane toad to control the cane beetle resulted in the loss of other species, but diseases introduced to control the European rabbit population have been successful in controlling numbers.

Huw Irranca-Davies, Wildlife Minister, said the “ground-breaking” project offers real hope against this plant which takes over areas of ground to the exclusion of other plant life.  “These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant,” he said.

The lice will be released into three secret sites over the next few months and closely monitored before other sites are chosen. Sophie Thomas, invasive plants officer at Plantlife, welcomed the move as long as the introduction is closely monitored for its effect on other plants and invertebrates.

“Plantlife believes that concerted and systematic effort has gone in to selecting the control agent that is least likely to cause damage beyond the intended target species or itself become invasive. However, bio-control will never be a risk-free process and all possible outcomes cannot be predicted nor mitigated against.” To find out how you can help in preventing other invasive species becoming problematic, in particular aquatic species like floating pennywort and water fern, visit the Plant Wise site.

Read more.

The project, set up by the Conservation Foundation which was established by David Bellamy and David Shreeve will monitor the saplings to establish if they have any resistance to the disease as many hope. It is not clear why certain mature trees have survived, perhaps they repel the bark beetle which spreads the fungus, or they have developed a genetic resistance to the fungus. The trees from which the saplings have grown come from Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Hampshire and are made up of species and sub-species, of which there are 40 found in the UK.

“We want to interest a new generation in the elm, so much a feature of the British life and landscape for centuries and also to try and find out why some trees survived Dutch elm disease,” says David Shreeve of the Conservation Foundation. He continues, “So many have disappeared over recent years that we can only hope to replace some. But rather than just give up and forget the elm, we think it’s worth a try.”

Read more about the Great British Elm Experiment and find out how old broken tools can be given new life through Tools Shed.

Khulan, or Mongolian wild Ass is a subspecies of the Onager found in the Badkhyz Nature Reserve.

The reserve was put aside in 1941 and covers 877 km² of the Bathyz Plateau ecosystem which meets the mountains which border Afganistn. The name of the reserve means “the place where wind begins”, which reflects the climatic conditions of the area. The wildlife of the reserve includes wild horses, antelope, horned sheep, wolves, hyenas, Persian Leopards as well as reptile and bird species.

In an excerpt from Simon’s blog, he talks of his hopes for the trip: “We are camping for four days – I have a romantic notion that this will be in a yurt decked out with fancy carpets where we will sit around in colourful gowns (with the hat I will have bought in Ashgabat), drinking tea and laughing heartily around the fire while beautiful serving maids bring us all manner of exotic foods. However I’ve also had romantic notions in the past that filming trips don’t involve rats chewing their way into my mosquito net or me falling into piles of stinking bat guano so I’m keeping an open mind.”

Simon will be capturing some of the wildlife of the reserve on film and gaining a better understanding of how the wildlife documentary will come together as he discovers the country, climate, wildlife and politics of Turkmenistan.

We are already looking forward to the stories from the trip and hope Simon can find an internet connection to send us some updates throughout his trip. We will post any news as we get it, watch this space…

Carnivores such as lynx and wolves may help in reducing deer numbers and so protect woodland areas which can be devastated by large herds. However, proposals to re-introduce predators have raised concerns from landowners and farmers over the risk to livestock as well as the threat posed to humans.

Dr David Hetherington, an ecologist with Cairngorms National Park Authority and an expert on species reintroduction said that some species would be more viable for re-introduction than others. It is believed that brown bears will not be considered further because, although they would offer a significant tourist attraction, Scotland could not support a viable population.

“We were trying to identify those animals we know or strongly suspect existed here in the past, which human activity had a major factor in their decline or eventual extinction in this country. Wolves are certainly viable but their introduction could create quite a few problems in the countryside. Out of all of the large carnivores we looked at, the Eurasian lynx is the best candidate and would have the best ecological impact.” said Dr Hetherington.

There are already attempts to reintroduce the Eurasian beaver into the UK with a pilot scheme currently under way on the west coast of Scotland and there are plans to reintroduce the species in Wales.

Species re-introduction remains a controversial issue as the arguments for and against can be compelling. Ross Montague, director of the Scottish Countryside Alliance, a body who represent supporters of the countryside, said: “Conservation efforts, in the Cairngorms and throughout Scotland, should be focused on maintaining and enhancing the native species already present – not introducing alien species which may or may not have been present in the dim and distant past.

“We are especially concerned with proposals to introduce species which could have unknown impacts on our fragile biodiversity and already endangered species such as the Scottish wildcat.”

The report will be presented to the Cairngorms’ National Park board towards the end of the year and will be used to help decide which species the park authorities will attempt to reintroduce into the Highlands. Read more….

This stark warning comes following a study of the impact of various factors upon the metabolism of coral reefs in the northern Red Sea. The research showed that the ability of the coral to build new structures depended strongly on water acidity and to a lesser extent temperature.

Dr Silverman said: “A global map produced on the basis of these calculations shows that all coral reefs are expected to stop their growth and start to disintegrate when atmospheric CO2 (carbon dioxide) reaches 560 parts per million (double its pre-industrial level), expected by the end of the 21st century.”

Corals reefs are built by the corals themselves which secrete a hard skeleton of calcium carbonate by extracting dissolved ions from the seawater. As the sea absorbs carbon dioxide, hydrogen ions are dissolved, this results in an increase in the acidity of the water. When the acidity level reaches a certain point, the corals are unable to extract the necessary minerals from the water and cannot continue to build their hard skeletons.

Corals are not the only organisms in the sea that rely on building calcium carbonate shells or internal structures (calcifying species). Molluscs, such as abalone, limpets and conch; crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs; coralline algae; and echinoderms which include star fish and sea urchins may all be affected by ocean acidification.

While the full ecological consequences of ocean acidification are still uncertain, it appears likely that many calcifying species will be adversely affected. If atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can be reduced and the increase in emissions which has been occurring since the industrial revolution can be halted, ocean acidification may not have such disastrous consequences. Read more..

The degradable polymer is made from sugars produced from the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass, which comes from non-food crops such as fast-growing trees and grasses, or renewable biomass from agricultural or food waste. “Our key breakthrough was in finding a way of using a non-food crop to form a polymer, as there are ethical issues around using food sources in this way,” said Dr Charlotte Williams who leads the team of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council scientists.

“For the plastic to be useful it had to be manufactured in large volumes, which was technically challenging. It took three-and-a-half years for us to hit a yield of around 80% in a low energy, low water use process,” explains Dr Williams. This is significant as the leading biorenewable plastic, polylactide, is formed in a high energy process requiring large volumes of water. In addition, when it reaches the end of its life polylactide must be degraded in a high-temperature industrial facility. In contrast, the oxygen-rich sugars in the new polymer allow it to absorb water and degrade to harmless products – meaning it can be tossed on the home compost heap and used to feed the garden. Read more..

The Chagos Archipelago, an isolated group of coral islands are home to an abundance of marine species and seabirds of international importance. The waters around the islands are considered to be among the least polluted in the world, with pristine reefs, turtles, sharks and almost 1000 other fish species. Officially British Indian Ocean territory, the Chagos are at the centre of a proposal, backed by the foreign secretary as well as numerous environmental groups to make the islands a marine protected area, where exploitative activities will be banned.

The critically endangered hawksbill turtle is found on the reefs around the Chagos islands

The case for the marine reserve is a compelling one, as marine reserves have been shown to promote and protect biodiversity. Ed Miliband has said: “This is a remarkable opportunity for the UK to create one of the world’s largest marine protected areas and double the global coverage of the world’s oceans benefiting from full protection.”

Between 1967 and 1973, the population of 1,400 people living on the Chagos Islands were relocated by Britain to Mauritius, some are now resident in the UK. The Chagossians who now number around 4000 have repeatedly called for permission to return to the islands. The case has now been taken to the European Court of Human Rights which is expected to rule on the matter in the summer.

Roch Evenor, a spokesman for the islanders and secretary of the UK Chagos Support Association said “With the Chagossians living on Chagos we will be able to help the marine protected area, as our presence will be a deterrent factor for illegal fishermen who are fishing the sea cucumbers and sharks. We can co-exist – the Chagos archipelago could be something great if we all put our heads together and collaborate.”

If the people of the Chagos are granted the right of return, any conservation agreements will have to be modified to allow them to successfully co-exist on the islands. The public consultation of the marine reserve will end on Friday. You can vote to protect the Chagos online. Although The Independent published an article this morning featuring the conflict between the plans for the marine protected area and the people of the Chagos, the Protect Chagos Facebook page has said there is no such conflict.

So-called ‘climate change deniers’ have gained further ammunition to their arguments due the events of recent months and action is needed to clarify the situation. Jonathan calls for a small team of scientists (of varying opinions), business men and scientifically-literate public figures who are trusted by the general public. The report delivered to a short time scale by this panel should address the following: “Does it still stack up? What should people make of all these recent revelations? Is the Climate Change Act (to which all three political parties have signed up) still based on robust scientific foundations? Can people still have confidence in the way climate science drives climate policy?”

There is little doubt that public opinion of this subject is divided and the facts are in need of clarification in order for us to move forward on this critical issue. Continued confusion will lead to lack of action and any decisions taken by the government will be undermined by lack of public support. Any such report as suggested by Jonathan needs to be independent and supported across the political parties to result in an agreement the public can believe in.

Jonathan Porritt is a well known environmentalist, who acts as adviser to a number of bodies on environmental matters including Prince Charles and Marks and Spencer.

The government says the scheme has been modified to take account of fears that it would threaten the way of life of the indigenous peoples who live in the area. They have indicated that the company which carries out the construction of the dam must be prepared to pay $800m to protect the environment. However critics have warned that the project will devastate large areas of rainforest as well as fish stocks and impact up to 40,000 people as over 500sq km of forest will be flooded.

Megaron Tuxucumarrãe, a Kayapó chief, says, “We want to make sure that Belo Monte does not destroy the ecosystems and the biodiversity that we have taken care of for millennia. We are opposed to dams on the Xingu, and will fight to protect our river.”

The dam is the the largest project of the Brazilian government’s Plan to Accelerate Growth program (PAC) and is expected to provide electricity to 23m homes. Francisco Hernandez, an electrical engineer and co-coordinator of a group of 40 specialists who analyzed the project says, “Belo Monte is a project of doubtful engineering viability, an extremely complex project which would depend on the construction not only of one dam, but rather a series of large dams and dykes that would interrupt the flow of water courses over an enormous area, requiring excavation of earth and rocks on the scale of that carried out for digging the Panama Canal.” Belo Monte would generate little energy during the three to four-month low water period, “which does not justify such an enormous investment”.

Although the project is now closer to reality, the dam remains highly controversial both in Brazil, and internationally. Read more from the BBC the Times and Amazon Watch.

This solution which can provide a renewable source to India’s growing energy needs has received huge government backing over recent years. However, recent research has shown that the crop yields less than previously thought and Jatropha has been found to have been planted on fertile farmland, undermining two of it’s best selling points.

Sharachchandra Lele, a senior fellow at ATREE, an Indian environmental research group promoting sustainable development said “Jatropha is being talked of as a crop that will grow on marginal and uncultivated land, and which will not compete with mainstream cultivation. But this is not what is happening in practice. Some state governments are promoting its cultivation on regular agricultural land, where it will displace existing crops, including food crops”.

The Indian government has aggressively promoted production of the crop, setting its sights on 11 million hectares (27 million acres) of plantations nationwide by next year.

Government policy stipulates that by 2017 all petrol and diesel fuel must have 20 percent biofuel content, one of many moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change. Read more…