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The new Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland will be Professor Muffy Calder, First Minister Alex Salmond announced yesterday. Professor Calder, currently Professor of Computing Science and Dean of Research at the University of Glasgow’s College of Science and Engineering, has been appointed following an open competition. The Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland is an overarching role, championing science as a key driver of the economy, and ensuring the Scottish Government uses science effectively in all policy-making.
The First Minister said: "Excellence in science is critical to Scotland’s prosperity and well-being. I am delighted that we have been able to appoint a scientist of Professor Calder’s stature and experience to provide advice and support to Ministers and the Scottish Government."
The Principal and Vice Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, Professor Anton Muscatelli added:
"Professor Muffy Calder is an outstanding scientist and brilliant communicator, and she is an excellent choice as Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland."
Professor Calder said: "I’m pleased to be taking up the post of Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland at a crucial time for the country. The world faces many scientific challenges in areas such as environment, software systems, and health and wellbeing. In Scotland some of the world’s best scientists and engineers are working to tackle these problems, and I am proud to be part of the country’s thriving scientific community. I look forward to ensuring our scientific research and industry continues to flourish, and that the Scottish Government gets the very best advice."
The Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland provides independent scientific advice to Ministers, champions Scotland’s world-leading research base and co-chairs the Scottish Science Advisory Council. In this role, Professor Calder will work alongside the Chief Health Scientist, Professor Andrew Morris, whose appointment was announced last week, and the new Rural and Environment Chief Scientific Adviser, once appointed.
Professor Calder will formally take up her post on 1st March.
Muffy Calder is Professor of Computing Science and Dean for Research in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Glasgow. She is a Royal Society Leverhulme Research Senior Fellow and Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award Holder. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the British Computer Society, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and was awarded the OBE for service to Computer Science in 2011.
Is modern living resulting in more people becoming disconnected from green spaces and the natural world, at the expense of our health and well-being?
Plans to devolve central government responsibilities could put biodiversity conservation at risk, according to new research.
A study of the Moray Firth Seal Management Plan (MFSMP), in north-east Scotland, identified four key conditions for long-term success, three of which pointed to the importance of direct government involvement.
The study's results have gone back to the interviewees, which included government advisors, and have led to policy recommendations at EU and national levels. The research is published in Biodiversity and Conservation.
A Dundee University professor has been appointed as Scotland's new chief scientist.
We want your views on the proposed arrangements for establishing and directing a new body for Wales’ natural resources.
This consultation seeks views on:
Our overall proposals;
Our proposals for implementing the legal changes required to establish the new body;
Our ambitions for the new body and its overall purpose;
Our proposed arrangements for customer and stakeholder engagement, including mechanisms for ensuring accountability and transparency in the work of the new body;
Our proposals for the main functions and powers of the body;
Our proposals for the status of the body and how it will be governed, including arrangements for an executive board and wider stakeholder engagement; and
How we propose to take forward issues around cross-border governance and how the body will be fully accountable to Ministers.
Closing date: 2 May 2012
The word sustainable is unsustainable
Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President of the Society of Biology, has today been appointed as the new co-chair of the Council for Science and Technology.
The Council advises the Prime Minister on policy issues which cut across the responsibilities of individual government departments. To ensure science and technology continues to drive UK growth, David Cameron intends to draw on Professor Rothwell's understanding of science and its relationship to business. Nancy Rothwell is President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester and has been on the Council for Science and Technology since June 2011 and President of the Society of Biology since October 2009.
The British Ecological Society Undergraduate Fellowship Scheme offers the opportunity for current or recent undergraduates to find out more about the careers available in the area of ecology.
Under the year-long scheme, Fellows will have the opportunity to attend the BES annual meeting to learn more about the society and possible careers in ecology and research. Throughout the year, participants will be encouraged to attend a variety of events throughout the UK, providing the chance for networking and to hear about opportunities in ecology. Graduate members and staff of the BES will also provide a mentoring service for Fellows through their progression from education and training to the start of an ecology career.
More information on the scheme, and details on how to apply are available from the BES. Closing date for applications is 31st March 2012.
DEFRA Secretary Caroline Spelman has outlined Government plans to re-write the European Commission’s controversial Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) ‘greening’ proposals.
This paper presents findings from an initial assessment of the potential impacts on land use and the environment associated with the proposals for CAP reform recommended by the Brian Pack Inquiry.
Communities could be encouraged to make their own assessments of the direct benefits they get from nature.
Plans aimed at ensuring that Wales’ natural environment is managed to deliver the best environmental and economic outcomes for Wales have been launched by Environment Minister, John Griffiths.
The Minister said: “Our natural environment here in Wales is crucial to both our future and our economy. That is why it is so important that we fully understand its value and manage it in a way that delivers the best environmental and economic outcomes for Wales, both now and in the future.
“The approach set out in our Green Paper ‘Sustaining a Living Wales’ hinges on us considering and managing the Welsh environment as a whole. This means assessing the many demands on our land, things like food production, construction and development, and tourism, and making the right decisions for Wales.
“It is about a new approach the puts resilience and diversity of our ecosystems, and the sustainable use of our resources right at the heart of the decision making process
“Not only would this new approach improve the resilience and diversity of the environment, it will also help to make the regulation of the environment simpler and more cost effective, something I am sure will be welcomed by businesses and environmental organisations alike."
The Minister explained that although the proposed approach was widely accepted by the International community, Wales would be one of the first countries to adopt it a national level.
The Welsh Government is inviting views on the proposals set out in its Green Paper and whether they are the right ones to ensure Wales’ natural environment helps to deliver the environmental and economic future that Wales needs.
In a changing global environment, with increasing pressure on ecosystem goods and services, biodiversity conservation is likely to become increasingly important. However, with the current global financial crisis, governments are increasingly trying to stabilise economies through spending cuts aiming to reduce national deficits. Within such an economic climate, the devolution of governance through public participation is an intrinsically appealing concept. We outline a number of challenges that explain why increased participation in biodiversity management has been and may continue to be problematic.
We argue that without an informed debate, the move towards a more participatory approach could pose a danger to hard-won policy gains in relation to public participation, biodiversity conservation and conflict management.
A living Wales – a new framework for our environment, our countryside and our seas
Wales' nature, land, water and air are our ultimate resource - the basis on which everything else is possible. If we are to realise our aspirations for better quality of life and future prospects, we need to ensure that that resource is put to best and most sustainable use.
Our aim is: to ensure that Wales has increasingly resilient and diverse ecosystems that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits.
We are seeking your views on proposed changes to the governance and delivery of the management and regulation of the environment in Wales, based on the ecosystem approach. An ecosystem is all the living things, and how they interact, with each other and their environment. This work will inform future Welsh Bills.
This is a challenge which will require new thinking. We want to know whether there is an appetite for radical change and whether the suggested building blocks we propose are the right ones.
Closing date: 31 May 2012
Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
8-9 March 2012
This meeting is an exciting joint venture between the British Ecological Society, the British Society of Soil Science, and the Scottish Government's Biodiversity Science Group.
Its main aim is to help bridge the gap between excellent ecological science and the needs of policy makers. It will focus in particular on the current revision of Scotland's Biodiversity Strategy, providing an important forum where scientists and policymakers working on biodiversity issues in Scotland can meet, discuss areas where excellent science is needed, and explore opportunities and objectives for future work. Who should attend? Anyone with an interest in biodiversity science and policy in Scotland.
Members of the BES and the British Society of Soil Science can attend for free.
Biodiversity is declining rapidly throughout the world. The challenges of conserving the world's species are perhaps even larger than mitigating the negative effects of global climate change. Dealing with the biodiversity crisis requires political will and needs to be based on a solid scientific knowledge if we are to ensure a safe future for the planet. This is the main conclusion from scientists from University of Copenhagen, after 100 researchers and policy experts from EU countries were gathered this week at the University of Copenhagen to discuss how to organise the future UN Intergovernmental Panel for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES - an equivalent to the UN panel on climate change (IPCC).
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has launched a new inquiry into wildlife crime, following up its Report from 2004. In that Report, the EAC examined wildlife crime in terms of protection for wild animals (badgers, birds, pondlife, etc) and wild plants; and trade in wildlife and wildlife products in the UK. As in that earlier inquiry, the committee will not be examining hunting with dogs.
The new inquiry will examine the scale of wildlife crime in the UK, including damage and destruction to species and habitats. It will also examine the scale of, and risks posed by, the illicit trade in wildlife and wildlife products. The inquiry will consider the role of the Government and other bodies in England and Wales in preventing, detecting and prosecuting these types of crime, as well as what action the Government can take internationally to tackle the problems of illegal trade.
The European Commission is currently undertaking a review of European law relating to wildlife trade. A review of the UK's Control of Trade in Endangered Species regulations (COTES) may be required as a result.
Closing date: 24 February 2012.
The Scottish government have appointed junior minister Alisdair Allan with science as one of his lead responsibilities. Society of Biology CEO Dr Mark Downs will be meeting with him this month. See Becky’s Policy Pages (Medical research policy updates from AMRC's head of policy) for more information on the appointment, here:
New campaign launches to support and raise the profile of mid-sized businesses and help them grow into tomorrow’s success stories.
Peers with a range of backgrounds in environmental protection and sustainability including a former Secretary of State for the Environment and leaders of several environmental organisations, debated the Government’s green agenda on 12 January.
Baroness Smith of Basildon (Labour), who tabled and opened the debate says: 'I hope that through this debate, we will see just how well the Government measure up to their assertion that they will be the ‘greenest Government ever’. It’s a sort of benchmarking exercise so we can hear how they are doing with the Green Deal, the Green Investment Bank and green policy generally.'
At this session the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee took oral evidence from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, relating to Greening the Common Agricultural Policy
A new survey finds well over four out of five British adults (84 per cent) believe that farmers have a responsibility to look after the landscape and wildlife for future generations.
These findings mirror the aspirations of a new, ambitious vision for the future of farming published by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The CPRE farming vision outlines the changes to farming practices and agricultural policy CPRE would like to see by 2026.
[from the BES Blog]
A fusion of economics and ecology is required to properly measure and capture the value of biodiversity. That was the message of an event at Parliament organised by Biodiversity, the UK all party parliamentary group, chaired by Barry Gardiner MP, and attended by the BES Policy Team. Read their report here.
MPs have launched a new inquiry into what the UK Government can do to help protect the Arctic as the retreating ice opens the region up to oil drilling, new shipping routes and new fishing grounds. Its inquiry will examine what more needs to be done - through dialogue, treaties, regulations and incentives - to ensure that any development of the region is sustainable and takes full account of its impacts on climate change and the environment.
Closing date: 10 February 2012.
Interested in discussing the challenges facing Scotland’s biodiversity to 2020 and helping to inform the development of Scotland’s draft Biodiversity Strategy? Come along to a meeting in Edinburgh on 8th – 9th March 2012. BES members can attend for FREE (but must register in advance).
The BES is working with the British Society of Soil Science and the Scottish Government’s Biodiversity Science Group to organise a one-day conference (9th March), an evening lecture, reception and dinner (8th March) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The meeting will:
Introduce the science community in Scotland to the revision of Scotland’s Biodiversity Strategy;
Explore the scale of the challenges facing the implementation of an ecosystem approach in Scotland;
Provide an opportunity for the science community to find out about the needs of policy-makers;
Provide an opportunity for networking between the science and policy communities.
The evening reception will celebrate the launch of the BES Scotland Policy Group, a new initiative from the Society that aims to link members of the Society in Scotland who are interested in informing policy development and through this to assist the Society’s policy team in doing the same.
Confirmed speakers for the 9th of March include: Colin Moffatt, Head of Science at Marine Scotland; Ken Norris, biodiversity theme leader at NERC and biodiversity chapter lead in the National Ecosystem Assessment; Helaina Black, James Hutton Institute; and Chris Quine, Forest Research.
Poster abstracts are invited upon registration. We particularly welcome registration by students to this meeting and will be offering a prize for the best poster.
A healthy natural environment is the foundation of a sustainable future with prospering communities. In the UK and elsewhere, pioneering projects are exploring new ways of managing land and sea environments and the benefits people derive from them. In particular, they are reflecting an ‘ecosystems approach’: a holistic and inclusive approach to promoting the sustainable use of natural resources and taking better account of the values people hold for the environment. A new network has been sponsored by Defra with the aim of sharing experience from projects taking an ecosystems approach. Entitled the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, it will stimulate knowledge exchange and practical learning across the country. It will assist organisations and groups to understand how an ecosystems approach can help build sustainable communities. The Natural Capital Initiative, one of the Society of Biology’s Special Interest Groups, is developing the network in an independent partnership involving the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Fabis Consulting, the University of Exeter (Centre for Rural Policy Research) and Countryscape.
The Ecosystems Knowledge Network is free to join and open to anyone with an interest in an ecosystems approach.
The IUCN UK Commission of Inquiry on Peatlands has published its report (November 2011).
The report and summary of findings are available online at IUCN UK
This report represents the culmination of 18 months of focused collaboration between peatland experts from land management, science and policy from across the UK, and reveals the enormous importance of our peatlands for people and wildlife.
It is of great concern that the Inquiry found that much of the UK’s peatlands have been damaged, with severe consequences for biodiversity and valuable ecosystem services. A significant amount of carbon is leaking into the atmosphere from drained and deteriorating peatlands. This is particularly alarming as a loss of only 5% of the carbon stored in peat would equate to the UK’s total annual green house gas emissions. On the other hand, healthy peatlands and those that have been restored and enhanced can make a positive contribution to tackling climate change.
The Inquiry has identified a clear strategy for action to bring our peatlands back from the brink, and points the way forward to avoid the social and environmental costs of further deterioration. This report makes clear the multiple benefits of peatland conservation and restoration, particularly in relation to carbon savings, cleaner drinking water, wildlife conservation and historic archive preservation. This has been an important collaborative exercise which reveals a strong community of interest in securing the future of our peatlands.
Original text: Press Release from IUCN Commission of Inquiry
The Society of Biology held its first Parliamentary reception on behalf of the science and engineering community in December. This seasonal event was held in the House of Commons, kindly hosted by Dr Julian Huppert MP, Mark Lancaster TD MP and the Chair of the Science & Technology Select Committee, Andrew Miller MP.
The convivial reception brought together scientists and Parliamentarians to strengthen relations, celebrate the Government’s commitment to the life sciences, and the work of Parliamentary select committees championing evidence-based policy. The event was very well attended with members from both Houses, including Lord Speaker Baroness D'Souza and Lord Jenkin of Roding, President of the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee; MPs from the Commons Science & Technology Select Committee, including Stephen Mosley MP and Stephen Metcalfe MP; the Opposition Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Chi Onwurah MP; the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government; as well as select committee staff from both Houses, the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, and members from a very wide range of scientific societies and engineering organisations.
The reception was made possible through the work of Dr Stephen Benn, Director of Parliamentary Affairs for the Society of Biology. Stephen works on both biology and pan science issues and is directly supported through the Society by seven other organisations: the Biochemical Society, the British Pharmacological Society, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Society for Applied Microbiology, the Society for Experimental Biology.
Editor: Barbara Knowles
Publisher: Society of Biology, London, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-900490-40-8
This new online publication presents a selection of papers from a conference held on 7-9 June 2010 in Boros Valley, Transylvania, Romania. The conference was part of a project of the same name, with a dual goal: to carry out biological research on mountain hay meadows in two contrasting sites in the Eastern Carpathians; and to help local farmers to carry on traditional small scale agriculture.
Papers in this volume are grouped into two themes, reflecting the dual focus of the project:
- Biodiversity, landscape and traditional knowledge;
- Social science, economics and rural development relating to hay meadow management and products.
The relevance of these papers to science policy is their insight into a traditional farming system which was environmentally, socially and economically sustainable for hundreds of years, but is now threatened with extinction by globalisation, and by national and European policies which aim to increase farming efficiency (narrowly defined), food safety, and biodiversity. The unintended adverse consequences of these policies on a farming system which created some of the most biodiverse agro-ecosystems in Europe should be of concern to all European policy makers.
This report was prepared for Defra by researchers at the Policy Studies Institute. The aim of the review was to ensure that key social research findings from a broad evidence base are accessible to natural environment policy and decision makers in Defra’s Environment and Rural Group (ERG), which meant producing concise summaries of evidence from several different areas of social research. In Stage 1 of the project, overviews of social research evidence were provided for the following natural environment policy areas: wildlife and biodiversity; ecosystem approach; land management and soil; flood risk management; water quality and availability; people and landscapes; rural affairs; and marine and fisheries. In Stage 2, three in-depth evidence reviews were conducted: 1) Public perceptions of landscapes and ecosystems in the UK 2) Interventions in managing natural environment conflicts: what works, in what contexts and why? 3) The Big Society concept in a natural environment setting.
Action Plan outlining how the Proposals in the Land Use Strategy will be taken forward. Includes information on how the Principles for Sustainable Land Use will be mainstreamed.
Commitments in the Action Plan to deliver the 13 Proposals detailed in the Strategy include:
Development of an Agri-Renewables Strategy in summer 2012
Submission of advice from the Woodland Expansion Advisory Group in June 2012
Water environment mapping by SEPA during 2012
Creation of an Environmental Crime Taskforce in spring 2012
The identification of pilot areas for peatland restoration
The campaign against controversial planning reforms is set to embarrass the Government by targeting constituencies where the National Trust has more supporters than the sitting MP.
Millions of genetically modified moths could be released into the countryside to help kill off crop pests, under plans being considered by the Government.
The Nitrates Directive is intended to reduce water pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources. We are required to review our implementation of it every four years. Since its agreement in 1991, implementation in the UK has evolved as we have developed our understanding of the Directive itself and as the evidence base has grown. The last review, in 2007, eventually resulted in the designation of 62% of England as Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) and introduced a strengthened range of measures in the Nitrates Action Programme that farms within NVZs must comply with.
Closing date: 16 March 2012
A default answer of 'yes' to development should be removed from the National Planning Policy Framework (NPFF) says the Communities and Local Government Committee in its review of the draft framework.
The phrase 'significantly and demonstrably' must also be removed from the presumption that all planning applications should be approved unless the adverse effects ‘significantly and demonstrably’ outweigh the benefits, say the MPs because it adds a further barrier to the achievement of truly sustainable development. Launching the report of an inquiry that examines the draft NPPF, Clive Betts, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee said:
"The way the framework is drafted currently gives the impression that greater emphasis should be given in planning decisions to economic growth. This undermines the equally important environmental and social elements of the planning system. As currently drafted the 'default yes' to development also carries the risk of the planning system being used to implement unsustainable development." The committee warns that, as currently drafted, the NPPF defines the phrase 'sustainable development' inadequately and often conflates it with 'sustainable economic growth'.
"We take reassurance from the fact that Ministers have accepted that a cogent case has been made for expanding and strengthening the definition of sustainable development within the NPPF. To assist the minister we offer a more inclusive definition of sustainable development" adds Clive Betts. "The Prime Minister has been clear that he believes 'that sustainable development has environmental and social dimensions as well as an economic dimension, and that the Government fully recognises the need for a balance between the three' (stated in a letter to the National Trust, set out at paragraph 63 of the report). We also believe that a 'presumption in favour of sustainable development' should be a golden thread running through the planning system. We therefore welcome the planning minister Greg Clarke's reassurance that he is minded to make changes to address this risk."
From the British Ecological Society Blog
A call for specific biodiversity goals to be integrated into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was abandoned at the insistence of Germany during a meeting of environment ministers in Brussels today (19 December). In its proposal for a biodiversity strategy to 2020, the European Commission had listed several types of biodiversity concerns that should be dealt with under the CAP. But several member states objected to this, saying it prejudged the outcome of on-going talks among agriculture ministers to reform the CAP.
The Polish presidency of the Council of Ministers put forward a proposal changing the list to theoretical “examples,” but this was still not acceptable to Germany. After several hours of discussion, Germany succeeded in having the entire paragraph on biodiversity objectives for the CAP deleted in the final version approved by ministers. Germany’s environment ministry was under strict orders from its agriculture ministry not to accept any list of possible biodiversity requirements for CAP, according to a source involved in the discussions.
Campaign group BirdLife Europe said the deletion was symptomatic of an overall fear by environment ministers of clashing with ongoing discussions in other Council meetings. The UK was able to water down language on funding for the environmental funding programme Life, saying it prejudges ongoing discussions over the multiannual financial framework. Language on fisheries was also made vaguer.
Ariel Brunner, head of European policy at BirdLife, said the decision was a worrying sign that environmental goals would not be taken seriously in upcoming discussions on agriculture, fisheries and budget reform. “Looking at environment ministers compromising for hours on the protection of what should be the core of their political mandate – biodiversity – is a dangerous preview of the fate of biodiversity left completely in the hands of agriculture ministers,” she said.
Janez Potocnik, the European commissioner for the environment, issued a statement condemning the deletion of the list, adding that the Commission would continue to push for biodiversity objectives to be made part of the CAP during the reform discussions.
Scientists have assembled a remarkable record of water quality in the Thames that stretches back over 140 years.
Mining for rare earth elements in the deep ocean, a surge in the number of drugs in the environment, and warming of the deep sea are among 15 key conservation issues scientists say could affect the diversity of life on Earth in the near future.
The issues all relate to potential changes in the climate, technology or human behaviour that could have significant consequences for the environment.
The 15 issues identified as potential problems:
Warming of the deep sea
Mining in the deep ocean
Methane venting from beneath the ocean floor
Climate-driven colonisations in Antarctic waters
Increases in pharmaceutical discharges as human populations age
Sterile farming to increase food safety
Transferring nitrogen-fixing ability to cereals
Increased cultivation of perennial cereals
Rapid and low-cost genomic sequencing
Electrochemical sea water desalination
Rapid development and extensive application of grapheme
Nuclear batteries
Effect of increased cement demand on karst forest and cave ecosystems
In-stream hydrokinetic turbines
Burning of Arctic tundra
Conservation charities and scientists are beginning a research project to find out whether birdsong has any impact on people's mental wellbeing.
Scottish cell biologist Anne Glover hopes to influence EU policy-making.
18-19th April 2012
John Innes Conference Centre, Norwich.
Registration is now open for the inaugural conference of the Society of Biology’s Special Interest Group; the UK Plant Sciences Federation. The conference will showcase the wealth of plant science that is being undertaken across the UK, from cell biology to ecology and basic research to the field, and will provide an arena for plant scientists from across the UK to come together and share their knowledge and expertise. Sir John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government, will be giving the opening address at UK PlantSci 2012.
Speakers to include Sandy Knapp (Natural History Museum), Julian Hibberd (University of Cambridge), Ian Graham (CNAP), Bill Davies (University of Lancaster) Richard Summer (RAGT) and Giles Oldroyd (John Innes Centre) to name but a few.
Wilting greens: Britain falls out of love with environmentalism
The great British public has helped scientists uncover what looks like a substantial decline in one of the UK's most common bumblebees over the last 20 years.
The Independent Panel on Forestry, set-up to advise the Government on the future of England’s forests and woods, has today (8 December) published its progress report.
The Panel says it is working towards recommendations that will increase the benefits generated from all forests in England, including to the people that enjoy them, to nature and to the businesses that rely on them. The recommendations will be made in their final report to Government in spring 2012.
The report notes that while looking over a landscape of different types and ages of trees in the Forest of Dean, the Panel were told this was “a political landscape” shaped by the national politics at the time of planting. The Panel has identified in their progress report that future forestry policy should reflect the economic and ecological timescales of woodlands.
Bringing together information on Scotland's environment in one place. There is nowhere else that environmental data and reports from known and trusted sources can be accessed and looked at in combination.
The site provides straight-forward descriptions of the state of Scotland's environment and key messages that highlight our progress in protecting it.
'The science of climate change and the challenges for communicating this to the public and our policy makers'
Presented by: Professor Paul Hardaker (FRMetS CMet CEnv) Chief Executive, Royal Meteorological Society
Paul's talk will focus on how we measure and model our changing climate, what we understand about these changes and where the greatest areas of uncertainties are in our current understanding. The talk will also discuss the challenges in communicating this uncertainty to policy makers for mitigation and adaptation programmes and to a public who are increasingly polarised around the debate on the human impact on climate.
1 February 2012
Venue: Science Learning Centre North East (Durham University), Front Street, Pity Me, Durham DH1 5BZ
Time: 4:15 pm (4 pm for registration/refreshments) to 6 pm
Cost: £10 per person. To book: RSVP no later than 18 January 2012 by emailing Nicola Hall
Defra will conduct an in-depth analysis of how well the EU Habitats and Birds Directives are being applied in England, working with stakeholders and other Government departments. It was one of a number of measures unveiled in today’s Autumn Statement by the Chancellor.
Europe's natural heritage is showing an alarming decline, according to new research published today. The European Red List, a part of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, assessed a considerable portion of Europe’s native fauna and flora, finding that a large proportion of molluscs, freshwater fish and vascular plants now fall into the threatened category. The assessment of some 6000 species reveals that 44% of all freshwater molluscs, 37% of freshwater fish, 23% of amphibians, 20% of a selection of terrestrial molluscs, 19% of reptiles, 15% of mammals and of dragonflies, 13% of birds, 11% of a selection of saproxylic beetles, 9% of butterflies, and 467 species of vascular plant species are now under threat.
European Commissioner for the Environment Janez Potocnik said: "The well-being of people in Europe and all over the world depends on goods and services that nature provides. If we don’t address the reasons behind this decline and act urgently to stop it, we could pay a very heavy price indeed."
Natura 2000, the EU's network of protected areas, has undergone a significant expansion. Nearly 18 800 square kilometres have been added, including a major addition of marine areas covering 17 000 square kilometres which will increase protection for many endangered marine species. The network now covers almost 18% of the EU's landmass and more than 145 000 km² of its seas. Natura 2000 is the centrepiece of Europe's battle to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard ecosystem services.
Wales is to benefit from one single environment body that will ensure the most sustainable and effective management of its natural resources. This was the message from Environment Minister, John Griffiths who has agreed to the Environment Agency Wales (EAW), the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and Forestry Commission Wales (FCW) being brought together into one organisation.
After a two-year delay, appointment goes to Scotland's CSA.
Professor Anne Glover [FSB] was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland on August 1 2006. Her role is to further enhance Scotland's reputation as a science nation.
Professor Glover holds a Personal Chair of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Aberdeen, and has honorary positions at the Rowett and Macaulay Institutes. She is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a member of the Natural Environment Research Council, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.
Most of her academic career has been spent at the University of Aberdeen where she has an active research group pursuing a variety of areas from microbial diversity to the development and application of whole cell biosensors (biological sensors) for environmental monitoring and investigating how organisms respond to stress at a cellular level.
The next joint SAC-SEPA conference (organised in association with Forest Research, the James Hutton institute and Scottish Natural Heritage) will take place in Edinburgh on 3rd and 4th April 2012.
Integrated management of our agricultural and forestry landscapes is essential to the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. However, current understanding of the linkages between different ecosystems and the services they provide is incomplete. The management implemented therefore needs to be flexible to adapt to these uncertainties. The need for implementation at the landscape scale also means integrating management practices across different land-managers.
This conference will seek to present not only the best possible scientific understanding of the complexities associated with the delivery of multiple ecosystem services but also provide a forum to raise and discuss what still needs to be done to have an ecosystem approach recognised and supported by land managers, researchers and policy makers. The conference will be relevant to members of all three of these target audiences.
BOU Annual Conference 2012
University of Leicester, UK
3 – 5 April 2012
Birds play many roles within ecosystems, including as predators, pollinators, scavengers, seed dispersers and predators, and ecosystem engineers. In terms of cultural services, birds provide enjoyment to millions, through recreation and sport, can be ‘flagship’ species for conservation and are used as measures for the quality of human life. However, quantifying the ecosystem services provided by birds is a significant challenge and the underpinning evidence on which to base policy is still lacking. Moreover, valuing birds in this way potentially represents a move away from traditional species conservation, with profound implications for setting conservation targets and practical management.
This conference will consolidate our understanding of the ecosystem services provided by birds and showcase current research into the importance of birds in ecosystem functioning. It will also explore the cultural services that birds provide and consider how Government and non-Governmental organisations are engaging with this new approach in policy.
With an increasing urgency to answer the challenges of global issues such as food security and climate change, a new unified body has been set up as a Special Interest Group of the Society of Biology. UK Plant Sciences Federation (UKPSF), launched this week, incorporates the vast range of plant science researchers, educators and industries. The group will facilitate inclusive and comprehensive dialogue across the plant and crop science community.
The UK has a reputation for world class research and development in the plant and crop sciences, and a rich diversity of research groups that reflect the importance of plants for the health and wealth of the nation. UKPSF will be a single point of contact to represent these fantastic UK resources, highlight their outputs and maximise impact through co-ordination of activities.
The launch event of the UKPSF was held today with an AGM and keynote lecture by Dr Sandra Knapp. A full report of the events will be available next week.
A new £20 million fund to help rural businesses increase profits and reduce their impact on the environment has been launched by Agriculture Minister Jim Paice.
Farmers, foresters and horticulturalists can apply for grants of up to £25,000 to invest in green projects and new machinery so their businesses can grow in an environmentally friendly way.
New Chief Executive announced for the Natural Environment Research Council
Business Secretary Vince Cable announced the appointment of Professor Duncan Wingham as Chief Executive and Deputy Chair of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Vince Cable said: “I am very pleased to welcome Professor Wingham as the new Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council. His expertise will be of great benefit as he builds on NERC’s achievements and leads the organisation over the next four years.
“NERC tackles the world’s major environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards, providing independent research and training in the environmental sciences.”
During a recent visit to Tanzania, Prince Charles spoke about the importance of valuing natural resources in efforts to tackle climate change:
"Nature’s crucial services – the greatest “utilities” of all – must be properly valued and paid for. This is surely more attractive than pitching ourselves into a battle with Nature since, as the effects of climate change become ever-more apparent, this is a battle we are very unlikely to win."
‘Greening’ the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as proposed by the EC, will slow down the decline in farmland biodiversity, most notably in intensive farming areas. Extensively farmed areas are better served by policies preserving their rich biodiversity. Regional variation in policies tailored to reflect local conditions could, therefore, result in a better outcome.
These are the main conclusions drawn by PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research centre, in their report Greening the Common Agricultural Policy: impacts on farmland biodiversity on an EU scale.
The Society of Biology Member Organisation Autumn meeting began with an update from our CEO Mark Downs FSB and a word from the Society’s policy officer Jackie Caine about the launch of the new Plant Sciences Federation Special Interest Group. An expert discussion then followed from our panel on the theme of “Science in Government: How the landscape has changed”. On the panel was Dr Stephen Benn, the Society’s new Director of Parliamentary Affairs, who talked about his plans to raise the profile of the biological sciences in Parliament; Imran Khan, Director at the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE), who spoke about their recent work; Laura Bellingan, our Head of Science Policy, who highlighted the importance of networking with policy advisors; and Mark Downs who touched on the European Agenda. An open discussion followed, where representatives from various MOs brought up issues including open-access publishing and science funding, as well as directing questions towards the panel.
The Society of Biology has formed a new special interest group for the plant sciences; the UK Plant Sciences Federation, which will be officially launched on 23 November. The meeting will feature a keynote from Dr Sandy Knapp (Natural History Museum) and up to 100 guests are expected at the launch event which will be chaired by Dr Jim Benyon.
The UKPSF aims to bring together all avenues of plant sciences including educators, research groups and industry, providing one voice for the UK’s world leading plant science communities.
Projects to restore and protect our natural environment across Wales are receiving grants worth a total of £1m from the Ecosystem Resilience, Diversity and Compliance Fund.
Professor Sir John Beddington, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA), and appeared before the Lords Science and Technology Committee on Tuesday 8 November, to give evidence to the Committee's short inquiry into the role of Chief Scientific Advisers (CSAs).
The Business, Innovation and Skills Committee will publish its Twelfth Report of Session 2010–12, Government reform of Higher Education (HC 885) on Thursday 10 November.
In yesterday’s Parliamentary Questions to the Leader of the House of Commons, the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee Andrew Miller MP cited CaSE’s recent report on the precarious state of science and engineering funding, and called for a parliamentary debate on the subject.
The Royal Society has announced that its world-famous historical journal archive – which includes the first ever peer-reviewed scientific journal – has been made permanently free to access online.
Around 60,000 historical scientific papers are accessible via a fully searchable online archive, with papers published more than 70 years ago now becoming freely available.
The Bioscience Teacher of the Year Award seeks to identify the UK’s leading bioscience university teachers recognising the invaluable role played by Teachers in Higher Education. The competition is open to all employed bioscience teachers in the UK higher education system and individuals can be nominated either by self, peer or management.
The Bioscience Teacher of the Year Award has been developed from the UK Centre for Bioscience’s Ed Wood Teaching Awards, which were established in 2008/09 to provide an annual opportunity for bioscience academics to receive national recognition for their outstanding learning and teaching practices. The closure of the UK Centre for Bioscience in December 2011 means that the award will now be offered and managed by the Society of Biology. The Society of Biology is delighted to be able to ensure that this Award continues despite the Centre’s closure. We are also delighted that Oxford University Press has agreed to continue supporting the Awards, which aim to strengthen and raise the profile of teaching excellence in the biosciences.
The Society of Biology is delighted to announce that Dr Stephen Benn has been appointed as Director of Parliamentary Affairs, starting on the 1st November 2011.
Stephen has an extraordinarily strong track record in engaging parliamentarians in science issues over the last two decades. He will play a key role in raising the profile and understanding of the life sciences and continue to champion a pan-science approach to the fundamental policy challenges wherever possible creating clear messages for Government, opposition and senior officials.
Andrew Miller MP said; "As Chair of the Science & Technology Select Committee, I am concerned to ensure that Parliament maintains good links with the core science disciplines of biology, physics and chemistry. Dr Stephen Benn has an outstanding track record on behalf of the scientific community in developing excellent links between the scientific community and Parliament and in organising major science events in Parliament. I am delighted that he will now be working on behalf of the Society of Biology, in conjunction with a wide range of scientific societies, to continue this vital work in future."
The fight against air pollution and the serious health problems it causes has been given a major boost today after an extra £2 million to help councils reduce Nitrogen Dioxide emissions was announced by Environment Minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach. 51 councils across England will receive funding for a range of projects designed to reduce serious levels of air pollution in our towns and cities.
Twenty two areas across England have been given funding by Defra to help them become a Local Nature Partnership (LNP).
LNPs are a key commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper, aimed at bringing together local people and organisations to get the most from the natural environment.
This is the first round of a £1 million fund and is aimed at helping people kickstart their plans.
Scientists from across the globe are set to help Scotland develop a better understanding of the role peatlands could play in meeting climate change targets. The experts will be in Scotland for an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) science review meeting which Scotland will host in January focussing on wetland management, including peatland restoration.
At this session the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee will take oral evidence relating to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Annual Report and Accounts 2010-11
"The Prime Minister should promise to attend next year's Rio + 20 Earth Summit to show leadership on sustainability and strengthen global political will to tackle the environmental crisis," say MPs on the Commons Environmental Audit Committee in a report published on 26 October 2011.
The report warns that the planet's environmental problems are now much more urgent than at the first Rio Summit in 1992. Safe limits on the amount of waste, pollution and biodiversity loss that natural systems can tolerate continue to be breached – undermining our ability to use natural resources to support further growth.
Prime Minister David Cameron will not be going to the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil next year despite his pledge to lead the "greenest ever government".
Millions of trees could be lost to disease in the UK in the next few years unless urgent action is taken, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman warned. Mrs Spelman was speaking as she launched a new Government drive to combat the exotic pests and diseases threatening the health of trees in the UK.
How should we define a green job?
Ministers are failing to keep to most of their promises to help wildlife, leading nature groups have said.
A new Future Brief focussing on the complex relationship between biodiversity and human health is published. The report explores the wealth of benefits for human health provided by biodiversity, which are being uncovered by scientists. Healthy ecosystems could help prevent the spread of dangerous diseases, urban green spaces can improve mental health, and new medicines inspired by nature are being developed, to name a few valuable ecosystem services. Policy implications of these developments are discussed.
New to Science for Environment Policy, Future Briefs are a series of horizon-scanning policy briefs, which provide an accessible overview of emerging areas of science and technology.
Professor Maathai became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She fought to promote ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa. Her holistic approach to sustainable development embraced democracy, human rights and women's rights. In 1976 she introduced the idea of community-based tree planting which later developed into the Green Belt Movement, an organisation whose main focus is poverty reduction and environmental conservation. Wangari Maathai was a person who thought globally and acted locally, her movement is credited with the planting of 30 million trees in Africa. The Green Belt Movement said in a statement:
"Professor Maathai's departure is untimely and a very great loss to all who knew her - as a mother, relative, co-worker, colleague, role model, and heroine; or who admired her determination to make the world a more peaceful, healthier, and better place."
Environment Minister, John Griffiths has announced an extra £1million to help create new habitats and stronger ecosystems for Wales. The money will be used to enhance Wales’s precious natural environment and in doing so will benefit its wider economy. It will also be used to develop new pilot projects that support the Welsh Government’s plans for managing the natural environment as set out in its natural environment consultation, ‘A Living Wales’. The consultation set out an ecosystems approach aimed at ensuring that Wales has increasingly resilient and diverse environment, managed to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for Wales.
Students are not receiving the practical science education necessary to produce the next generation of scientists, warns Commons Science and Technology Committee.
The Commons Science and Technology Select Committee today publishes its report on practical experiments in school science lessons and science field trips. It concludes that many students are receiving poor practical science experiences during their secondary school education. The report says health and safety concerns may be used as a convenient excuse for avoiding practicals and work outside the classroom, but the MPs found no credible evidence to support this frequently cited explanation for a decline in practicals and trips.
Local people will have more say in the running of National Parks in their areas, under new Big Society plans announced by Defra today. Anyone who lives in the Lake District and North York Moors will now be eligible to take a parish seat on the National Park Authority. These seats were previously reserved for parish councillors. Pilots will take place in The New Forest and Peak District National Parks for people to vote for members of their Park Authority, through democratic local elections. A proportion of all members will be appointed through this new system. The pilots will last for four years.
Scotland's Chief Statistician has published Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2011.
This is the eleventh edition of the publication that provides key datasets on the state of the environment in Scotland, with an emphasis on the trends over time.
The charts on public attitudes to the environment, global atmosphere, air quality, water, marine, radioactivity, waste, land, conservation and biodiversity are supplemented by text providing brief background information on environmental impacts and relevant legislation, and a separate spreadsheet with the full datasets.
The impact of agri-environment funding on Scotland's biodiversity will be monitored through a new project. The three-year project will use remote sensing and field surveys to monitor changes to biodiversity, helping to assess how effectively the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) protects and enhances our natural heritage.
The launch coincides with the publication of the first national High Nature Value Farming and Forestry report, which shows that at least 40 per cent of both farmland and forestry areas in Scotland are managed in ways that provide high biodiversity value.
George Monbiot attacks academic publishers in the Guardian ‘Comment is Free’;
“Who are the most ruthless capitalists in the western world? Whose monopolistic practices make Walmart look like a corner shop and Rupert Murdoch a socialist? You won't guess the answer in a month of Sundays. While there are plenty of candidates, my vote goes not to the banks, the oil companies or the health insurers, but – wait for it – to academic publishers. Theirs might sound like a fusty and insignificant sector. It is anything but. Of all corporate scams, the racket they run is most urgently in need of referral to the competition authorities”
Whilst Steve Fuller of the Sociological Imagination retorts in ‘Response to George Monbiot’s Rant against Academic Publishers’;
“In the US, we have the phrase ‘waving a flag and kissing a baby’ for somebody who plays to the gallery. And this is exactly what George Monbiot has done in his Guardian rant against academic publishing houses. Running neck-and-neck with the various teaching quality assurances and research assessment exercises we routinely undergo in the UK, publishers must lead the academic hate list. And while I don’t wish to defend – or even explain – the sort of profit margins that Monbiot cites, I do want to defend publishers as an important counterbalance to the inherently conservative character of such time-honoured academic institutions as peer review.”
For the full articles and more comment, see:
The value of ecosystem services provided by the UK’s wildlife and habitats has been estimated in two research reports published by Defra today. These two primary valuation research studies examine benefits people obtain from the natural environment in the UK.
Using expert judgement and participatory valuation approaches, the study ‘Economic valuation of the benefits of ecosystem services delivered by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan’ estimated the value of 7 ecosystem services delivered by different UK BAP habitats and the changes in provision of these services through biodiversity conservation measures over the next 20 years. The report on ‘The Benefits of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England and Wales’ assessed the economic value of changes in biodiversity and associated ecosystem services which will result from future policy scenarios for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).
The reports estimate the wildlife covered by the UK BAP and Sites of Special Scientific Interest is worth approximately £1.5 billion per year to the UK.
This new, ambitious biodiversity strategy for England builds on the Natural Environment White Paper and provides a comprehensive picture of how we are implementing our international and EU commitments. It sets out the strategic direction for biodiversity policy for the next decade on land (including rivers and lakes) and at sea. It builds on the successful work that has gone before, but also seeks to deliver a real step change.
Initial comments from the British Ecological Society Policy Team can be found here:
The BES has published a report of the Conservation Ecology Special Interest Group’s meeting into ‘Making Space for Nature’, examining the ecological issues raised by the Lawton Review, and other current topics in nature conservation.
The Scottish Government has continued to take action to determine the impact from the North Sea oil leak at the Shell Gannet F Subsea installation on the marine environment.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "As efforts continue by Shell to completely stop the leakage of oil from the affected pipeline, the Scottish Government is continuing to fulfil its role - which is primarily to assess and advise on the impact this spill may have on the marine environment. While dangers remain until the pipeline leak is secured, I am pleased that more information is being made publicly available about the progress Shell are making to remedy the situation as quickly and safely as possible. It is important this improved flow of information continues."
Taxonomy News Extracts:
SoB 2011 - follow link