Nature Conservancy Council Research Articles

River conservation and management: ed P. J. Boon, P. Calow & G. E. Petts, (Wiley), ISBN (hardback) 0 471 92946 8, price £65.00 (US$138.30), 1992, 470 pp, index

River Conservation and Management' is a book based on a symposium sponsored by the Nature Conservancy Council of Great Britain. The symposium was held at the University of York in September of 1990 and which was. The book consists of 29 contributed papers which are organized into an introduction, four subject sections, and a conclusion. The subjects covered include (1) The Case for Conservation; (2) River Classification and the Assessment of Conservation Potential; (3) Recovery and Rehabilitation; and (4) Protecting Rivers--Legislation and Public Participation. The common themes which characterize the book include whole catchment planning, the division of water resource responsibilities among political entities and the concomitant decrease in accountability for the well-being of the resource. This book has a European focus but still manages to emphasize the interdisciplinary nature of riverine research.

The brackish ponds at Killingholme, Humberside, UK

Abstract1. The National Power site at Killingholme, on the Humber Estuary, contains three brackish ponds at the northeast corner, adjacent to Killingholme Haven. The ecology and conservation importance of these ponds were surveyed as part of a Nature Conservancy Council lagoon research programme in 1986 and by National Power staff in 1990 and 1991.2. The north and west ponds were found to be saline, and both supported the nationally rare polychaete worm Alkmaria romijni. The east pond was fragmenting, owing to the incursion of the reed Phragmites australis, and predominantly freshwater.3. A total of nine characteristic lagoonal species was present in the system.4. In 1990 the saline ponds had been allowed to dry out extensively, which was detrimental to the lagoonal species.5. The surveys concluded that the system of ponds is of national importance for conservation on account of its invertebrate community, particularly with the diversity of lagoonal habitat it offers. Optimum management of the system for conservation is discussed.

Environmental Impact Assessment and the Water Industry: Implications for Nature Conservation

The Nature Conservancy Council has welcomed the implementation of the EC Directive on the assessment of the effects of certain projects on the environment. This paper discusses its implications for nature conservation in fresh waters, particularly with reference to the land‐drainage and flood‐defence work carried out by the National Rivers Authority and its predecessors, to which the regulations SI 1217 apply. Environmental statements have been deemed necessary for only a small proportion of capital schemes initiated by the water industry since the Regulations came into force in 1988. The author has evaluated the nature‐conservation content of 15 of these statements against a combined set of objective and subjective criteria. The statements examined showed a high degree of variability in length, scope, style and presentation. In general, survey and data acquisition were poorly covered. The weakest area was considered to be the evaluation and prediction of potential impacts, and this is discussed in relation to the uncertainty and complexity inherent in biological systems. The need for monitoring the accuracy of predictions after the completion of a scheme received little attention, despite its fundamental importance in improving future project design, and in extending scientific understanding.

Conservation of the coastal and estuarine zones of the North Sea

In order to ensure the maintenance of natural processes, ecosystems and wildlife, nature conservation initiatives in the North Sea must attempt to resolve the conflicts between the numerous human uses of coastal and estuarine zones. The Nature Conservancy Council's reviews of geology, maritime, marine and estuarine sites, habitats and communities provide the data bases required for the development of coastal nature conservation strategies. Nature conservation in the terrestrial environment has traditionally focused on the protection of designated sites. Conservation in the marine environment requires a more integrated approach towards the planning and management of coastal and estuarine areas.

British Nature Conservancy Council: Final Report

British Nature Conservancy Council: Final Report

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Reviews

Reviews

The prevalence of Pseudoterranova decipiens (Nematoda) and Corynosoma strumosum (Acanthocephala) in otters Lutra lutra from coastal sites in Britain

Journal of ZoologyVolume 221, Issue 2 p. 316-321 The prevalence of Pseudoterranova decipiens (Nematoda) and Corynosoma strumosum (Acanthocephala) in otters Lutra lutra from coastal sites in Britain D. J. Jefferies, D. J. Jefferies Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1UASearch for more papers by this authorH. M. Hanson, H. M. Hanson Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon PE17 2LSSearch for more papers by this authorE. A. Harris, E. A. Harris British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BDSearch for more papers by this author D. J. Jefferies, D. J. Jefferies Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1UASearch for more papers by this authorH. M. Hanson, H. M. Hanson Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon PE17 2LSSearch for more papers by this authorE. A. Harris, E. A. Harris British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BDSearch for more papers by this author First published: June 1990 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1990.tb04003.xCitations: 12AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume221, Issue2June 1990Pages 316-321 RelatedInformation

On loopholes, plugs and inevitable leaks: A theory of SSSI protection in Great Britain

The conservation of nationally important nature sites in Britain is achieved in part through the designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, now bolstered by a 1985 Amendment Act, owners and occupiers proposing to undertake operations listed as potentially damaging in an SSSI notification must inform the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) of their intention; and they are prevented from carrying out such operations for periods specified in the Act. This enables the NCC to comment and, if it is concerned, to negotiate for the proposal's modification or withdrawal, using where necessary its powers to conclude management agreements under which owners and occupiers may be paid compensation. The paper describes the notification process and seeks to predict the outcomes of conflict cases based on a consideration of NCC and farmer attitudes both in general and in relation to particular cases. It is shown that NCC attitudes have little, if any, effect on the extent to which outcomes are favourable to the NCC. In contrast marked reductions in the outcomes favourable to the NCC result if farmers are ill-disposed to the NCC and very concerned to proceed with their proposals. Outcomes under the 1981 and 1985 Acts are predicted and compared. It is concluded that the proportion of conflict case outcomes favourable to the NCC is increased from 85% under the 1981 Act to over 92% following the implementation of the 1985 Act. Further reduction in the number of damaging proposals proceeded with may best be achieved not by the adoption of stronger powers but by endeavours to increase the proportion of farmers well-disposed to the NCC.

Focus on Nature Conservation. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England. No prices indicated. - No. 17. Management of Chalk Grassland for Butterflies, by Butt (see below). 80 pp., 29.5 × 20.8 × 0.5 cm., 8 appendices, card covers, 1986. - No. 22. Woods, Trees and Hedges: A Review of Changes in the British Countryside, by G.F. Peterkin & H.

Focus on Nature Conservation. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England. No prices indicated. - No. 17. Management of Chalk Grassland for Butterflies, by Butt (see below). 80 pp., 29.5 × 20.8 × 0.5 cm., 8 appendices, card covers, 1986. - No. 22. Woods, Trees and Hedges: A Review of Changes in the British Countryside, by G.F. Peterkin & H. Allison. 65 pp., 29.5 × 20.8 × 0.4 cm., 14 figs, 10 plates, 61 tables, card covers, 1989. - Volume 17 Issue 3

Inventories of Ancient, Long-established, and Semi-natural, Woodland for Scotland. (Research and Survey in Nature Conservation, No 22.) Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 63 pp., 29.5 × 20.8 × 0.4 cm, 29 figs, 18 tables, card covers, £5.50, 1989.

Inventories of Ancient, Long-established, and Semi-natural, Woodland for Scotland. (Research and Survey in Nature Conservation, No 22.) Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 63 pp., 29.5 × 20.8 × 0.4 cm, 29 figs, 18 tables, card covers, £5.50, 1989. - Volume 17 Issue 4

Orfordness: Geomorphological Conservation Perspectives

This paper considers the issue of geomorphological conservation. General concepts are illustrated by reference to a survey of the scientific importance of geomorphological features within the Nature Conservancy Council's Geological Conservation Review Orfordness/Havergate site. The effects of coastal defence works on geomorphological processes are discussed, and the relationship between coastal defence and conservation policy is reviewed. The scientific importance of Orfordness is assessed by means of a multiple criterion decision making technique, which evaluates the current state of preservation of this shingle system, maps different morphological types, and examines the extent to which evidence is preserved of successive stages of development of the feature. This work was commissioned by the Nature Conservancy Council, UK, as part of its programme of research into Earth Science conservation.

Foraging habitat and prey taken by least auklets at King Island, Alaska

MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. Vol. 65: 141-150, 1990 Published August 2 Foraging habitat and prey taken by least auklets at King Island, Alaska George L. Hunt, Jr, Nancy M. Harrison* Department of Ecology a n d Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, California 92717, USA ABSTRACT: We examined the foraging distribution a n d prey use of least auklets Aethia pusilla breeding on King Island in the northern Bering Sea. The locat~on of the King Island colony, in Alaska Coastal Water, but within auklet flight range of the oceanic Anadyr Current and the Anadyr-influenced Bering Shelf Water, provided an opportunity to ident~fy the preferred foraging h a b ~ t a t of the least auklet. Least auklets fed on Neocalanus plumchrus, N. cnstatus, Eucalanus bungii, a n d shrimp larvae, all present in Anadyr Current and in Bering Shelf Water. In early J u n e 1984 a n d July 1985, auklet foraging was concentrated at and just beyond a front ca 30 km west of Klng Island, separating Alaska Coastal Water from Bering Shelf Water to the west, large copepods of oceanic ongin occurred throughout Bering Shelf Water. Data from 1985 indicated varlabllity In the path of the Anadyr Current; rapid changes also took place in the distribution of the least auklets' planktonic prey. In late July 1985, we documented an intrusion of Anadyr Water from 45 km to withln 25 km of King Island. Least auklets often overflew the Alaska Coastal Water and foraged in stratified Benng Shelf Water, a n d in Anadyr Water beyond the front. In 1986, Alaska Coastal Current Water overlaid Bering Shelf Water in much of the area to the west of King Island and a majority of auklets foraged where Bering Shelf Water w a s closest to the surface. Throughout the study, foraglng least auklets were absent from the Alaska Coastal Current near King Island, even though alternative prey, Calanus rnarshallae, taken elsewhere by breeding least auklets, w e r e present. We conclude that at King Island least auklets sought specific preferred prey in stratified water and near fronts a n d shifted their foraging over large distances in response to the mobile marine habitat in which their prey were abundant. INTRODUCTION Marine birds forage in habitats that are patchy and dynamic. Within habitats, prey patches are ephemeral, with large prey patches generally lasting longer than small patches (Steele 1976, Haury et al. 1978). Addi- tionally, the habitats themselves are mobile, with ani- mal communities carried by currents. Thus, breeding marine birds foraging from a central place not only have to locate patches of prey within a given habitat, but also must respond to movements of the water mass within which the patches of preferred prey occur. We report here the foraging distribution of least auklets Aethia pusilla breeding on King Island, northern Be- ring Sea, Alaska, in relation to water masses supporting different communities of zooplankton on which these auklets feed. Factors determining the distribution of foraging sea- Present address: Nature Conservancy Council, l? Rub~slaw Terrace, Aberdeen AB1 IXE, Scotland 0 Inter-Research/Printed in F. R. Germany birds in the vicinity of their breedlng colonies have long been of interest. Initial emphasis focused on the possi- bility of density-dependent limitation of seabird num- bers due to intraspecific competition for prey near colonies (e.g. Ashmole 1963, Gaston et al. 1983, Furness &Birkhead 1984, Hunt et al. 1986), and themechanisms for resource partitioning by which interspecific com- petition might be reduced (e.g. Ashmole & Ashmole 1967, Bedard 1969). Cody (1973) suggested that the principal means of resource partitioning in coexisting species of alcids (e.g. auks, puffins) was the use of foraging zones at different distances from their col- onies. Bedard (1976) showed that much of Cody's interpretation was flawed. Bedard suggested that the foraging distribution of alcids near their colonies was more likely to be determined by ' . . . the general water circulation and oceanographic conditions. . . ' in the vi- cinity of the colony. Recently, Kinder et al. (1983) found that frontal systems associated with shoaling of water near the Pribilof Islands (Alaska) supported higher numbers of foraglng birds than expected by chance.

The function of daylight flying in British bats

A national survey of the incidence of daylight flying of bats in mainland Britain was organized from September 1985 until March 1988. A total of 420 records of daylight flying were received by 1 May 1988. One hundred and forty‐four reports were from winter (October to March), 271 from summer (April to September) and five were undated. Peak activity occurred during April and in August/September.Activity in both winter and summer was greatest between 12:00 and 16:00h. The numbers of bats involved in each sighting varied between 1 and 200. In summer 87% and in winter 91% of observations were of single individuals. Numbers of daylight‐flying bats, relative to roost visitor reports sent to the Nature Conservancy Council, increased with increasing latitude during both summer and winter. This means that an individual is more likely to fly in daylight the further north in Britain it lives. The effect of day‐to‐day variation in climatic variables on emergence was investigated for records from 1987. In April 1987 emergence occurred on days which followed significantly cooler nights than nights preceding days without emergence. During the remainder of the summer of 1987, however, no climatic effects were significant. During winter 1987 emergence occurred on days which were significantly warmer and sunnier.These data suggest that during summer the primary function of emergence during daylight is to feed to make good energy deficits that have accrued because of inadequate intake during nocturnal foraging. During winter, bats time their daylight emergences to coincide with good feeding conditions, as has been shown previously for winter nocturnal emergence. It is possible daylight emergence occurs during winter primarily because the endogenous cycle during hibernal torpor cannot accurately synchronize arousal with periods of darkness.

Scientific Aspects of Nature Conservation in the United Kingdom

(1) Conservation in the United Kingdom is divided (co-operatively and not antagonistically) between government organizations, of which the foremost is the Nature Conservancy Council, and non-government organizations, bodies that tend to attract large membership from the British population. (2) Four areas of achievement are described: (i) methods of site evaluation and the creation of an inventory of the British nature resource in 1977; (ii) creation of wildlife areas in man-made habitats, abandoned farmland, and urban areas; (iii) management of nature reserves, now being codified in technical manuals for the management of particular habitat types; and (iv) problems of invasive, alien species that can dramatically reduce or even replace natural communities. (3) Three areas for further research are discussed. As answers are still needed, these are posed as the questions 'What does ecological theory have to offer?', 'Is there a minimum size for a nature reserve?' and 'What is the role of monitoring?'. (4) It is seen that practical conservation in the U.K. will benefit from an integration of (i) the traditional survey approach, (ii) monitoring studies, (iii) an experimental programme and (iv) ecological theory. Modelling can use information from several of these approaches.

Checklist of Fish and Invertebrates listed in the CITES AppendicesPatricia C. Almada-Villela. (compiler) with contributions from N. Mark Collins, Tim Inskipp and Simon J. Moore Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough, 1988, 82 pp., SB £11·00

Checklist of Fish and Invertebrates listed in the CITES AppendicesPatricia C. Almada-Villela. (compiler) with contributions from N. Mark Collins, Tim Inskipp and Simon J. Moore Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough, 1988, 82 pp., SB £11·00

Book note

Site Management Plans for Nature Conservation: A Working Guide. by Nature Conservancy Council. Interpretive Services Branch. 1988, 40 pp, £5.00.

Nature Conservancy Council 13th Report 1986–7. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 164 pp., 14 appendices, 14 colour plates, one map, numerous tables, 24.3 × 15.2 × 1.3 cm, card covers, no price indicated, 1987. - Nature Conservancy Council 14th Report 1987–8. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 141 pp., 13 appendices, 12 colour plates, one

Nature Conservancy Council 13th Report 1986–7. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 164 pp., 14 appendices, 14 colour plates, one map, numerous tables, 24.3 × 15.2 × 1.3 cm, card covers, no price indicated, 1987. - Nature Conservancy Council 14th Report 1987–8. Nature Conservancy Council, Northminster House, Peterborough, England, UK: 141 pp., 13 appendices, 12 colour plates, one

Conservation as a restraint on afforestation in pressured and protected areas of upland Britain

Consultation arrangements operated by the Forestry Commission enable local planning authorities and others to respond to afforestation proposals allowing scope for the modification or rejection of proposals on conservation grounds. The response to proposals in the highly protected national parks of England and Wales is compared with that in the highly scenic but less well protected area of north Scotland where overall planting rates were ten times higher and where the average proposal was five times larger during the study period. Planning authorities in both areas showed greater opposition to larger proposals. But despite receiving smaller proposals, a national park authority in England and Wales was eight times more likely to raise substantial objections than a local planning authority in north Scotland. Outcomes in the national parks are shown to correspond closely with the views expressed by the park authorities. In contrast, 33% of outcomes in north Scotland were more restrictive than sought by the local planning authorities and here other agencies (notably the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scothland, the Red Deer Commission and the Nature Conservancy Council) were in varying degrees instrumental in affecting outcomes.

The Scope of Protection Resulting from the Designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest:Sweet v Secretary of State for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy Council (Queens Bench Divisional Court, Schiemann J, 24 January 1989)

The Scope of Protection Resulting from the Designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest:Sweet v Secretary of State for the Environment and the Nature Conservancy Council (Queens Bench Divisional Court, Schiemann J, 24 January 1989)