UK environmental observations by UKEOF

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Dear <<First Name>>,

Welcome to our March Scoop.It newsletter, with a round-up of items we have posted on our 'UK Environmental Observations' Scoop.It feed.

Earlier this month we held a workshop in Birmingham that aimed to bring together the monitoring and modelling communities. The main outcomes of the event included knowledge exchange over good practice, greater understanding of monitoring/modelling and awareness of the efficiencies and opportunities afforded by innovative monitoring. Delegates also identified opportunities for enhanced engagement between monitoring and modelling communities, priorities for future activities (including research), and where UKEOF can facilitate. You can read more about our monitoring & modelling workshop here, and also view speakers' presentations.

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UK Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey - 2017 season results summary [PDF file] From www.ukbms.org - Today, 9:50 AM The Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey (WCBS) complements the conventional transect recording undertaken for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme (UKBMS). The sampling design of the WCBS involves volunteers counting butterflies during the peak butterfly flight period along a fixed route within a 1km square. Butterflies are widely regarded as indicators of the health of environment and the WCBS generates high quality data on the population status of common and widespread butterflies. These data feed into the UKBMS which produces annual population trends for butterflies in the UK. The results in this newsletter are preliminary analyses of occurrence. Full population trend results using both WCBS and transect data, which are Official Statistics, will be published on the UKBMS website in late March and summarised in the UKBMS Annual Report to recorders available from the same site early in the summer. UKEOF's insight: Preliminary results for 2017 from the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey, which is organised and funded by Butterfly Conservation and British Trust for Ornithology along with two UKEOF partners, Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The State of the UK's Bats 2017 - JNCC From jncc.defra.gov.uk - March 22, 11:38 AM As nocturnal flying mammals, bats are often out of sight and therefore out of mind for the majority of people. Thanks to the hard work of thousands of dedicated volunteer citizen scientists involved in the National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP), we are able to see how 11 of the 18 resident bat species found in the UK are faring. UKEOF's insight: This report by UKEOF partner JNCC was published in January 2018, and is based on data from volunteer citizen scientists involved in the National Bat Monitoring Programme Natural Capital Planning Tool From ncptool.com - March 19, 10:25 AM The Natural Capital Planning Tool (NCPT) is a free site assessment tool developed specifically for the planning context. The NCPT allows the indicative but systematic assessment of the likely impact of proposed plans and developments on Natural Capital and the ecosystem services it provides to people such as recreational opportunities, air quality regulation and climate regulation. The NCPT was designed as a fit-for-purpose Excel tool which can be applied by non-specialists and in a short period of time; acknowledging the time- and resource constrains planners and developers face in everyday practice. NCPT assessments are also available as a service directly by the tool developer. The tool developer and project partners believe that the NCPT will help developers and planners to create more sustainable places for people and wildlife, whilst at the same time delivering the housing and infrastructure the country needs. UKEOF's insight: One of UKEOF's themes is Natural Capital. This free tool may help planners, local authorities and developers to implement environmental net-gain by exploring the potential impacts of a development on natural capital and ecosystem services Loch Leven recovery nominated for prestigious award From www.ceh.ac.uk - March 17, 9:30 AM Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and partners, including the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, have been nominated for a prestigious Natura 2000 award for work benefitting Loch Leven, its visitors, and the local community. The loch is one of four Natura sites nominated across Europe in the socio-economic category. UKEOF's insight: This project at Loch Leven has involved UKEOF partners SNH and CEH and has involved extensive long-term monitoring of the loch's water quality Bringing monitoring & modelling communities together — UKEOF From www.ukeof.org.uk - March 16, 12:28 PM The recent UK Environmental Observation Framework workshop on monitoring and modelling attracted more than 30 delegates from 15 partner organisations to Birmingham on 7th March 2018. The purpose of this workshop was to foster relations between monitoring and modelling communities within UKEOF partner organisations to promote two way interaction. In particular, the role of modelling in helping to design monitoring programmes was explored. UKEOF's insight: News of our recent workshop on monitoring and modelling, which we held in Birmingham in March.

Scotland’s woodland and farmland birds increase, as upland birds decline - SNH From www.snhpresscentre.com - March 22, 3:00 PM Scotland’s woodland and farmland bird numbers have increased over the past two decades, but during this time, upland birds have faced decline. This is according to a Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) report published recently. The latest results reveal varied trends for Scotland’s terrestrial breeding birds, with woodland birds increasing by 67% between 1994 and 2016, farmland birds increasing by 13%, but upland birds decreasing by 16%. Woodland specialists, such as great-spotted woodpecker and chiffchaff, have shown the largest increases. Great-spotted woodpeckers have expanded across Europe, possibly as a result of increased forests and woodlands becoming more connected. For farmland species, goldfinches have continued to increase and are now a common sight in most gardens. Whitethroat, a small migratory warbler, has also bounced back from their historical lows associated with droughts in their Sahelian overwintering grounds in Africa. Upland birds are the most concerning group, with declines for 10 of the 17 species. Among the largest declines are breeding waders, including curlew, golden plover and lapwing. Major work is underway to help tackle these declines, including extensive peatland restoration and the Working for Waders project. UKEOF's insight: This report from UKEOF partner SNH was released in February, and reports trends over two decades in Scottish birds. Natural Capital Accounting - Technical Information Note [PDF file] From www.landscapeinstitute.org - March 19, 10:31 AM The Landscape Institute has published a Technical Information Note on natural capital accounting, written by the Ecosystems Knowledge Network, which introduces this topic. It includes two case studies showcasing accounts prepared at different scales: an area of London parkland and the Scottish Borders. UKEOF's insight: A PDF guide to natural capital accounting Climate change centre - Economic and Social Research Council From www.esrc.ac.uk - March 19, 10:11 AM We are pleased to announce the call for proposals for our climate change centre call. Climate change is one of our seven key research priorities. We will be investing up to £5 million (80% full economic cost) over five years, in one Climate Change Centre. The centre is expected to start in April 2019, and should work collaboratively with the newly commissioned Climate Change Network Plus. This research centre is a major ESRC strategic investment. In addition to taking forward an ambitious research agenda and making significant economic or societal impact, it will add value by increasing research bandwidth, building capacity, encouraging interdisciplinary working in social science and beyond, and enabling research collaboration in the UK and internationally. UKEOF's insight: UKEOF partner the Economic and Social Research Council has launched a call for social science-led cross-disciplinary proposals concerning climate change Ground-breaking satellite projects will transform society - GOV.UK From www.gov.uk - March 16, 12:34 PM A scheme to use satellites to support the roll out of charging points for Electric Vehicles is one of eight new projects announced by the Science Minister Sam Gyimah today. The eight new projects are part of the UK Space Agency’s Space for Smarter Government Programme, which demonstrates the potential of using satellite technology to solve challenges faced by the public sector. UKEOF's insight: Announcement from UKEOF partner UKSA of the winning projects in it's latest Space for Smarter Government programme competition 25 Year Environment Plan - GOV.UK From www.gov.uk - March 13, 2:55 PM The UK government's environment plan sets out goals for improving the environment, within a generation, and leaving it in a better state than we found it. It details how government will work with communities and businesses to do this. It sets out what government will be doing over the next 25 years. UKEOF's insight: The UK government's published its 25 Year Environment Plan ('A Green Future: Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment') earlier in 2018. Annex 1 of the review states "We will continue to work with partners through forums such as the UK Environmental Observation Framework and the UK Marine Monitoring and Assessment Strategy Community Framework to improve our monitoring systems, coordinate activities and address gaps."