General

Per la prima volta, 25 organizzazioni ambientaliste britanniche si sono riunite per la realizzazione di uno studio sullo stato della natura nel Regno Unito e nei Territori d'Oltremare. I risultati di quest'iniziativa sono stati raccolti e pubblicati in un report dal titolo "The State of Nature". Il report è il primo del suo genere a documentare lo stato e le tendenze delle popolazioni di animali e piante nel Regno Unito e nei suoi Territori d'Oltremare. Il report esamina lo stato della natura negli otto principali tipi di habitat del Regno Unito e propone una panoramica delle principali cause dei cambiamenti nella fauna.

More than half the wildlife species found in our islands are declining, under an assault of development, air pollution and chemical attack. Bumblebees, wildflowers, songbirds and butterflies are among the more obvious casualties. Perhaps even more troubling than freefall declines in red squirrels, harbour seals, hedgehogs, starlings and all the others, is the fact that the crisis facing the living fabric of our environment is hardly mentioned in politics. And not only have ministers recently turned their attention away from the protection of nature, they have presented efforts to protect it as the enemy of growth, development and business. George Osborne's claim that laws to protect rare species are a 'ridiculous burden on business', Owen Paterson's championing the cause of Bayer and Syngenta in opposing the moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides and Michael Gove's attempts to downgrade education about our relationship with the natural environment are recent cases in point. With this in mind we can confidently guess that the government's on-going review of EU environmental laws is not intended to strengthen the protection of nature in these islands.

Die meisten Tierarten auf den Britischen Inseln sehen sich einem anhaltend dramatischen Rückgang ausgesetzt, und der Bestand etwa jeder dritten Spezies hat sich in den letzten 50 Jahren halbiert. Das ist das Fazit einer beispiellosen Studie. Die aktuelle Botschaft zur Lage der Natur wurde von 25 Umweltgruppen erarbeitet. Sie beruht auch auf jahrelangen Zählungen von Millionen Freiwilliger im Lande und zeigt: Egal ob im Wald oder auf Wiesen, in Bächen, Flüssen oder Meer - viele Säuger und Amphibien, Vögel, Fische und Insekten stecken in Schwierigkeiten. Auf und über landwirtschaftlich genutzten Flächen - sie machen drei Viertel im Königreich aus - ist der Vogelbestand seit 1970 um die Hälfte, die Zahl der Schmetterlinge um ein Drittel gesunken. Eine ähnliche Tendenz bei Sommerlerchen. Besonders dramatisch ist die Lage bei einem kleinen Säugetier. Der »Guardian«: »Der Igel verschwindet heute ebenso rasch wie der Tiger.« Doch während große und exotische bestandsgefährdete Tiere wie Tiger und Pandabären nach Ansicht des Ökologen Hugh Warwick »heute vom Status als Hollywood-Berühmtheiten in bestimmtem Maße« profitierten und Aufmerksamkeit auf sich zögen, vollzieht sich der Rückgang anderer Spezies oft unbemerkt - und alarmierend rasch.

Frogs and other amphibians have occupied the marshes of the earth for more than 300 million years. Yet a new study finds the ancient species living across the United States are disappearing at increasingly fearful rates. Scientists had recognized a decline in amphibian populations since the late 1980s due to continued encroachment. But many had not estimated the severity of population loss.“They are really declining globally,” said University of Illinois Conservation biologist Jeffery Brawn. “They are declining in Illinois, Mississippi, all across the states and abroad.” This month, the United States Geological Survey reported frogs and amphibians are vanishing at a rate of 3.7 percent a year and estimate half of their remaining habitat will die in the next 20 years. “Of all vertebrates, amphibians are showing the worst population declines,” Brawn said. If things are not taken control of, the frogs, toads and other amphibians would be wiped off this planet in next 20 years, the report suggests.

Die Varroamilbe, Mitte der 70er Jahre von Bienenzüchtern, zusammen mit asiatischen Bienenarten nach Europa eingeführt, ist den Imkern seit dieser Zeit bekannt und es war durch verhältnismässig einfache Methoden möglich, die Varroapopulation so weit einzugrenzen, dass Schäden an Bienenvölkern die Ausnahme bildeten. Bis zur Einführung der Neonikotinoide, insbesondere der Anwendung des Clothianidins. Clothianidin, als Insektizid in der Maisbeize eingesetzt, um den maisschädigenden Drahtwurm zu bekämpfen. Ein Maisschädling, in besonders hoher Dichte in umgebrochenem Grünland anzutreffen. Grünlandumbruch, überwiegend benötigt als Anbaufläche zur Erzeugung von Biomasse, verwendet als Versorgungssubstrat der Biogasanlagen. Clothianidin ist ein systemisch wirkendes Insektizid und wasserlöslich. Systemisch bedeutet, der Wirkstoff verteilt sich, nach Aufnahme über Wurzelsystem oder Pflanzenoberfläche, in der gesamten Pflanze. Vom Hersteller des Wirkstoffes beabsichtigt, um die gesamte Pflanze vor Schädlingen zu schützen. Gleichfalls besitzt der Wirkstoff als Folge seiner hohen Wasserlöslichkeit, die Eigenschaft, sich im Ackerboden zu verteilen, je nach Wassergehalt des Bodens. Eine Eigenschaft, die es nicht erlaubt, den Wirkstoff alleinig der Zielpflanze zuzuweisen. Der Neonikotinoidwirkstoff ist im gesamten Ackerboden präsent. Gleiches gilt für alle Neonikotinoidarten wie Imidacloprid, Thiacloprid, Clothianidin und Thiamethoxam. Eine Freisetzung an das Umfeld, durch Staubbindung der Wirkstoffe, ist über weite Entfernungen gegeben.

A new study has determined for the first time just how quickly frogs and other amphibians are disappearing around the United States, and the news is not good. The U.S. Geological Survey said Thursday that populations of frogs, salamanders and toads have been vanishing from places where they live at a rate of 3.7 percent a year. That puts them on a path to disappearing from half their inhabited sites nationwide in 20 years. USGS ecologist Michael J. Adams said the alarming news is that even species thought to be doing OK are declining, though at a slower rate, 2.7 percent a year. "These are really ancient species that have been surviving a long time on earth through all kinds of changes," Adams said. "It's just a concern to see." The data showed that species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of declining species were disappearing from sites at an even higher rate, 11.6 percent a year. That would result in half the sites being unoccupied in six years. A third of amphibian species are on the red list. "They just disappear," Admas said. "Populations are going away." It has been known for a long time that amphibians are in trouble around the world from a killer fungus, habitat loss and a changing climate, but this is the first time that decline has been measured, Adams said. "We are not making predictions," he added. "We are just trying to document the current trend."

Natuurliefhebbers – leden en niet-leden – gaven massaal gehoor aan de oproep die de Partij voor de Dieren onlangs deed om met de partij vierkante meters natuur te kopen. De partij haalde in 2,5 week ruim tweeënhalve ton op. Dat de Partij voor de Dieren tijdens de veiling verleden week het hoogste bod had uitgebracht op een aantal percelen was geen garantie dat de partij de natuur ook daadwerkelijk zou verwerven. Vanmiddag werd bekend dat dat het geval is. Partijleider Marianne Thieme: 'De Partij voor de Dieren is blij dat deze percelen natuur nu definitief in het bezit van de partij zijn. Dit is, nu Staatsbosbeheer de natuur in de uitverkoop heeft gedaan, de beste manier om deze kwetsbare natuur te beschermen tegen afbraak. De Partij voor de Dieren garandeert blijvende bescherming voor de verworven natuur.'

An unprecedented stocktake of UK wildlife has revealed that most species are struggling and that one in three have halved in number in the past half century. The State of Nature report was compiled by 25 conservation groups including the Wildlife Trusts, the Mammal Society, Buglife and the Marine Conservation Society. The unique report, based on scientific analysis of tens of millions of observations from volunteers, shows that from woodland to farmland and from freshwater streams to the sea, many animals, birds, insects, fish and plants are in trouble. The key findings are presented here, and the full report is online: www.rspb.org.uk/stateofnature. Of more than 6,000 species that have been assessed using modern Red List criteria, more than one in 10 are thought to be under threat of extinction in the UK. The UK’s Overseas Territories hold a wealth of wildlife of huge international importance and over 90 of these species are at high risk of global extinction. Half of the species assessed have shown strong changes in their numbers or range, indicating that recent environmental changes are having a dramatic impact on nature in the UK. The report makes especially sobering reading with regard to invertebrates. The small things that run the world are suffering the greatest declines, especially moths, butterflies, ladybirds and ground beetles, these groups of insects have all declined between 65-70%! Many invertebrates are highly threatened, such as the Freshwater pearl mussel at risk of global extinction, and dozens of species have become extinct nationally such as the Short-haired bumblebee and Large copper butterfly. The intensification of farming has had far-reaching and ongoing impacts on wildlife. The loss of meadows, hedgerows and ponds, the increased use of pesticides, the abandonment of mixed farming, changes in cropping and the intensification of pastoral farming have all had a significant impact. Watch Sir David Attenborough launching the report at the Natural History museum, with the Minister for Biodiversity and State of Nature partners: http://vimeo.com/66800298#at=22 and listen to this amazing speech about the state of nature in Wales from Iolo Williams, a Welsh nature observer and television presenter, best known for his BBC and S4C nature shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnJQjtvngqA