General

De ecologische ramp met de neonicotinoiden die Henk Tennekes voor Nederland beschreef, wordt nu bevestigd op de Canadese prairies

Een biologe van de Universiteit van Saskatchewan zegt dat veel wetlands over de prairies zijn besmet met een pesticide dat het ecosysteem bedreigt. Christy Morrissey zegt dat in de afgelopen jaren neonicotinoïden steeds vaker gebruikt zijn op gewassen in West-Canada en deze stoffen de wetlands verontreinigen, die potentieel een verwoestende "domino-effect" kunnen hebben op insecten en de vogels die daarvan afhankelijk zijn. Morrissey is net een jaar en een half bezig met een studie van vier jaar, maar ze is geschrokken van de bevindingen. "Dit is heel ernstig", zei Morrissey. "De impact op biodiversiteit kan waarschijnlijk groter zijn dan we ooit eerder hebben gezien als we in dit tempo doorgaan."

The Disaster in the Making Henk Tennekes Described For His Native Country Holland Now Confirmed On Canadian Prairies

A University of Saskatchewan biologist says many wetlands across the Prairies are being contaminated by a relatively new pesticide that is threatening the ecosystem. Christy Morrissey says that over the past few years neonicotinoids have been used increasingly on crops in Western Canada and the chemical is making its way into wetlands, potentially having a devastating "domino effect" on insects and the birds that rely on them. Morrissey is just a year and a half into a four-year study, but she's alarmed by what she's finding. "This is huge" Morrissey said. "The impact on biodiversity could be probably bigger than we've ever seen before if we keep going at this rate."

Redelijk alledaagse vogels als de spreeuw of scholekster kunnen binnen afzienbare tijd grotendeels uit Nederland zijn verdwenen

Nog 20 andere vogelsoorten die nu nog niet op de Nederlandse Rode Lijst staan, zullen volgen. Deze schokkende nieuwe cijfers zijn naar boven gekomen dankzij een nieuwe onderzoeksmethode die Vogelbescherming samen met Sovon Vogelonderzoek heeft ontwikkeld: het Early Warning en Alert Protocol (EWAP). Met behulp van het EWAP heeft Vogelbescherming Nederland de Oranje Lijst opgesteld. Daarop staan 22 soorten die nog niet aan de criteria van de Rode Lijst voldoen maar waarvan wordt aangenomen dat ze dat in de nabije toekomst wel zullen gaan doen. Het stoplicht staat voor deze vogels zeg maar op oranje. Het EWAP geeft een zorgwekkend signaal. Tussen de 22 soorten die op de Oranje Lijst staan, zitten ook veel doodgewone soorten als grote lijster (Turdus viscivorus), spreeuw (Sturnus vulgaris), kokmeeuw (Chroicocephalus ridibundus), scholekster (Haematopus ostralegus), torenvalk (Falco tinnunculus) of waterhoen (Gallinula chloropus). Soorten die we nu nog elke dag overal tegenkomen. Als we niet snel actie ondernemen zullen zelfs heel algemene vogels als scholekster en spreeuw straks een zeldzaamheid zijn.

Wildlife Ecotoxicology of Pesticides: Can We Track Effects to the Population Level and Beyond?

During the past 50 years, the human population has more than doubled and global Agricultural production has similarly risen. However, the productive arable area has increased by just 10%; thus the increased use of pesticides has been a consequence of the demands of human population growth, and its impact has reached global significance. Although we often know a pesticide´s mode of action in the target species, we still largely do not understand the full impact of unintended side effects on wildlife, particularly at higher levels of biological organization: populations,
communities, and ecosystems. In these times of regional and global species declines, we are challenged with the task of causally linking knowledge about the molecular actions of pesticides to their possible interference with biological processes, in order to develop reliable predictions about the consequences of pesticide use, and misuse, in a rapidly changing world.

Some of Scotland's most popular birds are suffering a severe drop in numbers, a study has revealed

Scientists from the RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Natural Research have revealed the startling decline in bird populations in the State of UK Birds 2013 report. The mountain species dotterel (Charadrius morinellus), one of the rarest breeds in Britain – with two-thirds living in the Cairngorms – has declined by about 40 per cent in just over a decade. The results found that the estimated number of dotterels had fallen from 630 breeding males in 1999, to just 423 breeding males in 2011, continuing a longer-term decline since the first survey in 1987-88, which estimated the number of breeding males at 981. Other declines of population include the lapwing, a bird of farmland and wetland which has endured a 41 per cent population decline since 1995. The snipe, a wetland bird, has seen its breeding range shrunk by 31 per cent over the last 40 years. The population of grey partridge – another farmland bird – has declined by 53 per cent since 1995, while the corn bunting population has declined by 34 per cent since 1995. The turtle dove, which is not native in Scotland, has suffered a 51 per cent decline in the rest of the UK over the last 40 years. Mark Eaton, of RSPB, said: “Scotland’s Highlands provide an important home for dotterel and the species’ presence offers a good indicator of the health of our mountain landscapes. To see such a significant drop in their numbers over the past three decades is deeply concerning.

De verdwijnende vogels van België

Voor de laatste update van de Belgische Rode Lijst moeten we al terugblikken naar de Broedvogelatlas van 2004, maar sindsdien is er veel veranderd. Het is uitkijken naar de nieuwe update die voor 2014 op de agenda staat. Even afwachten dus naar welke verschuivingen we daar te zien krijgen. Want vogelonderzoek op eigen bodem bracht al duidelijk aan het licht dat we hier soorten verliezen: Kuifleeuwerik, Tapuit, Ortolaan en Grote karekiet broeden het laatste decennium almaar minder vaak. Maar ook Zomertortel, Wielewaal, Nachtegaal en Matkop kregen zeer rake klappen en zien de bodem dichterbij komen.

Henk Tennekes urges Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency to conduct a comprehensive review of the environmental impact of neonicotinoid insecticides

I understand that Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently announced that it “has determined that current agricultural practices related to the use of neonicotinoid-treated corn and soybean seed are affecting the environment due to impacts on bees and other pollinators” (based on findings in Ontario and Quebec). They are applied as seed dressings on wheat and canola on the prairies, and that PMRA is providing an opportunity for public comment. I would like to urge PMRA to conduct a serious, more comprehensive review of the environmental impact of neonicotinoid insecticides. My reasoning is as follows. Insects are quietly but rapidly disappearing. The great American biologist, E O Wilson, said insects were world-rulers, because they play a central role in maintaining ecosystems and the whole web of life. The recent alarms in Europe and America about the fate of the honey bee – colonies have been crashing in increasing numbers – have started to open people's eyes to insects' importance in a more general way. But it is only the beginning of an understanding, and much more is needed if we are to take the action necessary to preserve our populations of insects and other invertebrates, the creatures without backbones which make up the majority of animal life, including snails, worms and spiders (spiders being arachnids, not insects).

Three leading Australian environmental scientists have called for a substantial change to the way the world responds to wildlife that is going extinct

In a paper provocatively entitled “Counting the books while the library burns”, the researchers produce evidence that many wildlife programs round the world are monitoring species to the point of extinction – often without taking the necessary action to save them. Professor David Lindenmayer and Dr Maxine Piggott of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) and the Australian National University, and Assoc. Professor Brendan Wintle of CEED and the University of Melbourne warn in the journal Frontiers of Ecology that some conservation programs are standing by and watching species die out. Their work, funded through Australia’s National Environmental Research program (NERP), highlights the growing challenge of saving almost 20,000 endangered animals, birds and reptiles from extinction – and proposes a new action plan. “Of the 63,837 species assessed worldwide using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria, 865 are extinct or extinct in the wild and 19,817 are listed as critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable to extinction,” the researchers say. “Since the start of the 21st century alone, at least 10 species of vertebrates are known to have gone extinct, although this is likely to be a substantial underestimate.”

Some of Ireland’s most iconic bird species are in dramatic decline with one-in-eight now deemed to face an extinction threat

The warning came as a major ornithological conference in University College Cork (UCC) heard that the species decline has occurred despite the greatest conservation effort in Irish history. The threat is now so severe that, within the next 10 years, some of Ireland’s moved loved bird species may vanish from the island altogether. Some species have seen their numbers plummet by almost 80pc in 25 years. Species now under greatest threat include the Curlew (Numenius arquata), the Corncrake (Crex crex), Barn Owl (Tyto alba) and the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella). Ireland has also witnessed a dramatic decline in the number of seabirds and migratory water fowl in Ireland.

Er werd ons een groene en duurzame hervorming van het gemeenschappelijk landbouwbeleid beloofd en dit is wat we kregen

In ruil voor de miljarden euro's aan jaarlijks betaalde belastingen werd de Europeanen een groene en duurzame hervorming van het gemeenschappelijk landbouwbeleid (GLB) beloofd. Maar nu de besluiten zijn genomen is het zeer onwaarschijnlijk dat een groenere en duurzame landbouw vorm aan zal nemen. Vrijstelling van groene maatregelen is eerder regel dan uitzondering geworden. Erger nog, in sommige landen is deze zogenaamde "groene" hervorming eerder een stap achteruit door onevenredige bezuinigingen op het groene Fonds voor plattelandsontwikkeling en een reductie van de milieu-eisen.