restoring key species to britain issues, examples and lessons roy dennis mbe highland foundation for...
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Restoring Key Species to Britain
Issues, examples and lessons
Roy Dennis MBEHighland Foundation for Wildlife
Reintroducing key mammals
• Workshop at the right time
• Suddenly there’s more interest
• Probably best time for 30 years
• Now the time to press ahead – cos the pendulum always swings back sometime
• My view is key species are essential for functioning ecosystem.
Reminder how bad the loss is!Lost from Scotland since last Ice Age:
Auroch (wild cattle), Moose (Elk), Reindeer,
Wild boar and Beaver
Lynx, Wolf and Brown Bear
These are really influential animals in the functioning of ecosystems.
Their absence is detrimental to nature
conservation and management in the UK
What to do about it?
• Reintroduction – big mammals not going to get back naturally like some birds, bats or insects
• EU Directive encourages member states to examine the potential for restoring lost species
• But many feel that we should do these things ourselves to make up for past mistakes and to restore nature.
Bird Reintroductions – more pro-active
Capercaillie – 19th century
White-tailed eagle – 1959, 1968, 1975 onwards
Red Kite 1989 to Scotland and England
Goshawk – by the back door from 1960s
Osprey to central England from 1996
More recently translocations of
Golden Eagle to Ireland
Corncrake to England
And other species in people’s minds such as common crane and white storkWhat can we learn?
Old breeding sites of Sea Eagles
Isle of Skye Scotland
Middle Ages – widespread then intense persecution.
1800 - about 20 pairs left in Scotland
1916 - last pair nested in Inverness-shire
Early reintroductions: 1959 – 3 birds Argyll 1968 – 4 young Fair Isle.
1968 - imported four young sea eaglesfrom Norway; two of each sex.
Died or dispersed
Too few, wrong placeStopped from getting more
Rum National Nature Reserve NCC
1975 – 85 92 young from Norway
Reared and released from hacking cages
Resulted in first breeding 1983
First young in wild 1985
First wild young bred in 1995
Still not 10 young per year in wild by 1997
56 more imported 1993 -1998
100 young reared by 2000 and 22 pairs on territory
30 young from 36 pairs in 2006
Total young reared 222
Sea Eagle Reintroduction
It took a long time and was not easy. Project stopped in 1969
Restarted because strong push from Ian Newton and Morton Boyd
Population on west coast Scotland secure but food supplies problematic
Breeding range far too restricted
Proposals to restore them in eastern Scotland for last 15 years – delays
Now proposals and discussions for East Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland
Techniques all work well - but ever increasing bureaucratic hurdles
Use big starter populations – choose areas of richest habitat and food supplies
Exterminated in Scotland end 19th century;
re-introduced from Sweden 1989 to 1993;
now re-established and spreading
Chose most ecological productive area for project
Chose long term project progression
Linked to joint project with England
93 young from Sweden 1989-1993
First breeding 1992
More releases:
in late 1990’s Central Scotland
early 2000’s South-west Scotland
4 sites in England using Spanish kites
RAF support and lots of publicity
Success of Red Kites
• Moving programme of releases
• Partnership teams of RSPB, English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage, and ornithologists,landowners and managers
• Lots of birds released
• Great publicity and success
• Kites in general countryside not in special reserves – so close to people
Now to the really important players in ecosystems – the lost mammals
The Auroch is lost for ever
Our dominant mammal is now red deer
But wouldn’t it be great to have a few herds of ‘wild’ Highland cattle
The ecological value of big herbivores is more and more understood.
Lots of new projects and thinking but we need far more
Ecological functioning
Future:
Increase in cattle for conservation
wild ‘feral’ herds of native cattle
Or will we be prevented because of ‘health & safety controls’
Heck cattle in Netherlands
Beavers are keystone species with very important role in ecosystem health
They are essential in nature – just like oil in a car engine!
Important ecological effects nearly all beneficial
Water flows, sedimentation
Ameliorating floods
Habitat manipulation
Habitat creation - ponds
Invertebrates
Fish
Plants
Mammals
Amphibians
Birds
But how long do we have to keep repeating it!!!
Is there available habitat in UK?– we have hundreds and hundreds of suitable places!
Moose: exterminated about 900 years? ago – increased in last 40 years in Europe.
How do we keep forest ponds open or kill trees for woodpeckers
Wild Boar
Exterminated long ago by hunting and incorporation into domestic free-ranging pigs.
Since 1988 storms, escapes free living from ‘wild boar farms’
Lynx & roe deer
and ancient trees
Provider of carrion – we need top predators
Lynx – most suitable candidate after beaver.
We need return of large predators toInfluence middle range predators suchas badger, otter, fox and marten
Wolf
Last to survive
Last killed in Scotland in 1743
Lots of culture and history.
Lots of antagonism! But….
there is room and lots of prey
Important effects on red deer – not only kill some but move the others around – good for regeneration
Importance of telling stories
Greenland polar wolves
Bears : there are problems but people in Europe live with them
And why should the poorer countries of Europe have the big mammals not us
Zarnesti Study Area – Romania
13000 hectares
Gamekeeper Mosu
Compared to Scotland
Red deer 105 1000
Roe deer 120 350+
Boar 160-180 0
Brown Bear 43 0
Wolf 5-7 0
Lynx 6 0
Red fox, badger, wildcat, pine marten and otter.
Austria
Bear
Project
Is it possible?
12 years ago two experts from Bavaria & Romania visited the Highlands – definitely suitable habitat for all lost species
The issue is social and political
not ecological
But now rapidly changing attitudes
changes in agriculture with
rural management and ecotourism opportunities.
I think it is possible.
Difficulties from Conservation Colleagues and Bodies
Reintroductions are expensive and/or unnecessary
Rare birds are sexy and special feature of area or reserve – so regional staff don’t want them common elsewhere
Not enough habitat
Make it too complicated – excessive time and money spent on feasibility studies
Too much time on special issues such as genetic pools
Too few staff in important positions know the species in the wild
Scared of it going wrong rather than excited at it succeeding
Putting off decisions until next year – then a new problem
Society and political issues
People can be scared of big changes and big animals
Difficult to get politicians to take bold decisions especially when advised by civil servants
Excessive influence of farmers, land-owners, fishermen as opposed to ‘ordinary’ citizens
Countryside side changing and ecotourism now very important in rural areas – many of these animals have high economic values
Must have sound and robust management action
Scared to have big mammals in UK but happy to sponsor tigers in India or lions in Africa
UK a rich country and needs to do much more for ecosystem restoration
You need to get on and do it
• Learn as much as possible about the species• Get to know species in the wild• Be sensible and sensitive• Tell interesting stories• Don’t give up - keep pushing• Today’s impossibility is tomorrow’s project• Emphasise ecological values • Always ask for greater areas of nature and more
resources for in-field wildlife management