According to a report published on 4th February by the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology and Pond Conservation, 80% of ponds in England and Wales are in a ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ condition, thus failing to provide vital habitat for aquatic plants and animals. These findings are particularly worrying given that reports by the Environment Agency last autumn showed that 75% of UK rivers will fail to meet new European biological standards. Although large numbers of new ponds are created each year in the UK, many of these ponds are located in agricultural areas and suffer from pollution by nutrient run-off. This eventually results in overgrowth of vegetation and stagnant water. In contrast, the report found that ponds close to rivers, streams and other wetlands are in much better condition. These results highlight the importance of developing future ponds in areas that are protected from pollution, in order to protect Britain’s future freshwater biodiversity.

Pond Conservation Press Release: First national survey shows Britain’s wildlife ponds are in a ‘terrible state’

Scientists at the Institute for Applied Ecology at the University of Canberra, Australia, have found a turtle that does better in a suburban habitat than it does in nature reserves. Eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis) living in the suburbs of Canberra occupy home ranges nearly three times larger than turtles in the nature reserves. They are better able to cope with periods of drought, have higher population abundances and growth rates, and at last equivalent recruitment levels.

Eastern long-necked turtles, common across much of south eastern Australia, can be found in many freshwater habitats in the wild and in towns and cities. The researchers compared turtles that lived in the suburbs of Canberra to those in adjacent nature reserves, attaching miniature radio transmitters to the turtles in each habitat and following their weekly movements over the course of a year. Both turtle populations made long journeys of up to two and a half kilometres between bodies of water. It was expected that given their extensive movements, the suburban turtles would have a high rate of encounters with vehicles on roads, and thus fewer would survive. In fact, suburban turtles did not suffer appreciably higher mortality than their counterparts on reserve lands, only one of the 36 radio tracked turtles being hit by a vehicle. Vegetated drainage lines and drainage culverts running under roads protected the turtles.

Given the severe droughts that have been affecting much of Australia, the different populations’ response to drought was also notable. Turtles in the nature reserves responded to the drying up of the wetlands by lying dormant buried under leaf litter. However, suburban turtles were able to maintain aquatic activities throughout periods of drought as suburban water bodies remained flooded. Suburban landscapes, despite their unique challenges, may therefore be higher quality habitats than nature reserves for turtles during drought. The researchers hope to further evaluate whether well-designed urban areas hold any promise as long term drought refuges for some turtle populations.

For further information, please see here.

Water quality in England and Wales has improved for the nineteenth year in a row the Environment Agency announced today. Seven out of 10 English rivers and nine out of 10 Welsh rivers achieved what is termed “very good” or “good” status in terms of chemical and biological water quality in 2008. Wildlife has been returning to some of these rivers. 50 years ago, no salmon were seen on the River Tyne, but already this year more than 10,000 have been recorded migrating up river. Meanwhile otters have this year been recorded in both Greater Manchester and the lower Thames for the first time in 40 years. After moving into Sussex this year, otters can now once again be found in every English county.

However, only five of the 6,114 rivers in England and Wales are in pristine condition, and more than three-quarters are expected to fail new European quality standards. The European Water Framework Directive, which became law in the UK in 2003, sets even higher quality standards, using a wider and more sophisticated range of more than 30 different measures. Only 26% of rivers in England and Wales are classified as “good” under the new requirements, and only five satisfy the highest standards. These are in remote areas of Northumberland and Wales.

Under the new standards, 117 rivers are classified as being in bad condition, ranked on a par with the dirtiest rivers in eastern Europe, a further 742 are considered to be in “poor condition” and 3,654, or 60%, are in “moderate” condition. This presents a headache for the government because it is legally required by Europe to ensure that 95% of all British rivers are in “good” ecological condition by 2015. At the present rate of improvement, only a further 5% will meet the conditions by 2015. This could eventually leave Britain open to unlimited fines and court cases on a European level.

Lakes are faring no better, with only one out of 762 English and Welsh lakes considered to be of high status, and seven considered “bad”. None were named by the agency but it admits nearly 70% of lakes are in line to miss the targets.
It is estimated that it could cost £9bn to get 95% of UK rivers to “good” status by 2015. If, as expected, this proves impossible, the EU allows interim targets to be set for 2015 and 2021.

The government is currently preparing its River Basin Management Plans, which will be published on 22 December 2009. These will outline the targets and methods used to improve water quality in 11 catchment areas. A six-month consultation took place on the proposed plans earlier in the year. A coalition of major NGOs declared that the proposals showed ‘an unacceptably weak level of ambition’. Perhaps the EU will help the UK become more ambitious.

For further details, visit the ‘Our Rivers’ website.

With their large surface-to-volume ratios, shallow lakes are prone to environmental change, and clear, biodiverse waters can become turbid and less biodiverse relatively easily. It has long been known that shallow lakes might therefore be vulnerable to global warming trends, but few studies have been conducted until now.

As part of the EU Euro-limpacs project (Evaluating the Impacts of Global Change on European Freshwater Ecosystems), a team of British researchers used 48 tanks to simulate shallow lake communities. They studied the effects of warming by 4°C (the high emission scenario for the temperature increase during a hundred years period) and the effects of two levels of nutrient loading relevant to current degrees of eutrophication. Levels of nutrients, oxygen and pH, as well as phytoplankton, fish and plants, were also studied. During the experiment the highest temperatures reached 21°C in unheated shallow lakes and 25°C in heated lakes, whilst neither type of lake ever dropped below 3°C.

The study demonstrated that warming increased the concentration of soluble phosphate in the water. It also increased total plant biomass, but surprisingly reduced the amount of phytoplankton. The fall in phytoplankton is thought to be caused by shading from increased floating plants, which may be linked to a warming-induced release of soluble phosphate from the sediment. Warming also reduced fish biomass, which was probably the result of oxygen stress. Perhaps more importantly, high nitrogen loading as well as warming reduced the number of plant species.

Although temperature rises alone are unlikely to cause a switch in water conditions, they could intensify signs of eutrophication in shallow lakes. For example, increased temperature together with increased nutrient loading may cause nuisance growths of floating plants which may affect biodiversity.

The Water Framework Directive suggests that nitrogen concentrations should be considered when assessing the ecological quality of water. The limited evidence of the effects of nitrogen concentrations (compared to the evidence of the effects of phosphorus in fresh-waters) has made many government agencies reluctant to apply standards for nitrogen. This research indicates that nitrogen concentrations should be assessed however and that managing nitrogen loadings is an important part of maintaining good water quality, especially under a changing climate.

For more information, see:
Feuchtmayr, H., Moran, R., Hatton, K. et al. (2009). Global warming and eutrophication: effects on water chemistry and autotrophic communities in experimental hypertrophic shallow lake mesocosms. Journal of Applied Ecology. 46: 713-723.

At the ‘Lakes for Living, Lakes for Life’ conference being held on the shores of Lake Windermere this week, the Environment Agency has announced that it will assess the 730 most important lakes in England & Wales which need to meet the high standards of the Water Framework Directive.

Whilst river water quality has improved dramatically over the past 20 years, lakes have often continued to deteriorate in the face of more complex environmental challenges. Numerous iconic lakes are threatened by a range of problems. Pesticides and fertilisers from farming are contributing to regular blue-green algal blooms in the Lake District, which prevent people from going into the water. Meanwhile introduced species, such as the New Zealand Pigmyweed, have escaped into lakes like Windermere and are now out-competing many native species. Climate change is also forecast to bring severe problems, with more intense storms creating the potential for increased soil and pollution to be washed off the land into our lakes.

The Environment agency is currently developing plans to improve the condition of lakes and rivers across England and Wales. Under the Water Framework Directive, plans must be approved by the end of 2009 outlining how all our water bodies will be restored to health. Currently 85% of our lakes are failing to meet ‘Good Ecological Status’ (GES).

The draft plans published by the Environment Agency in December 2008 suggested that we would only aim to achieve a 4% increase in GES in rivers, while there is no planned improvement at all for lakes, estuaries and coastal waters. The Environment Agency and Defra have acknowledged that this is an unacceptably weak level of ambition, and that more must be done. They are asking for public input as to how this will be achieved.

Consultation is therefore now under way, and runs until the 22nd June 2009. If you would like to participate in this very important consultation, which will dictate freshwater management until 2015 and beyond, please visit the environment agency website.

A coalition of environmental NGOs have also launched a very useful website which will feed into the consultation. Visit the Our Rivers website.

Despite the frequent public preconception that urban waterways such as canals and ditches are polluted eyesores, devoid of almost all wildlife, recent research has shown that they can have more macroinvertebrate diversity than similar water systems in rural areas. They can also provide habitat for several endangered species.

Urban habitats may provide an important refuge for biodiversity in the face of climate change and increasing fragmentation. However, to date there has been little data provided to assess the conservation value of urban areas, and very few studies focusing on urban water systems.

A new Dutch study compared the biodiversity value of urban waterways in two towns in the Netherlands with natural and manmade drainage systems in rural areas, such as small streams and rivulets. Macroinvertebrate species, including snails, mites, flies and exotic crustaceans, were studied.

Urban waterways with low levels of nutrients (particularly nitrogen and phosphorous), were found to have the highest diversity of macroinvertebrates, and the highest number of endangered species. Waters with high levels of nutrients and poorly developed vegetation meanwhile had low macroinvertebrate diversity. The number of exotic crustaceans was high in nutrient-rich waters, probably because they are better able to cope with harsher conditions, such as low oxygen levels, than native species.

The researchers concluded that the key factors for macroinvertebrate biodiversity in urban water systems are levels of nitrates, sediment composition, transparency and submerged vegetation.

For further information, please see: Vermonden, K., Leuven, R.S.E.W., van der Velde, G. et al. (2009). Urban drainage systems: An undervalued habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates. Biological Conservation. 142: 1105-1115.

The outlook for endangered albatross species has dramatically improved, thanks to the success of an international conservation programme implemented by the RSPB and Birdlife International.

The Albatross Task Force (ATF) was established in 2006 in order to reduce the number of accidental albatross deaths caused by long-line fishing. At the time, it was estimated that one bird was killed every five minutes from long line fishing, and 19 of the 22 albatross species were under threat from extinction.

The birds were dying because they were taking bait from fishing lines fed into the sea from boats fishing for tuna or swordfish. Once they swallowed the bait, they would become caught on the hook, dragged underwater and drown.

Specialist instructors from the ATF went out with fishermen and taught them techniques that would stop the birds becoming entangled. They were encouraged to fish at night, weight their lines and attach streamers to the back of vessels to scare the birds away. Government legislation also played its part by stipulating that no more than 25 birds could be caught as “by-catch” during trips.

The programme has been heralded as a resounding success, and has reduced deaths by up to 85% in some locations.

Dr Ross Wanless, coordinator of the Birdlife programme in Africa, said: “Changing entrenched attitudes and practices is a slow process, but the ATF has shown that by working with government and industry, change is possible.”

Whilst the 19 species are not freed from the threat of extinction yet- many are still snagged by trawlers, breeding is slow and habitats are endangered – the campaign is likely to have made a remarkable impact on their population stability and its success cannot be understated.

Learn more about the ‘Save the Albatross’ Campaign here.

Read more about this story at the BBC News website and the Times News website.

The global decline in frog populations has been attributed to an increase in infectious diseases. However findings in Nature reveal a link between parasitic infection and local interaction between phosphate fertilisers and herbicides.

The study focused on leopard frogs from wetlands in Minnesota, USA, and these frogs were examined for trematode larvae – a type of parasitic flatworm. Trematodes are known to cause kidney damage and occasionally deformities in amphibians. The researchers also looked for indicative signs of water pollution, by measuring the level of melanomacrophage liver cells, which are involved in amphibian immune response.

Of the many possible factors contributing to these ailments in the frogs, the strongest predictor of larval infection was the herbicide atrazine combined with high phosphate levels. High levels of the atrazine herbicide were correlated with low levels of melanomacrophage cells, indicating the herbicide suppressed the frogs’ immune response, increasing susceptibility to the trematodes.

A probable cause of the interaction was revealed, when the frogs were placed in tanks exposed to supposed environmental levels of these chemical in the U.S. Atrazine reduced phytoplankton growth, creating clearer water and higher levels of nutrients. This stimulated algal growth, which in turn encouraged gastropods. Gastropods play host to trematodes, acting as a vector to the amphibians. Since wetland birds are the primary host of trematode eggs, as the authors suggest, these must be present along with the elevated phosphate levels and herbicide for the interactive effect to take place.

The findings highlight problems in the European and American systems for registering chemicals. Although the chemicals have no direct effect on mortality independently, the combined effect results in this pollution-disease pathway and would not be identified under existing pollutant control tests.

Many European countries banned its use even before EU legislation withdrew support for its use in 2004, because of concerns over concentrations in groundwater. Atrazine is used widely across the world for corn and sorghum production. There is still some limited support for its use in European countries, although the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal no longer have any support for it.

Amphibians are becoming increasingly threatened across the globe, with many species expected to become extinct by 2050. Amphibian fungal infections, particularly Chytridiomycosis are on the rise across the globe, possibly exacerbated by climate change. Chytridiomycosis is thought to have originated in South Africa, although nobody is entirely certain where it began.

Adapted from the Science Environment Policy bulletin, Source: Rohr, J.R., Schotthoefer, A.M., Raffel, T.R., et al. (2008). Agrochemicals increase trematode infections in a declining amphibian species. Nature. 455: 1235-1240.

Scientists have recently developed a new computer modeling system that will improve the way in which river basins are assessed for the European Water Framework Directive.

The system has been named the Elbe decision support system, (Elbe-DSS), after the river it was initially developed for assessing, the River Elbe, one of the largest in Europe.

The system will specifically monitor the following elements of river catchment:

One of the strengths of this system is that it will help cross-border collaboration in tackling river management objectives. The system can be intelligently manipulated in order to assess the likely impacts of likely changes in variables affecting the catchment area, such as reforestation and increased/decreased fertiliser input.

Having tested theory against practice, it has proved to be reliable in predicting nutrient levels across the whole river basin. Because the system can be applied at various spatial scales, it means that approaches can be taken at specific locations across the modeled area in an efficient way. It also allows management actions to be ranked in importance according to modeled assumptions about future environmental and demographic changes.

The system is free and available from the German Federal Institute of Hydrology, (although the website is currently under construction and written in German).

This article is adapted from the Science Environment Policy Bulletin, Source: Lautenbach, S., Berlekamp, J., Graf, N. et al. (2009). Scenario analysis and management options for sustainable river basin management: Application of the Elbe DSS. Environmental Modelling and Software. 24(1): 26-43.

The Carbon Trust, a government funded agency, is to unveil plans that will set the agenda for algal biofuels becoming a significant alternative to fossil fuels by 2020. £26m has been allocated to research and development of infrastructure that will make algal biofuels a commercial reality, facilitating their use for UK road transport.

Given that transport contributes 25 per cent of Britain’s greenhouse gas emissions, finding a ‘carbon neutral’ alternative to fossil fuels is essential. Algae do not replicate the problems associated with crop-type biofuels, which have contributed to a massive rise in food prices as well as widespread natural habitat loss.

John Loughhead, executive director of the UK Energy Research Council, said:

“Algae are potentially attractive means to harvest solar energy: they reproduce themselves, so there’s no manufacturing cost for the solar converter, they can live in areas not useful for food or similar productive use, they don’t need clean or even fresh water so don’t add to global water stress, and can give oils, biomass, or even hydrogen as a product. Perhaps they’ll be the stem cells of the energy world.”

The Carbon Trust believes that by 2030, 12% of aviation fuel and 6% of road transport fuel could be replaced by algal biofuels, resulting in a net reduction in 160million tonnes of carbon.

Recent hikes in oil prices mean that interest could has been renewed in algal biofuels. Initial efforts in the 80s appeared promising, but commercial viability was always one step away because these fuels simply couldn’t compete with the cheap oil of that era.

Transport Minister Andrew Adonis supports the move towards sustainable biofuels: “This project demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that second generation biofuels are truly sustainable — and will further our understanding of the potential for microalgae to be refined for use in renewable transport fuel development, to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions.”

The Wellcome Trust is backing a company developing some of the most advanced genetically modified algal biofuels, Sapphire Energy.

Previous hysterical reports in the media have made blanket references to biofuels, overlooking the disparity between the unsustainable fuels such as palm oil grown in south east Asia, with promising options such as algae. It is encouraging therefore that the mass media and ministers are now making a clear distinction between these, and looking closer at viable alternatives to fossil fuels.