Apply for the 2010 Fellowship at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST). Spend three-months in Westminster researching and writing a POSTnote for MPs and Peers or contribute to a parliamentary inquiry. The BES will provide a £5,000 bursary to support your living costs in London. This is open to all second and third year PhD students at a UK university, studying for an ecologically-relevant PhD.

To find out more and for details of how to apply, see the Public Policy section of the British Ecological Society’s website, under ‘Getting Involved‘.

Yesterday afternoon saw the official launch of POSTnote 348, on ‘Insect Pollination’, written by the 2009 BES POST Fellow Rebecca Ross. The note summarises the causes and consequences of the declines in UK insect pollinators: a subject that has received growing attention in recent years, as demonstrated by the large audience crowding the seminar room in Westminster.

Chaired by John Penrose MP, the seminar began with a presentation from Dr Liz McIntosh of the Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), promoting BeeBase, the Government initiative to register all beekeepers. The ex-President of the British Beekeepers Association Ivor Davis then spoke, pointing at the lack of professional teaching available to beekeepers for the decline in the number of honey bees in the UK – a view echoed by comments from other beekeepers in the room. Whilst welcoming the Government’s pledge to invest £10.5 million into bee research, he expressed concern that it would all be spent on high level research rather than achieving practical, immediate goals.

Dr Simon Potts of the University of Reading then discussed the consequences of pollinator decline. Pollinator services in the UK are valued at around £440 million, or 13 % of the total value of agriculture. As only 10% of this is provided by domestic honey bees, Dr Potts highlighted the economic sense of protecting wild pollinators, at a fraction of the cost that would be incurred trying to replace them. This was theme continued by Dr Claire Carvel of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in her presentation on research into using field margin strips in Countryside Stewardship agri-environment measures to support pollinators. Comments from the floor questioned the practicalities of planting such pollinator friendly margins, for example whether regional eco-types would be considered, and challenged researchers and policy-makers to improve the implementation of these schemes amongst farmers.

Find out more about the BES POST Fellowship: applications for the 2010 scheme will open in February.

On 20 January a joint BES, Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) seminar will explore the causes and consequences of declines in insect pollinators. The event will see the formal launch of POSTnote 348 on ‘Insect Pollination’, authored by the 2009 BES POST Fellow, Rebecca Ross.

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from one flower to another, enabling plant reproduction. Pollination by insects is therefore vital for the maintenance of biodiversity and agricultural production. 80% of British wildflowers and 84% of EU crops depend on insect pollinators, mainly bees. Loss of pollinators would cost UK agriculture an estimated £400m per annum, representing 12% of agricultural revenue. Evidence is mounting that British bee species, such as honeybees and bumblebees, are in decline, which could threaten future agricultural productivity and cause further biodiversity loss. What is causing this decline, and is further action needed to restore our pollinators?

We will hear from expert speakers on the scientific and practical aspects of maintaining a healthy pollinator population and there will be a chance to discuss such topics as:

• Does pollinator decline pose a significant threat to the UK?
• What research do we need to understand pollinator decline and mitigate
its effects?
• What can we do to improve the health of managed honeybees?
• What policies do we need to maintain wild pollinators in the landscape
despite increasing demands on land for housing, fuel and food?

For further information and details on how to register for a place at this event, see the ‘Forthcoming Policy Meetings’ section of the BES website.

Invasive non-native species have significant negative ecological and economic impacts. The negative ecological impacts have been widely reported; invasive non-native species may predate or out-compete native species, be the vectors of disease and affect ecosystem services.

In the Journal of Ecology, a team of researchers from the Czech Republic, have published one of the rare studies that actually quantify community-level effects of invasive non-native plants.

The researchers assessed the effects of thirteen invasive non-native plant species on a range of plant communities by measuring species richness, diversity and evenness in invaded and uninvaded plots. Eleven of the thirteen invading plant species reduced species richness, diversity and evenness. The decrease in species richness in invaded plots is primarily due to the identity of the invading plant species. The decrease in diversity and evenness is primarily due to the height and cover of the invading non-native species and the differences in height and cover between the native and non-native plants.

This study indicates the need for conservation managers to consider that the effects of invasive plants on native plant communities differs between invading plant species and that the characteristics rather than species identity of the invading plant affects species diversity and evenness.

Original article: Hejda, M., Pyšek, P. and Jarošík, V. (2009) Impact of invasive plants on the species richness, diversity and composition of invaded communities. Journal of Ecology, 97, 393-403.
For further information on invasive non-native species please see POSTnote 303 written by the 2008 BES-POST fellow.

Tomorrow (26 February) sees the formal launch of the POSTnote written by the 2008 BES POST Fellow, with a seminar in Westminster. Laura Spence has spent the past few months working at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, researching and writing a briefing note for parliamentarians (POSTnote 325) on “Wild Deer”.

Wild deer populations are increasing in number and geographic range in the UK. Deer are a valuable natural resource if managed sustainably, but when occurring at excessive densities, they can have negative effects on biodiversity, the rural economy, human health and
safety, and animal welfare. The POSTnote examines the current status of wild deer in the UK, their ecological, economic and social impacts and legislation on their management.

The seminar will take place in the Jubilee Room, Westminster Hall, from 3.30 – 5pm. To find out more see the Event Flyer.
If you would like to attend, please contact POST@parliament.uk or telephone Emma Kearney on 020 7219 2840.

To apply for the 2009 BES POST Fellowship, visit the BES website. Applications must be received by 6 April.

Applications are now invited for the 2009 BES POST Fellowship.

This fantastic opportunity to work at the heart of Parliament in Westminster, London, should not be missed by those with an interest in science policy. Over the three months of your placement, at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology, you will be given the opportunity to research and write a POSTnote for MPs and Peers, to work on a parliamentary inquiry or on the production of briefing materials for parliamentarians. The BES will award you a bursary of £5,000 to cover your travel and living costs whilst undertaking the internship.

If you are in the second or third year of your PhD, in ecology or a related subject, then consider applying. The closing date is 6 April and interviews will be held on 22 April, in London.

For more information, see http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/publicaffairs/POST/.

British Waterways has today released a list of the 12 non-native species most likely to damage the country’s canals, rivers and towpaths, harming native wildlife. The organisation is encouraging people to think about the impact on the environment before releasing these so-called “dirty dozen” into the environment.

British Waterways spends £1million each year controlling non-native invasive species across its infrastructure, monitoring the impact of these species with the help of its ecologists. Chris John, British Waterways’ National Ecologist said: “Whilst not all non-native species are harmful, many pose real problems to our native wildlife, to boaters and to our historic channels, locks and bridges. With no natural predators to control them they can overwhelm wildlife, channels, banks and towpaths…We are therefore asking people to help us by disposing of non-native plants safely and carefully, selecting alternative plants for gardens, ponds and aquariums.”

The twelve species are: Japanese Knotweed, Australian Swamp Stonecrop, Giant Hogweed, Himalayan Balsam, Water Fern, Floating Pennywort, Chinese Mitten Crab, Red-Eared Terrapin, Mink, Zander, American Signal Crayfish and Zebra Mussels.

Access British Waterways’ guidance for the public

Access the Inasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain

Access POSTnote 303 by 2008 BES POST Fellow, Fay Collier, on Non-Native Invasive Species

The UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology has recently released its latest publication on the theme of Biodiversity Indicators. The article is published at a time when the European-led target of halting the loss of UK Biodiversity by 2010 is widely perceived to be failing. As confirmed by the BES’s expert membership, in the BES Science Policy Team’s official response to the environmental audit committee’s enquiry.

The POSTnote examines the value of the biodiversity indicators identifying two key questions posed by an inquiry launched by the Environmental Audit Committee:

1. Are the indicators meaningful?
2. Are there enough data to assess progress and define targets?

1) The indicators have been good where knowledge has been available, in terms of their usefulness to policy-makers, whereas others have suffered as they more difficult to unravel in terms of biological meaningfulness.

2) For some groups, e.g. birds, there is more than enough biologically meaningful data to draw confident conclusions from about their status, whilst for other groups as found in the Red List Index, data are available for only a few species and even where found the resolution of the data is at too coarse a scale to make competent assessments. Many species are ‘data deficient’ making it almost impossible to assess their true status.

The BES offers the opportunity to third year PhD students to work in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology on a relevant ecological topic. For further information go to: http://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/articles/publicaffairs/POST/

New research published recently in Estuaries and Coastal Science indicates that current policy and knowledge of invasive species in coastal and estuarine areas is seriously lacking.

Shipping may introduce invasive non-native species (INNS) through the emptying of ballast water in estuarine areas, or through species attached to the hull, often these may have originated thousands of miles from where they are released. Fish farming and aquariums are also significant potential INNS sources.

The authors of the paper call for further research by scientists and greater attention from policy-makers and stakeholders. The researchers suggest that prevention and early detection are the most effective methods of dealing with INNS. Further, screening using historically invasive-traits and matching previous habitats with potential new habitats, could help predict the likelihood of future invasions into alien environments.

This is of particular relevance given that the draft Marine Bill presently does not provide any reference to the introduction of INNS into the marine environment, nor any legislative preventative measures. The CBD and the Codes of Practice on the Introductions and transfers of Marine Organisms set by the International Council for Exploration of the Seas are not binding and carry no fixed penalties, therefore unless the Marine Bill addresses these issues in its final iteration, a great opportunity will have been missed.

Do readers of the blog agree that the Marine Bill should address the introduction of invasive non-native species into the marine environment?


Read the BES’s Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (POST) fellow’s POSTnote.

Further information on the British Ecological Society’s POST fellowship can be found on the website.

Yesterday a POSTnote seminar was held on the topic of Wildlife Diseases at Westminster Hall, with speakers Dr Andrew Cunningham, Institute of Zoology, Vic Simpson, Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre, and Matthew Hartley, DEFRA.

Wildlife diseases can be both a driver of biodiversity loss and a potential threat to human health. For wildlife, diseases can lead to increased susceptibility to other diseases and reduced reproductive capacity. Numerous diseases are believed to have been introduced from outside the UK, indicating the need for better monitoring of diseases and improved regulation of animal imports and movements. For example the squirrelpox virus, which affects red squirrels but not grey squirrels, is thought to have been introduced by grey squirrels and has been identified as a major contributor of red squirrel decline. Ranavirus affects amphibians in the UK, and phylogeographic research suggests that the disease has been introduced from the USA. And globally, Chytridiomycosis is a major threat to all amphibians and an important driver of amphibian population declines.

Despite these considerable threats, not to mention the unknown threats from emerging and as-yet undiscovered viruses, there is no single government body designed and equipped to deal specifically with wildlife diseases, a strong point highlighted by the speakers. The Wildlife Health Strategy is in place to cover issues pertaining to wildlife disease, but only has the budget and resources to respond reactively to emerging events.

There was a general concensus that there is an urgent need for a new government body to deal with wildlife diseases, although at present DEFRA does not have the resources for a restructuring. Vic Simpson, a veterinary pathologist by training, identified the link between pesticide pollution – Polychlorobiphenyls led to increased disease susceptibility in otters and other problems – and the near-extinction of otters in the UK. His work enabled a succesful reintroduction campaign, having identified the cause of the problem. However, due to DEFRA’s chronic underfunding, the important work of Vic Simpson has been cut short.

The seminar was an excellent opportunity to expose an interesting and under-explored topic of disease ecology, coming at a time when when fresh outbreaks of Avian Influenza are reported to be impacting on Oxfordshire poultry farms. There is clearly an urgent need for a wildlife department in the UK capable of dealing with wildlife diseases.

Read more about POST at http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_offices/post/new.cfm

Click here to read about how to apply for the BES POST Fellowship. Applications for the 2009 Fellowship will open early in the new year.