Landscape ecology of the pine marten

In 2009 a study commenced on the landscape ecology of Mustelids in the Ussell River Valley in the east of the Netherlands. It is aimed to be a longer term monitoring focused on gaining ecological knowledge of a community of Mustelids (badger, pine marten, stone marten, polecat, stoat, weasel and recently introduced otter) and other mesocarnivores in a fragmented cultural landscape. This knowledge is used to underpin the conservation ecology and support nature management actions for Mustalids

Application to Natural England for the trial reintroduction of lynx to England

England contains extensive areas of beautiful and wild natural landscapes of which the English public are justifiably proud. A highly controlled and scientific trial reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) (herein referred to as lynx) to a specifically selected wild area of England is the first step in a process that could see the lynx return to the nation after 1300 years of absence – a vital part of England's natural heritage. This document represents the first stage in the consultation of the national stakeholders in a trial reintroduction of lynx to England (the "Project"). The Project will bring millions of pounds of economic benefits to the English economy, improve the health of natural environments in England and, above all else, will be a symbol for the pride that the English public have in their nation's wild places. We are keen to understand your thoughts as our proposals develop over the coming months

Cost-benefit analysis for the reintroduction of lynx to the UK: main report

The EU Habitats Directive requires Member States to assess the potential and desirability of reintroducing species which have been lost, and to look at other Member States’ experiences to support such assessments. In light of these requirements, the Lynx UK Trust is proposing to undertake a trial reintroduction programme of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) at several potential sites in the UK. As part of the preparation for any translocation or reintroduction programme, guidelines prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) state that an assessment of the anticipated costs and benefits of a reintroduction should be incorporated into planning for such programmes. On the basis of these guidelines, AECOM have been asked by the Lynx UK Trust to undertake an impartial and independent analysis of the potential economic costs and benefits to the proposed lynx reintroduction scheme in the UK based on a combination of modelling and data collected from European lynx studies. The analysis draws on the guidance for undertaking cost-benefit analysis set out by the UK government. In particular, it follows the framework set out in The Green Book which states that a cost-benefit analysis should quantify as many of the costs and benefits of a proposal in monetary terms as is feasible, including impacts for which the market does not provide a satisfactory measure of economic value. The Green Book further states that in the early stages of identifying and appraising a proposal only summary data is normally required, while at the later stages of an assessment data should be refined to become more specific and accurate. The analysis in this report is therefore proportionate to the resources involved, outcomes at stake, and the time available. As such, the results should be taken as an initial indicative estimate of the potential costs and benefits of the lynx reintroduction scheme. This approach should provide a proportionate study for the purposes of licensing a trial of the effects of the reintroduction of lynx to the UK, with further studies of the economic impact being undertaken if the trial is adopted

Community consultation report: Kielder

This report is based on consultation work completed on behalf of the Lynx UK Trust (LUKT) in and around the Kielder area from August 2016 to May 2017, and was requested by the LUKT to fit with their timeline for a licence submission to trial a reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (lynx lynx) to the UK. As the planned consultation activities are incomplete, this is presented as an interim report, and conclusions should be considered as tentative. Nevertheless, initial findings point towards a reasonably divided community, with most residents still undecided or unsure regarding the proposed reintroduction of lynx and a small minority either firmly supporting or opposing the project. This position is similar to the results of an independent national omnibus survey conducted as part of a national public survey in respect of the proposed trial lynx reintroduction (Smith et al., 2015). At this point in the local consultation process there has been insufficient communication with those groups likely to be most affected by the project: primarily from the farming and forestry sector (IUCN, 2013:11). This is one of the IUCN’s key social feasibility guidelines (Social Feasibility 5.3.3) and for key areas of project policy, for example around livestock predation compensation schemes and mitigation measures, we would expect to see genuine co-development of policy and protocols with the farming community. This work has started in Kielder but given the controversial nature of this project it will take considerable time and effort to establish a trusting relationship with some of the human communities in and around the Kielder area. As the IUCN (2013:11) indicates, understanding the ‘extreme and internally contradictory attitudes of such key stakeholders provides the basis for developing public relations…orienting the public in favour of a translocation.’ It is our view that any licence application at this stage would be premature and would threaten the longer-term viability of the project

Experimental and field investigations of exposure, replication and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in pigs in the Netherlands

In order to assess the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, transmission and reservoir development in swine, we combined results of an experimental and two observational studies. First, intranasal and intratracheal challenge of eight pigs did not result in infection, based on clinical signs and PCR on swab and lung tissue samples. Two serum samples returned a low positive result in virus neutralization, in line with findings in other infection experiments in pigs. Next, a retrospective observational study was performed in the Netherlands in the spring of 2020. Serum samples (N =417) obtained at slaughter from 17 farms located in a region with a high human case incidence in the first wave of the pandemic. Samples were tested with protein micro array, plaque reduction neutralization test and receptor-binding-domain ELISA. None of the serum samples was positive in all three assays, although six samples from one farm returned a low positive result in PRNT (titers 40-80). Therefore we conclude that serological evidence for large scale transmission was not observed. Finally, an outbreak of respiratory disease in pigs on one farm, coinciding with recent exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infected animal caretakers, was investigated. Tonsil swabs and paired serum samples were tested. No evidence for infection with SARS-CoV-2 was found. In conclusion, Although in both the experimental and the observational study few samples returned low antibody titer results in PRNT infection with SARS-CoV-2 was not confirmed. It was concluded that sporadic infections in the field cannot be excluded, but large-scale SARS-CoV-2 transmission among pigs is unlikely.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Application to Scottish Natural Heritage for the trial reintroduction of lynx to Scotland

Scotland contains the most beautiful and wild natural landscapes in the United Kingdom, of which the Scottish public are justifiably proud. A highly controlled and scientific trial reintroduction of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) (herein referred to as lynx) to a specifically selected wild area of Scotland is the first step in a process that could see the lynx return to the nation after 1300 years of absence – a vital part of Scotland's natural heritage. This document represents the first stage in the consultation of the national stakeholders in a trial reintroduction of lynx to Scotland (the "Project"). The Project will bring millions of pounds of economic benefits to the Scottish economy, improve the health of natural environments in Scotland and, above all else, will be a symbol for the pride that the Scottish public have in their nation's wild places. We are keen to understand your thoughts as our proposals develop over the coming months