Effects of Natura 2000 on nontarget bird and butterfly species based on citizen science data

ABSTRACT The European Union's Natura 2000 (N2000), is one of the largest international networks of protected areas. One of its aims is to secure the status of a pre-determined set of (targeted) bird and butterfly species. However, also non-target species may benefit from N2000. We evaluated how the terrestrial component of this network relates to the abundance of non-targeted, more common bird and butterfly species using data from long-term volunteer-based monitoring programs in 9,602 sites for birds and 2,001 sites for butterflies. In almost half of the 155 bird species assessed, and particularly among woodland specialists, abundance increased with the proportion of N2000 sites in the landscape. The corresponding positive relationship was found for 27 of the 104 butterfly species, although most of these species were generalists. These positive relationships disappeared for most of the species when land-cover covariates were taken into account, hinting that land-cover is a primary factor defining the positive effects of the N2000 network. The increase in abundance with N2000 was correlated with the specialization index for bird species, but not for butterfly species. Although the N2000 network supports higher abundance of a large spectrum of species, the low number of specialist butterfly species showing a positive association stresses the need to implement management plan improving the quality of habitats of N2000 areas potentially harboring openland butterfly specialists. For a better understanding of the processes involved, we advocate for a standardized collection of data on N2000 sites. Article impact statement: Across Europe the abundance of a majority of nontarget birds and a quarter of nontarget butterflies increased with Natura 2000 coverage. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reservedpeerReviewe

Possible change in Irish climate and its impact on barley and potato yields

Climate change scenarios can be used with crop simulation models to predict the impact of climate change on agricultural production. Focusing on two specific arable crops: (i) barley, a currently successful cereal crop, well adapted to the Irish climate and a staple of the tillage production sector; and (ii) potato, a traditional root crop in Ireland, sensitive to water stress and also a staple of the tillage production sector, the impact of climate change on yield was determined using simulation models (in the DSSAT package) and downscaled output from a general climate model. Daily weather data stochastically generated from mean monthly values for baseline (1961–1990), 2055 (2041–2060) and 2075 (2061–2090) climate periods were derived for over 500 locations in Ireland (derived from HADCM3Ga1). Important points with respect to the expected change in climate were that rainfall becomes more seasonally extreme, and a relatively uniform increase in temperature of about 1.6 ◦C over the country can be expected by the 2075 climate period. This change in climate is predicted to cause little change in the geographical distribution of barley yield, but grain yield in all areas is expected to increase with possibly a greater increase to the west. Potato yield in 2055 and 2075 is expected to fall for non-irrigated tubers. The impact is likely to be a severe loss of yield over most of the country by 2055. The implications of these findings are that barley will remain a viable cereal crop, and might find a greater role in livestock supplement feed supply (due to predicted drought losses effecting grass yield), but the irrigation demand for potato will be very significant, possibly making the crop non-viable for farmers, particularly in the east of Ireland where there will be competition for water in summer

State of nature

For the first time ever, the UK’s wildlife organisations have joined forces to undertake a health check of nature in the UK and its Overseas Territories. 60% of the 3,148 UK species we assessed have declined over the last 50 years and 31% have declined strongly. Half of the species assessed have shown strong changes in their numbers or range, indicating that recent environmental changes are having a dramatic impact on nature in the UK. Species with specific habitat requirements seem to be faring worse than generalist species. A new Watchlist Indicator, developed to measure how conservation priority species are faring, shows that their overall numbers have declined by 77% in the last 40 years, with little sign of recovery. Of more than 6,000 species that have been assessed using modern Red List criteria, more than one in 10 are thought to be under threat of extinction in the UK. Our assessment looks back over 50 years at most, yet there were large declines in the UK’s wildlife prior to this, linked to habitat loss. The UK’s Overseas Territories hold a wealth of wildlife of huge international importance and over 90 of these species are at high risk of global extinction. There is a lack of knowledge on the trends of most of the UK’s species. As a result, we can report quantitative trends for only 5% of the 59,000 or so terrestrial and freshwater species in the UK, and for very few of the 8,500 marine species. Much needs to be done to improve our knowledge. What we do know about the state of the UK’s nature is often based upon the efforts of thousands of dedicated volunteer enthusiasts who contribute their time and expertise to monitoring schemes and species recording. The threats to the UK’s wildlife are many and varied, the most severe acting either to destroy valuable habitat or degrade the quality and value of what remains. Climate change is having an increasing impact on nature in the UK. Rising average temperatures are known to be driving range expansion in some species, but evidence for harmful impacts is also mounting. The full report is online: www.rspb.org.uk/stateofnature We should act to save nature both for its intrinsic value and for the benefits it brings to us that are essential to our wellbeing and prosperity. Targeted conservation has produced inspiring success stories and, with sufficient determination, resources and public support, we can turn the fortunes of our wildlife around. The State of Nature report serves to illustrate that with shared resolve and commitment we can save nature