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On ITV tonight (Sunday 7 9 July) at 8pm, there’s a new series beginning called A Year on Planet Earth.
Narrated by Stephen Fry, the series shows how the Earth’s journey around the sun affects our wildlife. The programme was filmed over three years and covers many different locations.
Kicking off with winter in the Northern hemisphere, of course it’s summer in the south. Thus we see polar bears as well as African elephants and King penguins.
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| Big Butterfly Count, UK This is a UK-wide survey aiming to help Butterfly Conservation assess our envrionmental health. All you need to do is to count the amount and type of butterflies and moths you see! It starts on Friday 14th July and runs to 6th August 2023 and all you have to do is to choose a place to spot butterflies and moths. Watch for 15 minutes. Then record which species you see. There's lots of help on the website, so flutter away to find out more here. |
Citizen Science works wonders!
The increase in the number of opportunities to be a citizen scientist has unearthed a number of benefits for nature-based citizen science projects and those taking part in them.
What is citizen science, anyway?
It’s when ordinary people like you and me volunteer to do scientific research. We could collect data and send it off to the organisation conducting the research or get more scientifically involved. Some people design experiments, whilst many others simply take part in projects. Things like this really matter because they help conservation organisations build up a more detailed picture of how wildlife is faring, for example, and which species need help.
Citizen science projects can include things such as counting butterflies and bird species and finding ancient trees, or reporting on snakes and other reptiles they’ve seen. Some of these projects are annual events whilst others are on-going.
The other great thing about it according to a recent study is that people can build a connection to science and the natural world. They believe they’re doing something worthwhile with their time, something that will make a difference, and they can enjoy the benefits the natural world gives them. And they feel happier afterwards.
Information about the study
In People and Nature (9 February 2023), the results of a study were published concerning citizen science. The study was called “Nature Up Close and Personal: A Wellbeing Experiment”. The study is the first to investigate the effects of citizen science on volunteers. Ecologist Dr Michael Pocock who is from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) led the study which was undertaken during 2020 (the pandemic restrictions were in force) by UKCEH, the University of Derby and the British Science Association.
The average age of the 500 participants from across the UK was 52 and there was a control group. They were surveyed before and after taking part, so assessing differences in their connection to nature, their wellbeing and pro-nature behaviour.
Particpants were asked to do a 10 minute nature-based activity at least 5 times over 8 days, namely a pollinating insects survey, a butterfly survey, spending time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed or a combination of both.
The results of the citizen science study
The people who spent time in nature and writing down 3 good things they noticed were more likely to say they’d do wildlife friendly activities in future, so it seemed that the activity strengthened their relationship with the natural world. (You could try this last activity at home and see how you feel about doing wildlife friendly activities.)
All the volunteers showed better scores in wellbeing and feeling connected to nature. Comments included “it gave me permission to slow down” and “it reminded me that small things can make a difference to my mood” and “it made me more aware of nature in all aspects of the environment.”
Participants reported improved levels of happiness, a greater connection with nature and a determination to do wildlife friendly activities e.g. planting more pollinator-friendly plants in their gardens, creating shelters for wildlife. Nature can indeed benefit from our involvement in citizen science!
Anyone can get involved in citizen science!
And the great thing about citizen science is that anyone can take part – you just need to have a bit of time and to be curious and willing to watch and record. It’s another way in which we can strengthen our relationship with the natural world, which must surely be good for nature, for wildlife and for us! It means that people can enhance their connection with nature whilst helping conservation as they collect important data.
The researchers believe their results highlight the benefits of focusing on the natural world, and that’s even if that’s just for a few moments.
UKCEH welcomes support from anyone interested in getting involved with recording wildlife via their iRecord website and free-to-use apps for butterflies and the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme.
To conclude, a question
What will you do to connect with nature this week?
Citizen science projects .... some UK examples:
Wildlife Trusts (national, regional)
The Shark Trust - be a citizen scientist for sharks!
Help the Seagrass Project spot seagrass. Here's how
Buglife - help them monitor the state of our wildlife and deliver conservation action where it is most needed.
Royal Parks in London have a number of different opportunities
Woodland Trust - help them with their ancient tree inventory
PTES (the People's Trust for Endangered Species) has a number of surveys
The Mammal Society have a number of surveys to help mammals
The National Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Programme, just the thing for those fascinated by reptiles and amphibians
Butterfly Conservation has recording and monitoring opportunities
Help amphibians and reptiles in the UK by using Froglife's app to submit your sightings.
Why not search out opportunities in your area to see what citizen science projects there are that you can help with?
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On of my favourite magazines, The Countryman, is reporting how a conservation by the National Trust for Scotland has turned a 200-acre dairy farm (no longer used) in wildflower meadows, wetlands and native woodlands. So off I went to find out more direct from the National Trust for Scotland.
The Threave Landscape Restoration Project used grazing by 14 Belted Galloway cattle to increase biodiveristy, with vegetation at diferent heights. As a reulst, 81 hectares of land at the Threave Estate which is located in Dumfries and Galloway have become rich habitats for fauna and flora.
The Belted Galloway cattle have been very busy working on the project
The cattle had satellite linked collars so that their activities could be tracked remotely, and this was helpful in reducing any possiblity of overgrazing.
The wheatear is one species that is enjoying
the results of this restoration project.
The result? Insect and bird life have increased. Not only that, but species which were rarely spotted at the site before, have increased, too. Curlew, wheatear and the shoveler duck and skylark have all increased.
As well as the cattle, the project is aiming to plant 16,000 native trees, too.
Nor have people been forgotten. The wetland area is accessible to human visitors, thanks to broadwalks.
This porject is encouraging other sites to create change, both locally and further afield. They are looking to enlist the use of cattle to do some conservation grazing, for example, also using GPS tracking devices which helps reduce over-grazing.
HSBC UK pledged a significant donation to the project.
Threave is important because it is the home of the School of Heritage Gardening, and it’s dedicated to the training of hortiuclturalists. Not only that, it’s got Scotland’s only Bat Reserve! They’ve got 8 species of bats and a conservation programme dedicated to protect them.
There's a Bat Reserve at Threave Garden & Estate
The National Trust for Scotland says it’s one of Scotland’s most biodiverse nature reserve – there’s an osprey platform where you can take in the beauty around you.
Well done to everyone involved in the project!
Visit the National Trust for Scotland here.
Images on this blog ©National Trust for Scotland
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The 15th to 21st May is Invasive Species Week.
Over 2,000 plants and animals have been introduced to Britain from all over the world by people. And these are called non-native species.
Many of our agricultural species such as wheat and barley aren’t native to Britain, but about 10-15% become invasive non-native species. These spread and do harm, contributing in no small way to global biodiversity loss.
Examples include Japanese knotweed, the Asian hornet, Signal crayfish, Himalayan balsam, and the grey squirrel.
In Britain, they threaten the survival of native wildlife and damage natural ecosystems. And they are costly to the environment, and more.
The North Wales Wildlife Trust says they compete for resources, such as light and water. They predate on native species, and they carry diseases. And invasive species breed with closely related native species. And since 1976, they have been thought to cost the UK economy between £5.4 and £13.7 billion – that’s about £122 million a year!
So organisations across the British Isles and Ireland are working to raise awareness of the impacts invasive non-native species can have and how we can help protect the environment.
Volunteer to tackle invasive non-native species
You could volunteer to help with the management of invasive non-native species and help native species habitats to recover. There’s nothing like volunteering in the open to help with wellbeing, to connect with nature and meet people who share a similar interest and wish to help the countryside and protect our environment.
There are Local Action Groups and also projects you can get involved with. Even if you don’t have enough time to volunteer but want to help, there will be things you can do to help stop the spread of non-native species. Find your Local Action Group here.
The North Wales Wildlife Trust has more information and details of ways you can support their efforts to tackle invasive non-native species They have videos you can watch to give you actions you can take. For example, you can
There are three things we can all do:
Check clothing and equipment for mud, or bits of plants or aquatic animals when you leave water and leave anything you find on the site.
Clean everything with great thoroughness, especially those damp and hard-to-access areas. Use hot water if you can.
Dry everything thoroughly because some invasive species can close to 2 weeks in damp conditions!
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#GreenMatchFund
Update on 29 April 2023: The Green Match Fund 2023 was a great success, and £4,349,330 was raised for 178 charities in 7 days. There were 22,457 donations to make this happen! Congratulations to all the charities involved!
Here's the background here:
Here’s a chance to make a donation for wildlife which gets DOUBLED!
From the 20th April at midday for one week, you can donate to an environmental charity taking part and your donation will be matched!
This is a great chance to really make your £ stretch to make a difference!
If we all pull together, we can really go places
for nature and the natural world
Visit the Green Match Fund here
Charites taking part in the Green Match Fund include:
Even if you cannot donate, this is a great opportunity to find out more about what the charities that interest you most do, and to spread awareness of what they do – spread the word!
The above list doesn’t cover all the charities taking part, so visit the Green Match Fund’s page to find out more!
#GreenMatchFund