{"id":16512,"date":"2022-06-09T14:56:02","date_gmt":"2022-06-09T12:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=16512"},"modified":"2022-06-09T17:31:08","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T15:31:08","slug":"are-our-parks-failing-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/2022\/06\/09\/are-our-parks-failing-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Are our parks failing nature?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
BEHIND THE HEADLINES <\/span><\/h6>\n\n

Are our parks failing nature?<\/h2>\n\n

Protected landscapes are doing little to halt the decline of wildlife across the UK, according to a recent report. What can be done to reverse the fortunes of nature in these much-heralded havens? Mark Rowe reports on the latest updates <\/p>\n\n

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Wildflower meadow creation is one way to boost biodiversity, but more work is needed; popular Lake District routes, such as the path to Catbells, have a high footfall; beam trawling vessels such as these can cause damage to sensitive habitats on the seafloor <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
WHAT\u2019S THE STORY? <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Protected areas of the countryside, such as national parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are doing little to safeguard wildlife, according to a recent report by the British Ecological Society (BES). In many instances, nature is struggling more inside these areas than outside them. While 26% of British land is notionally protected, the report found that just 51% of protected areas are in a favourable condition. This jeopardises the Government\u2019s \u201830×30\u2019 policy \u2013 to protect 30% of all four nations\u2019 land and seas for nature by 2030.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cEven the most protected sites can still be subject to inappropriate development, such as new housing estates\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

The University of York\u2019s Professor Jane Hill, one of the authors of the BES report, is concerned the real figure \u2013 of land that is meaningfully protected for nature \u2013 is possibly as low as 5%. \u201cIf national parks are not designated to improve biodiversity then you can\u2019t really include them in the 30%,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe report is spot on and highlights the challenges we face in getting to 30×30,\u201d says Elliot Chapman-Jones, head of public affairs at the Wildlife Trusts. \u201cWe need to achieve 30×30 as it is a key way to really turn around the fortunes of wildlife in this country. It seems a lot of the numbers quoted are little more than self-congratulation,\u201d adds Chapman-Jones. \u201cYou can\u2019t cook the books. Even the most protected sites \u2013 Special Areas of Conservation \u2013 can still be subject to inappropriate development, such as new housing estates.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

\u201cNational parks do not really convey much protection for wildlife,\u201d explains Lee Schofield of the RSPB. \u201cTheir primary purpose is landscape aesthetics rather than nature. SSSIs inside the Lake District National Park tend to be in less favourable condition than those outside it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

WHY AREN\u2019T PROTECTED AREAS ALWAYS THE BEST FOR NATURE? <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Disturbance <\/strong>
Visitor numbers have an impact, but even though the Lake District National Park gets 20 million visitors a year and the Peak District 13 million, this is not thought to be the most significant problem. \u201cMost national parks are in upland areas, and uplands in general have been abused through agricultural policy, grazing, forestry, drainage, burning, managing for shooting,\u201d says the RSPB\u2019s Lee Schofield. \u201cThey are higher and wetter, so wildlife takes longer to recover there than it does elsewhere.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

The wrong kind of protection <\/strong>
The BES report says some of the UK\u2019s largest protected areas do not \u2013 and were not designed to \u2013 prioritise biodiversity. It advises that \u201cthe areas that count must effectively protect nature in practice, and not merely exist as lines on a map.\u201d \u201cWe haven\u2019t necessarily protected the right areas over the years,\u201d says Schofield. \u201cWhen protections were set up after the war, there wasn\u2019t the awareness of nature or of climate change as a thing. <\/p>\n\n

But what we have now is a cluttered countryside \u2013 70% of rural areas are farmland \u2013 so it\u2019s harder to identify areas to protect.\u201d Another issue is land in national parks tends to be in private hands, owned by water companies or the National Trust, for example. \u201cThis means the park authorities don\u2019t have many levers to pull to help wildlife,\u201d says Schofield. <\/p>\n\n

Poor monitoring <\/strong>
The picture is further clouded because no-one really knows just how bad the situation really is for wildlife. The BES report concludes that differences in monitoring and reporting make it difficult to assess how many protected sites are recovering; 78% of SSSIs in England have not been monitored in the past six years. Meanwhile, up to 98% of the UK\u2019s offshore Marine Protected Areas have been subject to bottom-trawling fishing that disturbs benthic habitats. <\/p>\n\n

WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS? <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Better local involvement <\/strong>Lee Schofield believes national parks need to build on what they already do well but include more local representation. \u201cWhat parks do well is planning; making sure development doesn\u2019t happen in the wrong places,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cInclusivity is important,\u201d says Jane Hill. \u201cLocal people have to be involved in deciding what happens, and also in projects. If you don\u2019t have everybody\u2019s support it\u2019s not going to work. We have to recognise that people are part of nature.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

Better evaluation and monitoring <\/strong>
\u201cWe have a fantastic record of monitoring in this country, of how species are doing,\u201d says Hill. \u201cBut we don\u2019t really monitor what difference protected areas make to species.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s complicated to do, it needs to be invested in,\u201d adds Schofield. \u201cAt the moment we rely on people like us at the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and others to produce reports, but you need support, more than goodwill. We need to make sure the agencies of protection are properly funded; that Natural England, the Environment Agency have the capacity to support and police the work they have to do,\u201d believes Schofield. \u201cThe principle of public payment for public good is key to this but it needs to be properly funded and well done \u2013 then it will be transformational.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

New designations <\/strong>
\u201cSites need to be better, bigger and more joined up,\u201d says Chapman-Jones. \u201cGiving national parks a statutory remit to protect nature will make a difference.\u201d The Wildlife Trusts believes a new designation for protection covering what it describes as \u201cwild belt\u201d land is required. \u201cThese are areas that are currently of low biodiversity value but which a community is involved in enhancing and rewilding. At the moment they have little protection.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

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ABOVE Involving the local population with wildlife-boosting projects is key to their success Photos: Getty <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
<\/div>
\n

CASE STUDIES <\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
IN TROUBLE <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The Afon Dyfrdwy\/River Dee flows through North Wales and into north-west England and this freshwater ecosystem is covered by SSSIs. Five fish species, including Atlantic salmon, bullhead and lamprey, as well as otter, were once common along the river. A recent exercise to assess the invertebrate, plant and habitat features along the river found them to be in unfavourable condition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The river faces several pressures along its length and across its catchment: there is a long history of modification for navigation, agricultural drainage and development. The river is popular for fishing and tourism, and is surrounded by farmland for most of its length. Physical modifications, such as channel straightening, removal of trees, embankments causing disconnection of the floodplain, and many weirs, all contribute to habitat degradation. “Diffuse pollution from both rural and urban areas and point source pollution also threaten the species present,\u201d says the BES report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IMPROVING<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lyme Bay in Dorset shows that restricting certain fishing practices can not only enhance wildlife but fatten fishing yields too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lyme Bay MPA was designated in 2008 and the use of dredging and trawling banned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was primarily to protect the inshore reef environment. Static gear fishing (using pots and nets) and collection of scallops by scuba divers was still allowed. These restrictions resulted in positive changes in species richness and seven of 13 indicator species have increased in abundance. There have also been significant increases in landings of scallops and brown crabs both inside and outside the MPA. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Protected landscapes are doing little to halt the decline of wildlife across the UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":16508,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"46","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"46","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_46-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_46-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_external_id":"June-2022-46-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"June-2022-46-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000084057||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000084057||","purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.191","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.countryfile.191","purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.191","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.countryfile.191","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"91da22fd-9e7f-40d1-a93f-fc46e9516d91","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-06-09T12:56:10Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"29cf63e0-a942-430c-b037-3bbfcc88a682","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-06-09T15:31:14Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AKc9j4KlCQwywNzu_zIimgg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[27],"tags":[14],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01.jpg",2048,811,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01-300x119.jpg",300,119,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01-768x304.jpg",768,304,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01-1024x406.jpg",800,317,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01-1536x608.jpg",1536,608,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/45\/2022\/05\/a465da4e-bf59-4866-ba8d-8ae067434d01.jpg",2048,811,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Protected landscapes are doing little to halt the decline of wildlife across the UK","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16512"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17530,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16512\/revisions\/17530"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}