Press release from University of York 

A new study led by scientists at the University of York has shown how birds, butterflies, other insects and spiders have colonised nature reserves and areas protected for wildlife, as they move north in response to climate change and other environmental changes.

The study of over 250 species, led by researchers in the Department of Biology at York, is published online by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (PNAS). The conclusions were based on the analysis of millions of records of wildlife species sent in predominantly by members of the public.

The work represents a major new discovery involving collaborators in universities, research institutes, conservation charities, and regional and national government but – crucially – fuelled by ‘citizen science’.

Many species need to spread towards the poles where conditions remain cool enough for them to survive climate warming. But doing this is complicated because many landscapes across the world are dominated by human agriculture and development, which form barriers to the movement of species.  The mainstay of traditional conservation has been to establish protected areas and nature reserves to provide refuges against the loss of habitats and other threats in the surrounding countryside. 

But this method of nature conservation has been questioned in recent years, partly because of continuing degradation of habitats in reserves in some parts of the world.  Increasingly, however, the value of protected areas is being questioned because climate change is taking place – wildlife sites stay where they are while animal species move in response to changing conditions.

However, the new research shows that protected areas are the places that most animal species colonise as they spread into new regions. “Protected areas are like stepping stones across the landscape, allowing species to set up a succession of new breeding populations as they move northwards,” said lead author Professor Chris Thomas, of the University of York.

Co-author Dr Phillipa Gillingham, now a Lecturer at Bournemouth University, calculated that species are on average around four times more likely to colonise nature reserves than might be expected.  “For the seven focal species of birds and butterflies that we studied in greatest detail, 40% of new colonisations occurred in the mere 8.4 per cent of the land that was protected,”  she said.  “Similar patterns were observed among more than 250 invertebrate species.”

But the study showed that species vary greatly in how much they need reserves. “Some species, such as the Dartford warbler and silver-spotted skipper butterfly, are largely confined to nature reserves,” said Dr David Roy, of the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. “Whereas others like the nightjar and stone curlew are less dependent on these sites.” 

Dr Richard Bradbury, of the RSPB, said: “Sites of importance for wildlife stand out like beacons in otherwise impoverished landscapes. This study shows that the hugely important role they play now will continue undiminished in the future. Protecting these arks, as well as restoring and re-creating new ones where we can, will provide the vital network enabling more species to survive the spectre of climate change.”

“This study is a great example of how volunteer recorders and national monitoring schemes together provide the information to answer key conservation questions of global importance, such as how we can help wildlife cope with climate change,” said James Pearce-Higgins of the British Trust for Ornithology. “Only through the dedicated effort of so many people can we undertake the scale of long-term monitoring required.”

Press release from the British Trust for Ornithology

A major new report on the establishment and spread of non-native species in Britain was published this week. Many of the Britain’s most abundant birds and mammals are included among nearly 2,000 non-native species currently established, and the number of new arrivals has increased dramatically over the last 50 years. The report has found that there has been a dramatic increase over time in the number of non-native species arriving in Britain. Of nearly 2,000 non-native species known to be established, over 600 species have arrived in the six decades since 1950, and 125 since 2000. This list is dominated by higher plants (1,377) with insects as the next most numerous group (278 species). Most of the established non-native species originate from continental Europe but the proportion of new species coming from Asia and North America is increasing.

As a highly visible and relatively well-monitored group, bird species comprise a significant proportion of the database but although well over 300 non-native species are regularly observed in the wild, only 15 are considered established (i.e. with self-sustaining breeding populations). Several species are among the recent arrivals in the UK (e.g. ring-necked parakeet) and work is continuing to eradicate others (e.g. ruddy duck).

Although the majority of non-native species are not considered invasive those that are can cause major ecological or socio-economic impacts if they establish themselves in the wider countryside. Invasive non-native species are considered to be one of the five major threats to biodiversity, estimated to cost the UK economy £1.7 billion every year. Overall about 15% of the species established in Britain are considered to have a negative impact. The research team looked at how to enhance the ability to detect and report non-native species, creating a new database of nearly 4,000 species within the GB Non-Native Species Information Portal (GB-NNSIP). Data on all of the species can be accessed through the portal’s website.

An integral part of the GB-NNSIP is a rapid-reporting system whereby particularly important new arrivals can be immediately notified to the relevant bodies. One such species, the Asian hornet, is not yet present in Great Britain but scientists believe could arrive soon, potentially having a serious impact on honey bees and other pollinators on which it preys. Anyone that suspects they have seen this species is encouraged to send in a photograph through the GB-NNSIP’s online recording website ‘Recording Invasive Species Counts’ which can also be used to report sightings of 19 other key species including water primrose, American bullfrog, carpet sea-squirt, tree of heaven, and American skunk-cabbage. 

In relation to birds, John Marchant of BTO said, “Climate change might easily make Britain more suitable for a wide range of non-native species, like sacred Ibis, currently thriving in southern Europe. Escapes and breeding of such species might be the beginnings of the next burgeoning new populations. To integrate non-native species recording more completely, we have ensured that all non-natives are fully recordable for BTO surveys.”

Details of the findings are contained within the report: Non-Native Species in Great Britain: establishment, detection and reporting to inform effective decision making. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, 110 pp. The report can be downloaded

NOTE. Although the report and the Species Information Portal do not include the Channel Islands both are very good guides to what is already happening and what is likely to happen in the future in the islands. Sacred ibis has already been recorded in Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney!