1.An End to the Annual Turtle Dove Shooting in Malta and other European Countries
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| Turtle Dove |
Every spring thousands of turtle doves are shot on the annual migration from Africa to their breeding grounds in mainland Europe and Southern Britain. Turtle Dove are more numerous in Europe than in the UK where numbers have dropped by 60% over the over the past five years. If you look back through the records further, turtle dove numbers have declined by 98% in the last 40 years. It doesn't take a mathematician to conclude that this rate of decline is unsustainable and within the next 10 years they could disappear from our shores. This doesn't appear to be worrying some; earlier this year there was a campaign on social media to stop a Lancashire based sporting agency based offering trips abroad to shoot Turtle Dove. I am not anti shooting but this was enough to leave a worse taste in the mouth than overcooked Brussels sprouts.Of course just blaming shooting for the bird's demise would be simplistic and misguided, as with many wildlife declines, the issue is more complex. The amount of weed seeds available for the birds to eat have reduced dramatically since herbicide use became commonplace and year long fallow fell out of use. Climate change and land use changes affecting their overwintering grounds in Africa are likely to have affected numbers too, but shooting a rapidly declining bird in large numbers is tantamount to species suicide.
2.Increased Funding for Environmental Stewardship (or at least no cut in the upcoming 2014/5 CAP reform)
World commodity prices are higher than they have been for many years and with the effects of increasingly difficult weather patterns across the globe combined with a burgeoning world population, this upward trend looks set to continue. In the light of declining interest in Entry and Higher Level Stewardship (E&HLS) I researched some figures to see how the economics of the scheme had changed since it was introduced in 2005 to see if this was a genuine influence.
Stewardship payment rates are largely based on an income forgone calculation.I looked at gross margin data for the most common crops from 2004, 2009 and 2012 to see how things have changed as stewardship payment rates have remained at their original levels since the scheme started. (The gross margin for a crop is the income received for crops sales less the cost of production - seeds, sprays and fertiliser.)
Gross Margins *
2004 2009 2012
Winter wheat £355/ha £603/ha £673/ha
Oil seed rape £286/ha £510/ha £816/ha
Spring barley £238/ha £473/ha £548/ha
*not including single farm payment
HLS
Payments**
Nectar Mix £450/ha £450/ha £450/ha
Wild Bird
Seed Mix £475/ha £475/ha £475/ha
Flower Rich
Grass Margins £485/ha £485/ha £485/ha
**annual payment rates only, do not include cost of establishment or annual management
(Gross margins figures taken from John Nix Farm Management Pocketbook 2004, 2009 & 2012)
Without adequate compensation, all but the most committed and affluent farmers will turn their back on stewardship schemes unless payment rates are realistic and reflect the true income foregone from putting land into wildlife habitat rather than food production.
3. Definitive Unbiased Research into the Effects of Predatory Birds and Mammals ( including cats) on Wildlife Populations
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| Lapwing, a vulnerable ground nesting bird courtesy of Tim Marlow |
Whilst I do get weary of buzzards, badgers, sparrowhawks, magpies, crows, rooks and foxes etc being blamed as the sole culprit for the demise of our bird populations as I have mentioned on my blog before, as a farmland bird adviser with an understanding of ecology, I would like to know once and for all the effect of predators on numbers of declining species such as hedgehog, lapwing, grey partridge etc. There has been much research done on the rquirements of many farmland bird speices and it is widely accepted that changes to the way we farm and manage our land has contriubuted to these declines.There can be no recovery without more food and nesting areas for our birds.This is indisputable, despite what some might think and say, Robin Page. Predaotr and prey realtionships are complex and inextricably linked. What is less clear is how much increasing numbers of predators are tipping the delicately balanced scales in their favour.
All organisations have an agenda so my wish may be very unrealistic but its good to be optimistic once in a while!
4.The Ability to Recognise all British Bird Songs and Calls
Considering what I do for a living I am embarrasingly bad at this, depsite driving round with a 'bird calls' CD in my car which really confuses my poor dog, especially when he hears track 14; ring necked pheasant.
Merry Christmas and a properous peaceful 2013 to all my readers ( all 3 of you!).See you next year!
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