Prolonged Drought is killing off British wildlife
0 views
Skip to first unread message
-Pastor-Dale-Morgan-
Mar 19, 2012, 5:40:51 AM3/19/12
to Bible-Pro...@googlegroups.com
Perilous
Times and Climate Change
Prolonged Drought is killing off British wildlife
The drought gripping parts of England is killing off numerous species of wildlife from dragonflies to water voles, the Environment Agency has warned.
Wildlife ranging from dragonflies to water voles will be severely hit if the drought gripping parts of England continues, the Environment Agency has warned
By Murray Wardrop
7:38AM GMT 19 Mar 2012
The Telegraph UK
Following the driest 18 months on record for some parts of the country, streams and rivers are drying up leaving insects, fish, mammals and amphibians fighting for survival.
Newly hatched tadpoles of frogs, toads and newts are under threat while wading birds such as snipe, curlew and lapwings will suffer from a lack of moist soils in which to find food such as worms for themselves and their young.
In drought-affected areas, some streams, ponds and shallow lakes are likely to dry up before aquatic insects such as dragonflies have taken wing, which will cause them to perish, experts claim.
Water voles will be at greater risk from predators such as stoats and weasels as falling water levels in ditches and streams leave their waterline burrows exposed.
Rivers such as the Pang, home to Wind In The Willows' water vole Ratty, have already dried up in places.
The Environment Agency warned that many species have declined in much of England in recent years and the drought could sound the death knell in some smaller breeding sites.
Forest fires will be of increasing concern in the English countryside, the agency said, while some trees including beech and birch could die off in the face of the drought.
In its latest briefing on the drought situation last week, the Environment Agency said that after the previous week's "welcome" rain, the past week had been the driest for England and Wales for around six months.
No more than a few millimetres of rain fell across the country, with the South East region receiving the most rain in the week – less than 0.2 inches (4mm).
The agency is monitoring rivers more closely and increasing supplies of water aeration and fish rescue equipment to try and prevent fish deaths in shrinking rivers.
It is also bringing in measures to help managers of important wildlife sites such as wetland reserves to maintain water levels on-site by abstracting more water from nearby rivers, and waiving the higher summer charges for doing so.
Water companies across southern and eastern England have announced hosepipe bans in a bid to conserve water supplies in the face of two very dry winters which have left aquifers, rivers and reservoirs well below normal levels.
Alistair Driver, Environment Agency national conservation manager, said: "The amount of water that we use at home and in our businesses has a direct effect on the amount of water available in our rivers and for wildlife.
"We would urge all water users – including consumers, businesses and farmers – to use water wisely to help protect our valuable natural environment.
“Nature is very resilient, but given that we are seeing early summer droughts like this happening more frequently, then we can expect to see the real impacts of climate change on the numbers and distribution of some of our more susceptible wildlife."
Phil Burston, RSPB water policy officer, said: "Our reserves are designed to help wetlands and their wildlife cope with drought but we still need to do more to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate.
"The problem in the wider countryside outside managed nature reserves is likely to be even more desperate with wildlife that relies on healthy rivers, ponds and lakes left struggling this summer."
Helen Perkins, of the Wildlife Trusts, said: "After such a long period of low rainfall, some species may not recover and could be lost from some rivers and wetlands if we don't act now.
"We urgently need to change the way we use water at home and across businesses. Saving water now could save wildlife from an absolute disaster."
Prolonged Drought is killing off British wildlife
The drought gripping parts of England is killing off numerous species of wildlife from dragonflies to water voles, the Environment Agency has warned.
Wildlife ranging from dragonflies to water voles will be severely hit if the drought gripping parts of England continues, the Environment Agency has warned
By Murray Wardrop
7:38AM GMT 19 Mar 2012
The Telegraph UK
Following the driest 18 months on record for some parts of the country, streams and rivers are drying up leaving insects, fish, mammals and amphibians fighting for survival.
Newly hatched tadpoles of frogs, toads and newts are under threat while wading birds such as snipe, curlew and lapwings will suffer from a lack of moist soils in which to find food such as worms for themselves and their young.
In drought-affected areas, some streams, ponds and shallow lakes are likely to dry up before aquatic insects such as dragonflies have taken wing, which will cause them to perish, experts claim.
Water voles will be at greater risk from predators such as stoats and weasels as falling water levels in ditches and streams leave their waterline burrows exposed.
Rivers such as the Pang, home to Wind In The Willows' water vole Ratty, have already dried up in places.
The Environment Agency warned that many species have declined in much of England in recent years and the drought could sound the death knell in some smaller breeding sites.
Forest fires will be of increasing concern in the English countryside, the agency said, while some trees including beech and birch could die off in the face of the drought.
In its latest briefing on the drought situation last week, the Environment Agency said that after the previous week's "welcome" rain, the past week had been the driest for England and Wales for around six months.
No more than a few millimetres of rain fell across the country, with the South East region receiving the most rain in the week – less than 0.2 inches (4mm).
The agency is monitoring rivers more closely and increasing supplies of water aeration and fish rescue equipment to try and prevent fish deaths in shrinking rivers.
It is also bringing in measures to help managers of important wildlife sites such as wetland reserves to maintain water levels on-site by abstracting more water from nearby rivers, and waiving the higher summer charges for doing so.
Water companies across southern and eastern England have announced hosepipe bans in a bid to conserve water supplies in the face of two very dry winters which have left aquifers, rivers and reservoirs well below normal levels.
Alistair Driver, Environment Agency national conservation manager, said: "The amount of water that we use at home and in our businesses has a direct effect on the amount of water available in our rivers and for wildlife.
"We would urge all water users – including consumers, businesses and farmers – to use water wisely to help protect our valuable natural environment.
“Nature is very resilient, but given that we are seeing early summer droughts like this happening more frequently, then we can expect to see the real impacts of climate change on the numbers and distribution of some of our more susceptible wildlife."
Phil Burston, RSPB water policy officer, said: "Our reserves are designed to help wetlands and their wildlife cope with drought but we still need to do more to adapt to an increasingly unpredictable climate.
"The problem in the wider countryside outside managed nature reserves is likely to be even more desperate with wildlife that relies on healthy rivers, ponds and lakes left struggling this summer."
Helen Perkins, of the Wildlife Trusts, said: "After such a long period of low rainfall, some species may not recover and could be lost from some rivers and wetlands if we don't act now.
"We urgently need to change the way we use water at home and across businesses. Saving water now could save wildlife from an absolute disaster."
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages