FROM BEE CONSERVATION — NEWS UPDATE WITH ALL THE WORK THAT IS GOING ON. MANIFESTOS ET AL.

 

view online As the year draws to a close, I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for supporting our mission and vision to protect and nurture our beloved bumblebees. Your dedication to this cause has made an extraordinary difference, as you will see below, and together we continue to create a buzz of positive change for these charismatic insects. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, let's not forget the small yet mighty creatures that make so much of our world possible. From the food on our tables to the flowers that brighten our lives, bumblebees work tirelessly, often unseen, to sustain the balance of nature. Through your support, we’ve been able to work with others to restore habitats, enthuse and inspire communities, and ensure a brighter future for these remarkable insects. Looking ahead to 2025 we have exciting plans to expand our conservation efforts and spread awareness about the critical role bumblebees play in our eco-systems. We couldn't do this without you, and we're grateful you're part of this journey. From myself, all the staff and the Board of Trustees, have a relaxing and peaceful Christmas with your family and friends. Bee safe and continue to spread love like pollen. Gill Perkins, CEO Bumblebee Conservation Trust

2024 bumblebee round-up In January, we published a new evidence-based statement to set out our position on tree planting and woodland creation in the UK. The UK has significant legally binding ambitions to increase tree cover in response to the climate and nature emergencies. We support these ambitions; however, we are raising awareness about the potential dangers to bumblebees if we get mass woodland creation wrong. Tree planting and woodland creation statement 🌳 In February, our West Country Buzz project concluded after five years. The project has worked across North Devon creating habitat, providing bespoke advice to landowners and farmers, working with local communities and raising awareness. We’ve surveyed and monitored bumblebees, including the scarce Brown-banded carder bumblebee (Bombus humilis), which has nationally important populations in Devon. Wrap up West Country Buzz video 📽️ In March, we re-launched our 'Manifesto for Bumblebees' to give bumblebees the political voice they lack in the run up to the general election in July 2024. We wanted to bring the key actions needed to save these crucial pollinators to the attention of all political parties. A Manifesto for Bumblebees 🐝 In April, in collaboration with Walsall Council, we installed an artwork sculpture trail at Reedswood Park in celebration of our Bee Inspired project. The project, which concluded this December, supported local volunteers to take action for bumblebees, as well as leaving a lasting green legacy for these urban habitats, ensuring a brighter future for bumblebees and the communities they live amongst. Legacy project trail 📰 In May, we were awarded a silver-gilt medal for our Diversity is Queen exhibit 🐝at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. In partnership with our incredible design and build team Ground Control, our exhibit showcased the value of diversity in nature and how various habitats support our common and scarcest bumblebees. Chelsea Flower Show 2024 🥈 In June, our new project 'Moss carder bees of Cornwall' was underway. Two key sites have been identified at Penhale and Gwithian to better understand why the Moss Carder bumblebee (Bombus muscorum) is declining and not responding well to our habitat interventions already in place. Moss carder bees of Cornwall 🐝 In July, we announced our BeeWalk scheme received its millionth bee sighting, a Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), spotted near Glossop, Derbyshire in late June 🐝 BeeWalk is our standardised bumblebee-monitoring scheme which is active across Britain, recording the abundance of each bumblebee species seen between March and October. BeeWalkers count one million bees 📰 In August, people asked where have all the bumblebees gone? Initial BeeWalk data revealed the Red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) has been significantly affected this year, more so than any other common bumblebee. Science Manager Dr Richard Comont addressed these concerns. Where have all the bumblebees gone? 📝 In September, one of the UK’s rarest species of bumblebee - the Shrill carder (Bombus sylvarum) - was spotted on a small holding in Kent thanks to dedicated work in improving its habitat. The bumblebee, which was last recorded in this region in 2012, was discovered by Bumblebee Conservation Trust volunteer, Clare Marshall. Rediscovery of rare bumblebee brings hope 💚 In October, we were delighted to report that the management regime recommendations delivered under our ambitious 'Making a Buzz for the Coast' project (2018-2021) have been a great success at Foreness Point!  Success at Foreness Point 🌊 In November, we were delighted to announce that you had raised £46,487 by giving to our cash appeals, and over £12,000 by making a purchase through our online shop. We have also welcomed over 900 new members to the Trust this year. Membership options 💌

Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Registered Charity No: 1115634 / Scottish Charity No: SC042830. © 2024 Bumblebee Conservation Trust. All rights reserved. You are receiving this newsletter because you are already a member, subscribed via our website, an event or when becoming a volunteer. We hope you enjoy reading it! Registered address: International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JA; Correspondence address: Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Beta Centre, Stirling University Innovation Park, Stirling FK9 4NF Unsubscribe

A THREE POINT BULLETIN FROM WILD JUSTICE

 

Good morning!   This morning's newsletter is not the last of 2024 but it touches on three issues where we feel that the government is kicking the can down the road and we think they should pick up the pace. The three subjects are; driven grouse shooting, lead ammunition and rodenticide control. We also update you on our recent report on failure by house builders to deliver what they should for wildlife.     Driven grouse shooting: our petition has passed 32,000 signatures and it looks like it will be around the 33,000 signatures mark after one month - a third of the way in a sixth of the time. Not bad! Read our blog - click here - for an update.    We see that over a dozen petitions have already had responses from government and we look forward to ours. What will a Labour Defra say? In opposition, Labour supported licensing so they should at least use their response to the 10,000 signatures to say what they will do about licensing of grouse shooting. The danger is they say very little but that would be a bad idea as the new government has probably lost many more friends than it has made over the past 6 months. On environmental issues the Labour government needs to distinguish itself from the Tories and that means doing something! And doing something different. Kicking the can down the road just won't do.   We'll be asking you for help in promoting this petition in the new year.   Lead ammunition: many of you took our advice on how to approach the government consultation on lead ammunition restrictions this time last year. Thank you! The advice of the Health and Safety Executive is to move very close to a ban of lead ammunition use in almost all outdoor situations. That's good. We hope that government moves quickly to get this done - no more can kicking please!   For more information see our blog - click here.   Rodenticide regulation: our recent report Collateral Damage publicised the careless and deliberate use of rodenticides and the increased exposure of some wildlife to these chemicals. Many of you wrote to your MP on this matter and you can see what government has said in another blog post - click here. Many questions were asked and the Wild Justice report was mentioned.   Government has responded by saying that data will be analysed in 2025. If that is January 2025 then hooray! but it probably isn't, and more delay is unacceptable. For more information see our blog - click here.   In other news: last week's report, Lost Nature, got good coverage across a range of outlets. We were lucky to publish at just the right moment when house building was in the news. See here for more details - click here.     That's it for today, but not for 2024 as we'll be back with a Christmas message, a recycled message and a review of Wild Justice's 2024.     Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).   This is the 217th Wild Justice newsletter.   This email was sent to you because you subscribed to it through the Wild Justice website or through an e-action or a petition where you ticked a box.  Thank you. We will only use your personal details to send you the Wild Justice newsletter. We will not give or sell your details to anyone else.  You can unsubscribe at any time: there is an unsubscribe button at the foot of this email or you can reply to this email and ask us to remove you from the list (the former will happen immediately, the latter might take a few days).

 

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FROM PROTECT THE WILD - IS ANY LEGAL ENFORCEMENT ON HUNTS WORTH THE EFFORT?

 

	Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Are Community Protection Warnings worth the paper they're written on? As more hunts are given CPWs we ask if they make any difference to their terrible behaviour ELIZA EGRET DEC 19   READ IN APP   West Mercia Police has issued four hunts with Community Protection Warnings (CPWs). Protect the Wild takes a look at what this means, and whether it will protect wildlife where the Hunting Act has failed. On 9 December, Action Against Foxhunting (AAF) announced that the North Shropshire Hunt, South Shropshire Hunt, Wynnstay Hunt and the United Pack had all been issued with CPWs in October. A CPW is the first of three stages that the police can take in their process of issuing a Community Protection Notice (CPN). The first stage is to issue a formal warning to an individual or group, outlining what action they need to take or stop so that they aren’t sanctioned with a CPN. The second stage is to issue a CPN - which has replaced the more famous Antisocial Behaviour Order, or ASBO - if the conditions of the warning are broken. The final stage is for the police to take action if the CPN isn’t complied with. AAF outlined the conditions of the CPWs, saying: "Some of the things included are: 🦊 Provide ‘trail’ maps of every trail and make available to police on request 🦊 Notify the police of locations 🦊 Not to lay trails on or near roads, woodland or hedges where wildlife maybe seeking refuge. 🦊 Stay away from badger setts. 🦊 Not to trespass or cause damage. 🦊 Not to block or cause obstruction to the public highway and cause a nuisance." The group continued: "A source told us that there were over 100 public complaints to West Mercia Police relating to the South Shropshire Hunt alone. The hunts have caused damage to property including harassment, alarm and distress to residents and landowners. Reports include foxes being chased and killed by hounds often on land with no consent and protected badger sett entrances blocked and dug in to." 'A joint venture between locals and the police' Protect the Wild's readers will know all too well that the Hunting Act's loopholes ensure that hunters can get around the law. Meanwhile, the Road Traffic Act even has an exemption for the use of dogs on roads by hunts. So, are Community Protection Warnings and Notices useful for enforcing punishment where existing legislation is failing? We spoke to Cheshire (Borderland) Monitors' Lesley Martin to ask her opinion. She keeps a close eye on the notorious Wynnstay, a violent and aggressive hunt which has been issued with a CPW by West Mercia Police. Martin said that the warning has made very little difference so far, and goes on to highlight how locals can play a part to ensure that further action can be taken by the police. She said: "The CPW hasn't made any difference; in fact, the Wynnstay is flouting everything in the CPW worse than ever this season! I have handed over evidence to the police but it hasn't affected the Wynnstay's behaviour. The fact that the Wynnstay is even worse highlights the need for the local public and the police to work together to ensure that the CPW is enforced, and then to secure a CPN." Martin explained that to enforce the CPW and issue a subsequent CPN, it is local people who need to submit complaints to police forces. Reports and footage from Cheshire Monitors are not useful because for complaints to count, they need to come from community members. She explained that last time she monitored the Wynnstay, locals told the monitors about four incidents, but that none had been reported to the police. Martin continued: "It's really important that more locals complain more often, not giving in, making sure that they get an incident number, asking for it to be flagged with Rural Crime, and don't give up. If you've got a potential case, keep on at the police. It takes weeks for an officer to be allocated to you, but don't give up. It needs to be a joint venture between the locals and the police. And, of course, the police could be doing more to let locals know that they need to report the incidents." Other hunts have been issued with CPWs, with varying effect. Some weeks ago, North Dorset Sabs reported that the notorious Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt had received a CPW. But Dorset Hunt Monitors argue that this is not enough. The monitors stated: “It’s unbelievable that after all the disruption and illegality the BSV commit there’s still no action from Dorset Police to issue a Community Protection Notice against the hunt.” Maybe the key is for locals to take Cheshire (Borderland) Monitors' Lesley Martin's advice and report every crime, getting those incident numbers. Chip in to help provide equipment The benefits of CPNs So, even if a community does successfully secure a CPN, is this even useful in preventing hunters from flouting the law? We asked Hull Wildlife Protectors their opinion. Volunteer Charlotte Smith thinks the issuance of CPNs is extremely beneficial. She explained to us: "There are several benefits to issuing CPNs to hunts. Some we’ve actively seen include the following: 1. Compensation for landowners: CPNs provide landowners with a means of some type of compensation if hunts trespass on their land. 2. Empowering local communities: CPNs help restore power to local communities by preventing hunts from obstructing roads or behaving as if they have the right of way. Community members would no longer have to endure intimidation or pressure to allow hunts on their property. 3. Protecting local interests: Issuing CPNs offers a way for landowners and local residents to assert their rights and protect themselves from the often disruptive behaviour of hunt groups. 4. Ensuring accountability: In cases where evidence for Hunting Act offences is insufficient, CPNs can provide a legal framework for addressing inappropriate conduct. If a hunt is issued a CPN, they are typically subject to certain conditions, and failure to comply may result in legal action and fines." Of course, a CPN is only as effective as the police force imposing it. An example of terrible policing is that of Warwickshire Police, which has been subject to intense scrutiny by the public for its blatant bias towards the Warwickshire Hunt. The force initially imposed a CPN on the hunt for causing road chaos, but then quickly dropped it and replaced it with a secret ‘protocol’ which it had negotiated with the hunt itself. The public lost trust in Warwickshire Police over the CPN scandal. Change the law! It is obvious that if hunting legislation was effective, CPWs and CPNs would not be needed to police hunts. In its manifesto, Labour promised that it would strengthen the Hunting Act, getting rid of loopholes that are currently being exploited. The widespread issuance of CPWs and CPNs on hunts should be yet another reminder to politicians that hunts are out of control and need to be stopped once and for all. Many thanks to Action Against Foxhunting, Cheshire (Borderland) Monitors and Hull Wildlife Protectors for their contributions to this article. The fight against illegal hunting goes on and Protect the Wild is proud to support groups with the vital equipment they need. It is exactly why we set up our Support Network and Equipment Fund. Supporters can chip in a small donation at any time. We plan to give out many more pieces of equipment to (largely unfunded) volunteer groups over the coming months and years. And we will always keep you up to date with how your support is directly helping wildlife! If you’re an individual or organisation working in the field and would like to apply to our fund please read our T&Cs here first and use the online application form on the same page. We are able to equip hunt monitors and saboteurs because of YOUR support. Thank you. Chip in to help provide equipment   SHARE     LIKE COMMENT RESTACK   © 2024 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ  Unsubscribe