Free Public Lecture Series, Autumn 2007: “British Wildlife and Climate Change”

What is happening? Can we do anything?

Birkbeck, University of London in conjunction with the Ecology and Conservation Studies Society

Climate change is causing a significant and increasing impact on UK wildlife. Some species are under stress, while others are expanding their range. What new species will arrive in Britain? This must have profound consequences for conservation and management. Appropriate actions need to be discussed and developed now.

This lecture series will inform this debate. Knowledgeable national experts will discuss topics such as phenology – the timing of natural events, and will examine the way that climate change is currently impacting on British plants and animals, and on terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Actions for future management of open spaces and the environment will be debated.

• Burnham Beeches: Andy Barnard, City of London Corporation
• River Restoration – London: Dave Webb, Environment Agency
• Landscape Scale Projects and Ecological Networks: Dr Tony Whitbread, Sussex WLT

These case studies will be followed by a panel question and answer session chaired by Richard Clarke, Course Director of the Ecology and Conservation Programme, Birkbeck

This session will review actions on three contrasting sites, followed by a panel Question & Answer discussion

1. ‘Climate change and Burnham Beeches – work being carried out to adapt and mitigate’

Andy Barnard’s interest in countryside management started in 1976 when, as an eighteen year old, he moved to the Peak District National Park. He joined the Park Ranger Service as a volunteer and then moved to part time and seasonal work. He left the Peak Park Ranger Service in 1983 to join the National Trust as the Area Warden for Edale. Here he had the privilege to manage the high moors of the Kinder Scout plateau as well as the Winnats Pass, Mam Tor and their associated hill farms.

Andy joined the City of London Corporation in 1996 as Superintendent of Burnham Beeches NNR. This role has given him the opportunity to manage one the Britain’s best loved landscapes as well as expand his experience to include planning, sustainable building and transportation issues in the peri-urban environment, – the urban-rural transition zone.

He gained an MSc in Countryside Management from Manchester Metropolitan University (1996) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration at Reading University (2000). He is a member of the City of London’s Climate Change and Sustainability Working Parties and Chairman of the Biodiversity Working Group. Hobbies include photography, hill walking and working his sheepdogs.

His case study will cover the following themes:
• Burnham Beeches NNR is one of the UK’s most loved and visited ancient woodlands. The impact of climate change on its complex series of habitats may be relatively swift and profound. The work currently being carried out to mitigate and adapt to climate change will be outlined and its effectiveness and sufficiency discussed.
• The role of the countryside manager to pioneer issues and influence regional and national decision makers is a ‘growth industry’ particularly with regard to planning frameworks, transportation plans and the management of projects at a landscape scale.

2. ‘River restoration London: taking action to address climate change impacts on biodiversity’

Dave Webb is a Conservation Technical Specialist for the Environment Agency. Having been involved in river restoration in London since the early 1990’s, Dave was responsible for the production of the South London River Restoration Strategy and has been directly involved in numerous restoration projects. Dave worked on secondment to the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), providing scientific advice to policy divisions on a range of biodiversity issues, with particular emphasis on climate change, representing Defra on the MONARCH project steering group. More recently, Dave provided advice on the development environmental infra-structure policies in both the South East Plan and the Further Alterations to the London Plan. He is currently the Chair of the Rivers and Streams Habitat Action Plan, and is working on the development of a London Wide River Restoration Action Plan, as well as continuing to provide practical advice on restoration schemes in London and the South East.

His case study will cover the following themes:
• Since 1999 approximately 1km of concrete river channel each year has been restored in London. A London wide target has now been agreed to restore 15km of river by 2015 and 25km by 2020. The current programme provides a practical example of how to respond to climate change. The lecture provides background on the development of the programme and discusses how the programme contributes to establishment of ecological resilience and develops the capacity for systems to adapt. The need to develop networks will be examined and the measures required to deliver a network will be discussed.

3. ‘Landscape scale projects and ecological networks, can they form the basis for a nature conservation strategy against the backdrop of climate change?’

Dr Tony Whitbread is the Chief Executive of the Sussex Wildlife Trust. He started his career in nature conservation with the then Nature Conservancy Council initially working as a biological surveyor and then compiling Ancient Woodland Inventories for counties around England and Wales. Still in the NCC he later carried out National Vegetation Classification woodland surveys, in the process producing a summary of the woodland chapter, and assisted the NCC with survey and monitoring work following the 1987 storm. He then moved to the Royal Society for Nature Conservation to co-ordinate the response of the Wildlife Trusts to the storm and produced documents outlining some of the positive effects of natural disturbance. He joined the Sussex Wildlife Trust as Head of Conservation in 1991 and became Chief Executive in April 2006. He has an ongoing interest in woodland ecology including woodland dynamics, natural processes etc, and has represented the Wildlife Trusts on several woodland forums.

His case study will cover the following themes:
• Whilst there is a strong scientific consensus that climate change is happening and even broad agreement on what the effects might be on a national to international scale, the effects at a regional or local scale are far more difficult to predict. A nature conservation strategy is therefore needed that might allow for greatest environmental adaptability even though the magnitude, nature or even the direction of any local change may not be known. Nature is robust and has responded to changes in the past (although it is arguable whether climate change was as rapid as that expected now), but the current fragmentary nature of habitats and ecosystems probably hinders wildlife movement and habitat adaptation. Thus, as climate changes, the inability of habitats to adapt may result in ecosystem degradation, resulting in significant species loss and possible breakdown in ecosystem services. Whilst recognizing that the science may be uncertain, it is suggested that an ecological network approach may offer the best insurance policy for our wildlife. This case study will look at ideas for an ecological network throughout Sussex and the South East and outline some work being done to develop larger more ecologically viable units within the area.

Chairman for Panel Discussion on 16 November: Richard Clarke is Senior Lecturer in Conservation at Birkbeck’s Faculty of Continuing Education. He is Course Director for the Faculty’s environment programme, including the Certificate and Diploma in Ecology and Conservation, and the postgraduate Diploma in Countryside Management, and the Masters’ programme in Protected Area Management. His teaching and research interests focus on protected area management and management planning and on the relationship between landscape protection and sustainable development, both within the UK and at a European level. He has wide experience of training and consultancy for bodies such as The National Trust and English Nature, as well as for individual AONBs and National Park authorities.

Registration required:

Yes

Free:

Yes