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Conservation of migratory bird species is an inherently international endeavour, because the fate of these species depends upon the actions of nations throughout their migratory ranges.
Research into migratory wading bird populations by Jennifer Gill and colleagues at UEA has had the following impacts:
Conservation activities must be well grounded in solid science to be effective. Our research identified specific threats to the survival of threatened species in Sichuan Province, China. Research outcomes were used to create, maintain and monitor nature reserves, ensuring species survival. The revelation that human cultural and subsistence activities were adversely affecting threatened species led to successful promotion and adoption of beneficial alternatives to these behaviours. Our research provided the basis for technical support to local communities through capacity building and community development, empowering indigenous ethnic minority populations to protect forest habitat for wildlife. LJMU-led research identified the factors which adversely impacted breeding success of threatened birds, creating opportunities for the amelioration of these threats and promoting conservation of threatened species.
Scientists at the Institute of Zoology (IOZ) led the development of the IUCN Red List, the foremost tool for assessing species extinction risk. We further developed systems to evaluate the status of biodiversity at the national level (National Red Lists), quantify population changes (Living Planet Index) and robustly measure changing biodiversity (Sampled Red List Index), and global indicators of the status of biodiversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). These are used to drive conservation policy and public engagement by Inter-Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations, and national governments, and underpin measurement of adherence to CBD Targets for 2010 and 2020.
Dr Anne Goodenough and Professor Frank Chambers undertake applied ecological research with importance for conservation and management, nationally and internationally. Working with, or commissioned by, major national bodies including The Heather Trust, Natural England, Countryside Council for Wales, British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB, their research on rare species and habitats influences major national policy (e.g. species conservation priorities, and degraded habitat restoration and conservation). Furthermore, their research informs evidence-based changes in management for species (leading to conservation of internationally declining songbird, the pied flycatcher, at key sites throughout the UK) and landscapes (blanket bog and heather moorland restoration in Wales and England).
Food Security is one of the major global challenges confronting mankind. The Birmingham Plant Genetic Resource Group's (PGR) research and its contribution to policy implementation are helping to secure food supplies, mitigate the impact of climate change and maintain consumer choice, thereby impacting governments, commercial breeders, farmers and the public alike. PGR research on the development and implementation of agrobiodiversity conservation strategies, specifically on crop wild relatives' (CWR) and landraces' (LR) in situ and ex situ conservation, has helped national and international agencies meet their convention and treaty obligations, and underpinned food security. Their work has provided the necessary scientific foundation for global, European and UK impact: assisting the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation establish a global network for CWR in situ conservation, the European Commission create an inventory of traditional crop varieties and the UK government inclusion of CWR and LR diversity in environmental stewardship schemes, actions taken on the basis of the group's advice.
Work by Dr Robert Smith continues to be used by government agencies in Mozambique and South Africa, has already guided the development of Protected Areas (PAs) with a combined area of 25,000 hectares, and has been used by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund to identify spatial priorities for their US$6.5 million funding programme. The team's research has had an obvious, direct and significant environmental impact in those regions. It has also had a broader global impact, including shaping the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) revised Key Biodiversity Area approach and developing software and training materials for conservation practitioners working in 103 countries. Protected Areas are the most widely used international approach for conserving biodiversity. Our research in Southern Africa is leading the development of systems for designing PA networks that meet biodiversity targets and minimise negative impacts on people in surrounding communities.
Research from the Department of Zoology has been instrumental in identifying residues of the veterinary painkiller diclofenac in cattle carcasses as responsible for catastrophic declines in vulture populations across the Indian subcontinent. As a result, the drug has been banned for veterinary use in the relevant countries, and an international conservation effort (SAVE) to Save Asia's Vultures from Extinction has been set up. Declines have since slowed, captive breeding programmes have been introduced, and local people have been trained in monitoring work and advocacy. There has also been inter-government collaboration to support conservation efforts, the first example of such collaboration on the subcontinent.
The eradication of alien invasive species is a conservation priority, but is rarely attempted in mainland areas given the logistical and economic challenges of species control over large areas. Any effective control programme must be underpinned by robust scientific understanding of the population ecology of the target species to ensure control is appropriately focussed and directed, and that efforts are not swamped by compensatory dispersal from neighbouring regions.
A University of Aberdeen study of water vole population ecology recognised sharp declines in numbers and identified the invasive, predatory American mink as a primary driver of population extinction. The world's largest mainland species eradication programme was then put in place by Aberdeen, involving many hundreds of volunteers. It has successfully removed breeding mink from over 10,000 km2 of Scotland and secured the future of an iconic symbol of natural heritage. This conservation success story is now used as a template for the management of invasive mink in other eradication initiatives in Scotland and internationally.
The research thereby impacted the conservation of natural resources and policy and planning of management.
Amphibian population declines are recognised as one of the largest biodiversity crises in modern history. Professor Andrew Cunningham, Institute of Zoology (IOZ) headed the team that identified a novel chytrid fungus as the major cause of amphibian population declines and species extinctions. Our work is the basis for the scientific and conservation responses to this disease, and led to the fungus being listed by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health). We have established national surveillance programmes for the pathogen across the EU and elsewhere, identifying species at risk and developing mitigating measures to prevent pathogen introduction and species extinction.
The application of legislation and policy protecting European maerl habitats under the EC Habitats Directive has been strengthened by research at QUB showing that maerl, coral-like seaweed, is slow-growing, intolerant of disturbance and burial, and supports high biodiversity. A new marine Natura 2000 Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in Northern Ireland was designated for maerl in 2010. Maerl beds in the Fal and Helford SAC, the largest in England, were protected in 2009 from channel dredging until a Scientific Panel including a QUB academic has considered the results of a maerl-relocation trial in 2013.