Briefly 325 EUROPE


Sweden creates wildlife crossings to aid reindeer movements... Every April, Sweden’smainhighway comes to a standstill.Hundreds of reindeer overseen by Indigenous Sami herders shuffle across the asphalt on the E4 as they begin their jour- ney west to the mountains after awinter gor- ging on the lichen near the city of Umeå. As Sweden’s main arterial road has become busier, the crossings have become increasing- ly fractious, especially if authorities do not arrive in time to close the road. Sometimes drivers try to overtake the reindeer as they cross, spooking the animals and causing long traffic jams as their Sami owners struggle to regain control. In January 2021, Swedish authorities announced they would build up to a dozen wildlife bridges to aid the crossings. It is hoped the crossings will make it easier for herders to find fresh graz- ing lands and alleviate traffic jams, and also help moose and lynx to move around the landscape. The country’s 4,500 Sami herders and 250,000 reindeer have been hit hard by the climate crisis, battling forest fires in the summer and freezing rain in the winter. Source: The Guardian (2021) theguardian. com/environment/2021/jan/23/how- wildlife-crossings-are-helping-reindeer- bears-and-even-crabs-aoe


.. . and Scotland’s thriving reindeer offer hope for struggling species A herd of free-range reindeer Rangifer tar- andus in the Scottish Cairngorms mountain range are thriving, in a rare bit of good news for a species struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing climate. Believed to have once been native to Scotland, reindeer were hunted to extinction there c. 800 years ago. However, a small herd of eight animals was reintroduced to the Cairngorms, the UK’s only sub-Arctic ecosystem, in 1952. Their number has grown to c. 150 animals and they are looked after by 10 full-time herders. To keep them from overgrazing the area, the herders keep the size of the herd at c. 150 by controlling how many cows are allowed to run with bulls during the breeding season. The population of wild reindeer in the Arctic has declined by more than half in the last 2 decades, to c. 2.1 million. Despite the good news of the thriv- ing population in Scotland, without mean- ingful efforts to tackle the climate crisis, the decline of reindeer in the Arctic is likely to continue. Source: Positive News (2021) positive. news/environment/the-scottish-reindeer- offering-hope-for-an-imperilled-species


Farmers protest as Spain protects Iberian wolves Farmers have condemned Spain’smovetode- clare the Iberian wolf a protected species, ar- guing a nationwide hunting ban would lead to an increase in attacks on livestock. The Environment Ministry ruled in early Febru- ary 2021 that protections for wolves in the south would extend north of the Douro river, where controlled hunting had still been allowed. Spain is home to an estimated 1,500– 2,000 Iberian wolves, with 90%in the nor- thern regions of Castile and Leon, Asturias and Galicia. The ministry stressed the cultur- al and scientific importance of the species, and its vital role in maintaining ecosystems. However, farmers said a recent rebound in the wolf population had led to more attacks on cattle. Farmers and environmentalists have repeatedly clashed over campaigns to bolster populations of apex predators such as the brown bear and the Iberian lynx, particu- larly in Spain’s mountainous north, which is home to extensive sheep herds. Conservation group Ecologists in Action praised the new protections and urged authorities to work with farmers onways to protect cattlewithout harming wolves. Source: Reuters (2021) reuters.com/ article/idUSKBN2A519G


One of the most abundant bats in Europe is attracted to wind turbines Researchers have found that one of the most abundant bats in Europe may be attracted to wind turbines. The activity of common pipistrelle bats was monitored at 23 British wind farms and control locations that were nearby but without wind turbines. The bats’ activity levels were c. one-third higher at turbines than at control locations, and two-thirds of occasions with high activity were recorded at turbines rather than the controls. The reasons for this are not clear. It is possible that bats are attracted to the turbines themselves, or that there is more insect prey around the turbines. Common pipistrelle bats account for more than half of all bat fatalities at turbine sites in Europe. The researchers note that environ- mental impact assessments conducted before the installation of turbines are poor predictors of actual fatality rates, because the presence of turbines alters bat activity. Ongoingmoni- toring is required, and operational measures such as minimizing blade rotation in periods of high collision risk are probably the most effective way to reduce fatalities. Sources: Scientific Reports (2021) dx.doi.org/ 10.1038/s41598-021-82014-9 & SciTechDaily (2021) scitechdaily.com/one-of-the-most- abundant-bats-in-europe-is-attracted-to- wind-turbines-increasing-risk-of-fatality


Study will advise on policies to protect UK’s insect population Researchers will conduct a nationwide study to assess the health of the UK’s insect popu- lation. The data will be used to advise on policies that can help to protect insects post-Brexit. Insect populations perform cru- cial ecosystem services, but are in decline in Europe and beyond. Although the factors driving these declines are not yet clear, in- tensive agriculture and climate change are thought to play a major role. The researchers have been awarded GBP 2.3 million from the Natural Environment Research Council to provide definitive evidence on whether in- sects are in decline, and to understand the key drivers threatening their existence. The scientists will undertake the most compre- hensive analysis to date and will draw on three different types of data: scientific moni- toring, volunteer wildlife recorders and high- tech sensors. The project will then model how different policy options could counter the identified threats. It is hoped that the findings of this study will make an important contri- bution to the UK’s biodiversity conservation strategy now it is no longer part of the EU. Source: Environment Journal (2021) environmentjournal.online/articles/nation- wide-study-will-advise-on-policies-to- protect-uks-insect-population


Historic step: European Parliament approves green recovery fund Lawmakers in the EuropeanParliament have voted to pass the EU’sEUR 672.5 billion recovery and resilience facility, unlocking unprecedented funding aimed at helping Europe recover after the COVID-19 crisis. The fund confirms a political agreement reached by EU leaders in December 2020, which reserves 37% of the fund for spend- ing on climate-friendly measures. With the Parliament’s green light, EUR 265 billion from the total will be made available for the green transition in the form of grants and loans handed out to EU countries. The regulation establishing the new facility came into force in February 2021. The facility, made up of EUR 312.5 billion in grants and EUR 360 billion in loans, is designed to help countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and navigate the green and digital transition. Even though Green Party mem- bers of the European Parliamentwere disap- pointed that biodiversity protection will not be covered by the fund, they said the new fa- cility will be a game changer and an unpre- cedented sign ofEU solidarity in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Source: Edie (2021) edie.net/news/11/- Historic-step--as-European-Parliament- approves-green-recovery-fund


Oryx, 2021, 55(3), 323–328 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605321000375


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