Briefly 141 EUROPE


Lost fish species found in Turkey A team of ichthyologists has rediscovered the leopard barbel Luciobarbus subquin- cunciatus, a carp-like, spotted fish, in the Tigris River in Turkey. Last scientifically documented in 2011, it is the second on SHOAL and Re:wild’s Most Wanted Lost Fishes list to be rediscovered. It was once abundant, but over the last 3 decades fish- ing, pollution, habitat destruction and dam construction have pushed it to the edge of extinction. Since the last records of the species, nine dams have been built in the Turkish portion of the river. Anecdotal evidence from local fishers sug- gested that the fish may still be there, so the research team enlisted their help, as well as working with the local fisheries aquaculture department, to locate the spe- cies. They were excited when a local fisher caught two specimens with black spots and a fleshy filament dangling from the mouth, characteristic of the species. After confirming these were in fact leopard bar- bels, they were safely released. The team are now hoping to determine how many still exist and where they occur. Source: SHOAL (2024) shoalconservation. org/lost-leopard-barbel-rediscovered


Urgent call to protect England’s resident bottlenose dolphins England’s only resident population of bottlenose dolphins is under serious threat from a combination of human ac- tivity, environmental pollution and dif- ficulties in rearing young. For almost a decade, scientists and conservation groups based along the coast of the English Channel have been working to- gether with citizen scientists to monitor the movements and distribution of this population. They estimate the pod cur- rently consists of only 48 individual dol- phins—less than half the size of most coastal bottlenose dolphin populations. Theirfight forsurvivalis madeeven more challengingbythe fact that they in- habit some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and are subject to pollution and fishing pressure. The researchers, from Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the University of Plymouth, call for urgent measures to protect the population and its habitats. Sources: Animal Conservation (2023) doi. org/mcdb&Phys.org (2023) phys.org/news/ 2023-11-highlights-vulnerability-england- resident-bottlenose.html


Norway parliament approves highly controversial deep sea mining Norway could become the first country to push ahead with deep sea mining, after voting in January 2024 to open its waters for exploration, provoking an outcry from environmental groups. In a major step towards kicking off commercial deep sea mining, the country’s parliament for- mally agreed to allow the exploration of around 108,000 m2 of Arctic seabed be- tween Norway and Greenland. The deci- sion was taken despite mounting concern from scientists, politicians and environ- mental groups about the potential damage deep sea mining could inflict on marine life. A Norwegian study last year found a substantial amount ofmetals and minerals on the seabed of the country’sextended continental shelf. Proponents of deep sea mining argue that extracting these raw materials will allow a faster transition to a low-carbon economy and could come at a lower environmental cost than terres- trialmining. But scientists say very little is known about the depths of the oceans, and many are concerned about the impacts on ecosystems already affected by pollution, trawling and the climate crisis. Source: CNN (2024) edition.cnn.com/2024/ 01/09/climate/norway-deep-sea-mining- climate-intl/index.html


More Przewalski’s horses set to roam free in the Iberian Highlands In November 2023, a herd of 16 Przewalski’s horses (12 females and four males) was re- leased in the Iberian Highlands rewilding landscape in Spain. The animals arrived after a long journey from Hortobágy National Park in Hungary, and joined a group of 10 horses that had been brought to the landscape earlier in the year from France. The entire herd will live in a 5,700-ha public forest near the village of Villanueva de Alcorón, where the grazing rights are managed by Rewilding Spain. The forest will become the first place in Western Europe where Przewalski’s horses move freely in the wild. The animals are ex- pected to deliver wide-ranging benefits to both people and nature, as their grazing will help to open up the landscape, which will enhance biodiversity and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The arrival of the horses also brings a potential for nature-based tourism that can benefit the region economically, as well as driving en- vironmental education. Source: Rewilding Europe (2023) rewildingeurope.com/news/more- przewalskis-horses-set-to-roam-free-in- the-iberian-highlands


Toxic chemicals exceed safe thresholds in UK orcas Levels of banned chemicals in orcas stranded in the UK are 30 times over the toxic threshold, according to research led by the Zoological Society of London. By analysing post-mortem records and asso- ciated tissue samples from over 1,000 ani- mals spanning 11 species of whales, dolphins and seals stranded in the UK, the research showed that concentrations of dangerous chemicals were highest in long- lived species at the top of the food chain, such as orcas, bottlenose dolphins and white-beaked dolphins. The study found that six chemical pollutants remain at high- ly toxic levels within UK marine mammals, even though more than 2 decades have passed since the use of many of them was restricted or banned. The limits of concen- trations that are considered safe were ex- ceeded in half of animals investigated. The situation could worsen further with climate change, as around 10,000 landfills in Europe are situated on coasts at risk of sea- level rise, flooding or erosion, with the po- tential to release their contaminant load directly to the marine environment. Source: Zoological Society of London (2023) zsl.org/news-and-events/news/toxic- banned-chemicals-exceed-safe-thresholds- uk-orcas


International conference for restoring European rivers Free Flow 2024, the international confer- ence on protecting and restoring free- flowing rivers in Europe, will take place during 15–17 April 2024 in Oosterpoort, Groningen, the Netherlands. Policy makers, river managers, ecologists, researchers, stu- dents and industry representatives will gather to find solutions to the threats facing European rivers, and to build climate resili- ent rivers that can adapt to a changing en- vironment. The conference is expected to accommodate c. 400 delegates from all over Europe and beyond, and more than 130 speakers will present their research. There will be opportunities for networking at various side events, including five field trips allowing participants to visit river res- toration and fish passage projects. Prior to the conference, a 2-day dam removal course will be held, led by experts from the field and targeted towards early-career river restoration practitioners. The course will focus on social and technical aspects of dam removal, including planning, design and construction techniques. Source: Free Flow Conference (2024) freeflowconference.eu


Oryx, 2024, 58(2), 139–144 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324000218


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