Abstract The numbers and breeding success of the Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus, a rare bird in the UK, were studied on chalk downland at Porton Down, Wiltshire, from 1987 to 1996. The number of pairs varied annually between nine and 19 and was positively correlated with spring counts of Rabbits in the current and previous years. This correlation probably results from a previously documented preference for very short vegetation strewn with small stones created by grazing and soil disturbance by Rabbits. The average number of young fledged per pair was adequate to maintain a stable population, but varied by an order of magnitude among years. Annual variation in chick survival had the largest influence on variation in overall productivity, because breeding failures at the egg stage were usually replaced. Differences in chick survival among years were not correlated with the mean rate of growth of chicks. Nest success and overall breeding success were positively correlated with a spring Rabbit count and, for nest success, there was also a negative effect of the number of Foxes culled per unit effort, which may be an index of Fox numbers. The effect of Rabbit abundance might occur because predators only seek out Stone Curlew eggs and chicks when Rabbits are scarce. It is recommended that the high Rabbit population is maintained as this appears to be beneficial to Stone Curlews breeding on seminatural grassland. Keywords: BurhinusOryvtolagusFestucaCorvus
Abstract There is growing evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions offered to diagnostically diverse groups of participants. This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of adapted Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) groups offered to NHS patients in a secondary-care Psychology and Psychotherapy Service. The group was run as an adjunct to individual therapy and accepted referrals from all therapists in the service, so participants had experienced a range of therapeutic approaches prior to attending the group. The nine groups run during the project also included staff participants, as part of a capacity-building strategy. Results indicate high levels of acceptability, with low drop-out rates. Standardized outcome measures were used to examine the effectiveness of the group, and patient participants demonstrated improvements which were statistically significant. Qualitative feedback from group participants and referrers was positive. The findings support implementation of MBCT as part of a package of psychological therapy interventions. Further research regarding this form of MBCT is discussed.
This report is the result of the work of the EIP AGRI Focus Group (FG) on Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) and more specifically on how landscape features (LFs) contribute to the profitability of arable crop production. The scientific literature shows that LFs provide habitats for beneficial insects and other arthropods, birds, plants etc. When appropriately designed and targeted, they also prove to be effective in controlling erosion, wind, and nutrient loss and providing landscape amenities. In this report, we focus on: i) ‘field margins’, the spontaneously established strips of herbaceous plants at the edge of fields; ii) ‘hedgerows’, composed of one or two rows of planted or naturally established shrubs and/or trees, and; iii) ‘grassy or flower strips’, intentionally sown, the former mostly with grasses and the latter with flowering plants. The central scope was to examine if and how landscape features could contribute to the profitability of arable crop production. Other direct economic effects for the farmers include the production of wood, fruits, grass for horses, etc. We also included the benefits of landscape features to the society (aesthetics, social value, ecosystem services towards society) that the markets mostly fail to provide. A farm and the embedding landscape are systems that should be approached in a holistic way.
The Entry Level Stewardship scheme gives farmers in England access to payments for managing their farms for the benefit of wildlife. Points are awarded for adopting a number of management practices from a list of options, and when a threshold value has been reached payments are calculated on an area basis. However, if biodiversity is to benefit as much as possible for a given expenditure of time and effort on the part of the farmer, and money on the part of the government, then careful selection of options is imperative. Farmers cannot be expected to have a detailed knowledge of the ecological requirements of different species; therefore, options are likely to be chosen that meet the scheme’s points requirements for the minimum of cost and effort. This paper describes one approach taken that addresses this problem. The University of Hertfordshire and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have produced an interactive software tool that allows a more informed choice of options to be made. This uses a questionnaire approach to obtain information on a farm’s habitat features in order to provide site-specific recommendations. An initial wildlife assessment is made of the options being considered by the farmer. A detailed understanding of the ecological requirements of important bird, animal and plant species, appropriate to farms of different types is then used to determine any gaps in the requirements met by the selected options, and to highlight alternative or additional options that will fill these gaps. Although, such a system cannot guarantee that farmers will select the options that will maximise wildlife benefit, it does provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions, and therefore offers the possibility of environmental improvements over a significant area of the country.
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