Wild About Gwent April 2012.pdf - Gwent Wildlife Trust

NEWS IN BRIEF
Danger of chinese lanterns
(Laura Crotch-Harvey)
Dangers Expose
the Dark Side of
Chinese Lanterns
There is a scene in the Disney animated
film, Tangled, when tens of thousands of
Chinese lanterns illuminate the night sky
all at once. Although it seems tranquil and
lovely, it’s just as well it’s a cartoon.
Chinese lanterns are causing such a
destructive environmental impact on
UK coasts and countryside that the
National Farmers’ Union and the Marine
Conservation Society are calling for them to
be banned outright. The paper lanterns are
commonly made with thin wires that cause
widespread littering, and often harm wildlife
and farm animals.
According to one NFU policy manager:
“Across the UK, there have been numerous
reports of harm to livestock, and in some
instances death, when lanterns have landed
in farmers’ fields, and cattle have ingested
the metal wires. There is a further risk to
cattle when grass is cut for winter feed: the
wire is chopped up and subsequently found
in hay or silage”.
Falling lanterns still alight have burned fields
and buildings. Spain is the most recent
nation to ban them. The lanterns have
previously been banned in Vietnam after
causing numerous forest fires, and in three
German states, after a lantern was blamed
for the death of a boy in a house fire.
A petition has been set up calling for a
ban on the sale of Chinese lanterns in the
UK. For more information, go to http://
epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/13051.
As stories about the effects of global
warming pervade the news, GWT’s
Conservation Officer, Sorrel Jones takes
a glance at how last year’s unbalanced
weather took its toll on Gwent’s countryside
and what it means for 2012.
2011 - A very confusing year for
wildlife
Looking back at 2011, did you feel that
spring just merged into a long autumn, and
summer didn’t really happen at all? Rather
than our usual distinct seasons, our weather
got rather muddled, throwing our wildlife into
a state of confusion in the process.
Following that severe winter of 2010-2011,
our birds, insects, and mammals were
probably pretty grateful for the warm (if
rather dry) spring. Most animal and plants
are triggered into their spring activities
of growing, feeding, and breeding by a
combination of day length, water availability,
and temperature. The thresholds vary
between species and are often influenced
by ecological factors – woodland flowers
tend to bloom early, before they are shaded
out by the trees above them. The delicate
relationship between plants and pollinators
can be affected if the weather causes them
to lose their synchronicity – if our nectarloving
insects emerge too early, there may
be very little for them to feed on.
Sadly, the good fortune was not to last, as
the summer was a cold one. Birds like blue
tits and dippers that had confidently started
second broods suffered and many failed
entirely. The lack of sunshine meant that
we didn’t see as many bees and butterflies
as usual either. The dry spring and summer
may also have affected habitats – as
Hibernating dormouse (Danny Green)
The State of Our Wildlife
Water vole (Tom Marshall)
some of the wetlands around the county
are suffering from low water levels. This
impacts on the plants and invertebrates
that are adapted to wet habitats such as
marshes and bogs.
The weather became kind again with the
second warmest autumn in a hundred
years. A bountiful autumn is beneficial for
most wildlife, especially those staying with
us over the winter, as they build up fat
supplies to see them through the leaner
months. We even saw butterflies flying into
November and December. Indeed, a few of
our birders were disappointed that we saw
less of our winter visitors, such as redwing
and waxwing, because the weather wasn’t
cold enough in Europe to drive them here.
GWENT WILDLIFE TRUST x WILD ABOUT GWENT