Annual Review 2008 “If We and the Rest of the Back-Boned Animals Were to Disappear Overnight, the Rest of the World Would Get on Pretty Well
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ANNUAL REVIEW 2008 “If we and the rest of the back-boned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world’s ecosystems would collapse” Sir David Attenborough Front cover photography credits: Fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) © Tim Beecher; Steve Backshall at the Royal Show © Zoë Bunter; Brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis) © Sam Ashfield; Survey work in Cambridgeshire © Andrew Whitehouse; White-faced darter dragonflyLeucorrhinia ( dubia) © David Pryce A word from our Chair am pleased to report that 2008 has been a very The UK Overseas Territories have many more endemic successful year at Buglife. In the summer we invertebrates than the UK itself, so we are pleased to play I relocated to new offices in Peterborough city centre. a role in South Georgia surveying for invasive species. This new home gives us capacity to grow and develop Buglife has also joined the European Habitats Forum over the coming years. During 2008 the staff and Board since much of what we do inter-relates to wider European have developed a new Buglife Strategy to take us forward policy and action. for the next 5 years. This builds on the experience of our first five years, and defines the best options for our My thanks goes to the individual members and continued growth and influence. supporters, funders and companies that have provided such wonderful support during the year. We received The opening of an office in Scotland has proven to be fantastic backing for our legal action to save West very successful, notably with the production of a Strategy Thurrock Marshes and for the first time Buglife’s for Scottish Invertebrate Conservation, in partnership membership reached over 1000 people! Buglife’s staff with others. The ambition is to open offices in Wales and and volunteer team have continued to work tirelessly for Ireland. Our work to conserve Biodiversity Action Plan invertebrate conservation – their expertise, enthusiasm species opens up many more opportunities for Buglife’s and energy are greatly appreciated. Thank you also to influence and input. Growth in media interest has helped the trustees who have served on the Board: those who get our name widely known, especially where we have had have been with us for some time, for their dedication strong impact as at West Thurrock Marshes where both and ongoing commitment, as well as the new trustees local and national planning issues have been challenged who have joined us this year for their already significant by Buglife: action rather than words has won new contribution to Buglife’s work. members and generous, much-needed, financial support. Having begun to get established in Britain, we are hoping Alan Stubbs to gradually extend our expertise to other countries. Chairman WE SHALL SAVE BUGS ON THE LAND, WE SHALL SAVE BUGS IN THE SEAS AND IN THE FRESHWATERS Invertebrates are regularly threatened by the Bill and helping to develop amendments that we hope destruction of, and damage to, habitats as an incidental will ensure that all threatened marine invertebrates result of human activities. The future of invertebrate will be protected by a network of new Marine Protected biodiversity depends on the quality of rules and laws Areas – nature reserves for the sea. that are established to curb the worst of our depredations. Bugs cannot speak out on their own In freshwater Buglife has been working to get a behalf, therefore the commitment with which these meaningful implementation of the EU Water rules are monitored and enforced is fundamental to Framework Directive. This legislation aims to securing their future wellbeing. clean up rivers, lakes and ponds so that the wildlife flourishes again. There are serious concerns that the During 2008 Buglife promoted the needs of invertebrates implementation of the Water Framework Directive has in new legislation and in the enforcement of existing become a bureaucratic box ticking exercise and the legislation. On the land we have been working with potential positive benefits will be minimised. Buglife also Natural England to ensure that agri-environment money identified that the UK Government had failed to create is available to pay farmers to create new habitat for some protected areas for the very rare and declining Little of the most threatened farmland invertebrates. Buglife whirlpool ramshorn snail (Anisus vorticulus) shown above. has also joined the Eco-town Coalition and we have been This species is listed on the EU Habitats Directive and the building support for the principle that these housing UK Government had until May 2007 to propose Special developments must have a minimal environmental Areas of Conservation (SACs) on which the species footprint, including not damaging important existing would be protected. In subsequent correspondence biodiversity, and creating valuable new wildlife habitat. Buglife secured a commitment from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that it In the seas, the long awaited Marine Bill was brought intends to submit a list of candidate SACs for the Little before Parliament. Buglife has been supporting the whirlpool ramshorn snail in August 2009. Photography credits (from top left, clockwise): Little whirlpool ramshorn snail (Anisus vorticulus) © Paul Sterry – Nature Photographers; Common dung fly Scathophaga( stercoraria) © Greg Hitchcock; Speckled bush cricket (Leptophyes punctatissima) © Greg Hitchcock inverteBrAtes Are essentiAl Invertebrates are vitally important to a healthy planet – from many parts of the country. humans and other life forms could not survive without Butterflies: Over 70% of species are declining significantly. them. The food we eat, the fish we catch, the birds we Riverflies: Have declined by 66% in recent years. see, the flowers we smell and the hum of life we hear, simply would not exist without bugs. Invertebrates Each invertebrate species plays a critically important underpin life on earth and without them the world’s role in the web of life. Once lost, they cannot be ecosystems would collapse. replaced. Many invertebrates have incredible life stories yet to be told, and we literally don’t know what we are invertebrates are facing an extinction crisis on the brink of losing. Today, thousands of invertebrate species are declining Buglife is the only organisation in Europe committed to and many are heading towards extinction. the conservation of all invertebrates. Worldwide 150,000 species could be gone by 2050 if we do nothing. The funding we raise enables us to: • Protect invertebrates and their habitats In the UK alone we have lost: • Campaign for bugs and the environment Bumblebees: 3 species are extinct, 15 others have gone • Involve people in conservation action Biodiversity Action! beetle (Anisodactylus Thanks to funding from the Esmée Fairbairn poeciloides) which Foundation, the John Ellerman Foundation and a discovered two new sites legacy gift Buglife has been able to increase efforts for this rare beetle in the on behalf of UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) priority Thames Gateway. During invertebrates – species officially recognised as in the surveys a new site for urgent need of conservation action. another UK BAP species, the Sea aster mining To plan out how best to deliver conservation action a bee (Colletes halophilus), review of the 430 invertebrate species on the UK BAP was also found. Surveys list was undertaken, allocating the species to groups, are continuing for the Crystal moss animal for example by habitat, geographical distribution and/ Above: Heath click beetle or threats facing them. The process of developing (Lophopus crystallinus) after (Athous subfuscus) knowledge and practical conservation action for these the discovery of a healthy species is now underway and will set out the steps adult population near Blewbury. that are required, in partnership with our Member Organisations, In early May Buglife led a team of six naturalists to Below: Saltmarsh shortspur beetle to improve the search a Yorkshire crag for the Chestnut click beetle (Anisodactylus poeciloides) conservation status of (Anostirus castaneus). This extremely rare beetle occurs Britain’s in only two places in the UK, but hasn’t been seen at most endangered its Yorkshire site since 2003. After hours of intensive and rapidly declining finger-tip searching a chestnut-coloured click beetle invertebrate species. was netted from the vegetation. But rather than being the Chestnut click beetle it turned out to be a close During 2008 Buglife relative the Heath click beetle (Athous subfuscus), another took responsibility for very rare beetle. Both beetles require open, sandy, conserving animals heathy habitats but the crag is getting increasingly formerly included shaded and bare open ground and heather are in the ‘Action for disappearing. In collaboration with Harrogate Borough Invertebrates’ project. Council and the Royal Horticultural Society at Harlow Surveys have been Carr, Buglife has recruited a team of volunteers to undertaken for the clear some of the scrub and to open up the bare Saltmarsh shortspur ground once more. Photography credits (from top left, clockwise): Ruddy darter dragonfly Sympetrum( sanguineum) © Greg Hitchcock; Hairy crab (Pilumnus hirtellus) © Greg Hitchcock; Green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris) © Iain Perkins; Heath click beetle (Athous subfuscus) © Frank Koehler; Saltmarsh shortspur beetle (Anisodactylus poeciloides) © John Walters FIGHTING TO SAVE (in contrast