March 2011

Rural Economy and Land Use Programme

Do you have a view about whether social science has a part to play in ensuring our food security? If so you may be interested to read Relu Director Philip Lowe’s posting on the BBSRC’s Global Food Security blog. Whether you think he has a good point to make, or you disagree vehemently, do join the discussion.

HLF Consultations

Consultation on the HLF Strategy framework for 2013-2015 is now open. From next year the HLF will have more money to invest so we need to let our views know A very short questionnaire can be found here:

Wildlife Gardening Forum

Latest edition from the Wildlife Gardening Forum.

This year’s conference will be at the Natural History Museum on the 8th of June.

Progress towards meeting 2010 targets

The Wildlife & Countryside Link just issued their assessment of England’s progress towards meeting the Halting Biodiversity Loss by 2010 targets. WCL has measured overall progress against their performance indicators published in 2006. Some of the performance indicators included ‘No BAP priority species and habitats still declining by 2010’ and ‘There should be a positive trend in the indices for farmland and woodland wild bird population by 2010’.

The full report can be found here:

Biodiversity News- from the UK Biodiversity Partnership

Issue 52 can be found here:

More Reports & Handbooks

Natural England has launched a range of conservation guides. Designed to support land managers with Environmental Stewardship agreements but of interest to anyone looking to discover how wildlife habitats can be looked after, these illustrated guides provide information on how different conservation techniques can support a variety of species.

GB Non-native Species Secretariat Report The Economic Cost of Invasive Non-native Species on Great Britain

Pond Conservation has launched the second edition of The Pond Book: A Guide to the Management and Creation of Ponds. The book illustrates the value of ponds; takes a fresh look at a range of management issues; and helps you decide best solutions for your pond.

Workshops & Conferences

Spatial Ecology and Conservation. University of Birmingham (UK): 5th to 7th September 2011

CONFERENCE AIMS: The conference will bring together an international field of ecological research scientists, with conservation practitioners and planners, to review, discuss and evaluate the latest advances in spatial ecology and associated technologies, and how these can best be deployed to underpin conservation. Current gaps and future needs will also be identified, and a range of potential solutions discussed.

Complete information about the conference (and online booking) can be found at:

Nature after Minerals Workshop

Following the popularity of the first Heathland Workshop, Nature After Minerals is pleased to be running a second workshop on the Design, Creation & Management of Heathland Habitat. This will take place on TUESDAY, 22 MARCH 2011 in North Hampshire and will include a site visit to Lafarge’s Eversley Quarry.

See the invitation for more details

Royal Entomological Society South East Regional Meeting

Environmental Impact Assessment and the Planning System – Will Insects Survive? Wednesday 13th of April Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent

This free meeting aims to take a fresh look at the way invertebrate surveys are conducted while preparing Environmental Impact Assessments. The large majority of Biodiversity Action Plan species are not insects, despite insects and other invertebrates constituting 85% of the UK fauna: so how best can we protect their future? The aim will be to discuss methodology of site assessment for invertebrate richness, sampling methods, sources of identification and how to rank site quality in an inclusive way not just for BAP species.

For more information contact John Badmin 01227 752291 jbadmin@btinternet.com.

Funding Deadlines

SITA Core Fund (grants up to £50000) 21 March 2011

Community Trees Fund (projects between £100 - £700) 31 March 2011

Trees for Schools Fund (projects between £100 - £700) 31 March 2011

HLF Heritage Grants (grants over £50000) 11 April 2011

SITA Fast Track Fund (grants up to £10000) 18 April 2011

Grassroots Endowment Fund (grants up to £2000) 28 April 2011

Southern Water Fund (grants of £500 - £2000) 28 April 2011

Veolia Environmental Trust (grant of £25000 - £40000) 28 April 2011

Waterways Trust Wildlife Grants (grants up to £1000) 30 April 2011

HLF Heritage Grants (grants over £50000) 19 June 2011

SITA Fast Track Fund (grants up to £10000) 20 June 2011

Next E-Bulletin

Please send in details of any events and articles for the next edition by Thursday 31st of March