In 2020, UK shooting and rural organisations pledged to achieve a voluntary transition from the use of lead shotgun ammunition to non-lead alternatives for hunting by 2025. The SHOT-SWITCH research project was set up in 2020 to monitor progress towards this aim by examining the proportions of wild-shot common pheasants Phasianus colchicus available to consumers in Great Britain that were killed using lead and non-lead shot. In the study’s third season, 2022/2023, 94% of pheasants sampled had been killed using lead ammunition. Statistically, this is a significantly smaller proportion than in the preceding two seasons (both > 99% lead), but it remains large. We found no direct evidence of any effect of recent voluntary initiatives to promote the replacement of lead with non-lead ammunition by suppliers and retailers of wild-shot game.

https://www.conservationevidence.com/reference/update/11848

The greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a rare species in the UK that relies heavily on undisturbed stone buildings in which to breed. Barn owls Tyto alba are also a protected species that roost and raise their broods in similar places. This overlap in roosting requirements can lead to barn owls moving into buildings containing well-established greater horseshoe bat maternity colonies. This in turn could result in disturbance and abandonment of the building by the bats. Such an event occurred at one of the largest greater horseshoe bat roosts in the UK in 2018 when the colony deserted the roost after barn owls moved in. We describe measures used to exclude the owls while retaining access for the bats, to encourage the colony to return. The suite of modifications consisted primarily of wooden baffles and smooth surfaces on the entrances and doorways. Monitoring showed that the interventions were effective in excluding barn owls whilst allowing bats to access the building. Exclusion of the owls resulted in the return of the greater horseshoe bat colony in similar numbers to 2017 when owls were absent (2022: 92% of the adults) and breeding resumed (2022: 93% of the juveniles in 2017). This paper is the first to evaluate the before and after effects of protecting a bat roost from disturbance or predation by other species.

https://conservationevidencejournal.com/reference/pdf/11849

Changes in habitat have led to a decline in many species which are now threatened. One of them is the spring pasque flower Pulsatilla vernalis, which grows on well-drained soils and is sensitive to competition. The species has in the past benefited from disturbances such as grazing, mowing and forest fires. Now that these do not occur as frequently, it has been suggested that prescribed burning could be used as a conservation intervention to benefit P. vernalis. In this study, we tested whether prescribed burning in 2018 benefited a population of P. vernalis at Marma military training area, outside Älvkarleby in eastern Sweden. Due to unexpected windy conditions on the day of the prescribed burning, not all the planned area was burned. This created a natural experiment that enabled us to compare burned areas with unburned areas (control) in both heathland and forested heathland habitats. The study includes data gathered before and after the experimental treatment. We found that compared to the control areas, the burned areas had a significantly higher number of P. vernalis tufts (clusters of leaf rosettes), as well as a greater number of flower stalks per tuft. Although limited due to lack of replication, this study supports the suggestion that prescribed burning benefits P. vernalis, both in open areas as well as in forests. 

https://conservationevidencejournal.com/reference/pdf/11850

Aquatic plant communities are important components of river ecosystems, providing food sources and functional habitats through the provision of refuge and spawning substrate for animals including fish and macroinvertebrates. Types of urban infrastructure including bridges and culverts present a major challenge to rivers; for example, the shading effects of these structures can exclude aquatic and wetland plants, degrade and fragment habitats and inhibit the movement of aquatic and riparian species in rivers.

Few studies have investigated the potential to reconnect riverine habitats through artificial lighting technologies. In this study, a 12-month controlled laboratory trial was undertaken to investigate the potential for using artificial lighting to support aquatic plants shaded by urban infrastructure. Two artificial lighting scenarios were compared to a natural light (control) scenario to determine the potential for supporting eight aquatic plant species common in UK rivers.

Overall, growth rates, flower numbers and biomass values were higher for all species under the natural light scenario. However, the artificial lighting scenarios also enabled selected plants to grow and survive over the trial period with variable success in line with shade tolerance, suggesting that it is feasible to grow aquatic plants under urban infrastructure using artificial lighting. This study provides a basis of understanding on how to design an artificial lighting strategy that can support a community of aquatic plants; however, further study and in river trials are required to optimise such as system.

https://conservationevidencejournal.com/reference/pdf/11852