Biodiversity News

Below are links to stories on Biodiversity, especially relating to aviation and airports.

 

Southampton Airport wants to cut down some trees, and cut the tops off others

Southampton Airport wants to cut off the tops of 25 trees in a 200-year-old woodland, Marlhill Copse, on grounds of aircraft safety.  But the bid is set to be thrown out by city development chiefs, as it will harm the conservation area.  However, a second application to remove 15 trees in the same woodland is recommended to approve the cutting down of 14 of them.  In October 2023, Southampton City Council received the planning application from the airport which outlined its plan to reduce the tops of 24 individual trees and one group of broadleaf trees within Marlhill Copse in Bitterne Park, on the southern side of the airport over the M27.  According to the report by officers recommending refusal, the reduction in height of the 25 trees included one oak by more than 13 metres, another by 12, metres and one Douglas Fir by more than 10 metres. The airport said the work related to the Civil Aviation Act, which gives the secretary of state powers to make direct orders restricting the height of trees; however, the order hasn’t been received, meaning the application had to proceed via the usual council’s planning process.  The council’s planning committee is set to decide both applications on February 20th. 

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Environmental Audit Cttee calls for rapid implementation of key environmental principles in policymaking across Government

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) argues that there is no reason for any further delay to the roll-out of the Government’s Environmental Principles, (integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays and precautionary principles) which are intended to be binding on policymakers across many areas of central government. Including aviation. The Government has been designing its environmental principles for over four years. Now that the requirement on policymakers to observe environmental principles has been enacted in the Environment Act 2021, there is concern that further delay in implementation will risk principles being sidestepped by Whitehall rather than embraced.  The EAC is calling for rapid finalisation and implementation of the policy statement presented to Parliament in May 2022. The Government must deliver on its ambition for the policy statement to be finalised and embedded across government policymaking, by autumn of 2022. The UK was previously obliged to follow environmental principles in the EU Treaties, and is still bound by a number of international agreements on environmental protection. Brexit offered a significant opportunity to shape the implementation of environmental principles to domestic circumstances.

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Faroese salmon farming company buys own plane, to fly its fish to the US

The salmon farming industry is hugely environmentally damaging, due to the food fed to the fish, the spread of fish parasites like sea lice to wild salmon, the pollution of the sea under the salmon cages, and much more. But the industry makes money.  Currently Scottish salmon is flown to Heathrow, and then flown around the world, eg. to the US. They also farm salmon in the Faroe Islands (the islands where they annually slaughter dolphins) and export this to the US. Now one company has bought its own Boeing 757 plane, in order to fly its fish direct to the US, avoiding Heathrow.  It is claiming this reduces its carbon footprint ... Air freighting farmed fish just combines some of the worst sorts of environmental harm, to nature and to the irreversible breakdown of the global climate system.  Fish is often flown around the world. The industry is keen to increase this air freight, in order to open new markets overseas, to sell ever more. As well as salmon, tuna and lobster is often flown across the globe rather than being frozen or super-chilled for transport by ship. Live Canadian lobsters are flown to Shanghai, Chilean salmon to New York, and Norwegian salmon to Japan.

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Liverpool Airport expansion plans to be reviewed, as contrary to council climate aims – Oglet shore reprieved

Liverpool Airport had been hoping to expand by extending its runway by 314 metres, to attract direct transatlantic flights, to try to more than double its passenger numbers. This has been fiercely opposed, especially as it would take land to the south of the airport, where there is the Oglet shore - a natural section of coast, valued by walkers and important for wildlife, including some Red List species. Now Liverpool City councillors have agreed to review policies relating to any future extensions. Councillors from all parties expressed concerns over the proposals to extend the runway.  At a full council meeting, they also agreed to consider - after investigating the evidence - selling the council's 10% stake in the airport, as it is incompatible its efforts to fight climate change.  The airport put forward the plans before the council declared a climate emergency, in 2018.  Campaigners fighting to save the Oglet shore are delighted, as the airport masterplan ear marked it to be covered in concrete for new hangers, maintenance services, cargo facilities and warehouses. 

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Natural England renews licences for airports to kill birds up to 13km away

Natural England has renewed its guidance allowing airports/aerodromes to kill a range of birds, up to 13km (called the safeguarding zone) from the airport, if they are deemed a "danger" to aircraft safety. The licences permit, in relation to the species listed below, "killing or taking birds, taking or destroying their eggs, and taking, damaging or destroying their nests while that nest is in use or being built."  Anyone wishing to use this licence must first apply to Natural England to be registered. Natural England are meant to keep records of all the killing and measures taken against birds. The species included in the licences are varieties of geese, crows, gulls and ducks. Also pigeons, woodpigeons, starlings, parakeets, magpies, jackdaws, rooks and lapwings (a Red list endangered bird).  Means of killing allowed include shooting with a firearm/ ammunition combination (including a semiautomatic weapon*) appropriate for the species concerned; pricking of eggs;  oiling of eggs using paraffin oil; d. destruction of eggs and nests; cage trap; a pen or corral used as a trap; falconry.  Airports and their surroundings are NOT safe places for birds.

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120 organisations call on Spanish government to cancel the expansions of Madrid and Barcelona airports

A total of 120 social, neighbourhood and environmental organisations are calling on the Spanish Government to halt the expansion projects for the Madrid Barajas and Barcelona El Prat airports. With this demand, the groups are responding to the intense lobbying campaign being carried out by the airport manager AENA to obtain support in different areas, without any public presentations of the projects and with a total lack of technical, social, environmental, economic, financial and budgetary justification. The expansion at Madrid airport is to increase annual passengers from 70 to 80 million; at Barcelona it would rise from 55 to 70 million.  Airport expansion and the growth of aviation are entirely incompatible with climate objectives and commitments. The signatory organisations want the €3.4 billion budgeted for the expansion projects be invested instead in low carbon travel, such as rail. Apart from the carbon emissions, the expansion of Barcelona airport is planned in the area of La Ricarda, an area protected by the Natura 2000 network. The extension of the third runway would also endanger the aquifer system that provides water for the city and is vital for the natural and agricultural areas of the Llobregat Delta.

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Flights v flamingos: can Barcelona wetland wildlife reserve survive airport expansion plans?

The Delta del Llobregat, one of the most important wetlands in the western Mediterranean, is being eroded on one side by the sea and on the other by Barcelona's land-hungry airport. Before the pandemic there were already close to 90 flights an hour and, if the airport authority has its way, this will increase still further. The delta covers 920 hectares and has 14 distinct ecosystems, ranging from coastal, marshland and lagoons to pine forests and farmland. As well as being home to a birds, a colony of turtles, there are more than 1,000 plant species, including 22 varieties of orchids. In the decades-long war of flamingos versus air passengers, the flamingos have lost every round. The airport wants to extend the runway into the wetlands and build another terminal, allowing passenger numbers to rise from 55 to 70 million a year. But now the European commission has weighed in, accusing the Spanish and Catalan governments of failing to protect the wetlands and warning against a proposed expansion of the airport. The EC says the Llobregat Delta ecosystem hosts outstanding biodiversity and plays a crucial role in the migratory routes of many European bird species.  

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Natural England says Leeds Bradford Airport expansion should not be approved – necessary details have not been provided

The government's environment adviser, Natural England, says Leeds City Council should not approve controversial plans for the Leeds Bradford Airport expansion, unless further evidence on the potential impacts is provided.  Natural England states the airport's planning application lacks detail and "there is currently not enough information to rule out the likelihood of significant effects" on the environment. It has asked the airport to provide additional information, so the council can asses the impact the new £150 million terminal would have on air quality, local wildlife and protected landscapes.  Natural England therefore advises Leeds City Council that it should not grant planning permission at this stage. The airport wants to increase passengers numbers from 4 million to 7 million a year. Climate scientists, environmentalists, The Group for Action on Leeds Bradford Airport (GALBA) and four Leeds MPs are also calling on the council to reject the new plans. GALBA, said the airport has not bothered to assess the damage that their expansion plans would do to wildlife and nature.

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Public consultation over Southampton runway extension slightly delayed – and campaigners fight for Marlhill Copse trees

The public consultation through Eastleigh Borough Council over plans to extend Southampton Airport's runway by 164 metres has been delayed. It was due to start on July 10th, but now the start date is not known - the delay may only be a week or so. The consultation is due to last 30 days. The airport also wants to add 600 more parking spaces to the existing long stay car park. There is a lot of local opposition to the plans, largely due to the noise impact and the extra carbon emissions of more flights. Neighbouring local authorities including Winchester and Southampton councils objected to the scheme.  There has already been one consultation, in late 2019, and the airport may make modifications in this second consultation. The final decision will be by Eastleigh Borough Council. The airport bought a small woodland near the airport, Marlhill Copse in 2018. It now wants to fell many of the trees, citing safety concerns. The trees in fact would only be a potential safety concern if the airport is allowed to expand. Three trees have already been felled, on the pretext of "good forestry management".  Campaigners are trying to get this tree felling and tree height reduction stopped.

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Portugal’s proposed new airport would threaten thousands of protected birds – ClientEarth is taking action

The government is gearing up to build a new airport - Montijo Airport - on Portugal's most important wetland – the Tagus Estuary. The area is on the path of hundreds of thousands of migratory wetland birds that congregate there for the winter or on their journey between Northern Europe and Africa. It is also protected under numerous international treaties due to its importance for these protected species. Attempts to go ahead with the project show a disregard for important EU laws and a lack of consideration of the severe impacts of building the airport on an internationally protected nature site. ClientEarth are taking action to try to prevent this. With 7 national NGOs, they have filed a court action against the government, aiming to annul Montijo Airport’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), because the airport plans have not properly considered the impact on the nature reserve and its wildlife. The Portuguese authorities failed to carry out the necessary tests and have simply proposed to ‘relocate’ the habitats and birds. In the Netherlands, thousands of people have signed a petition against the construction, as it would seriously threaten the migratory Black-tailed Godwit, the Dutch national bird.

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