Biodiversity News
Below are links to stories on Biodiversity, especially relating to aviation and airports.
How the blurring of the seasons is a harbinger of climate calamity
Spring is starting to dissolve as a distinct season as climate change takes hold. According to documented observations throughout 2007 and 2008, events in the natural world that used to be key spring indicators, from the blooming of flowers to the appearance of insects, are now increasingly happening in what used to be thought of as mid-winter. (Independent)
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Bird strike risk a major hazard for Lydd
A new report warns that expansion of tiny Lydd Airport in south-east Kent could create a serious bird strike risk to passenger aircraft. The assessment, by Professor Chris Feare, describes the site where airport operators want to extend the runway and rebuild the terminal as 'extremely hazardous' likening it to the abandoned plan to build an airport at nearby Cliffe Marshes. (RSPB)
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Britain’s Only Unique Bird Faces Climate Extinction
The Scottish crossbill, the only bird found exclusively in Britain, is facing extinction by 2100 owing to climate change according to a new RSPB report. (I Count)
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Air travel poses major threat to biodiversity, say scientists
Global air travel has become one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and public health by driving the spread of alien species and infectious diseases to new habitats, scientists report. The explosive growth of worldwide airlines has seen passenger numbers rise 8% a year in the past three years, creating travel networks that link remote and isolated ecosystems for the first time, boosting the spread of micro-organisms and insects to unprecedented levels.
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RSPB concern to bird populations if Lydd airport is allowed to expand
Lydd Airport has submitted planning applications for a runway extension and new terminal. If permission is granted, this will expand their capacity from the 4,000 passengers per annum they currently handle, to half a million passengers - part of their strategy to increase capacity to 2 million passengers in the future. The RSPB is very concerned about the impacts these proposals could have on the local environment and its wildlife.
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Stansted – flight path to destruction of woodland
Nearly 25 hectares of irreplaceable ancient woodland will be lost if BAA’s plans to build a second runway at Stansted come to fruition, and 3 ancient woods will be lost. Less than 2% of Britain is covered with ancient woodland, our richest habitat for wildlife.