The State of Nature report is an assessment of how nature is doing across the UK. As well as an overarching assessment of UK flora and fauna, there are separate reports for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to look at each country in more depth. The reports pool data and expertise from 53 nature conservation and research organisations, a partnership unparalleled in UK conservation. The BTO is proud to be a founding member of the State of Nature Partnership and our long-term volunteer-based monitoring schemes are key to such assessments. It is extremely important that well-structured monitoring to track changes in biodiversity continues and that good evidence is collected to identify the causes of change. Publicising the results and engagement with the public as well as policy-makers is essential to the success of any project based on citizen science. Report is available in six different versions. The main report covers the whole UK, with the other reports focussing on England, Scotland, Wales (in both English and Welsh) and Northern Ireland (to be published shortly). The report offers: Key findings A comparison of the most important drivers of change Summaries by habitat Case studies Emerging themes for conservation action An explanation of the methodologies used to produce the report

1.Conservation practices in Europe frequently attempt to perpetuate or mimic the ‘tradi-tional’ forms of management of semi-natural habitats, but with a limited understanding of what these entailed. 2.We review the emerging understanding of ecological processes, structures and management interventions that enhance biodiversity (wildlife) at diverse scales. These are then examined in the context of pre-industrial (c. 1200–1750) land management systems in lowland England, in order to identify historic practices which are likely to have provided important wildlife resources, but which are relatively neglected in current conservation management. 3.Principles enhancing alpha and beta diversity and the conservation status of threatened species include structural complexity and heterogeneity at nested spatial scales; physical disturbance and exposure of mineral substrate; nutrient removal; lengthened successional rotations; and spatial variation in grazing regimes. 4.The available evidence suggests that pre-industrial land management was generally characterized by intense resource exploitation and significant levels of biomass harvest; complex nested structural heterogeneity both between and within landscape elements; overlaying of multiple land uses; and spatial and temporal variability in management, rendering the concept of long-lived ‘traditional’ practice problematic. Grazing patterns are poorly understood, but intensive grazing was probably the norm in most contexts, potentially resulting in simplified sward structures and suppressed ecotonal vegetation. 5.In much of the pre-industrial period, early-successional and disturbed microhabitats were widespread, but ungrazed or lightly grazed herb-rich vegetation may have been limited, the converse of current conservation management. The key change since then has been homogenization at multiple scales, coupled with reduction of specific niches and conditions. 6.Synthesis and applications.In adopting perceived ‘traditional’ management practices, mod-ern conservation rarely achieves the range and complexity of conditions that were present in the past. A better understanding of past practices allows more favourable management of those surviving semi-natural habitats where historic assemblages persist–with greater emphasis on physical disturbance and variability in prescriptions both temporally and spatially.When creating or restoring habitats, after interruption of management sufficiently long for dependent assemblages to be lost, better appreciation of historic management encourages novel forms of intervention to enhance biodiversity, with emphasis on complex structural and spatial heterogeneity at nested scales, biomass removal and nutrient reduction. These strongly management-based approaches are complementary to the use of large herbivores to create and maintain dynamic ecotonal mosaics in the manner advocated by some proponents of ‘rewilding’.

This report addresses the question of how responses by woodland managers to the dieback of ash (Fraxineus excelsior) caused by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus coud alter the opportunities for woodland wildlife in Britian. Introduction, The Geographical and Ecological Distribution of Ash, The Disease: Its Spread and Symptons, Two East Anglian Case Studies, Management Responses to Ash Dieback, Resources and Key Structures Potentially Affected by Management Responses, Potential Resource Availability Under Different Management Scenarios, Interactions of Ash Dieback with Deer, Conclusions, Acknowlegements, References

This wonderful book includes a selection of the most stunning images from the winners and short-listed photographers who took part in the Bird Photographer of the Year award 2016. Bird Photographer of the Year is a collaboration and partnership between BTO and Nature Photographers Ltd. Both the annual competition and this book celebrate the artistry of bird photography. It is a tribute to both the dedication and passion of the photographers as well as a reflection of the quality of today's modern digital imaging systems 256 pages with over 230 images Over 150 species represented 128 photographers Foreword by BTO President Chris Packham Published 20 August 2016

New research led by the BTO has used a combination of GPS-tracking and advanced statistics to provide new insights into seabird flight heights by night and day. This study gives important information on the risk of seabirds colliding with offshore wind turbines and at a time when governments worldwide are investing in offshore wind farms. Offshore wind farms are now operating or under construction in many locations, but while spinning turbine blades are crucial for generating renewable energy, they also represent a potential threat for flying animals, particularly seabirds, which can be injured and killed if they collide with them. In order to correctly characterise the extent of this threat, we need accurate measurements of the height at which seabirds fly. New research by the BTO has demonstrated a novel way to do this, using state-of-the-art GPS tags and cutting edge statistics. The work, led by Viola Ross-Smith and Ali Johnston, used data downloaded from long-life GPS tags fitted to Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Great Skuas breeding at protected colonies in Suffolk, Orkney and Shetland. GPS tags record flight height with error, which varies depending on the configuration of satellites in the sky at the time each measurement is taken. The study solved this error problem using a powerful statistical technique known as a Bayesian state-space model. The analysis also examined the association between a bird’s location and its flight height, as well as how flight behaviour varies between day and night. The results showed that Lesser Black-backed Gulls flew significantly lower at sea than over land, and significantly lower at night, when turbines might be harder to detect and avoid, than during the day. Great Skuas flew lower than Lesser Black-backed Gulls, but did not show significant relationships between flight height, location and time of day. Importantly, the study found that both species, but particularly Great Skuas, primarily flew beneath the height of offshore wind turbine blades. The results also support previous BTO research in suggesting that Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Great Skuas are safer when turbines are designed so that the lower edge of the blades is 30 m above sea level (as opposed to some current turbine designs, where the blade tips reach 22 m above sea level). This study describes an effective way of resolving the problem of error associated with GPS tracking data, which can be used to provide important information on seabirds’ risk of collision with offshore wind turbines. This approach could be applied more widely, to reliably model animal movement at a time when tracking is increasingly being used as a tool to inform management and conservation. For further information on the modelling used in this study, please see this blog for the Journal of Applied Ecology.