This report provides findings from the first year of a study that has used Movetech ‘GPS-GSM’ tracking devices to track the movements of Lesser Black-backed Gulls from a breeding colony at the Ribble and Alt Estuaries SPA and so investigate their use of the SPA and the Warton Aerodrome. The study had two main objectives: (i) to assess the flight altitudes of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls from the breeding colony at Banks Marsh in the Ribble and Alt Estuaries SPA during the 2016 breeding season; and (ii) to assess the home ranges of adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls from this colony and their temporal and spatial overlap with the SPA and the area of potential risk of collision with aircraft.

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