A brand new wildlife exhibition is coming to London’s Alexandra Palace on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 October 2011. WildlifeXpo offers wildlife lovers an exciting combination of exhibitors, lectures and workshops.
Conservation is a key focus for WildlifeXpo. From each ticket sold, £2 will go to The Wildlife Trusts, helping to conserve UK wildlife. Each visitor is able to specify which of the 47 Wildlife Trusts they would like their donation to go to. And it’s not only buying a ticket that will benefit wildlife – at The Wildlife Trusts’ stands (15, 17 and 19) there will be the opportunity to:
• Sign a scale on Petition Fish, The Wildlife Trusts’ petition for Marine Protected Areas around the UK
• Learn how to help wildlife in your garden
• Join your local Wildlife Trust, helping to ensure the wildlife on your doorstep is protected
London Wildlife Trust (stand 1) will run outdoor wildlife-spotting activities for families, and Deputy Chief Executive Mathew Frith will give a lecture on London: a wild place.
Tickets for WildlifeXpo are £10 for one day, and £18 for both. After entry all entertainment is free, including presentations from natural history TV presenters Mark Carwardine and Chris Packham, David Lindo ‘The Urban Birder’ and artist David Shepherd CBE.
Over 70 of the winning and commended entries from the 2011 British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) will be on display. The Wildlife Trusts are sponsors of BWPA, within which they have their own category; Living Landscape: Connectivity.
Powell Ettinger, chairman of WildlifeXpo, said: “With the growing public interest in wildlife conservation and an increasing desire to experience wildlife in the wild, both at home and abroad, we felt that a dedicated exhibition with expert advice and topical presentations would satisfy this need. Moreover, having it all under one roof at such a fabulous venue as Alexandra Palace makes it even more special.”
More information:
• WildlifeXpo www.wildlifexpo.com
• The Wildlife Trusts and Petition Fish www.wildlifetrusts.org
• London Wildlife Trust www.wildlondon.org.uk
• BWPA www.bwpawards.org
-Ends-
Contact information:
Anna Guthrie (Media & PR Manager)
Office: 01636 670075
Mobile: 07887 754659
Email: aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org
Tanya Perdikou (Media & Campaigns Officer)
Office: 01636 670057
Mobile: 07887 754657
Email: tperdikou@wildlifetrusts.org
Images are available for use with this news release. They are granted on a one-time use basis, in association with this release and the photographer must be credited.
Notes for editors:
The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) wildlifetrusts.org
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas
Friday 26 August 2011
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Monday 22 August 2011
North Sea Video
The Wildlife Trust’s North Sea Project, in conjunction with Yorkshire Diver Andy Jackson, has produced a short film to illustrate the beautiful and sometimes bizarre marine wildlife that lives in the North Sea.
The film produced for The North Sea Wildlife Trusts, available at www.northseawildlife.org.uk shatters the myth that the North Sea is both grey and lifeless. All species featured can be found right here in our cool Northern waters. Alongside footage of rich habitats such as kelp forests and rocky reefs, the film introduces us to some of the weird and wonderful animals that live beneath the waves. Molluscs include filter feeding mussels and scavenging whelks, while footage of crustaceans shows not only the familiar Edible Crab and Common Lobster, but also the delicate and easily overlooked spider crab. Anemones, starfish, seaweeds and brightly coloured fish also make an appearance, alongside the charismatic Grey Seal, with all footage shot on location here in the North Sea.
The video aims to provide an education about how rich the North Sea is for marine wildlife, and gather support for The Wildlife Trust’s Petition Fish Campaign, a campaign aiming to gather public support to ensure our UK marine wildlife gains protection through the creation of a network of nature reserves under the UKs seas.
Andy Jackson comments:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed capturing the footage of these remarkable creatures. At times the path to getting rewarding results has been a winding one though, with the Lumpsucker footage being a prime example. After several years trying to film one I managed to get perfect conditions at Flamborough Head, with still, clear water. Within minutes of entering the water I had a beautiful specimen in front of the camera fanning its eggs. Unfortunately the battery in my camera completely failed before I could even capture a second! I had to wait until April 2011 before the conditions came right again and I encountered another off Gristhorpe, he's a handsome pink specimen though and well worth the wait!”
“I urge everyone to support the Wildlife Trusts and get involved and sign a scale; these creatures need our protection before it is too late.”
Kirsten Smith, The Wildlife Trusts North Sea Living Seas Manager say:
“It’s fantastic to be able to show people what’s out there under the waves and to inspire people to take action to protect marine wildlife. Andy’s video shows a wonderful selection of North Sea wildlife from the small shorecrab commonly found in rockpools to deep rocky overhangs covered in corals and anemones”
• To view the video and find out more about the marine wildlife in the North Sea visit www.northseawildlife.org.uk
• ‘like’ our facebook page www.facebook.com/northseawildlife
• Support The Wildlife Trusts Marine Protected Areas campaign www.wildlifetrusts.org/petitionfish
The film produced for The North Sea Wildlife Trusts, available at www.northseawildlife.org.uk shatters the myth that the North Sea is both grey and lifeless. All species featured can be found right here in our cool Northern waters. Alongside footage of rich habitats such as kelp forests and rocky reefs, the film introduces us to some of the weird and wonderful animals that live beneath the waves. Molluscs include filter feeding mussels and scavenging whelks, while footage of crustaceans shows not only the familiar Edible Crab and Common Lobster, but also the delicate and easily overlooked spider crab. Anemones, starfish, seaweeds and brightly coloured fish also make an appearance, alongside the charismatic Grey Seal, with all footage shot on location here in the North Sea.
The video aims to provide an education about how rich the North Sea is for marine wildlife, and gather support for The Wildlife Trust’s Petition Fish Campaign, a campaign aiming to gather public support to ensure our UK marine wildlife gains protection through the creation of a network of nature reserves under the UKs seas.
Andy Jackson comments:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed capturing the footage of these remarkable creatures. At times the path to getting rewarding results has been a winding one though, with the Lumpsucker footage being a prime example. After several years trying to film one I managed to get perfect conditions at Flamborough Head, with still, clear water. Within minutes of entering the water I had a beautiful specimen in front of the camera fanning its eggs. Unfortunately the battery in my camera completely failed before I could even capture a second! I had to wait until April 2011 before the conditions came right again and I encountered another off Gristhorpe, he's a handsome pink specimen though and well worth the wait!”
“I urge everyone to support the Wildlife Trusts and get involved and sign a scale; these creatures need our protection before it is too late.”
Kirsten Smith, The Wildlife Trusts North Sea Living Seas Manager say:
“It’s fantastic to be able to show people what’s out there under the waves and to inspire people to take action to protect marine wildlife. Andy’s video shows a wonderful selection of North Sea wildlife from the small shorecrab commonly found in rockpools to deep rocky overhangs covered in corals and anemones”
• To view the video and find out more about the marine wildlife in the North Sea visit www.northseawildlife.org.uk
• ‘like’ our facebook page www.facebook.com/northseawildlife
• Support The Wildlife Trusts Marine Protected Areas campaign www.wildlifetrusts.org/petitionfish
Be a part of the ‘Big Wildlife Garden’
Everyone has the opportunity to help create the UK’s largest nature reserve from today (Friday 19 August) – with the launch of the ‘Big Wildlife Garden’ (BWG) competition.
The competition - a commitment in the Government’s recently published Natural Environment White Paper - is being run by The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, with funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The Big Wildlife Garden competition encourages everyone to do some wildlife gardening on their doorstep. Anyone is eligible to take part – including individuals, communities, businesses and schools – and no space is too small to be transformed; be it a window box, school playing field or retail park in a town, city or in the countryside. There are six categories[1] and entry is free via the BWG website.
It is hoped that, through showcasing some of the best wildlife gardens in the UK, the competition will inspire everyone to take action and turn their gardens into wildlife havens; a great way of getting active and fit.
The competition is being launched by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Defra, alongside the new England Biodiversity Strategy (EBS). The EBS will set out how the Government will aim to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020.
Launching the competition, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, said:
“No matter how big or small, every garden is a home for wildlife, and this competition gives gardeners the chance to be recognised for what their hard work has achieved, inspiring others to do what they can to make their gardens more wildlife-friendly. Ultimately, gardening for nature can create not just a local home for wildlife, it can help to connect habitats together from our neighbourhoods to our national parks.”
Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“The UK’s wildlife is under pressure from loss of habitat. But, we can all make a difference by gardening with wildlife in mind. We want to see nature reserves around the UK being connected through pockets of healthy habitat within the wider landscape, in both urban and rural areas. Clearly, gardens are an essential part of this vision. The Big Wildlife Garden competition aims to raise awareness of the role we can all play in becoming nature’s guardians.”
Dr Roger Williams, Head of Science RHS, said:
“Twenty years ago few people really thought about the importance of gardens for UK wildlife. Now we know how vital they are.
“The huge interest in our ‘Plants for Bugs’ research project and our ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ label initiative shows how this awareness has changed. We encourage as many gardeners interested in wildlife to enter the competition as possible.”
Entries for the BWG competition can be submitted from today. The competition closes on Sunday 20 May 2012. Prizes include a wildlife gardening masterclass at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, where the prize-giving ceremony will take place, along with membership of The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society.
Sarah Raven, gardener, writer and television presenter, will be on the BWG competition judging panel. She said:
“I am really excited about the launch of this competition. The more people we can get interested and involved in gardening that has a wildlife focus the better. So many positive and easy-to-do things can be done to make gardens wildlife-friendly and running a competition like this will help raise awareness.”
The BWG website contains top wildlife gardening tips and links entrants to a community of gardeners throughout the UK, with a facility to view BWG entries in their locality. It also includes a ‘My Garden’ page where information about gardens can be uploaded and stored. To find out more visit the BWG website www.bigwildlifegarden.org.uk.
Contact information:
Anna Guthrie (Media & PR Manager), The Wildlife Trusts
Office: 01636 670075 / Mobile: 07887 754659 / Email: aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org
Tanya Perdikou (Media & Campaigns Officer), The Wildlife Trusts
Office: 01636 670057 / Mobile: 07887 754657 / Email: tperdikou@wildlifetrusts.org
Eoin Redahan, PR Manager Science, Trials and Government Affairs, The Royal Horticultural Society Office: 0207 821 3044 / eoinredahan@rhs.org.uk
Sean Armstrong, press officer, Defra
Office: 0207 238 1822 / sean.armstrong@DEFRA.GSI.GOV.UK
Notes for editors:
Competition categories include
• Small residential garden
• Large residential garden
• New residential garden
• Educational garden
• Community garden
• Business garden
England Biodiversity Strategy and Big Wildlife Garden
The Big Wildlife Garden competition has been created to recognise the importance of individuals’ action for nature, and the benefits it brings to people. The competition is being launched alongside the Government’s England Biodiversity Strategy. This stems from a commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper, published in June 2011, to ‘protect and improve the natural environment’ and to ‘reconnect people with nature’ in England. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is funding the competition, and has appointed The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society to run it.
The formal launch of the new England Biodiversity Strategy and BWG competition takes place today at London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Street Natural Park, with an announcement from Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) wildlifetrusts.org
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife.
The Royal Horticultural Society www.rhs.org.uk
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's foremost gardening charity, helping and inspiring millions of people to garden. We do this at our gardens and shows and thorough our scientific research, publications, libraries and our education and community programmes. We are entirely funded by our members, visitors and supporters.
Wild About Gardens www.wildaboutgardens.org
Wild About Gardens is a joint project run by the Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts. It aims to bring the worlds of gardening and nature conservation closer together. The project’s website offers a variety of advice on how to attract wildlife into the garden, including the best plants for birds and insects, and suggestions of things to do for wildlife – in two hours, in a weekend, or all year round.
Defra www.defra.gov.uk
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is supporting and funding The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) ‘Big Wildlife Garden’ competition to promote the importance of individual action for the natural environment and the benefits it provides for people. The running of this competition is a commitment in the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper that will help to both protect and improve our natural environment and reconnect people with nature.
The competition - a commitment in the Government’s recently published Natural Environment White Paper - is being run by The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society, with funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The Big Wildlife Garden competition encourages everyone to do some wildlife gardening on their doorstep. Anyone is eligible to take part – including individuals, communities, businesses and schools – and no space is too small to be transformed; be it a window box, school playing field or retail park in a town, city or in the countryside. There are six categories[1] and entry is free via the BWG website.
It is hoped that, through showcasing some of the best wildlife gardens in the UK, the competition will inspire everyone to take action and turn their gardens into wildlife havens; a great way of getting active and fit.
The competition is being launched by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for Defra, alongside the new England Biodiversity Strategy (EBS). The EBS will set out how the Government will aim to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2020.
Launching the competition, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman, said:
“No matter how big or small, every garden is a home for wildlife, and this competition gives gardeners the chance to be recognised for what their hard work has achieved, inspiring others to do what they can to make their gardens more wildlife-friendly. Ultimately, gardening for nature can create not just a local home for wildlife, it can help to connect habitats together from our neighbourhoods to our national parks.”
Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“The UK’s wildlife is under pressure from loss of habitat. But, we can all make a difference by gardening with wildlife in mind. We want to see nature reserves around the UK being connected through pockets of healthy habitat within the wider landscape, in both urban and rural areas. Clearly, gardens are an essential part of this vision. The Big Wildlife Garden competition aims to raise awareness of the role we can all play in becoming nature’s guardians.”
Dr Roger Williams, Head of Science RHS, said:
“Twenty years ago few people really thought about the importance of gardens for UK wildlife. Now we know how vital they are.
“The huge interest in our ‘Plants for Bugs’ research project and our ‘Perfect for Pollinators’ label initiative shows how this awareness has changed. We encourage as many gardeners interested in wildlife to enter the competition as possible.”
Entries for the BWG competition can be submitted from today. The competition closes on Sunday 20 May 2012. Prizes include a wildlife gardening masterclass at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, where the prize-giving ceremony will take place, along with membership of The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society.
Sarah Raven, gardener, writer and television presenter, will be on the BWG competition judging panel. She said:
“I am really excited about the launch of this competition. The more people we can get interested and involved in gardening that has a wildlife focus the better. So many positive and easy-to-do things can be done to make gardens wildlife-friendly and running a competition like this will help raise awareness.”
The BWG website contains top wildlife gardening tips and links entrants to a community of gardeners throughout the UK, with a facility to view BWG entries in their locality. It also includes a ‘My Garden’ page where information about gardens can be uploaded and stored. To find out more visit the BWG website www.bigwildlifegarden.org.uk.
Contact information:
Anna Guthrie (Media & PR Manager), The Wildlife Trusts
Office: 01636 670075 / Mobile: 07887 754659 / Email: aguthrie@wildlifetrusts.org
Tanya Perdikou (Media & Campaigns Officer), The Wildlife Trusts
Office: 01636 670057 / Mobile: 07887 754657 / Email: tperdikou@wildlifetrusts.org
Eoin Redahan, PR Manager Science, Trials and Government Affairs, The Royal Horticultural Society Office: 0207 821 3044 / eoinredahan@rhs.org.uk
Sean Armstrong, press officer, Defra
Office: 0207 238 1822 / sean.armstrong@DEFRA.GSI.GOV.UK
Notes for editors:
Competition categories include
• Small residential garden
• Large residential garden
• New residential garden
• Educational garden
• Community garden
• Business garden
England Biodiversity Strategy and Big Wildlife Garden
The Big Wildlife Garden competition has been created to recognise the importance of individuals’ action for nature, and the benefits it brings to people. The competition is being launched alongside the Government’s England Biodiversity Strategy. This stems from a commitment in the Natural Environment White Paper, published in June 2011, to ‘protect and improve the natural environment’ and to ‘reconnect people with nature’ in England. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is funding the competition, and has appointed The Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Horticultural Society to run it.
The formal launch of the new England Biodiversity Strategy and BWG competition takes place today at London Wildlife Trust’s Camley Street Natural Park, with an announcement from Caroline Spelman, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) wildlifetrusts.org
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK and the Isle of Man and Alderney. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas. We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife.
The Royal Horticultural Society www.rhs.org.uk
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's foremost gardening charity, helping and inspiring millions of people to garden. We do this at our gardens and shows and thorough our scientific research, publications, libraries and our education and community programmes. We are entirely funded by our members, visitors and supporters.
Wild About Gardens www.wildaboutgardens.org
Wild About Gardens is a joint project run by the Royal Horticultural Society and The Wildlife Trusts. It aims to bring the worlds of gardening and nature conservation closer together. The project’s website offers a variety of advice on how to attract wildlife into the garden, including the best plants for birds and insects, and suggestions of things to do for wildlife – in two hours, in a weekend, or all year round.
Defra www.defra.gov.uk
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is supporting and funding The Wildlife Trusts (TWT) and Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) ‘Big Wildlife Garden’ competition to promote the importance of individual action for the natural environment and the benefits it provides for people. The running of this competition is a commitment in the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper that will help to both protect and improve our natural environment and reconnect people with nature.
Wednesday 10 August 2011
Seaweed secrets
First ever survey of seaweed on North Sea coastline
The first ever survey of seaweed along England’s east coast begins today (Monday 1 August), thanks to The Wildlife Trusts.
The conservation organisation is working with partners to coordinate Seaweed East, a scheme which will see a team of surveyors exploring 11 locations from Essex to Northumberland. Starting at Blackwater estuary in Essex, renowned marine biologists and Seasearch divers will work with a botanist and a wild food expert, spending an intensive period of 11 days exploring the locations, including several previously unsurveyed Wildlife Trust coastal nature reserves. At each site, all species of seaweed will be recorded, and samples taken.
The east coast is an under-surveyed section of the UK’s coastline, often due to the perception of the area being of little ecological importance. In fact, the North Sea supports two of England’s largest subtidal chalk reefs. It is hoped Seaweed East will provide vital evidence of the true variety of life this area supports.
There are around 650 species of seaweed in the UK. They are a hugely versatile resource, used in food, medicines and cosmetics. Seaweeds are equally important to marine life as they are to humans, providing food and habitat for creatures, such as the blue-rayed limpet which lives on kelp fronds.
Joan Edwards, Head of Living Seas for The Wildlife Trusts, said:
“Seaweed is mainly known for being slimy and squelchy but, like plants on land, it plays a vital part in marine ecosystems. Its health and abundance reveals a great deal about the overall health of a given environment.
“A seaweed survey coordinated by Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust last year recorded at least 150 species of seaweed. It greatly increased our knowledge of the marine wildlife around the area, and turned up some invasive species previously unrecorded there. We expect Seaweed East will bring similar surprises to light.”
The Wildlife Trusts are helping to fund and coordinate Seaweed East in conjunction with Seasearch, a volunteer organisation for divers to get involved with surveying the marine wildlife they encounter in the UK. Together with Shoresearch, The Wildlife Trusts’ volunteer scheme to identify and record animals, plants, and habitats along our shoreline, records are being built up of the marine wildlife our seas support. This information could help to identify areas of special importance for marine life both above and below the surface.
Local Wildlife Trusts will be holding events at some of the 11 Seaweed East locations for National Marine Week (30 July – 14 August). These will include seaweed safaris and opportunities to sign The Wildlife Trusts’ Petition Fish, which aims to garner support for Marine Protected Areas in the UK’s seas.
To find out more about the marine life in the North Sea visit www.northseawildlife.org.uk.
To sign Petition Fish visit
and for more information about The Wildlife Trusts’ Living Seas vision visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/livingseas.
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