-Caveat Lector- From http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?dir=58&story=86998 &host=3&printable=1 }}>Begin News > UK > Environment Hedgehog project pushes seabirds to extinction By Matthew Beard 04 August 2001 Species of seabirds in the Outer Hebrides are threatened with extinction because of a biodiversity experiment to introduce hedgehogs to the islands, according to a study published yesterday. Numbers of ground-nesting birds, such as dunlin, lapwing, redshank and snipe, have fallen in recent years because their eggs are being eaten by Erinaceus europaeus, the European hedgehog. A study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology showed that on the island of South Uist the chances of wading birds successfully nesting more than doubled in areas that were cleared of hedgehogs. The discovery has important implications for several other Scottish islands where hedgehogs have been introduced in the belief that they are strict insectivores whose effect on the fauna is entirely benign. For the study, conservationists created safety zones at Loch Bee and Drimore barring hedgehogs. The trials, on sandy ground considered ideal habitat for ground-nesting birds, were ringed by half-metre high electrified wire. Hedgehogs were observed as they unsuccessfully tried to enter the protected zone, their tiny legs carrying them up to half a kilometre in search of eggs. The fence was breached in parts by burrowing rabbits, but it proved an effective deterrent to the hedgehogs' nocturnal forays, and showed the birds would thrive without the mammals' interference. Hedgehogs were introduced to the Western Isles in 1974 and have since colonised areas on Benbecula and North Uist; they now number 5,000 in total. At the time it was considered a progressive project for the wildlife of the Western Isles whose only other native mammalian predator is the otter. Other attempts to boost the islands' biodiversity have seen the introduction several years ago of the brown rat and the polecat ferret, neither of which prey on birds' nests. Conservationists, backed by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds – which says that since the hedgehog introduction the dunlin population has been cut by 65 per cent and the redshank's by 40 per cent – acknowledge that moves to relocate the hedgehog have backfired. They are now calling for a wider purge. The consequences for ground-nesting birds of the introduction of mammalian predators are well documented, particularly on islands. According to a study in 1984, such experiments have been the cause of about 42 per cent of bird extinctions. Legislation in Britain prohibits the introduction of species but does not place the same restrictions on animals native to one part of the country being moved outside their natural range. The report's author, Digger Jackson, said: "The threat to biodiversity, particularly on the islands from the redistribution of native species within a country is generally overlooked ... yet the biological consequences are potentially just as serious. Application of good ecological principles and practice is important ... and ultimately that could make the difference between a species' survival and its extinction. "The outcome of this work contrasts with the widely held perception that hedgehogs are harmless insectivores and, on many other Scottish islands where they've been naturalised for much longer, that they are a benign addition to the fauna." Also in Environment Research shows organically-grown food is safer and healthier, insists Soil Association Mutation could make organic pesticide useless Outrage over 'theme park' scheme for Giant's Causeway Concern over British trials of GM 'super fish' Hedgehog project pushes seabirds to extinction Legal | Contact us | Using our Content | © 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd End<{{ And From http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?dir=58&story=87122 &host=3&printable=1 }}>Begin News > UK > Environment Concern over British trials of GM 'super fish' By Severin Carrell 05 August 2001 A new breed of genetically modified, fast-growing "super fish" developed in Britain will be on sale around the world in as little as three years' time, scientists have predicted. Geneticists at the University of Southampton believe they are close to proving that GM tilapia – the world's second most popular fish for eating – can be safely farmed without damaging the environment or other fish species. The GM fish grow up to three times larger than normal after being bred with growth-hormone genes taken from chinook salmon as part of a £1.12m programme funded by the Department for International Development (DfID). The British research is running in parallel with a major multinational research programme funded by the European Commission, which is intended to override resistance from environmentalists and consumers by proving that GM fish is safe. Government agencies such as English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage have warned ministers that farming with fertile GM fish will inevitably lead to escapes and interbreeding with native species. That, in turn, could lead to new breeds of disease-resistant GM fish surviving in the wild. The Independent on Sunday can reveal the Commission has spent nearly 7.5m euros (£4.6m) on 11 projects to develop fish such as tilapia, salmon, medaka and rainbow trout since the mid-1980s. That research is expected to increase substantially. A group of geneticists, including scientists at Southampton, have now applied for EU grants to turn carnivorous salmon and trout into vegetarians to overcome another major objection to industrial-scale farms, as fish farming contributes to over-fishing at sea purely for fish food. The DfID research steps up a gear early next year when the Southampton team holds trials in northern Thailand to prove its GM tilapia are fully sterile by mixing them with wild fish in a special self-contained facility. If these trials succeed, UN experts believe British scientists will be among the first to offer low-cost GM fish for commercial farming in the Far East, the Indian subcontinent and possibly Africa. The world's leading GM fish company, a US firm called AquaBounty, is expected to get approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to market fast-growing GM salmon next year. But the firm believes it will take until 2003 or 2004 before commercial farms are licensed. Professor Norman Maclean, head of the Southampton research team, predicted his GM tilapia would be on sale in three to five years. However, it could take 10 years before food shortages and environmental problems with conventional fish farming would overcome consumer hostility. The Commission insists it has no plans to support the commercial farming of GM fish, claiming the research is to ensure EU scientists can keep pace with global developments in the field. However, MEPs in the ruling Socialist group have called for a significant increase in EU funding of GM fish research. Alan Simpson, Labour MP for Nottingham South and a leading critic of government support for GM technologies, said: "We should recoil in horror at this research. The ecological consequences of a mistake are so far-reaching we should not be continuing with trials without subjecting them to rigorous public scrutiny." Also in Environment Research shows organically-grown food is safer and healthier, insists Soil Association Mutation could make organic pesticide useless Outrage over 'theme park' scheme for Giant's Causeway Concern over British trials of GM 'super fish' Hedgehog project pushes seabirds to extinction Legal | Contact us | Using our Content | © 2001 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd End<{{ <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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