Selected key items from the 2005 year are summarised below.
Advice and help:
Has been given to many individuals and organisations and some examples include:
- Specimen identification confirmations were undertaken for several members and organisations (e.g. the Environment Agency, Winchester).
- The RSPB was given help in assessing the non-marine molluscan populations of a reserve on the Isle of Wight (it is hoped that the RSPB will allow a short article summarising this work, to appear in a forthcoming Mollusc World);
- Scottish Natural Heritage was given advice relating to a draft of a booklet being produced on ‘Scottish Atlantic hazelwoods’.
- Advice regarding reported Roman snails Helix pomatia at Bishop’s Park Fulham and also for the same species, management recommendations to Heather Catterfeld concerning the construction of a metalled cycle way along part of the Lee Valley Way, Herts. through an area supporting this species.
- The Somerset Environmental Records centre was provided with information on species of ‘conservation concern’ present in the county to aid in the production of local biodiversity action plans.
British Wildlife:
The production of a molluscan wildlife report for this journal has continued with the publication of two reports in February and October 2005. The Conservation Officer has used this column to publicise selected aspects of work undertaken by the Society.
Invertebrate Link (formerly J.C.C.B.I.) and The Invertebrate Conservation Trust (Buglife):
Membership of the Committee continues providing valuable contacts with other organisations. Member organisations of Invertebrate Link present annual summaries of their organisation’s conservation work throughout the year and the Conservation Officer tabled a summary paper outlining the Society’s work throughout the year 2004 – 2005 at the October 2005 meeting. Several members contributed to the production of the Buglife leaflet ‘Snails & Slugs – Conserving the small things that run the world’. The Society endorsed this leaflet, which carries the Society logo (copies of the leaflet were given out at a number of indoor meetings but if you would like a copy please contact Buglife – see WWW.buglife.org.uk )
The Fourth Quinquennial Review of Schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Buglife have worked to further the case of Helix pomatia for addition to Schedule 5 of The Wildlife & Countryside Act. DEFRA have still to announce their final decisions relating to the Fourth Quinquenial Review of this Act.
Mollusc World:
The Conservation Officer has contributed an article to edition 8 of the publication. This contained a summary of Society’s role in UK BAP Priority Species Review and also described The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) Steering Group meetings.
Biodiversity Matters:
- Submissions to the non-marine UK BAP Priority Species review were completed and submitted in May 2005. A total of 21 plans were submitted including ones for all eleven of the original Priority Species together with 8 priority species proposals and an additional two species ‘flagged-up’ as national responsibilities (details appeared in Mollusc World 8:22 which highlighted the team-work involved in the completion of this challenging project).
- Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) requested advice from the Society concerning the creation of a possible new Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for the priority species Vertigo angustior at Garron Point, Aberdeenshire. The Conservation Officer, after consulting other Society members returned a summary to SNH. (Since the AGM the Society has been informed that SNH have decided to include Garron Point in a list of sites to be sent to the EC as candidate SACs).
- Several Society members assisted in the BAP priority species (e.g. for Anisus vorticulus and Sementina nitida) annual reporting process.
Associations with other organisations:
The Conservation Officer continues to attend conservation committee meetings of The Sussex Wildlife Trust. He wrote an article for the ‘Adastra’ magazine (Adastra 2005 23 – 26, Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, Henfield, West Sussex) on how the new name changes detailed in J. Conch. (38: 607 – 637) would affect species in Sussex. Adastra is presented at the annual Biological Recorders Seminar of the Trust.
Society Talk:
The Conservation Officer presented a talk to the Society in October 2005 on the theme, “Molluscs and favourable conservation status – what does this mean”?
The Conservation & Recording Committee:
The newly formed Conservation & Recording Committee, held its inaugural meeting in October 2005. The Committee includes the Marine and Non-marine Recorders, Conservation Officer and five other members. Committee membership includes Jan Light, Geraldine Holyoak, Martin Willing, Brian Eversham (Chair), Mary Seddon, Michael Weideli, Robert Cameron and Julia Nunn as a co-opted member. This new committee reports annually to Council.
Conservation Work throughout the Society:
Many other conservation activities have been undertaken throughout the year by many Society members in both an amateur and professional capacity. These are mostly too numerous to mention individually, but range from the Society’s Malacolimax tenellus and Phenacolimax major projects to the work of individuals. Thus, for example, the Gloucester Wildlife Trust received a report from D. Long supplying results of surveys undertaken over a two year period in the Forest of Dean.