BBC Wildlife

January 2021 | Vol. 39 No. 01 REASONS BE PLUS BO HEAD HOMECOMING ENGLISH CARNIVORES The whales are back in Norway The meat-eating plant revival

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Cover: Chris & Megan: Tom Gilks; macaw: Matías Rebak/Rewildling Argentina Foundation; tern: Josh Jones/AGAMI/Alamy; elephant: Alberto Ghizzi Panizza/SPL/Getty; bald eagle: Loic Poidevin/ Zuzu’s petals After the year we’ve all just endured, NPL; squ rre : Pau Hobson/NPL; shark: Norbert Probst/Imagebroker/FLPA; tasman an dev : Auss e Ark; t ger: Ad tya S ngh/Getty; butterfly: Andy Sands/NPL; Th s page: Tom G ks I’m sure we could all do with a dose of I’ve always loved this time of year good cheer to remind us, like George, – sharing a feast with the family, that it’s not all doom and gloom out watching my son and his cousins there. The efforts of conservationists playing with their new toys, and the at home and abroad are reaping chance to reflect as another year’s remarkable rewards for any number of over, and a new one just begun. species. So let’s kick off the new year by celebrating these successes, and use this Being something of a soppy sausage, as an inspiration to make 2021 a year to one of my festive highlights is watching enjoy life in all its rich and varied forms. George Bailey (James Stewart), and his After all, it’s a wonderful life... unbridled joy at finding that his mouth is bleeding. For those unfamiliar with Happy New Year! Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece, It’s A Wonderful Life, there can surely be no Paul McGuinness more hopeful scene in Hollywood history Editor than Stewart’s realisation that all is not lost. Far from it. In this moment, reality is revealed to George, and whaddya know – his life is full of wonder. Follow us Get your Chris and Megan digital copy tell me their Q facebook.com/wildlifemagazine Q twitter.com/WildlifeMag uy a digital edition of reasons to be Q instagram.com/ BC Wildlife Magazine for cheerful, p62. OS, Android, Kindle Fire, bbcwildlifemagazine C or Mac. Visit iTunes, Contact us Q discoverwildlife.com he Google Play store, mazon or zinio.com Q Advertising January 2021 o find out more. [email protected]; 0117 300 8276 Q Subscriptions [email protected]; 03330 162 121 Q Editorial enquiries [email protected]; Q Syndication [email protected]; 0117 300 8979 BBC Wildlife 3

Elephants: Anup Shah/Minden/FLPA; woodpecker: Nicholas Gates; whale: Eirik Grønningsæter; fox: Sergey Gorshkov/naturepl.com; tree swallow: Vicki Jauron/Getty; illustration by Peter David Scott/The Art Agency ￿￿ ￿￿ January 2021 ￿￿ ￿￿ 4 BBC Wildlife

January 2021 ￿￿ The people behind our stories CONTENTS JAMES AGYEPONG PARSONS WILD MONTH 76 Changing with the seasons Carnivorous plants are making a comeback in England. Journalist 12 Seven species to spot An English orchard acts as an oasis for James went to meet the ecologist birds, invertebrates and more, but are behind it all. “These organisms have What to look for in January we at risk of losing these traditional as much a place in Britain as the retreats for nature? common daisy,” he says. See p32 18 Mike Dilger’s wildlife watching OUR WILD EIRIK GRØNNINGSÆTER WORLD The photographer and field biologist There’s nature on your doorstep set out to discover more about the when you live in the suburbs 90 At home plight of the bowhead whale, which 23 Nick Baker’s hidden Britain Natural history TV, books and more was almost hunted to extinction. “Today, rows of whalers’ graves are The winter gnat 94 Puzzles the only reminder of this period in 96 Your photos Svalbard’s history,” he says. See p38 24 News 98 Feedback CHRIS PACKHAM Wind farms could have a negative Your letters and Tales from the Bush Following the adversity faced in 2020, impact on seabird species the Springwatch presenter tells us why REGULARS 28 Truth or ction? he’s optimistic for the future: “A lot 6 In focus of people woke up to the fact that we Is mink farming about to end? have to o er nature so little in order Bald eagle, fire urchin and Coleman 29 Mark Carwardine shrimp, marine iguana for it to gain so much.” See p62 The conservationist discusses the 82 Behind the image BENEDICT MACDONALD pollution levels in England’s rivers Having spent six years studying the A long-tailed macaque in Thailand wildlife found within a single orchard, 30 Meet the scientist 84 Q&A the author and naturalist reveals Paul Sein Twa is working with the importance of these habitats: community groups in Myanmar How does light pollution affect birds? “Orchards are a sharing arrangement FEATURES 106 Wildlife champion between people and wildlife rarely bettered.” See p76 32 English carnivores COVERSTORY Fred Gardner tells us why he loves BBC Wildlife 5 the common cuckoo Weird and wonderful meat-eating plants are back in parts of England, ￿￿ thanks to an ecologist on a mission 38 Bowhead homecoming COVERSTORY Having all but vanished from Norway’s waters for 80 years, bowhead whales seem to be making a return 46 50 reasons to be cheerful COVER STORY Putting 2020 firmly behind us, we start the new year with a look at the conservation work having a positive impact, and hear from Chris Packham, Megan McCubbin and Natalie Fée about why they’re hopeful for the future 66 Photo story: Wrangel Island Meet the wildlife that thrives in the cold climes of a remote Russian outpost January 2021



Sylvain Cordier/naturepl.com IN FOCUS | Going for a spin Some birds woo potential mates by serenading them, presenting them with gifts or by showing o well- rehearsed dance moves. Bald eagles, it seems, prefer to test each other’s mettle instead. Locking talons in mid-flight, the prospective pair tumble through the sky together – spinning around with dizzying speed, as though enrolled in some sort of stomach-churning g-force experiment. At the end of this daring cartwheel courtship display, having literally fallen head over heels for each other, the duo will mate for life.

Alex Mustard/naturepl.com IN FOCUS | Fire in the ocean This psychedelic scene reveals the rows of venom- loaded spines that cover a fire urchin’s exterior and help protect it from predators. A tropical species with flame- like coloration, this sea urchin’s common name also alludes to the searing pain experienced by anyone that comes into contact with its defences. But some marine life actually benefits from these prickly creatures, including Coleman shrimp – seen here using this urchin as their personal spike-lined fortress.



Tui De Roy/naturepl.com IN FOCUS | Best of both worlds Endemic to the Galápagos, marine iguanas are the only lizards known to forage at sea. They feed on algae, using their sharp teeth to scrape it o rocks beneath the waves. However, being cold-blooded, the iguanas can only spend so long submerged before returning to land and basking in the sunlight. Various subspecies can be found throughout the archipelago, each with slightly di erent coloration. Here, a Santa Cruz iguana edges back into the water, ready to swap realms once again.



WILDMONTH If your New Year’s resolution involves making more time to enjoy nature, what are you waiting for? By Ben Hoare

WILD JANUARY ONLINE 1 | BEWICK’S SWAN WILD YEAR Winter whites Watch wild swans in the Fens episode. David Tipling Crowds of wild swans make the with about 10,000 birds in recent perfect winter spectacle in frosty winters, compared to up to 1,000 fields and on mist-wreathed lakes, Bewick’s. A new study has found throwing beautiful shapes as they that the latter’s migration strategy feed, preen and jostle for space. is adapting in response to milder Some are orange-and-black billed winters in continental Europe. mute swans, resident throughout The main wintering population the year, and these are joined by has shifted east, with many two migratory species. Bewick’s more Bewick’s swans swans come from Arctic Russia, ‘stopping short’ in whooper swans (the larger of the the Netherlands and pair) from Iceland, and both have Baltic for the whole elegant black bills splashed with season, rather sunflower yellow. Their voices than pushing are utterly different, too. While on to traditional mute swans are – despite their haunts in Britain name – not exactly silent, they can’t and Ireland. Those compete with the spine-tingling, that do still visit tend to discordant babble of honks and arrive later and leave earlier. bugles of these winter visitors. FIND OUT MORE At the Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk, part of the low-lying Ouse Daily swan feeds (booking Washes floodlands, you can see all essential) at WWT Welney, three species at daily swan feeds. Slimbridge, Martin Mere and Whoopers are most abundant, Caerlaverock: wwt.org.uk

WILD JANUARY 2 | BEARD LICHEN Tree decorations These wonderful lichens hang off tree trunks and branches in great beardy tufts. Their filigree form (known as ‘fruticose’) captures rain and dew, so frequently glistens – stand underneath and there is a constant patter of dripping water. The side of a tree with the most luxurious growth indicates the direction of the prevailing wind. There are several similar greyish-green species, of which the best known is probably Usnea subfloridana. It thrives in clean, damp air – particularly in the north and west. As air quality improves, it is recolonising urban areas. FIND OUT MORE Woodland species: woodlandtrust.org.uk 3 | GREY PARTRIDGE Disappearing act Far outnumbered by the red- legged partridges released in their millions on shooting estates, grey partridges are today scarce in Britain and Ireland. It’s the same across western Europe, as the messy field margins and arable weeds they need for nesting and chick-rearing have been lost. Coveys of grey partridges used to be easy to see in winter among the post-harvest stubble – if not in pear trees – but less so now crops are grown year-round. Having evolved in windswept steppes, the birds tough out driving rain and snow by simply hunkering down. FIND OUT MORE Grey or red-legged? Partridge ID video: bto.org/about-birds/bird-id Lichen: Genevieve Leaper; partridge: Les Gibbon; tracks: Mark Hamblin

WILD JANUARY 4 | OTTER Making tracks Wild mammals can seem elusive during winter, but there are tracks to be followed. Interpreting the trails is rewarding, though far from easy – not least because the prints of dogs, cats and sheep can confuse the picture. One species to look for, now that its population in lowland Britain is resurgent, is the otter. The classic otter paw print has five toes, usually (but not always) with an impression of the webs. Look too for tail scrape-marks, muddy slides beside the water and droppings, or spraint, studded with fish scales and bones. FIND OUT MORE Reading tracks and signs: discoverwild life.com/identify-tracks-and-trails

WILD JANUARY 5 | WREN ONLINE 6 | DAISY Holding on TWEET OF Midwinter cheer THE WEEK Cheerful and hearty, widespread Birdsong podcast in town and country yet often with guest hosts. overlooked, the daisy is in many ways the house sparrow’s floral By now, most small insectivorous diary The Stubborn Light of cousin. Just as the ‘umble sparrer’ birds have left for sunnier Things, writes of the joy of regularly occupies first place in climes or switched diet to fruit observing garden birds like the the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, or seeds. Bucking the trend is 10g wren, which are “never less so this cosmopolitan ‘weed’ has the mouse-like wren, which than a gift: winged emissaries of in recent years come top in the exploits its niche year-long. It wildness, beautiful and perfect”. New Year Plant Hunt run by the seems miraculous that the little Botanical Society of Britain and bird finds enough invertebrate GET INVOLVED Ireland. The latter survey, held over fuel, and it must forage nonstop. a few days at the start of January, Melissa Harrison, in her nature Big Garden Birdwatch, 29–31 aims to find out which plants January: rspb.org.uk/birdwatch are flowering in midwinter and how they are responding to our 7 | CRABAPPLE changing climate. Wren: Oliver Smart; daisy: Genevieve Leaper; squirrel: Nick Upton/naturepl.com Bearing fruit GET INVOLVED January is traditionally the month Join the New Year Plant Hunt: for wassailing, the hopeful pagan bsbi.org/new-year-plant-hunt custom in which apple trees are blessed with song and dance to ONLINE ensure good times ahead. Domestic or cultivated apple trees originated THE on hillsides in Central Asia, though MEANING OF they have grown wild in the British Isles for centuries and old orchards FLOWERS make fabulous habitats for wildlife (see p76). However, the true native January 2021 apple is the crabapple: a shorter, naturally thorny tree with small, tart red or yellow fruit (here, being enjoyed by a grey squirrel). It is an ideal garden tree, and now is planting season. FIND OUT MORE Orchards guide: ptes.org/traditional-orchard-project 16 BBC Wildlife

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MIKE DILGER’S WILDLIFE WATCHING THE SUBURBS In his series of great places to watch wildlife in the UK, the star of BBC IN JANUARY One’s The One Show this month takes a trip to the peaceful suburbs, where an eclectic mix of wildlife appears to feel perfectly at home. From peregrines to black redstarts, at a distance from where they worked. and pubs. This combination proved charismatic species can be Planners and reformers of the day attractive to two distinct groups of wildlife: found thriving in the very heart were keen to espouse the virtues the species that stayed put while we built of our metropolises. But many of family life in the suburbs, around them – such as badgers – and the other ‘urban’ species rarely which were deemed healthier species that moved in from the countryside venture into the concrete, glass and steel and happier places to world of office blocks, shopping centres live, far removed from to take advantage of the ample and pedestrian plazas. Instead, they polluted, sometimes bed and breakfast on offer – prefer the more relaxed ambience of our dangerous city centres. such as foxes and frogs. leafier suburbs. More than 80 per cent of England’s human population also live in Many of the more Welcoming neighbours suburbs, and it transpires what works for affluent suburbs 47 million of us is equally acceptable to a ultimately consisted The diversity of habitats on surprisingly diverse range of wildlife. of estates of detached offer is what has inadvertently or semi-detached made suburbs so nature-friendly. Most suburbs, certainly in Britain, slowly houses in landscaped An abundance of planted trees took shape in the 19th century, when rapid settings, with tree-lined and shrubs in suburban areas changes in transport enabled a larger roads, enclosed private have, in the words of Chris proportion of the urban population to move gardens, public parks Baines (the godfather of wildlife out of the centres and live for the first time and relatively few shops gardening), turned our gardens collectively into “forest glades”. 18 BBC Wildlife January 2021

WILD JANUARY C ockw se from top eft: J m Dyson/Getty; Rob n Ch ttenden/FLPA; Ian Canham/Alamy; Clockwise from top left: Rebecca Nason/FLPA; Ges n/W d Wonders of Europe/NPL red foxes take advantage of scraps found in bins and gardens; ring-necked BBC Wildlife 19 parakeets have gone wild in England; suburbia seems to suit all sorts of animals; variable numbers of waxwings visit the UK in winter; garden ponds are important for common frogs; red foxes search for a mate early in the year. These suburban woodlands are then complemented by a plethora of lawns, herbaceous borders and water features, which combine to form a varied mosaic, or patchwork blanket, of habitats. With boundaries frequently the richest part of any ecosystem, our suburbs’ innumerable hedges, fences and outbuildings also contribute shelter, shade and that all-important ‘edge’, which the wild inhabitants can make good use of when moving around their local territories. Certainly in January, many suburbs are much warmer than the surrounding countryside. Food shortages are also a constant concern for virtually all wildlife in the depths of winter, but should be less of an issue for those creatures January 2021

WILD JANUARY happy to take the handouts we either rule, with some bold-as-brass foxes and CHOICE LOCATIONS Owl: Graham Eaton/naturepl.com leave out or discard. brash, squawking ring-necked parakeets equally unfazed by being seen out and 1 A large proportion of this suburban about in broad daylight, too. cadre of non-paying tenants will, despite 23 living alongside us, still be wary of The parakeets established wild sticking their head too far above the populations in the UK, mainly in the 45 parapet, for fear of incurring their south-east, following the escape of landlords’ wrath, thereby restricting captive individuals in the 1970s. Usually 1 Kincorth is an Aberdonian suburb their activity to either the night-time found in tropical climes, these birds are or twilight hours. Of course, there are thought to be able to survive UK winters south of the River Dee, famed for its large prominent exceptions to this general with the help of scraps and handouts flocks of waxwings during invasion years. obtained in suburbia. The birds come to feed on the berried Bold-as-brass foxes ornamental trees lining its streets. and brash ring-necked Meanwhile, for those naturalists parakeets are unfazed willing to adopt an ‘early bird’ or ‘night- 2 Didsbury, to the south of Manchester by being seen out and owl’ method, this should certainly about in broad daylight. maximise the chances of encounters city centre, is a northern outpost for with some of the more exotic visitors ring-necked parakeets. They frequent its and exciting residents that, like us, call tree-lined streets, botanical garden and the ‘burbs home, sweet home. nearby Chorlton Water Park. SPECIES TO LOOK OUT FOR 3 Broomhill, a leafy part of She eld Red fox Found across (one of the UK’s greenest cities), was most of the UK, immortalised by Sir John Betjeman, Britain’s sole (and sadly tawny owls are who described it as the “prettiest much-maligned) native often heard suburb in England”. canid is one of our most calling at night. familiar mammals, yet it 4 Stoke Bishop in the north-west only moved into our towns and cities after World War of Bristol is renowned as the location II. Now is the peak of the for the University of Bristol’s long- fox mating season, which term suburban fox study. There is an means this is usually the estimated population of 16 foxes per best month to hear the square kilometre. species’ blood-curdling screams and three-stanza 5 Putney in south-west London is not barks through the night. only located in the heart of Putney Heath Tawny owl Every few years, a so- become a frequent fixture – home to a variety of birds, reptiles and called ‘waxwing winter’ at garden birdfeeders. invertebrates – but also has easy access Found in many parks, sees a large influx of the Originally from India, the to the River Thames’ green corridor. It squares and churchyards wonderfully tame visitors species’ UK population is therefore among the most biodiverse with large trees (and some from their Scandinavian exceeds 12,000 pairs. London suburbs. big gardens), the tawny is breeding grounds. the most urban of British They flock to suburban Common frog Don’t go without the mapping app owls. Its beautiful plumage ornamental trees, often on your smartphone or tablet – use comprises at least 50 dripping in berries. A familiar amphibian, it to locate suburban green spaces shades of brown. The the common frog can you might have overlooked. species breeds early in the Ring-necked be distinguished from year, so territorial pairs parakeet its toady cousin by its are particularly noisy in pointed snout, smooth autumn and winter: listen Dashing around the skin and dark, oval pupils. for quavering hoots and cityscape like battalions of Traditionally, it emerges shrill ‘kee-wick’ calls. green arrows, ring-necked from hibernation in early parakeets are a noisy and spring and returns to its Waxwing colourful addition to the breeding ponds, but towns avifauna of London and and cities in south-west Gorgeous pinkish-brown Manchester, with several England are increasingly plumage, a perky crest other cities now firmly in reporting both courtship and unusual, wax-like their sights. They have and spawn in January. feather tips make this an unforgettable bird. 20 BBC Wildlife



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WILD JANUARY Hidden N A t first sight, there’s not a lot going on in the insect world right now. The colder air, with a risk of freezing, rain and strong winds, not to mention NICK Ethereal clouds of the lack of leaves and flowers BAKER these gnats can to feed on, add up to rather inclement conditions. But Reveals a fascinating one bold family of flies bucks the trend. Go out on a clear, world of wildlife that be seen ‘dancing’ still day, and you may well see we o en overlook. in the sunlight. clouds of the dainty insects, gloriously backlit by a brumal which sit in the middle of its The males congregate as a form of display, which in turn sun as it sits low in the sky. WINTER GNAT head, between the bulbous catches the compound eye of These ‘fairies of the compound eyes (true craneflies a slightly larger female, who visits the party, meets a mate wintertide’ are winter gnats, in lack these). Ocelli are thought and suddenly drops out of the dance. It’s the fly equivalent the family Trichoceridae. They to be particularly sensitive in of slinking away from the dance floor to a dark corner look a bit like small craneflies, low light. This makes sense, for some canoodling. hence their alternative name in that there isn’t much light It’s a rush against time. The mouthparts of the adult of winter craneflies. While not around right now. While gnats are not thought to be functional, so they’re running quite as gangly, and lacking a looking through your lens, on the minuscule reserves saved up in their skinny bit in leg length, they are still also note the tufts of hairs on bodies as larvae. After mating, the female lays her eggs in delicate insects – all spindle- the gnat’s head and antennae. the damp mulch and dank vegetation. On hatching, the legged and gossamer-winged. The odds are that the gnat larvae make it their business to feed on rotting vegetation – in None of the 10–14 British you’ve caught is a male. effect, fuel for next year’s fire. species of winter gnat has Only the males form these How they can remain active when most other sensible a common name, probably tireless sparkling clouds, insects are laid up is a bit of a mystery. Maybe built-in anti- because they’re challenging to D I D Y O U gleaning just enough freezing chemicals in their blood play a part, or maybe separate without a microscope. KNOW? energy from the they live in such micro-niches that even a tiny amount of solar The most abundant and Like many other insects, weak, watery sun energy can be harnessed to get widespread is Trichocera winter gnats are lured to be inspired to them on the wing. Either way, annulata. To observe it in any to artificial light. dance. Sometimes, there are few joys as unlikely in the depths of winter as a ‘ghost’ detail, you’ll need a hand lens. Look out for them the swarms consist of these flies dancing away at You might just make out its on windows. of what seems like the end of the day. three simple eyes, called ocelli, dozens of individuals. NICK BAKER is a naturalist, author and TV presenter. Counting them is an impossibility – they jink and FLIES OF THE ANTARCTIC jolt about, up and down, as One winter gnat colony has turned up in an unlikely spot. if pulled by invisible threads from above. Lovely they may I ustrat ons by Peter Dav d Scott/The Art Agency As if to secure their position This is a species widespread be, however, these insect as proper insects of the cold, in the north of Europe, and it is marionettes are getting winter gnats have unwittingly unclear exactly how the gnats down to serious business. been introduced to Antarctica. In 2006, made the journey. They These apparitional get- a large colony have, however, proven togethers are sometimes of Trichocera highly adaptable, and referred to as ‘ghosts’, and maculipennis there are concerns are an insect equivalent of was discovered they will leave the behaviour called lekking, research station at a research and naturalise in something more commonly station on King the wild. Eradication associated with black grouse George Island. plans are afoot. or Ugandan kob antelopes. January 2021 BBC Wildlife 23

WILDNEWS By STUART BLACKMAN, JAMES FAIR, BEN HOARE AND CATHERINE SMALLEY KEEPING YOU UP TO DATE WITH THE BIG NATURE STORIES BIRDS New o shore wind farms could pose threat to UK seabirds Government must consider impact of increased I n spring and summer, the British but says the Government has failed to its marine plans for England. These were Isles are home to an estimated come up with a strategic approach to made necessary by legislation introduced 8 million seabirds, making these islands locating new farms. They mainly need in 2009, but so far only two out of six of international importance for the 25 to be located in shallow water, but areas have been completed. species – ranging from sparrow-sized such as sandbanks are vital feeding storm petrels to northern gannets – grounds for many seabirds, such as “The consenting system for offshore that breed here. kittiwakes, guillemots and puffins. wind was set up when it was very new, and now we are looking at massively But conservationists say plans to “A wind farm can be a barrier to upscaling in a very short space of time construct a new generation of offshore seabirds hunting or force them to and we need a much better system,” wind farms around the coast of the travel further in search of a feeding Quayle adds. UK threaten some of these important ground,” says the RSPB’s principal seabird populations. policy officer for marine issues, In a statement, the Department for Gareth Cunningham. Environment, Food & Rural Affairs In a speech to the Conservative Party (Defra) said the remaining marine Conference in October, Prime Minister Wind power is not the biggest threat to plans would be finished in 2021. Boris Johnson said the Government seabirds in Britain but it is another factor “We are working closely with partners, wants to increase capacity by 2030 affecting them in addition to climate including the RSPB and the renewable from a planned 30 to 40 gigawatts. energy sector, to identify ways to manage change, which is reducing the the potential impacts of wind farms Current capacity is just over 10 availability of prey species, on our unique marine ecosystems,” gigawatts, so the Government’s such as sandeels, in a spokesperson said. target is to quadruple wind some areas. power output in a decade. RSPB marine James Fair conservation officer The RSPB is not 35 gaLj opposed to Helen Quayle says the wind power Government must revamp Pu ns (left) and gannets (top right) are among the species that could be a ected by wind farms. January 2021

Wind power is not the biggest threat to seabirds in Britain but it is another factor affecting them in addition to climate change. Gannet: Steve Round/rspb- mages.com; pu n: Kev n Sawford/rspb- mages.com January 2021 BBC Wildlife 25

WILD NEWS Beavers’ industrious activity transforms habitats. Below: devastating wildfires hit California in 2020. ECOLOGY Furry re- ghters New research con rms suspicions that beaver activity can help stop forests burning. C limate change, arson and forest the vegetation around beaver mismanagement have all been territories before, during and implicated in the devastating wildfires after a wildfire. This confirmed that have swept through swathes of her suspicions that trees growing North American wilderness in recent in the wetlands created by beavers summers. But whatever the cause, a when they dam a watercourse are certain charismatic rodent may be at often spared when an engulfing fire least part of the cure. New research sweeps through the area. demonstrates that, by damming “If nothing else, the beavers are watercourses, beavers create oases of wet providing patches that other animals forest that are spared from the flames. can hunker down in and stand a better Emily Fairfax of California State chance of survival,” she says. Fairfax says that beavers may be especially important now that so University was studying But in some circumstances, many wetlands have been drained and Beaver: George Sanker/naturepl.com; wildfires: Kyle Grillot/AFP/Getty developed. “Historically, I don’t think the impact of beavers on DID YOU beaver activity might even these fires were scorching millions of drought prevention when she be capable of stopping a acres without hitting a wet patch to slow them down, just because there was so stumbled upon a photograph KNOW? fire in its tracks. “I think it’s much more wetland,” she says. “But today, beavers are one of the only things of a wildfire in Idaho. Ecosystem services possible where there are higher out there actively working to create and “There was char all over the provided by beavers’ populations of beaver,” says maintain these habitats.” landscape, except around dam-building behaviour Fairfax. “I looked at five large the beaver ponds, which wildfires and only once did I Stuart Blackman were bright green,” she says. include water see what I would consider to “That felt like enough of a purification, drought be a fire-break. That was an FIND OUT MORE Ecosystem services nugget of evidence to study tolerance, flood control, absolutely huge, kilometre-wide this more formally.” dam complex, and there wasn’t of beavers: bit.ly/2UKzEoy wetland creation, enough wind to kick the flames To do that, Fairfax used nutrient cycling and over to the other side.” satellite images to map carbon capture. 26 BBC Wildlife January 2021

HEALTH FIND OUT MORE WILD NEWS Greenery boosts Science Advances: Could access to children’s bit.ly/3kd8FMx green spaces from immune systems an early age help A llergies and other immune disorders to improve our are a growing problem among urban populations. One possibility is that immune systems? a lack of exposure to micro-organisms found in natural environments hinders IN NUMBERS the development of immune systems. 21 Aki Sinkkonen of the University of Helsinki and his colleagues set about penguin species are now testing this hypothesis by introducing classified, up from 18, after forest soil and plants, including heather, scientists discovered the mosses and grasses, to the playgrounds gentoo penguin is actually four of four Finnish daycare nurseries. di erent species, not one. Following the transplantations, children 99 displayed an increase in biochemical indicators of immune system function, confirmed sightings of wild red- compared to infants using unmodified necked wallabies have been playgrounds. These changes were accompanied by a rise in microbial recorded in the UK since 2008. diversity on their skin and in their gut. 1,287% It’s not yet entirely clear that this immune response is caused by the increase in winter farmland forest vegetation specifically – any sort of birds seen at Hope Farm, where shrubbery, planted in garden compost or urban soil, might bring similar benefits. the RSPB has experimented Either way, Sinkkonen argues that with nature-friendly farming the findings already suggest that daily access to green spaces can boost people’s over the past 20 years. immune systems in urban settings. SB BBC Wildlife 27 NEW SPECIES DISCOVERY Diabolical pitcher plant Girl: Marcus Lindstrom/Getty; pitcher: Chien Lee WHAT IS IT? Named in reference Diabolical by to its devilish colouration and the name, diabolical fiendish pointed teeth that prevent by nature. escape from the lethal digestive juices within, this newly described FIND OUT MORE carnivorous plant is truly hell on Earth for any insect unfortunate Phytotaxa: enough to stumble into its trap. bit.ly/3pd0KTf WHERE IS IT? Nepenthes diabolica is known from just a single population of about 150 plants on a mountain ridge in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The precise location, which is more than 2km above sea level, is being kept secret because the species is known to have already been pilfered by plant collectors. SB For more carnivorous plants, see p32. January 2021

WILD NEWS The ironclad can withstand forces equivalent to a human adult being crushed by 70 two-bed houses. ENTOMOLOGY FIND OUT MORE The unsquishable beetle Nature: go.nature. com/3ljbjSv Y our average insect cannot survive toughness probably serves to protect it a close encounter with a rolled-up from predators rather than passing cars. rather like a 3 newspaper, let alone being crushed But either way, new research reveals how case, the lobes of under the wheels of a car. But the the ironclad achieves its strength. bear even smaller lobes, which slot diabolical ironclad beetle is not your together with neighbouring pieces on a average insect. Part of the answer is that, having microscopic scale of precision. dispensed with the power of flight, it has This 2cm-long native of the western transformed its wing-cases into body More strength is provided by the United States lives an unobtrusive armour, which are fused to the rest of its armour’s laminated structure, which existence grazing on fungi under the exoskeleton with some uniquely sturdy stops cracks propagating and spreads bark of trees, where its extraordinary fastenings. The components fit together loads rather than focussing them on specific points. SB TRUTH OR FICTION? MANY WILDLIFE LOVERS were unaware Denmark is the world’s largest producer of the industrial scale of modern fur of fur from captive American mink for use Coronavirus farming, until huge culls of mink in an in luxury fashion, but similar outbreaks will be the effort to stop transmission of COVID-19 to of the disease have also been seen at end of mink humans put this publicity-shy trade in the facilities in the US, Netherlands, Sweden, farming media spotlight. In November, following Spain and Italy. Many other European cases of infection among farm workers, countries, including the UK, had already COVID 19 outbreaks Denmark began slaughtering its mink, banned fur farming on animal welfare on mink farms with the animals gassed then buried. grounds before this crisis, but now the prompt debate about Netherlands will join them in spring the industry’s future. Infected mink can 2021. However, Danish and US federal transfer COVID-19 authorities, where opinion is divided, have WANT TO to humans. made no decision. COMMENT? Email wildlifeletters@ China, another major fur producer, Beet e: Dav d K sa us/UCI; m nk: Sean Sprague/A amy immediate.co.uk farms mink as well as red foxes and raccoon dogs, classing these as ‘livestock’. It is not clear if revisions to its wildlife protection laws might see this status change, or even a farming ban. Other big questions remain: why are mink so susceptible to coronavirus; and which other factory-farmed species around the world could contribute to any future pandemics? Ben Hoare 28 BBC Wildlife January 2021

WILD OPINION MY WAY OF THINKING MARK CARWARDINE The conservationist discusses the pollution levels in England’s waterways and invites your thoughts on the subject. There is one thing we companies in SEngland’s rivers public corporations – not privatised should be able to take for entities – and Welsh Water is a not-for- granted in our so-called England discharged are among the profit company with no shareholders. civilised society during raw, untreated England’s water and sewerage services, the 21st century: clean however, are provided by money-making rivers. I remember a time sewage into rivers on dirtiest in businesses that have paid £57 billion when we mindlessly and routinely more than 200,000 in dividends since they were privatised treated our stinky waterways as occasions. There Europe – they’re three decades ago. That’s nearly half dumping grounds but, surely, are no fewer than polluted beyond the sum they spent on maintaining and we’ve learned from past mistakes? improving the country’s pipes and other 15,000 approved legal limits. T critical infrastructure. Apparently not. The Government’s ‘sewer overflows’ green watchdog, the Environment One potential game changer comes Agency (EA), recently released data on across England from campaigners in Yorkshire, water quality in England – and it makes struggling to clean up the River Wharfe, woefully depressing reading. Every (permitted, under near Ilkley. Yorkshire Water’s own data single river in the country is polluted shows that, in the last eight months beyond legal limits. And just 14 per licence, to reduce the risk of sewage of 2019 alone, there were no fewer cent reach an ecological standard high than 136 sewage spills into the river. enough for wildlife to flourish. backing up during ‘unusually heavy EA regulations state that more than 60 spills per year should automatically England’s rivers are now officially rainfall’) and most of these discharge trigger an investigation – yet the among the dirtiest in Europe (where, campaigners have been told that an on average, 40 per cent are considered into rivers. But a WWF report reveals investigation will not begin until 2030 healthy). But even 40 per cent isn’t and they may have to wait until 2035 for something to sing and dance about – we that water companies are discharging any remedial action to be considered. should be aiming for all our rivers to be So, they’ve taken matters into their own clean and ecologically healthy. much more illegally. hands and launched an application for a section of the river to receive bathing Hamstrung by a slashed budget, That is the crux of the sewage water status. If approved, the Wharfe the EA’s response to a year-on-year will then be monitored regularly during deterioration in the quality of our rivers problem – and why the health of the bathing season (ie all summer) for has been less testing (assessments were bacteria detrimental to human health. undertaken annually, until 2016, when England’s rivers lags far behind the someone decided it would be better to But the only long-term solution is switch to once every three years instead). rest of the UK. In Scotland, 65.7 per legally binding targets and transparent, The Government made a promise (in properly funded monitoring and the 25 Year Environment Plan) that, by cent of water bodies are considered enforcement. Only then can the future 2027, at least three-quarters of English for England’s rivers be more hopeful. rivers, lakes, canals and other waterways healthy; 64 per cent are healthy in will be rated ‘good’. But if they continue MARK CARWARDINE is a frustrated and with this apparently lackadaisical Wales; and 31.3 per cent in Northern approach, I just can’t see it happening. frank conservationist. Ireland. It’s no coincidence that Scottish The main culprits behind the dismally WHAT DO YOU THINK? If you poor state of our rivers are agricultural Water and Northern Ireland Water are run-off, industrial effluent and – perhaps want to support Mark in his views most reprehensibly – large-scale Pollution in England’s sewage discharges. During 2019, water rivers is a major or shoot him down in flames, email concern for people and wildlife. [email protected] Nigel Bowles/Alamy January 2021 BBC Wildlife 29

WILD NEWS MEET THE SCIENTIST Paul Sein Twa (left) works with community groups Paul Sein Twa to protect nature. Below: Chinese pangolin. Environmental activist This grassroots activist led his community to establish Myanmar’s Salween Peace Park, a 5,485km conservation zone that’s protecting land and life. I n 2015, Myanmar’s 70-year armed political conflict was replaced by a brittle ceasefire agreement and tensions remain between the government and the Karen people. Anyone protecting the environment has their work cut out for them, but to do so under these circumstances takes remarkable resilience. For Paul Sein Twa, whose SThe gibbon is the forest’s the land. The concept of a Peace Park, a zone dedicated to building work has recently been recognised best entertainer, so killing peace through the conservation of biodiversity and culture, seemed with a Goldman Environmental it would be like killing a an ideal fit for the Salween River Basin. The area’s long isolation Prize, his strength comes from firm rock singer.T due to conflict at least held back developers, and as a result footings in the land. the region has some of the last remaining intact wilderness in As a child, he remembers mainland South-East Asia. travelling on the Salween River, To safeguard the area, Sein Twa and his team got to know it inside spotting barking deer, peacocks out. They used GPS to map Karen territories and camera-traps to and wild pigs from the boat – survey wildlife. “We, and foreign conservationists we’ve been sometimes even gibbons swinging teenager, Sein Twa witnessed floods working with, have been amazed to find Critically Endangered past. “In those undisturbed days, and landslides with no forest to species present that even our own communities didn’t know about, or before the loggers came, our culture hold back the devastation. When he thought wouldn’t have survived the Goldman Environmental Foundation x 2; pangolin: Suzi Eszterhas/Wild Wonders of China/naturepl.com (captive) long war, logging and other threats,” forbade hunting tigers, gibbons and learned the government planned to he says, enthusing about tigers, Indochinese leopards and Chinese many other species because of their build a cascade of hydropower dams pangolins putting in appearances. interrelationships with humans as on the river, he was motivated to The Peace Park was officially declared by the Karen people in described in our old stories,” he protect what he loved. 2018 and Sein Twa continues his work with community groups to e “The g i t f t’s I 2 h c- t re-establish customs that connect them with the land. Ella Davies al : January 2021

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NEWS FEATURE HOW MEAT-EATING PLANTS ARE TAKING BACK THE BOGS 32 BBC Wildlife

NEWS FEATURE Report by James Agyepong-Parsons Carnivorous plants native to Great Britain are being brought back to life in the mires of the English countryside, following a 150-year absence. M eat-eating plants sundew, and the nematode-slurping may sound like lesser bladderwort, all of which had the stuff of sci-fi gone locally extinct. movies, but these organisms have Our native carnivorous plants once as much a place thrived across Britain’s raised bogs in the British – unique wetlands fed exclusively by countryside as the common daisy. In fact, rainwater and mineral salts in the air. we have 13 species of carnivorous plant “Unfortunately, much of this habitat has – belonging to the sundew, bladderwort been drained and converted for agriculture and butterwort genera – that make their or commercial peat extraction, at great loss home in the boggy climes of our country. to the plant species that depend on them,” says Styles. “But there are many reasons But, while these interesting little why we need to protect these habitats.” plants are faring reasonably well in the more rugged landscapes of Scotland, The benefits of bogs Ireland and parts of Wales, in England, they’re in trouble. Over the past 150 Bogland is acidic, nutrient-poor peatland. years, intensive agriculture has wiped out These quagmires are mostly formed by virtually all (95 per cent) of their habitat, the accumulation of half-decomposed pushing them to the brink of extinction sphagnum mosses rotting below a across most of the country. watery surface. In the absence of oxygen, bacteria breaks down decaying matter so Back for good? slowly that peat accumulates and the bog expands, sequestering more carbon from It’s not all bad news, though. Thanks the atmosphere than it releases. These to the efforts of ecologist Joshua Styles, squishy homes are thus highly significant three species, at least, have made a in the fight against climate change. comeback in the north-west, and are once again thriving in the bogs of There’s also the medicinal potential of Greater Manchester, Cheshire and parts the carnivorous plants that live there. Since of Lancashire too. medieval times, oblong-leaved sundews have been used as a remedy for coughs Styles, who set up the North West Rare and pulmonary diseases. Scientists at Plants Initiative in 2017, has carried out Colorado State University also believe 40 successful plant reintroductions to that a group of allelopathic chemicals in date. These include bringing back the sundews, known as naphthoquinones, has oblong-leaved sundew (a sticky-tentacled the potential to be used in chemotherapy. meat-eater that nets insects much like a Meanwhile, the anther-smut fungus, fly-paper trap); the equally sticky English which infects common butterwort, could provide a new treatment for a variety of Left: unlikely to look The hair-like tendrils ailments. “There is massive untapped Konrad Wothe/naturepl.com out of place in any of sundews are pharmaceutical potential that has largely little shop of horrors, tipped with droplets been unexplored,” says Styles. the alien-like forms that are incredibly of carnivorous plants sticky and easily Carnivorous plants have long captured are truly transfixing. trap insect prey. our imagination. The Victorians were gripped by a sundew craze more than a century ago, and the plants became highly BBC Wildlife 33

Inset: a water flea Lesser bladderwort has an unfortunate encounter with a Utricularia minor lesser bladderwort. THE TRAP: Bladderwort traps are underwater and held under negative internal pressure. When passing prey presses its hair-like triggers, the trap opens and the vacuum is broken. Water rushes in, sweeping the prey along with it. When the pressure equalises, the door closes and digestive enzymes get to work. desirable to own. In 1875, Charles Darwin Nature has granted bog-dwelling plants Purple pitcher plant published Insectivorous Plants to much extreme methods to find nutrients in their fanfare within academic circles and the watery world. Like almost all other land Sarracenia purpurea general public. He was so hooked by these plants, carnivorous blooms derive their curious little plants that, writing in 1860, energy from photosynthesis, yet being THE TRAP: Most pitchers he said he cared more about them than vegetarian isn’t enough. Deprived of the lace their funnel openings “the origin of all the species in the world”. nitrogen and phosphorus minerals needed with nectar to attract their to generate the amino acids, DNA and cell prey. Misfortune will see Appetite for success membranes required for growth, these flies, ants, spiders or plants have turned to meat for sustenance. even moths slide down its Stephen Morley, ecologist and conservation And for such an ambitious feeding strategy waxy mouth into a pool of officer for the Carnivorous Plant Society to be successful, they have had to spend enzymes ready to take the (CPS), says, “I’ve always been mind-blown millions of years evolving a variety of nutrients locked inside by the fact that plants can eat animals. elaborate hunting mechanisms. the invertebrates. And personally, I quite like anything that eats insects,” he says. “But unfortunately Arguably the most successful and They will gladly accept a free lunch, too Britain’s carnivorous plants have become alluring trap belongs to the sundews. – pilfering the dead insects the sundews increasingly isolated as their bogland With more than 250 species recorded had trapped. habitat has disappeared.” worldwide, these are the most abundant of all carnivorous plants. Sundews snare While sundews rely on their sticky The CPS has been in talks with Styles their prey by means of glandular hairs mucus to cement their prey in place, the about how they can help grow sundews for laced with gluey droplets of digestive bladderworts – of which there are 235 further reintroductions as the North West mucus. It is believed that their dewy tips species worldwide – hold the record as Rare Plants Initiative gathers pace. But for give invertebrates such as dragonflies the fastest and perhaps greediest plants now, Styles is a one-man army – and his the false promise of a drink before they on the planet. “Bladderworts are able to work is steadily marching on. The first of are bound, wrapped and consumed by a alter the entire ecological landscape,” says his 10 English sundews, planted covertly cocktail of digestive enzymes. The plants Styles. “Their rapacious eating habits are across the Greater Manchester bogs, have don’t call all the shots, however – they able to impact the population numbers already proliferated into 43 plants. His provide a key foodplant for species such of other species.” In Britain, all seven lesser bladderworts are now thriving – he as the sundew plume moth, whose young species are aquatic, using sophisticated saved them from local extinction in the munch exclusively on sundews. Plume vacuum trapdoors to inhale up to 10,000 north-west two years after he rescued and moth larvae are opportunistic hunters: they waterborne animals – including copepods, recovered the last five surviving specimens first slurp the sticky fluid at the plants’ tips, mosquito larvae, nematodes, water-living from a tiny pond in Cheshire. At the most clearing a patch of the hairs before feeding earthworms and even tadpoles – through recent count, the population had soared to on the remaining leaf and flower buds. the course of a spring and summer. 180,000 individuals. Land grab “Bladderworts’ rapacious Bottom right: the eating habits are able to English sundew But what about the jaw-snapping Venus impact the populations is just one of flytraps or the spider-eating pitcher plants of other species.” the carnivorous of this world? Well, they too are living plant species that among us. Across the country, a strange Joshua Styles has upright plant that swallows its prey whole reintroduced to sites in the UK. 34 BBC Wildlife January 2021

NEWS FEATURE Inset: a small copper butterfly comes to a sticky end on a common butterwort. Inset: Joshua Styles Common butterwort is working to bring back carnivorous Pinguicula vulgaris plants to the UK. THE TRAP: Similar to the sticky feelers of sundews, the surface of butterwort leaves is littered with tiny tentacles that carry mucus drops. Once stuck and struggling, prey such as ants and flies are coated with more glue while digestive enzymes flow up from another leaf gland below like a rising tide. has invaded responsible for peat formation – die Left to right: Bob Gibbons/Alamy; Kim Taylor/NPL; Steve Nicholls/NPL; Konrad Wothe/NPL; Joshua Styles; Laurie Campbell/NPL the heather-rich away wherever purple pitchers take over. peatbogs of Britain and Ireland. The As part of its climate ambitions, the species in question Government has pledged to restore is the purple pitcher 35,000ha of peatland in England by plant, originally from 2025, though it is unclear if funds to North America. For decades, tackle invasive species such as the purple it has been creating problems for pitcher will be readily available. So for now, important indigenous flora and fauna, conservationists like Styles are filling the including rare bryophytes such as the gap. Ultimately, he hopes his work in the epiphytic liverworts. boggy reaches of the north-west can inspire “A lot of these pitcher plants were others to think about plants in new ways. introduced in the middle of the last century, when conservation knowledge “It goes back to this point of how people wasn’t really very strong. The problem is perceive plants as these static, boring they’re hard as nails,” says Morley. “So, green organisms. Plants just don’t grab in a mild climate like Britain’s, they can the headlines as other wildlife does – and produce large populations at the expense that’s such a shame, because ultimately of local flora. With the small amount plants are the foundation of all life.” of wetlands we have remaining, it’s important to maintain the native wildlife.” JAMES AGYEPONG-PARSONS And it’s not just the plants that are at is an environmental journalist risk – the peatlands themselves are under based in London. threat from the pitcher, too, because the sphagnum mosses – the key species FIND OUT MORE The North West Rare Plant Initiative: nwrpi.weebly.com January 2021 BBC Wildlife 35

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ARCTIC survivors The longest-living mammals on Earth, bowhead whales have outlived the whalers that once hunted them to near extinction. Now, these gentle giants appear to be making a comeback in ice-covered waters. By Eirik Grønningsæter

BOWHEAD WHALES Ice giants: growing up to 20m in length, bowhead whales are insulated by a 50cm-thick layer of blubber, which helps them cope in harsh Arctic environments.

“The fog has lifted – Whaling communities Above: research flying conditions around Svalbard were vessel Kronprins are perfect!” shouts dependent on hunting Haakon is capable Christian Lydersen, leviathans in the ords. of breaking senior scientist at through sea-ice the Norwegian Polar up to 1m thick. Institute (NPI). By the Bottom right: a time he has run up all 86 steps to join the bowhead jawbone rest of us atop the observation deck of the lies on the shore. icebreaking polar research ship RV Kronprins Haakon, he is somewhat out of breath. conditions forced Dutch captain Willem only bowheads, but also humpbacks and, in Barentsz to change course. Steering south to time, sperms, fins and blues. The cetaceans’ Minutes later, we are in a helicopter, taking open water, he discovered, at about 79° north, oil, procured by boiling blubber in enormous in the mosaic of dazzling white ice floes and a land of “nothing more than mountains and copper vats, was shipped to Europe to burn inky black waters of the Fram Strait, the deep pointed peaks.” This jagged panorama was in lamps and lubricate machinery; their passage of water that separates Greenland the coast of Spitsbergen – the largest island baleen was turned into clothing, tools and from Svalbard. It is June 2018, and we are in of the archipelago we now know as Svalbard ornaments. Today, desolate rows of whalers’ search of a giant. – and its waters were packed with whales, graves and crumbling stone ovens are the walruses and seals. only reminder of this prosperous period in The bowhead whale is one of the ocean’s Svalbard’s history. most elusive creatures, living a hidden Word of these marine riches soon life deep under the sea-ice. Having all but spread, and in 1611, the whalers started to Slowly turning the tide disappeared from Norwegian waters for eight arrive. First the Dutch, soon followed by decades, this big, friendly giant seems to be the English; later the Basque, Danish and Bowheads were the perfect quarry for making a gentle comeback. But why, and finally (in the early 1900s), the Norwegians. whalers. One of four members of the right how? This we hope to find out by attempting Whaling communities sprang up around whale family (so called as they were the something never done before: tagging a Svalbard, their livelihoods dependent on ‘right’ whales to hunt), they swim slowly, bowhead from the air. hunting these leviathans in the fjords – not bear thick layers of blubber and float when The species hasn’t always been a rarity off Svalbard. In 1596, during an expedition to locate a trading route to China, thick ice 40 BBC Wildlife January 2021

BOWHEAD WHALES Adults tend to travel alone or in small pods with one or two other individuals. Their movement is influenced by the levels of sea-ice. BOWHEAD BLOODLINES Okhotsk Sea POPULATION The world’s bowheads are divided into four subpopulations, which are genetically distinct from each other. 200 500 East Canada- Svalbard-Franz Bering- West Greenland Josef Land Chukchi- POPULATION Beaufort seas POPULATION POPULATION 350 4,000 17,000 illustration by Martin Camm/Carwardine/NPL dead. Exactly how many were harvested population thought to have dwindled to during Svalbard’s 100-year bowhead whaling fewer than 100 individuals. The whaling era is not known (scientists estimate that moratorium of 1982 had, it seemed, landed 25,000–100,000 bowheads were lost decades too late. between 1611-1911), but by the close of the 1600s, the population had largely vanished. Nevertheless, the past 20 years have seen the cold wind of change blow through The bowhead stock may have been the Norwegian Arctic. In 2006, the NPI depleted, but whaling techniques were embarked on a bowhead survey, discovering becoming ever more sophisticated. Crews a pod of at least seven animals. A few years were setting their sights on other species, later, the same scientists succeeded in tagging taking down the fastest fin whales by the an individual – a first for the Svalbard-Franz mid-1800s. The modern whaling era in the Joseph Land population, and a milestone in north continued until the early 1900s, then the modern history of bowhead whales. moved to the Southern Ocean, where it continued in full force until the 1960s. And the sightings have been racking up ever since. During a polar bear survey Between 1945 and 1980, just three in 2015, aerial counts far inside the drift bowhead sightings were recorded, with the ice north of Svalbard discovered no fewer January 2021 BBC Wildlife 41

BOWHEAD WHALES than 27 bowheads. Meanwhile, tourist Above: bowheads skulled heads resembles a beautiful piece of abstract art. boats, both in the Fram Strait and around are able to break as a battering “There are many advantages to using a the archipelago, were also reporting new through up to ram. Top right: helicopter. Not only can we cover a bigger observations, as were other research vessels. half a metre of Kit scans the icy area in a shorter time, but we don’t disturb Bowhead whales, it seemed, were once again sea-ice, using ocean for the the whales as much as we would tracking blowing in the Svalbard seas. their thick- elusive whales. them from a boat,” says Christian. “Besides, a bowhead will swim into dense sea-ice cover As whales go, the bowhead is pretty A bowhead alive when scared, making it impossible to follow impressive. It ‘only’ reaches a maximum today may have from the surface.” length of 18m, but weighs nearly 100 borne witness tonnes (in the males, a single testicle weighs to the drama Tagging a bowhead involves firing an 1,000kg), a bulk surpassed only by blues and commotion arrow, equipped with the tracking device, and fins. It is able to smash through solid of the whaling into its blubber. “One of the main things ice to make breathing holes, and hunting heyday, eeing we want to find out is how isolated the equipment recovered from inside one harpoons on the Svalbard–Franz Josef Land population is. individual has led scientists to conclude high seas. Is the sudden increase in observations a that the species can live for more than 200 result of migration into the area from other years. I may be in the chill of the Arctic, but populations? Has the population increased, nothing sends a shiver down my spine more or have the whales always been there, but than the thought that a bowhead alive today remained out of sight in the pack ice? There could have borne witness to the drama and are many theories, but we need a better commotion of the whaling heyday, fleeing understanding of migration patterns and harpoons on the high seas. genetics to prove them,” says Christian. “If we manage to tag a whale, we’d hope to The chopper whirs monotonously as we follow that individual’s movements for a year cruise over the landscape, which from above January 2021 42 BBC Wildlife

BOWHEAD WHALES RIGHT WHALES Meet the family Alongside the bowhead, there are three other species of right whale, whose popularity with hunters has had severe impacts on their populations over the years. NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE From being widespread and fairly common in the North Atlantic, it was hunted to near extinction during the big whaling era. Today’s population is limited to the east coast of the US and Canada, and numbers only about 400 individuals. Now, the biggest threat towards the population is becoming entangled in fishing gear and ship strikes. Individual whales can be recognisable by the callouses that grow on them. – but the transmitter will probably fall off Above: Christian NORTH PACIFIC RIGHT WHALE long before that.” manages to get Despite living in the North, this species is more closely related a clear shot from to the southern right whale than any of its northern cousins. Bowhead genetics can be studied via a the air – tagging Overhunting in the 1800s and early 1900s brought the species to skin biopsy – acquired by shooting a 5cm the bowheads near extinction. Today, there are possibly as few as 1,000 whales cylinder into the whale, which then pops helps scientists left. Main distribution is along the coasts of the Bering Sea, as far out, complete with a small sample of skin understand their south as to southern Japan and to roughly the border between and blubber. “Just one small sample can tell population trends. Alaska and Canada on the North American side. us not only about the relationship between ustrat ons by Mart n Camm/Carward ne/NPL the different subpopulations, but also about SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE historical population sizes,” explains marine Divided into four breeding populations across the southern mammal scientist Kit Kovacs. “Satellite Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, today’s population is thought to transmitters tell us about the present; genetic number about 13,000 individuals. This species migrates, feeding data tells us about the past.” on krill in sub-Antarctic waters and breeding in more temperate waters. It is generally approachable and often stays near the shore, Track and trace making it popular with whale watchers. However, some whales in South Africa seem to stay put all year. We have been airborne for an hour when Kit’s voice interrupts the din of the rotor BBC Wildlife 43 blades: “Whale!” The pilot instantly drops the helicopter from 100m to 15m. A large, dark shape is gliding steadily under the surface between the ice floes, its white-flecked tail leaving swirls of turbulent water in its wake. Its broad back looms large as it rises to take January 2021

BOWHEAD WHALES Less sea-ice might force the animals into more open water, making their calves more vulnerable. a breath. A jet of water shoots into the air bad sign for the population – less sea- Top: baleen Above: the species as the whale blows, and its fluke is thrown ice might force the animals into more whales, such as the gets its name upwards. A split second before it disappears open water, making their calves more bowhead, have two from its jaw shape, into the depths, Christian fires. “Hit!” he vulnerable to orca predation.” blowholes, unlike which resembles roars. With one small pull of a trigger, we toothed whales, the curves of an have taken a giant step closer to explaining Climate change has already which have one. archer’s bow. the reappearance of the species in Svalbard. decreased the average sea-ice thickness from 3m to 2m in the The bowhead may appear to be on the rise, Fram Strait during the past decade. but the alarm bells haven’t silenced yet. Olga If the trend continues, it might Shpak is a scientist at the Severtsov Institute mean more competition from seals of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian and other whale species. “Warmer Academy of Sciences in Moscow. She has waters also may mean unexpected diseases studied bowheads in the Sea of Okhotsk, far – in the Sea of Okhotsk, whales have more East Russia, for many years. She has a unique parasites,” says Olga. opportunity to study how bowheads might cope with a warmer climate – as ‘her’ whales In other words, the bowhead whales live in much warmer conditions already. in Svalbard are still in deep water. But for now, we need to keep learning all we can “Though the estimate of today’s Svalbard- to try to protect them. Franz Josef Land population is much higher than it was only a few years back, we know EIRIK GRØNNINGSÆTER is a very little about the population trend for professional wildlife photographer, this area,” she says. “That numbers of nature guide and field biologist. observations are increasing might even be a January 2021 44 BBC Wildlife

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REASONS Ch50eTOBE IN 2021 In the face of a devastating pande , organisations across the globe have continued to do battle for our most precious species and h b tats. As we leave 2020 behind and look forward to a more positive year ahead, it’s time to celebrate their successes. By Sarah McPherson

2021 is set to be a good 1SEAL CELEBRATIONS Clockwise from Seal: Hanne Sieber/National Trust; Xi Zhinong/Minden/Alamy; WildArk; Josh Jones/AGAMI/Alamy; Matías Rebak/Rewildling Argentina year for grey seals in The grey seals at Norfolk’s Blakeney Foundation; Simon Colmer/NPL; Aditya Singh/Getty; Tree Aid; PA/SLT/WDC; Richard Du Toit/Minden/FLPA; Patricio Robles Gil/NPL; David Kjaer/NPL Norfolk (right) as well National Nature Reserve have had another as a host of conservation strong year. The first pup was spotted there pro ects around the world. in 1988, and the site has since flourished to become the biggest colony in England. The number of young has burgeoned from just 25 in 2001 to a whopping 3,399 in 2019, a result of low levels of disturbance and mortality during the first key weeks of life, and lack of natural predators. Autumn 2020 again predicted about 4,000 new arrivals – so many that rangers are having to change the way they count. nationaltrust.org.uk 2 TENERIFE A TOP SITE FOR WHALES In February 2021, the pristine waters of Franja Marina Teno-Rasca, south Tenerife, are set to become Europe’s first Whale Heritage Site. The area has long been popular with whale-watchers, boasting 28 species of cetacean, including a resident population of short-finned pilot whales. Whale Heritage Site status is granted to outstanding destinations where cetaceans are embraced through the cultural, economic, social and political lives of their associated communities, and where people and cetaceans co-exist in an authentic and respectful way. whaleheritagesites.org; worldanimalprotection.org.uk BBC Wildlife 47

3 VERGE VICTORIES MY REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL 6 DARTING Darters: More than 700 species of wildflower UPWARDS heading in a grow on the UK’s road verges. And where Liz Kiambi new direction. there are wildflowers, there is wildlife. In 2013, Plantlife launched its Road Verges Kenyan conservationist and former lead of the The white-faced Campaign to push for this undervalued African Wildlife Foundation Youth Programme. habitat to be better managed for nature. darter is one of our “We saw a real surge in support for the For decades, conservation in Africa campaign in 2020 – citizens and councils has been viewed as a cause for most endangered are recognising that ‘messier’ verges are western people. However, this desirable for biodiversity,” says Plantlife’s perspective is rapidly changing dragonflies – but the Archie Thomas. “Our verge management among African communities, guidelines have been widely adopted by who are recognising wildlife and British Dragonfly councils from Dorset to Burnley, and we the environment as fundamental fully envisage the campaign to accelerate parts of their identities and Society and partners into 2021.” plantlife.org.uk livelihoods, and understanding that they need to be protected. are taking steps to Of our 52 orchid species, 29 (here Young people are at the forefront safeguard its future. the pyramidal) grow of this movement. Over the past 10 on road verges. years, there has been an increase in Reintroductions have youth participation in conservation 4 LANDSCAPES THAT FEEL initiatives – including demonstrating already taken place in A MILLION DOLLARS their role in economic development. I recently met a representative of Cheshire and Cumbria; a third You can do a lot of good with $30 million. a national government who was so The Endangered Landscapes Programme impressed by the drive and passion is underway at Drumburgh Moss on (ELP), with funding from the Arcadia Fund, of one particular youth group that he supports large-scale restoration projects across immediately began working towards the Solway. british-dragonflies.org.uk Europe, including creation of a wilderness implementing the changes they were reserve in the Romanian Carpathians and a pushing for. Twenty twenty-one, and 7 CHAMPIONING Belugas: PA/SLT/WDC; oyster: ZSL; frog: Nick Hawkins/NPL orchids: Dominic wildlife corridor in Portugal’s Greater Côa beyond, will be a brighter time for THE CHOCÓ Murphy/Plantlife; dragonfly: Steve Knell/NPL; elephants: Getty Valley. “The ELP sends a powerful signal wildlife, as the concerns of engaged for the importance of reviving nature,” says The southern part of Ecuador’s Chocó manager David Thomas, “representing young Africans are increasingly rainforest is an important biodiversity major philanthropic investment in reversing translated into action. hotspot, but precious little remains. By biodiversity declines and empowering acquiring 230km from a logging company, conservationists.”endangeredlandscapes.org Fundación Jocotoco plans to link a network of protected areas covering 3,000km . The initiative will save countless species from extinction and, since the area slopes upwards to 4,900m, offer a safe haven to any species shifting altitude in response to climate change. jocotoco.org; worldlandtrust.org 5NEW BEGINNINGS The Klettsvik Save the Chocó, save FOR BELUGAS Bay sanctuary the Imbabura tree frog. can hold up to 10 Two beluga whales, known as Little Grey beluga whales. 8 FLICKING A and Little White, taken from the wild at a young age SWITCH FOR BIRDS to perform at a waterpark in China, have just been released into an open ocean sanctuary in Klettsvik Bay, The hundreds of millions of birds that Iceland – the first project of its kind. Similar propsals migrate through Texas each autumn are in the pipeline, thanks to the efforts of Whale were given a helping hand in 2020 with and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) and the SEA LIFE the Lights Out, Texas campaign. From 5 Trust. The hope is that other captive cetaceans can be September to 29 October, Texans were rehabilitated into natural environments in the coming asked to dim the lights between 11pm– years, paving the way to put an end to the use of these 6am, to protect night-flying migrants from animals as entertainment. “These robust, healthy collisions and from veering off course. whales can now look forward to a brighter future,” says WDC’s Rob Lott. uk.whales.org; sealifetrust.org birdcast.info 9 OYSTER LOVE The UK's native oysters have declined by an alarming 95 per cent – which is why ZSL and partners have launched the Wild Oysters project, involving plans to install 10,000 oysters in specialised nurseries beneath marina pontoons. Boasting incredible water- filtering capabilities, oysters are vital to ocean health. zsl.org

50 REASONS TO BE Che ful IN 2021 With ivory poaching on the wane in Kenya, elephants are reclaiming their former habitat. 10 ELEPHANT traversing a region once steeped EXPLORERS in conflict. It's the first time a female has been recorded Demand for ivory during the travelling through this part of East Africa poaching crisis of the country, protected by the 2008–2014 devastated elephant Northern Rangelands Trust. populations, but as pressure “Across Africa, huge expanses of from the ivory trade has reduced viable elephant range still exist,” in Kenya, elephants are starting says STE's Frank Pope. “Koya’s to repopulate areas from which journey shows that we can work they had disappeared. In 2020, a together to provide vital space female called Koya was GPS- for these animals to roam the tracked by Save the Elephants continent again.” nrt-kenya.org; (STE) making a remarkable 77km journey with her family, savetheelephants.org “Across Africa, huge expanses of viable elephant range still exist.” January 2021 BBC Wildlife 49

British bees now MY REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL “Linking marine parks have a road map for advances our thinking improved habitat. MIKE MAUNDER about how to protect 11 A BUG’S GUIDE TO THE UK Executive director, Cambridge migratory species.” It’s not just humans that need Conservation Initiative (CCI) highways. In 2020, invertebrate charity 14 MAKE SAFE THE Buglife completed a mammoth project – The CCI brings together 500 SWIMWAY! to map a series of interconnecting insect conservationists from 10 organisations, pathways, known as B-Lines, across England, all based under one roof in Cambridge, The 700km stretch of Pacific Ocean Wales, Northern Ireland and central Scotland. but working with the world. Many of us between Cocos Island National Park Along these routes, conservationists are carry the scars of extinction, but there (off Costa Rica) and the Galápagos now creating stepping stones of wildflower- is a growing realisation that our time is Marine Reserve (off Ecuador) is a rich habitat, providing a network of feeding now. Rather than slowing down loss, we well-travelled ‘swimway’ for sharks opportunities for bees, butterflies and a host are fighting back to restore and recover and turtles, which regularly migrate of other wildlife. buglife.org between the two feeding grounds. nature through restoration ecology. But once the travellers leave the 12 REOPENING A RIVER The idea that we can repair landscapes safety of the protected areas, they are FOR TROUT after centuries of degradation fills me dangerously exposed to the hazards with incredible hope. Conservation is of industrial fishing. Celebrations are afoot in Nevada, following completion of a US$34m fish bypass system about endangered species, but also Enter the Turtle Island Restoration on the Truckee River’s Derby Dam. The about rebuilding watersheds, creating Network (TIRN), which is advocating structure will allow local Lahontan cutthroat carbon stores, reinstating migrations for protection of the swimway. As trout to migrate to their spawning grounds and protecting society from disaster. well as safeguarding marine species, for the first time in more than a century. protective measures could also Restoration ecology is no longer reduce illegal fishing, conserve fish 13 CANINES FOR bout small plots, but vast landscapes stocks and capture carbon. “Linking CONSERVATION of many thousands of hectares. The international marine parks advances our thinking about how to protect For the past five years, man’s best friend has CCI organisations are involved in migratory species,” says TIRN been playing a vital role in the fight against estoration projects across the globe, executive director Todd Steiner. “We wildlife trafficking in Africa. This is thanks hope it will be a blueprint copied to Canines for Conservation, run by the partnership with communities who across the globe.” seaturtles.org African Wildlife Foundation, which trains see ecological recovery as key to their handler-and-dog teams to detect illegal cargo future and identity. Forging new and January 2021 (such as ivory and rhino horn) in airports, dynamic landscapes as legacies for ports and wildlife areas, and to track down uture generations is an act of profound poachers. The programme operates in ptimism. cambridgeconservation.org Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Botswana, and 2021 will see it rolled out into Cameroon and Ethiopia. Hundreds of finds have been uncovered since the initiative began, with the units disrupting some of Africa’s most established criminal syndicates and serving as a significant deterrent to poachers. awf.org Dog-and-handler teams are beating wildlife crime in Africa.