📰 Wetland News - March 25, 2024
Your weekly briefing on wetland and water issues.
Wetland round-up
- To start your week; enjoy a bulletin of the latest wetland and water related news, research and jobs. If you’d like to receive regular updates on all things wetland, please subscribe to this newsletter.
🧾 Wetlands in the news
England won’t adopt EU river pollution rules for pharma and cosmetics firms
Probably the biggest UK wetland and water news in the past few days was the UK government saying England would not follow new EU rules set to introduce “polluter pays” principles to get pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies to pay for the pollution they cause in rivers. The new EU rules are aimed at reducing the amount of pollution in waterways, included from so-called “micropollutants” eg. chemicals from pharmaceutical waste. It is a bit of a struggle to see why the UK government doesn’t want to implement the same rules.
Grimsby allotments to be transformed into £2m wetlands
Don’t worry if you’re a fan of allotments - the wetland will be going on a flooded and abandoned part of the site, and it will be protecting the nearby residential area from future flooding. Plus, the wetland will be open for the public to explore.
President Biden elevates importance of wetlands for World Water Day
The White House announced several new initiatives to protect waterways, and access to clean water, across the USA, to mark World Water Day (March 22). These are aimed at further enhancing the protection of wetland wildlife, addressing forever chemicals and supporting clean water access for Tribal nations.
Wetlands project in Ireland 'a blight' on area says councillor
A wetlands creation project in Tullamore, in the Republic of Ireland, has been blasted by a local councillor for not being well-maintained or managed. Those responsible for the project have said it isn’t finished yet. This is a reminder of the importance of good communication with local communities when conducting any habitat restoration work, and maintenance of any such project is essential.
🧪 Wetland research
Climate change will reduce North American inland wetland areas and disrupt their seasonal regimes
This study has shown that climate change could drastically reshape wetlands across North America, impacting their size and function. Indeed it’s predicted the area of wetlands across the continent could reduce by ~10%, as many dry out during the drier summer periods. This value could be even higher in colder regions, due to the increased thawing of soil ice. Such disruption to wetland seasonality cycles could have profound effects on biodiversity in key habitats like the upper Mississippi, Southeast Canada, and the Everglades. These findings underscore, yet again, the critical importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to preserve wetland ecosystems for the future.
💰 Wetland jobs
Property Ecologist: National Trust
As part of a team based from Cherryburn, Northumberland, you’ll work across a portfolio of sites which includes the iconic Hadrian's Wall World Heritage site, and be involved with peatland management projects.
Wildlife and Wetlands Officer: Worcestershire Wildlife Trust
Fantastic opportunity for a great communicator who can inspire policy makers and land managers to take action for nature and the climate to help deliver wildlife and wetland conservation across Worcestershire.
Get in-touch 📢
If you’d like to get in-touch please follow Dr Christian Dunn on Twitter (@christiandunn) or Instagram (@drchristiandunn), or email c.dunn@bangor.ac.uk.
If you have an image, news item or job you’d like to share in this newsletter, please get in-touch.
