Warning in sea pups
Another year has all but rolled by, but I’m afraid 2018 is bound to be remembered for the political chaos in every corner of the globe and especially here!
However, the longer term threats presented by climate change continue to dominate the machinations of scientists, not to mention the lives of those whose futures might soon be threatened by rising sea levels. We do seem to expect more of Planet Earth than it can in reality be expected to bear - especially it seems in terms of plastic which is another story!
Modern mankind is preoccupied by the drive to create greater and greater wealth. Yet almost every development seems destined to further erode the natural world. As we pour more carbon on to the atmosphere, more of the trees, which recycle it, are being felled. Sheer greed is the root cause of massive felling of the world’s rainforests in South America, Africa and Asia. But besides reducing the amount of carbon that can be absorbed, these incursions are also eliminating wildlife as species after species topples over the brink towards extinction. We should remember our own place in the food chain!
Perhaps closer to home, the continuing decline of populations of birds is a cause for concern. The aforementioned climate change is certainly having a serious effect upon many of our seabird colonies with warming sea temperatures forcing the small fish upon which they depend, further and further north. There is concern too for populations of farmland birds large and small. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about the disappearance of many seed-eating residents of farmland but there is also a serious decline in iconic birds of our countryside such as the curlew and lapwing.
Both of these birds revert to estuaries and marine environments during winter but when spring makes its presence felt, many of them should return to inland beats to breed. However, curlew, lapwing and other ground nesters such as skylarks, are extremely vulnerable to the rapid advancement in faster moving, insulated farm machinery. They are of course also vulnerable to the effects of chemicals and large-scale changes in farming practices. However, the good news is that now we are at least aware of these problems and are making efforts to redress the balance.
Thankfully, there are individuals and organisations prepared to intervene and launch schemes designed to protect these bird populations, with farming communities very much at the heart of this revival. Some suggest that the loss of these and many more birds is the price of progress. Others, including myself, suggest that the potential loss of these species of bird is too big a price to pay.
There are choices to be made. Do we want to live in a sterile world bereft of birdsong, bereft of pollinating insects, lifeless and joyless? Or alternatively a world resonant with the sound of music, the buzzing of the bees and all those other insects which, as vital pollinators, are at the very heart of a healthy environment? And it is worth bearing in mind that our wildlife often provides an early warning system which tells us whether or not we are living in a safe environment. To be optimistic, the more we are aware of these pressures, the more are we likely to find solutions to them.
We have had warnings before. Back in the immediate post-war years, the use of chemicals such as DDT had a startling effect upon the food chain in so far as birds of prey such as peregrine falcons began first to fail to reproduce and then inexplicably die. The poisons present in these new chemicals were being consumed by pigeons, which in turn were being caught and consumed by raptors. Critically the poisons had thus entered the food chain. Thankfully, the warnings were heeded and the chemicals were banned. Now a similar instance of noxious chemicals entering the food chain has reared its ugly head. We learn that seal pups on Scottish shores have been discovered to be contaminated by chemicals which therefore have presumably entered the food chain, the seal pups ingesting them through their mother’s milk.
As became clear in respect of the peregrines and to a certain extent sparrowhawks too, those post-war experiences provided us with a serious warning. Again, let us not forget that we are at the end of the very same food chain so our future is also threatened in the long term. Therefore, could those seal pups be providing us with another warning that all is not well, in this case, with our marine environment? Somewhere, it would appear, dangerous chemicals are entering the marine environment. It is therefore vital that we try to identify the source of pollution that is affecting the seal pups and take measures to eliminate it.
We have I’m afraid, tended to use our seas as a giant dustbin for far too long. For years, unwanted detritus of every kind has simply been dumped in the sea – out of sight, out of mind! But now has come the realisation that it won’t just disappear. 2018 has been the year when we have learned of the consequences of the careless disposal of waste of all kinds but especially of indestructible plastics. Suddenly we have been confronted by the millions of tons of plastic throwaway materials, which have ended up in our oceans and which go on to be ingested by birds and many other varieties of marine life. The tragic deaths of whales and a variety of oceanic birds, highlights the problem.
This is surely another clear warning to us. These materials do not degrade through time. They persist and pollute in the most dangerous way. At last perhaps the realisation has dawned that we are harming the planet with our profligacy and our waste. Have we learned this lesson in time? These sources of pollution will not be eliminated overnight and there is much education to be done. Litter is a problem that affects us all. A few bottles here, a few cans there, may seem insignificant but they add up to a massive problem.
The bottom line is we should all take responsibility. We contaminate our environment at our peril. Wouldn’t it be marvellous if everyone made a New Year resolution to always take their litter home and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way?
Schemes to re-cycle plastic and many other materials are already making a difference. Thus, let us look forward to 2019 with optimism and continue to support these fresh initiatives.
Every one of us can make significant contributions. Make 2019 a year for action. Make this a really Happy New Year!