Developing Educational Opportunities and Conservation Links via

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Developing Educational Opportunities
and Conservation
Links via the Internet – An Experimental Project
Tim Appleton1 and Stephen Bolt2
1
Rutland Water Nature Reserve, Eqletan Nature Reserve, Eqleton, Oakham,
Ruthland Egleton, Oakham, Rurland, UK LE15 8BT
2
Anglian Water, The South Barn, 17 Dairy Drive, Fornham All Saints, Bury St
Edmunds, Suffolk, UK IP28 6LN
Abstract
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a rare summer visitor to Britain. The British
population winters in West Africa and breeds in Scotland. Ospreys recolonised
Scotland in the mid 1950s and a strong but restricted range breeding population
now exists, primarily in the Speyside region of the Highlands of Scotland. England’s
last breeding ospreys were reported in 1840.
In 1996, a unique partnership between the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife
Trust, the Highland Foundation and the regional Water Company, Anglian Water
resulted in a re-introduction programme at Anglian Water’s premier reservoir,
Rutland Water in the eastern part of central England. In the first five years of the
project forty- eight translocated osprey chicks successfully migrated from the release
site. Since 1999 four adult male ospreys have returned to Rutland water and territorial
behaviour has been recorded.
This article demonstrates how this experimental project, which began solely with
the conservation of a single species as its prime objective, developed unexpected
‘added value’ for nature conservation. This has been achieved through the British
Birdwatching Fair, an annual trade and fund-raising event for the birdwatching
community, held at Rutland Water, and through the Internet. Both have provided
the opportunity to develop national and international links with educational
establishments, conservation organizations and interested individuals.
Résumé
Le Balbuzard fluviatile (Pandion haliaetus) est un visiteur rare d’été en Bretagne. La
population britannique hiberne en Afrique de l’Ouest et niche en Ecosse. Les
Balbuzards fluviatiles ont recolonisé l’Ecosse au milieu des années 1950 et il existe
maintenant une population importante mais nichant sur un espace réduit située
primitivement dans la région du Speyside des Highlands de l’Ecosse. Les derniers
Balbuzards fluviatiles à nicher sur le sol anglais ont été signalés en 1980.
En 1996, un partenariat unique entre 2 le «Leicestershire and Rutland wildlife
Trust».
Le «Highland Foundation» et la compagnie d’eau régionale, la «Anglian Water» a
abouti à un programme de réintroduction au niveau du premier réservoir de la
«Anglian Water», «Rutland Water» dans la partie orientale du Centre de l’Angleterre.
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Au cours des cinq premières années du projet, quarante-huit poussins du Balbuzard
fluviatile déplacés ont migré avec succès de l’endroit où ils avaient été lâchés. Depuis
1999, quatre mâles adultes de la même espèce sont retournés à «Rutland Water» et
un comportement territorial a été observé.
Cet article montre clairement de quelle manière ce projet expérimental, qui a débuté,
avec comme objectif principal la conservation d’une seule espèce, a généré une
«valeur ajoutée» pour la conservation de la nature.
Cela a été réalisé grâce à la «Foire du British Birdwatching», un événement annuel
de commerce et de fund-raising pour la communauté des amateurs d’oiseaux,
organisé à Rutland Water et à travers l’internet. Ces deux dernières choses ont le
mérite d’avoir créé l’opportunité de développer des liens tant nationaux
qu’internationaux avec des établissements d’éducation, des organisations de la
conservation et des personnes intéressées.
Stephen Bolt has outlined the background of the Project to re-introduce the Osprey
(Pandion haliaetus) to England. He clearly demonstrated the opportunities to study osprey
migration using satellite technology. Seven years ago, when Anglian Water and the Leicestershire
and Rutland Wildlife Trust instigated this translocation project, it was not envisaged
that this new technology would create such opportunities or ‘added value’ for the Project.
The use of satellite tracking devices for birds was not feasible and the creation of websites
to disseminate the information gathered by satellite tracking was almost unheard of at
the time.
The importance of partnership in such projects is paramount, for rarely can a poorly
funded conservation society commit resources to a project of this kind, without the support
of a commercial partner.
Over the next five years Anglian Water will commit £6 million pounds in improving
water supply and sewerage in the eastern region of England. For the past six years the
water company has spent around £200,000 on the Osprey Translocation Project. This
relatively small sum has created for the Company immense value in publicity and goodwill,
and has demonstrated their commitment to nature conservation. All commercial organisations
seek good news and the Osprey Project was no exception, with front-page coverage in
most national papers in the UK and nation-wide television coverage. The company would
be hard pressed to make a ‘good news story’ from, for example, spending £6 million
pounds on improving a sewage works.
The aim of this article is to demonstrate how a single nature reserve created 25 years
ago, has created links with tourism, education, conservation, bird migration and the
ever-growing bird watching industry.
Rutland Water Nature Reserve is an integral part of Britain’s largest man-made reservoir,
which was created primarily to provide water for the eastern half of England. Its development
has also provided enormous benefits for all forms of recreation. The Nature Reserve
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has been designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) and RAMSAR site. This is the results
of it serving as a habitat for 20,000 water birds and the internationally important populations
of Gadwall and Shoveler. The Reserve attracts 60,000 visitors annually, has two birdwatching
centres and twenty-one birdwatching hides.
The Reserve is the home of the annual British Birdwatching Fair that takes place in August.
The Fair is the largest gathering of birdwatchers anywhere in the world and promotes
all aspects of the subject. The primary aim of this event is to support an international
bird conservation project and the raised funds are managed by Birdlife International.
Since its inception 13 years ago, the Bird Fair has raised three-quarters of a million pounds.
Initially the Fair supported projects only in Europe but it has now extended its influence
all over the world. For example, funds were provided for the first Important Bird Area
programme in South America, based in Mindo in Ecuador.
The Fair helped create the KeGo Forest reserve in Vietnam. The Bird Fair invited Government
officials from Vietnam to attend, and as a result influenced these officials to gazette the
reserve in less than two years. The normal procedure would have normally taken many
years, had a more conventional approach been taken. Other regions of the world supported
by the Bird Fair include – Halmahera in Indonesia, Sidi Basso in Morocco, the Atlantic
rainforest of Brazil, and the Save the Albatross campaign.
The British Birdwatching Fair is now host to more than 250 exhibitors representing
seventy countries, and trade stands vary from large international optical manufacturers
to small one-man holiday firms and second-hand book companies. The Fair is more
than just a trade fair, it is about like-minded people discussing issues concerning the
environment – it is a place to make contacts. For example in 1999 the Fon of Oku,
from Cameroon, opened the Fair. The project that year highlighted the 1,111 species
of endangered birds of the world. Having such a distinguished person as His Majesty
open the Fair and be involved in its aims is vitally important, as such individuals have
the ability to influence the decisions that will eventually lead to safeguarding the environment.
Sponsors play a direct role in supporting the Fair each year. A further sponsorship partnership
has developed between the Fair and Swarovski Optic, culminating in the purchase and
resources to manage the first nature reserve in Poland, which is now managed by the
Polish Birdlife Partner.
The bird fair culture has spread worldwide with fairs from India to Holland and from
Indonesia to Israel. In 2000 visitors gathered in the Hula Valley for Israel’s first bird
festival “Aloft 2000”. This event promoted eco-tourism opportunities and educational
links through the internet as well as bringing conservationists together. Methods for
promoting bird conservation to the general public vary around the world, with different
cultures and different budgets dictating the type of activity suitable for a specific country.
In the UK there is a growing trend to install microwave cameras that beam live pictures
from birds’ nests to high profile visitor centres where the public can enjoy watching the
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birds in relative comfort. This provides good sponsorship opportunities, giving the sponsors
plenty of exposure at the visitor centres. However this type of exposure at a specific site
is relatively limited compared to the more recent development of websites where profile
and exposure is on a global scale.
Rutland Water Nature Reserve was the first conservation site in the UK to develop its
own website. The osprey website, linked to our satellite-tracking programme, has grown
to become of global interest. Migrating birds know no boundaries and this has led to
forging links with communities along the routes undertaken by the ospreys. The countries,
the terrain, the obstacles, the hazards, the routes, the protected and unprotected areas,
cover many of the subjects children encounter throughout their formal education. By
means of the internet and email our website helps develop links with other school establishments,
allowing children from many nations to learn about their different cultures, languages,
countries and about themselves. Highlighting the routes taken by our migrating ospreys
exposes the hazards and perils encountered by all migrating birds. Our website demonstrates
these obstacles and creates further awareness of, for example, the illegal hunting and
trapping of birds. Tracking also identifies sites used by migrating birds that may have
only some or no protection. Our aim is to bring this new-found knowledge to conservationists
in each country along the migratory route, which in turn will hopefully lead to implementation
of measures for the protection of this vital stop-over sites.
The future survival of so many species lies in communication, education and protection.
Bird fairs and websites are, for many, a new concept and, due to lack of resources, may
not always be practicable. However, the basic messages can be relayed in many different
guises to suite our different cultures. Start simply and realistically, involve our children
in education, formally and informally¨ and make conservation fun: for, at the end of
the day, the future lies in their hands.