Wildlife Circus

   I was asked to speak on Light Pollution and Wildlife at the fourth tranche of   Richmond Biodiversity Action Plan   launched at Hampton Court Palace 29.9.2025. The event, hosted by the Richmond Biodiversity Partnership , celebrated an updated plan, aiming to reverse environmental damage including actions encouraging dark skies, and saw the launch of an Action Plan of that name. The launch also featured inspiring talks, art, and other activities involving community groups, local authorities, and other partners. This leaflet, printed a decade ago, shows Council's intent to educate others on the issues that LP causes.   Most of the scientific information delivered in my talk came from commentaries written for the London Naturalist (2006, 2012) updated to include local information on the following headings: Light pollution in London is there more or less? Recent policy changes and the launch of initiatives by the Welsh Government; How do we manage wild...

see post  bats-and-lighting . The lights in London are getting brighter, bucking the trend across counties such as Norfolk and Leicestershire, which have moved to part-night lighting (mainly as a costcutter). This picture clearly shows the darkest areas in London and it is no coincidence that these are the  most productive when it comes to bat foraging activity:  London By night André Kuipers ESA/NASA  The darker areas are particularly important for bats of the genus Myotis such as the Daubenton's bats roosting at the Filter Beds, a declining species in the London Region (Briggs et al LNHS no. 86 2007). Although the Filter Beds suffer some light pollution from sources such as streetlights and accent lighting from nearby buildings, this is insufficient to prevent foraging by Daubenton's bats. However the planned lighting programme for the Filter Beds will be excessive with ten different types of lighting shown in this key. Some of these luminaires are so...

Urban ecology was first quantified in a beautiful book published in 1989 by O.L Gilbert. In it he described the fauna and flora of our urban habitats particularly railway line sides, urban woodland, cemeteries, lakes, rivers, waterworks and water pipes. He discusses the links between people and wildlife, successional processes and urban planning, in a most detailed and interesting way. River wall, old boats provide niches for birds, fish, macrophytes etc He praised Fitter’s outline account of the flora and fauna of waterworks (1945) and regales with tales of the removal of 90 tons of zebra mussels from 400m of water main at Hampton, Middlesex. With further tales of Asellus, Gammerus, and the parthenogenic (meaning sans ow’s ya father ) Potamopygus jenkinsi, living in water pipes, the mind boggles at the fauna that could be found colonising natural, sweet water left for many years without any chemical interference. But we shall remain boggleless , as the invertebrate sur...

Light pollution is a complicated issue for some bat species. It was dealt with unsatisfactorily within the Hydro Environmental Statement, with little reference to literature and no citations of the relevant bat studies, particularly those undertaken in the last 6 years. There has been  overall an unsatisfactory survey evaluation, due to a poor understanding of URBAN ECOLOGY, coupled with a determination to employ many different types of light arrangement  at the  FB's regardless of the survey findings, in order to ensure the Health and Safety of any future riparian residents. 2012 Bat Surveys commissioned at the FB's, should record how bats use the basins for foraging purposes. This habitat could be protected under European Law if it is found to be a significant feature that bats rely on in order to  feed and nurture their young (see earlier post on Habitats Regs). The timing of these surveys is CRITICAL. Surveys carried out during the full moon for example sho...

Natural England's main interest in the Hydro planning application is to ensure that the EUROPEAN AND UK LAW PERTAINING TO BATS enshrined within the Habitats Regulations are upheld. The issues pertaining to the aspirations within the Core Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, Heritage etc.  should be determined locally (at Planning committee meetings). If a bat roost is to be affected by development activities, a licence from Natural England will need to be obtained.All species of bat are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) through their inclusion in Schedule 5. All bats are also included in Schedule 2 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, & c.) Regulations,1994. The Act and Regulations make it illegal to:   intentionally or deliberately kill, injure or capture (take) bats;  deliberately disturb bats (whether in a roost or not);  damage, destroy or obstruct access to bat roosts;   possess ...