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The Future of Britain's Ghost Bird The stone curlew's story is one of hope. A bird pushed perilously close to extinction has recovered through decades of dedicated conservation effort, scientific understanding and habitat protection. Yet the very headlines surrounding recent development proposals demonstrate that success cannot be taken for granted. Conservation gains can be quickly reversed if habitats are lost or fragmented. The challenge facing society is finding ways to balance economic development, housing, infrastructure and environmental protection while preserving the species and habitats that make Britain's natural heritage unique. Science will play a central role in achieving that balance. How chXout Can Help At chXout, we apply DNA technologies to wildlife conservation, biosecurity and environmental monitoring. DNA-based approaches are increasingly being explored for ecological monitoring and species detection, helping provide new ways to understand biological communities and monitor individual species. Our services can support: Species identification Environmental DNA surveys Biodiversity assessments Invasive species detection Habitat monitoring Genetic population studies Molecular...

Coral Reefs Under Siege: What Humanity Has Done, What We Stand to Lose, and How Science Is Fighting Back Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth. Although they cover less than 1% of the ocean floor, they support an estimated 25% of marine species, help protect coastlines, sustain fisheries and contribute substantial economic value worldwide. Yet coral reefs are under increasing pressure. Recent reporting in Nature examines the accelerating coral reef crisis and experimental approaches scientists are exploring to improve reef resilience. For organisations such as chXout, where biodiversity monitoring and species identification are central themes, coral reefs are an important example of why accurate ecological evidence matters. What Exactly Are Coral Reefs? Corals are animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria and are related to jellyfish and sea anemones. Reef-building corals form colonies of small polyps that secrete calcium carbonate skeletons, which accumulate over long periods to form reef structures. Many reef-building corals depend on a close relationship with photosynthetic algae living within...

The press are predicting a difficult winter period, the so called quadruple whammy of Covid-19, influenza, Brexit and climate change (flooding). We hope it will be much better than that. With good fortune and good behaviour the second spike of coronavirus can be avoided. Flu vaccines are already being shipped and in the Southern Hemisphere, now in winter, measures to prevent Covid-19 infection are reducing the number of flu infections.  The hit to the economy from Covid-19 is many fold greater than anything predicted for Brexit. In any event, the EU is in as much Covid-19 turmoil as we are. With international travel at its highest ever level pre-pandemic, this horrible virus spread around the world quickly and although we had some time to react, the ponderous response by Western Governments was fuelled by liberal economists and a series of experts (herd community?) relying on the precedents of other viruses. Always look outside the box my friends, always. The shutdown was late (but...

‘A walk-in nature, walks the soul back home’ - Mary Davis The environments that we are confined to can impact our body, mind and spirit profoundly. What we hear, touch, smell and see can not only affect our mood but our nervous, endocrine and immune systems as well. Say you are in a stressful environment, your heart rate goes up, elevating your blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension, suppressing your body’s systems. You would find that the opposite happens in a relaxed and more pleasant environment like a spa or a walk in the woods listening to bird song. Being in nature or even just viewing nature from a window can reduce feelings of anger, pain and stress. We are literally genetically programmed to find elements of nature engrossing as we humans were not made to sit inside all day. Nature can lower the production of stress hormones and researchers have even stated that it could reduce mortality. Even a single potted...

Did you know that elm trees were nearly wiped out by a fungal disease carried by beetles?Before elm was disseminated by beetles carrying a microfungi, it was the second most important broad leaf timber in Britain to oak. Like oak, it was of great landscape importance and formed an important component of our native woodland, supporting a wide range of fauna and flora.Elm hosts around 80 species of invertebrates such as the rare White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) and in spring, its early pollen is sought after by many insects including honey bees. Elms are also a very important food source for songbirds, game birds and squirrels as their seeds develop long before many other seeds are available.Over the past century there have been two pandemics of Dutch Elm Disease (DEM) caused by two separate but related species of Asian microfungi, Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi. The non-native microfungi are dispersed by bark beetles of the genera Scolytus and Hylurgopinus. These beetles are no larger...

The Eurasian beaver (Castor fibre) is native to the UK and used to be widespread across England, Scotland and Wales. Beavers became extinct here in the 16th century, because of hunting for their pelt, meat and a secretion called castoreum which they use to mark their territory. The latter was once highly prized for use in perfumes, food and medicine. Over the past decade major efforts have been underway to reintroduce beavers into the British countryside. As a result, the Eurasian beaver has shown good recovery across much of its range. The National Trust recently announced that two pairs of beaver will be released in the south of England next spring, after their plans were approved by Natural England. These releases are part of the National Trust's wider plan to restore 25,000 hectares of "wildlife-rich" habitats by 2025. One pair is to be released into a fenced woodland in Holnicote near Exmoor in Somerset. The other pair is to be...