Warwickshire News Mine

Details were heard at the Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) Annual Conference - this year themed on Climate Change: Adaptation and Biodiversity.

There were five presentations; all on the subject of climate change and how it is already having an impact and will in the future affect wildlife in Warwickshire.

The event was held at BMW’s state-of-the-art engine factory at Hams Hall in North Warwickshire. The plant is a member of the Warwickshire Climate Change Partnership and has landscaped large areas of its 85-acre site to provide refuge for wildlife and encourage biodiversity.

Of the five speakers, two were representatives of Warwickshire County Council, with Climate Change Project Officer Gillian Rutledge giving an overview of the partnership’s work and looking at how Warwickshire’s climate is likely to change, following national trends of hotter drier summers, milder wetter winters, more extreme weather events - happening more often, lasting for longer and more intense.

Also speaking was the county council’s Senior Keeper of Natural History Steven Falk. He gave his personal observations as a surveyor for many years on how species have been affected by climate change so far.

Steven said: “Species are moving further north and examples that have already moved into Warwickshire from further south include cetti’s warbler; roesel’s bush cricket; conehead bush cricket; blub-tailed dragonfly; bee wolf (major predator of honeybees) and little egret.

“We have also seen more than 300 insect species colonise Warwickshire in the last two decades so climate change is already happening.

“However, it’s not all increases as with more drought summers, we could see a potential decrease in the following species for example: common blue butterfly (as 2nd brood fails); bats (as they need lots of insects which aren’t there as the conditions are too dry); badgers (as fewer worms and wasps); shrews (as they need lots of insects and there aren’t as many about); breeding birds (need lots of insects to feed their broods). It is easier to detect the arrival of a species than its loss.”

Also speaking at the event was Andy Tasker, from Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, who gave an overview of the problem for biodiversity and how we can help by linking up habitats; Jeff Edwards, from the West Midlands Biodiversity Partnership, talking about how we can go about conserving biodiversity in a changing climate; and Julie Fay, from the Environment Agency, talking about the proactive landscape scale approach and how we need to seek resilience for the landscape.

The event attracted 37 delegates from a range of wildlife and environmental organizations, and the feedback was positive, with discussion centering on how the LBAP can move forward to take into account the way in which the climate is going to change across Warwickshire. 

BMW made their conference facilities at Hams Hall available for the conference and provided refreshments for event participants.

Jason Reakes, responsible for corporate communications at the BMW plant, said: “We were delighted to be invited to host the event. BMW is aware of the challenges that climate change brings and is actively developing solutions that will ensure sustainable mobility in the future and significantly reduce the impact of our activities on the environment.”

Link to WCC