Plastic in oceans 'threatens food chain'

As England prepares to introduce a charge for plastic bags, science editor David Shukman reports on the possible threat to the food chain, by the plastics broken down into tiny fragments in our oceans.

Tests by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory have shown that when minuscule particles of plastic are in the water, the creatures at the bottom of the food chain do ingest them.

An estimated eight million tonnes of plastic waste is added to the oceans every year.(BBC News)

Plan to save the Scottish wildcat

Plan to save the Scottish wildcat

It's been captured by a hidden camera in the Western Highlands.

Habitat loss, breeding with domestic cats and disease has left the wildcat in trouble.

It's thought there's now fewer than a hundred left in the world.

But conservationist say they've found six areas in the Highlands where the species has the best chance of survival.

They're asking local people, including kids, to get involved in the fight to save wildcats by setting up hidden cameras.

Experts will use the footage to learn more about the creatures and how they can help them survive.

Dr Paul O'Donoghue from the wildlife charity, Wildcat Haven, says he wants more people living in the areas to join the project.

"We have a template for wildcat conservation and we're looking to expand that across the whole of the West Highlands," he said.(CBBC Newsround)

Read more

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Could rare Scottish wildcats be cloned?

10 tips on saving water at home

1. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth – this can save 6 litres of water per minute.
2. Place a cistern displacement device in your toilet cistern to reduce the volume of water used in each flush. You can get one of these from your water provider.
3. Take a shorter shower. Shower can use anything between 6 and 45 litres per minute.
4. Always use full loads in your washing machine and dishwasher – this cuts out unnecessary washes in between.
5. Fix a dripping tap. A dripping tap can waste 15 litres of water a day, or 5,500 litres of water a year.
6. Install a water butt to your drainpipe and use the water collected to water your plants, clean your car and wash your windows.
7. Water your garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. A hosepipe uses 1,000 litres of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and also save wat
8. Fill a jug with tap water and place this in your fridge. This will mean you do not have to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold before you fill your glass.
9. Install a water meter. When you're paying your utility provider for exactly how much water you use, laid out in an itemised bill, there's an incentive to waste less of the stuff.
10. Invest in water-efficient goods when you need to replace household products. You can now buy water-efficient showerheads, taps, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers and many other water-saving products. For more information visit the Waterwise website.

UK team geminates critically endangered Japanese birch

UK scientists have successfully germinated seeds from the critically endangered Japanese Birch, a species that has just 21 known trees remaining.

The seedlings are the first Betula chichibuensis seeds to be germinated by scientists in three decades

The seeds were collected last year during an expedition to a remote location in mountains near Tokyo.Experts suggest that the remaining wild population of Betula chichibuensis is too small to sustain itself unaided.The young trees will be shared with other arboretums in an effort to help conserve the threatened species.The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) forecasts a bleak outlook for the tree species in the wild.

In its Red List of Threatened Species, it observes: "The small population and restricted distribution... make it susceptible to natural disaster or disease.

"The species is also self-incompatible, requiring two individuals to be close enough to cross-pollinate one another, making seed production uncertain in small subpopulations."

It adds that there was also evidence of deforestation and habitat degradation in the area where the remaining trees are found, "presenting a threat to the survival of this species".

Growing hope

During 2014, a team led by researchers from the University of Oxford Botanic Gardens, in conjunction with the University of Tokyo, embarked on an expedition to collect seed samples from the threatened birch trees.

Part of the team was Dan Luscombe, a dendrologist from the Forestry Commission's Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest.

He told BBC News: "I guess we got little lucky in terms of being there at the right time.

"It is found in a very, very remote location and it is not an easy place to get to. It has got very, very low viability so we were very lucky that we were able to collect a lot of seeds... as birch seeds shatter and shed everywhere, so once it has done that you will never find it." (BBC News)

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