# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Publications Archives - Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There's plenty of wildlife to see in January and February. Despite the cold weather, many birds remain active, and the bare branches of trees make them much easier to spot. This winter wildlife bundle features over 60 different birds to find this winter: in the garden, local parks, and on ponds and rivers.

# data[].attributes.headline
Completing some practical work with us during your stay at Nettlecombe? If so, the following pages are great for doing some research for your ecological investigations

# data[].attributes.subject
Completing some practical work with us during your stay at Nettlecombe? If so, the following pages are great for doing some research for your ecological investigations

# data[].attributes.body
Are you aged 16-25?
Studying and interested in science and the environment?
Interested in understanding more about an area and its place in the world?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In 2022, FSC gave life-changing experiences to 75 people with biodiversity training and mentoring.
Applications are currently closed, but will open again in 2023.
The Young Darwin Scholarship is an FSC initiative to encourage and support young people who have a real interest in the natural world - to develop the next generation of 'Darwins'.

The scholarship starts with a heavily subsidised 5-day residential trip, or series of days, at an FSC location which involves a lot of time outdoors in environmentally engaging locations. During the week or series of days the scholars:

Practice a wide range of field and identification skills in areas which have been selected for their variety of plants, trees, invertebrates, and other wildlife.

Gain practical observation, planning, and recording skills through a series of real-life application tasks, including creating mini management plans, using microscopes, and mapping on GIS (*tasks dependent on location)

Explore a range of landscapes and learn how these areas are managed and conserved, guided by organisations such as the wildlife trusts, and ANOB rangers.

Meet inspirational speakers and experts from different environmental backgrounds to discuss current environmental issues and projects, offer advice, and answer any questions.

Build confidence while exploring the outdoors with like-minded people, their own age who share similar interests.

"What amazed me most was the quality of applications. It has opened my eyes to just how many talented and enthusiastic young people are out there, yearning to gain experiences to help them further in their environmental pathways and to meet similar aged people who they can have topical discussions with."
Dylan Byrne, FSC's Youth Engagement Officer

#SponsorAScholar: finding the next generation of Darwins

FSC has supported nearly 200 'Young Darwin' scholars aged 16-25 for a decade. But right now, demand for FSC scholarships far exceeds our charitable funds.

There are 210 young people who applied successfully in 2021, but which FSC can't support. This includes people from deprived communities who struggle the most to get the training they need to get environmental employment.

Help us to help them.

Scholars will continue to be supported by a dedicated member of FSC staff, exclusive webinars, heavily subsidised places on FSC's natural history courses, conservation days, and behind the scenes tours in areas that are environmentally engaging.

Young people who attend the programme enjoy spending time with other Young Darwin Scholars; people of their own age who have a similar enthusiasm and interest in the natural world. Through the residential and reunions, they build friendships and are able to advise and support each other through a dedicated Facebook group.

I hadn't considered that one small application would forge such a pathway through my life. The FSC Young Darwin Scholarship planted and continues to grow my passion for the environment and sustainability. I have met two of my now closest friends, and it has provided a strong link to a community of fellow young people with similar passions and interests."
Previous Young Darwin Scholar

Past scholars have continued to study ecology and biology through university degrees and PhDs. They have secured green careers in ecology and conservation, and many are volunteering with various environmental organisations.

This has all been possible thanks to previous support from The Jean Jackson Trust, The Cross Hills Naturalists' Society Duncan Clough Grant, The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, The Royal Entomological Society and individual donations.

To keep up to date with all Youth updates In the FSC sign up to our dedicated Youth Mailing list!

See our other young people opportunities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Young Darwin Scholarship - Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Applications are currently closed, but will open again in 2023. The Young Darwin Scholarship is an FSC initiative to encourage and support young people who have a real interest in the natural world - to develop the next generation of 'Darwins'.

# data[].attributes.headline
Background information on our grassland site 

# data[].attributes.subject
Background information on our grassland site 

# data[].attributes.body
Court Field, Nettlecombe Court

# data[].attributes.body
Maths skills for biologists

# data[].attributes.body
Useful information on topics and methods of investigating habitats

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Looking for help planning and carrying out fieldwork for your AS, A Level or IB? Check out our resources section here,

# data[].attributes.headline
Background information on our freshwater site -Woodford Meanders

# data[].attributes.subject
Background information on our freshwater site -Woodford Meanders

# data[].attributes.headline
Get involved in a citizen science survey

# data[].attributes.subject
Get involved in a citizen science survey

# data[].attributes.body
Zooniverse has some great ecological projects available to anyone who might be interested in contributing to survey work, some of which you can help with from the comfort of your own home!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Zooniverse is the world's largest and most popular platform for people-powered research.

# data[].attributes.headline
Grassland and Terrestrial Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.subject
Grassland and Terrestrial Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.body
To help when doing research for your mini investigations

# data[].attributes.headline
Freshwater Energetics- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.subject
Freshwater Energetics- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Freshwater Energetics – Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ecological energetics is the study of movement of energy and materials through ecosystems. Find out more about freshwater energetics here.

# data[].attributes.headline
FSC Nettlecombe Court Conservation and Biodiversity

# data[].attributes.subject
FSC Nettlecombe Court Conservation and Biodiversity

# data[].attributes.body
Find out about volunteering opportunities, further education and big picture ideas...

# data[].attributes.headline
Succession- Field Studies Council Website

# data[].attributes.subject
Succession- Field Studies Council Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning resources for investigating succession in various habitats. Ideal for biology & geography fieldwork.

# data[].attributes.body
Have a look at the species we've found and recorded over the last 48 years at Nettlecombe Court

# data[].attributes.headline
Freshwater Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.subject
Freshwater Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is biodiversity?

Ecological diversity (or biodiversity) is the total amount of variety of life on earth.

Biodiversity can be investigated at different levels.

Habitat biodiversity: the number of different habitats in a given area.

Species biodiversity: the number of different species within a certain habitat.

Genetic biodiversity: the variety of genes within a species.

Habitats with high species and genetic diversity generally make habitats more resilient. This means they are more likely to cope with stresses brought about by changing conditions, such as climate change, disease or pollution incidents.

Biodiversity in freshwater habitats

Freshwater habitats can be divided into two broad categories:

Lentic freshwater: still water (ponds and lakes)

Lotic freshwater: moving water (streams and rivers)

What questions do biologists ask?

You can ask many scientific questions about contrasting areas within a similar habitat. Here are some examples.

Long Mynd, Shropshire by FSC / (c) FSC.SC

Describe how you would measure the diversity of invertebrates in this stream

How does the diversity of invertebrates vary between pools and riffles in this stream?

Is this variation in diversity related to abiotic factors?

Mountain stream near FSC Rhyd-y-creuau by FSC / (c) FSC.

Research question

Sub questions

Investigation into the effect of velocity on the diversity of freshwater invertebrates

How does invertebrate diversity (species composition and abundance) differ at different velocities e.g. between a pool and a riffle? What other abiotic differences are there?

Investigation into the effect of substrate on the diversity of freshwater invertebrates

How does invertebrate diversity (species composition and abundance) differ in different substrates e.g. between parts of a stream with a rocky bed and a muddy bed? What other abiotic differences are there?

What is the effect of water pollution on freshwater invertebrate diversity?

Compare diversity on either side of a point source of frehwater pollution. What abiotic differences are there?

Does the invertebrate diversity of this stream change with distance from the source?

What abiotic factors change in the stream with distance from the source?

How might invertebrate diversity in this stream be different in 6 months' time?

Lowland pond near Preston Montford by Sue Townsend / (c) FSC.

Transpiration and gas exchange

Oxygen supply in different freshwater micro-habitats.

Photosynthesis

Limiting factors such as dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, sunlight and dissolved oxygen. Light and dark bottles

Conservation

Management of ponds and streams for diversity.

Why does invertebrate diversity vary betwen different parts of this pond?

Which part of this pond has the highest invertebrate diversity?

How should this pond best be managed?

What questions could you investigate with fieldwork?

Here are some examples. Each research question has been split into 2 or 3 sub-questions.

Changes in vegetation in a stream at one site are unlikely to be visible for at least 2-3 weeks,

Changes in species composition of plants and invertebrates may not be significant for two or more growing seasons.

Significant differences in temperature and oxygen levels are hard to measure at one location in one day. Longer term studies over the course of a year are more likely to show a difference in these factors.

Synoptic links

A good investigation will make links between different parts of the A-Level Biology specification. Here are some possible synoptic links for investigations into freshwater habitats.

Before you start

Try to carry out a baseline study before you start your investigation. In this study, try to make sure that only the factor that you are investigating varies. This can be done by measuring many abiotic factors, and finding out which ones are significantly different between the two or more areas you wish to investigate. To do this you may wish to carry out a statistical analysis such as Student's t-test on your abiotic data.

Make sure that any factor you are investigating has had time to produce an effect, for example:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Freshwater Diversity - Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ecological diversity (or biodiversity) is the total amount of variety of life on earth. Biodiversity can be investigated at different levels. Habitat biodiversity: the number of different habitats in a given area. Species biodiversity: the number of different species within a certain habitat. Genetic biodiversity: the variety of genes within a species.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Natural History Courses - Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here at Field Studies Council we offer you the ability and freedom to create using your own choice of medium on selected arts courses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At one end of the country, conservation groups are doing all they can to stop the burning of moors. Challenging the grouse shooting estates, for example, the RSPB argues that "there is an urgent need to restore these landscapes by ... bringing an end to burning."

At the other end of the country, conservation groups are doing all they can to ensure that moors are burnt.

Exmoor and Dartmoor, national parks covered by every possible conservation designation, are now in the middle of swaling season. Swaling is the term used in the West Country for burning the land. And the national park authorities, supposedly responsible for conserving and enhancing natural beauty and wildlife, oversee and assist the process.

Here's how the Dartmoor authority justifies the practice:

Dartmoor has been going up in flames in recent days - in an environmentally friendly way and much to the delight of various ground-nesting birds like skylarks and grazing livestock.

It's all part of the age-old art of swaling - the notified controlled burning of overgrown heathland and clearing the ground of dead vegetation so that new growth can appear.

This year swaling has been deemed more important than ever on the moors because fewer grazing animals have been released on the highland commons over recent years, resulting in the extra growth of plants such as gorse and bracken."

Let's take this step by step.

Environmentally friendly burning? Fossil fuel firms could take lessons in public relations from these people.

Why is it that practices we recognise as destructive when we see them elsewhere in the world are judged "environmentally friendly" here? When we see land being burnt in Indonesia or Brazil, do we call it conservation, or do we call it destruction? Because it damages soil and hydrology, incinerates wildlife and simplifies ecosystems, destruction is the correct term. Burning on Dartmoor has the same impacts. It's about as environmentally friendly as tipping bleach into a river.

"Various ground-nesting birds like skylarks" tends to mean, these days, just skylarks. Skylarks are used as the justification for every kind of destructive practice a land manager wants to inflict. This is because, unlike the great majority of wildlife, they can survive in open landscapes without cover, and they happen to be highly resilient to the forms of destruction we deplore when we see them encroaching on habitats in other countries: cutting, burning and grazing.

But "grazing livestock": well that's the nub of it. This burning has sod all to do with protecting the natural world and everything to do with extracting as much grazing from the land as possible. It continues in direct contradiction of the Sandford principle, which is supposed to govern the management of national parks: that when there is a conflict between conservation and other uses, conservation should take priority.

As for "overgrown" heathland, "clearing the ground of dead vegetation" and "extra growth of plants such as gorse and bracken", these are classic examples of the mortal fear of natural processes entertained by conservation bodies in this country.

An entirely treeless landscape, maintained this way by a savage regime of burning and grazing over many years, becomes "overgrown" the moment it starts to recover. The beginning of successional processes ("extra growth of plants such as gorse and bracken") is regarded as a threat. We all know what happens next. Scrub grows and then, God help us, trees. Wildlife is returning: quick, fetch the matches!

The Exmoor national park authority uses a similar justification:

Exmoor national park authority is particularly keen to support swaling on Exmoor. Swaling maintains the character of the landscape by rejuvenating moorland plants, which in turn provides grazing for livestock and habitats for wildlife."

Here's the photo the park authority uses to illustrate the practice:

What do you see in the background? Miles and miles of bugger all, a treeless waste, kept in that state by a process the park is "particularly keen to support".

This is not the only form of elective destruction in which Exmoor national park engages. It employs other methods to ensure that trees don't grow and rich habitats can't return. The local sheep farmers don't put their animals on the highest land, known as The Chains. So the park authority contracts a grazier on an annual basis to keep it mown.

I understand that in some places there is a difficult balance to be struck between the demands of tenants and commoners who graze their animals on the moor and the conservation of wildlife. I happen to believe that too much weight is given to sheep farming, and too little to wildlife. But where there are no tenants and no grazing, instead of using this as an opportunity for ecological restoration, the Exmoor authority is bringing in its own sheep to ensure that seedlings can't grow and wildlife can't recover. It's utter madness.

I've made a short film for the BBC, broadcast on Wednesday, about these practices, in which I challenge the Exmoor park's staff.

Even by the parks' own criteria, swaling and grazing are causing an environmental disaster. Adrian Colston, the National Trust's general manager on Dartmoor, has published a series of maps showing the astonishing deterioration over the past 25 years of the habitats the park claims to be protecting. Here is his map of good quality blanket bog in 1990:

And here's the extent of it in 2006:

Here's heathland in 1990:

And in 2006:

As he reports: "These maps do not tell a happy tale. Our land is now in far worse condition than it was in 1990 as a result of overgrazing and burning (known as swaling on Dartmoor)."

The places in which we are invited to escape the impacts of humanity's assaults on the natural world are being destroyed with the active collusion of the authorities charged with protecting them.

Not only have they failed to discharge their role as guardians of our natural wonders, but they also systematically mislead people about what they are doing, describing destructive practices as beneficial to the natural world. Since when did the duties of our national park authorities extend to greenwashing?

And that's not the worst of it, as the criteria they use are highly questionable in the first place. Why, for example, do we see moorland as the desirable ecosystem on our hilltops, rather than more advanced successional states, such as woodland? Upland woods are vanishingly rare in Britain, but they harbour a far greater range of wildlife than moors.

Because there are so few of them, comparative studies are scarce. But in the Cairngorms there is enough woodland to create a meaningful contrast. The results? Wooded habitats are 13 times richer in nationally important species than moorland*. There are 223 species on the massif which are found nowhere else in Britain. Of these, 100 are associated with woodland or trees. But just one - a fungus that lives on bilberry leaves - requires moorland for its survival.

So why is heather moorland, a highly impoverished habitat which results from repeated cutting and grazing, our conservation priority? When we see such degraded ecosystems elsewhere in the world, we recognise them for what they are: the products of deforestation.

In either case, both the Dartmoor and Exmoor national park authorities (in common with the bodies running most of Britain's other national parks) are wide open to legal challenge under the European Habitats Directive, for failing to keep these supposed wildlife refuges in favourable conservation status. Such challenges require time and money. Does any conservation body have the nerve to take on the national parks?

In October (and fair play to them), I was invited to talk to the UK National Parks conference, on Dartmoor. I didn't hold back. Among other things, I argued that our national parks should be reclassified as ecological disaster zones, pending a complete reassessment of the way they are managed. (You can watch the talk here, gallantly posted on YouTube by the Dartmoor national park).

While the talk generated controversy, to my astonishment I found that many of the park staff at the conference appeared sympathetic to my arguments. There is, I discovered, a widespread sense that we cannot go on like this, that we cannot keep destroying in the name of protection. Something has gone badly wrong here, and there is an urgent need for change.
Monbiot.com
* P.Shaw and DBA Thompson, 2006. The nature of the Cairngorms: diversity in a changing environment. TSO: Edinburgh. 444 pp. ISBN: 9780114973261

Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Meet the conservationists who believe that burning is good for wildlife | George Monbiot

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At one end of the country, conservation groups are doing all they can to stop the burning of moors. Challenging the grouse shooting estates, for example, the RSPB argues that "there is an urgent need to restore these landscapes by ... bringing an end to burning."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
NC Education - Mini investigation- helpful websites and documents - All Documents

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mini investigation- helpful websites and documents

# data[].attributes.headline
Spearman's Rank critical values (Edexcel)

# data[].attributes.subject
Spearman's Rank critical values (Edexcel)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Quantock Hills AONB Management Plan 2019-24 final

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aquatic invertebrates that have a low Biotic Index -suggesting they can tolerate fairly high pollution levels are; - Non-biting midge larvae (Diptera) and true worms (Oligochaeta). You are likely to find a lot of these and they can range in colour from bright

# data[].attributes.headline
Freshwater Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.subject
Freshwater Diversity- Field Studies Council Website 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What is biodiversity?

Ecological diversity (or biodiversity) is the total amount of variety of life on earth.

Biodiversity can be investigated at different levels.

Habitat biodiversity: the number of different habitats in a given area.

Species biodiversity: the number of different species within a certain habitat.

Genetic biodiversity: the variety of genes within a species.

Habitats with high species and genetic diversity generally make habitats more resilient. This means they are more likely to cope with stresses brought about by changing conditions, such as climate change, disease or pollution incidents.

Biodiversity in freshwater habitats

Freshwater habitats can be divided into two broad categories:

Lentic freshwater: still water (ponds and lakes)

Lotic freshwater: moving water (streams and rivers)

What questions do biologists ask?

You can ask many scientific questions about contrasting areas within a similar habitat. Here are some examples.

Long Mynd, Shropshire by FSC / (c) FSC.SC

Describe how you would measure the diversity of invertebrates in this stream

How does the diversity of invertebrates vary between pools and riffles in this stream?

Is this variation in diversity related to abiotic factors?

Mountain stream near FSC Rhyd-y-creuau by FSC / (c) FSC.

Research question

Sub questions

Investigation into the effect of velocity on the diversity of freshwater invertebrates

How does invertebrate diversity (species composition and abundance) differ at different velocities e.g. between a pool and a riffle? What other abiotic differences are there?

Investigation into the effect of substrate on the diversity of freshwater invertebrates

How does invertebrate diversity (species composition and abundance) differ in different substrates e.g. between parts of a stream with a rocky bed and a muddy bed? What other abiotic differences are there?

What is the effect of water pollution on freshwater invertebrate diversity?

Compare diversity on either side of a point source of frehwater pollution. What abiotic differences are there?

Does the invertebrate diversity of this stream change with distance from the source?

What abiotic factors change in the stream with distance from the source?

How might invertebrate diversity in this stream be different in 6 months' time?

Lowland pond near Preston Montford by Sue Townsend / (c) FSC.

Transpiration and gas exchange

Oxygen supply in different freshwater micro-habitats.

Photosynthesis

Limiting factors such as dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus, sunlight and dissolved oxygen. Light and dark bottles

Conservation

Management of ponds and streams for diversity.

Why does invertebrate diversity vary betwen different parts of this pond?

Which part of this pond has the highest invertebrate diversity?

How should this pond best be managed?

What questions could you investigate with fieldwork?

Here are some examples. Each research question has been split into 2 or 3 sub-questions.

Changes in vegetation in a stream at one site are unlikely to be visible for at least 2-3 weeks,

Changes in species composition of plants and invertebrates may not be significant for two or more growing seasons.

Significant differences in temperature and oxygen levels are hard to measure at one location in one day. Longer term studies over the course of a year are more likely to show a difference in these factors.

Synoptic links

A good investigation will make links between different parts of the A-Level Biology specification. Here are some possible synoptic links for investigations into freshwater habitats.

Before you start

Try to carry out a baseline study before you start your investigation. In this study, try to make sure that only the factor that you are investigating varies. This can be done by measuring many abiotic factors, and finding out which ones are significantly different between the two or more areas you wish to investigate. To do this you may wish to carry out a statistical analysis such as Student's t-test on your abiotic data.

Make sure that any factor you are investigating has had time to produce an effect, for example:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Freshwater Diversity - Field Studies Council

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ecological diversity (or biodiversity) is the total amount of variety of life on earth. Biodiversity can be investigated at different levels. Habitat biodiversity: the number of different habitats in a given area. Species biodiversity: the number of different species within a certain habitat. Genetic biodiversity: the variety of genes within a species.