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Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation by Keith Hiscock for The Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists' Ass

Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation by Keith Hiscock for The Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists' Association 25 th February 2011. Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation. Historical perspectives: early marine studies. 1960s: Diving and the beginnings of conservation.

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Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation by Keith Hiscock for The Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists' Ass

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  1. Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation by Keith Hiscock forThe Taw and Exmoor branch of the British Naturalists' Association 25th February 2011

  2. Lundy – 40 years of marine conservation • Historical perspectives: early marine studies • 1960s: Diving and the beginnings of conservation • 1971: The proposal for a voluntary marine reserve • 1970s:The voluntary marine nature reserve, research, training and just enjoying the marine life • 1980s and 1990s: Monitoring, more research, the statutory marine nature reserve Break • The past 10 years: • - the No-Take Zone; • - more surveys and monitoring; • - becoming a ‘Marine Conservation Zone’

  3. The first descriptions of the seashore wildlife on Lundy are those published in 1853 by the foremost Victorian marine naturalist and writer, P.H. Gosse. • Rev. Charles Kingsley records (in Glaucus: the wonders of the shore, 1890) finding the scarlet and gold coral at Lundy. • The first systematic studies of marine ecology at Lundy were undertaken by Professor L.A. Harvey and Mrs C.C. Harvey together with students of Exeter University in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Historical perspective (pre 1970’s) • The earliest recorded marine biological studies near to Lundy are noted in the work of Forbes (1851) who took dredge samples off the east coast of the island in 1848. • Another naturalist, G. Tugwell returned from Lundy shores in 1851 "laden with all imaginable and unimaginable spoils”. • Each summer between 1934 to 1937, G.F. Tregelles visited Lundy to collect seaweeds.

  4. Photograph taken on 4th August 1969 In 1969, the first suggestions were made that Lundy could be a marine reserve My first dives on Lundy in August 1969 – fabulous marine life and the ‘icing on the cake’ – finding the sunset cup coral, first record for Britain. At the end of September 1969, following the dedication service celebrating the purchase of the island by the National Trust, John Smith of the Landmark Trust was approached about the possibility of a reserve.

  5. Publicity for the marine reserve proposal In December 1969, Heather Booker (Then Heather Machin) published an article “Conservation in the sea” in the Journal of the Devon Trust for Nature Conservation that specifically suggested Lundy as a possible reserve. Image: David Harvey

  6. There were several other folks involved in the early days: Image: David Harvey Ron Machin, Scientific Officer of the Ilfracombe & North Devon Sub-Aqua Club John Lamerton, Assistant Regional Officer, Nature Conservancy

  7. Formal consultations for a voluntary marine nature reserve started in February 1971 Nature magazine 28th May 1971 North Devon Journal Herald 1st April 1971 Express & Echo 25th March 1971 Daily Telegraph 21st March 1971

  8. Lundy Voluntary Marine Nature Reserve: established (by agreement of the management policy) in 1972 See:Hiscock, K., Grainger, I.G., Lamerton, J.F., Dawkins, H.C. & Langham, A.F. 1973. A policy for the management of the shore and seabed around Lundy. Report of the Lundy Field Society for 1972, 23, 39‑45.

  9. So, what was all of the fuss about? In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, concerns were mainly about divers taking souvenirs – many dried sea fans and sea urchins left the island in tea chests destined to be sold as curios and the population of crawfish was also being decimated by divers and by tangle netting. And, Lundy has fabulous marine life:

  10. Established richness of the rocky shores – from the words of George Tugwell in 1851, who returned from Lundy “laden with all imaginable and unimaginable spoils”

  11. The greatest variety of marine algae (307+ species) of any one locality in the British Isles

  12. A very high diversity of reef habitats (e.g. 30 different habitats – as level 4 biotopes described by drop-down video - compared with a more usual <15 for such areas).

  13. The marine fauna shows great diversity – 753 taxa listed. With the algae, Lundy has one eighth of the recorded multicellular marine species in the British Isles.

  14. Colourful marine fauna including rare and scarce species Knoll Pins, 1986

  15. All of the British shallow water corals 0 5 cm Caryophyllia smithii Caryophyllia inornata Leptopsammia pruvoti Hoplangia durotrix Balanophyllia regia Image courtesy of Robert Irving

  16. Rich communities in the undisturbed sediments off the east coast

  17. Rich fish populations Cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus

  18. Seals, Halichoerus grypus

  19. Rich in open water species, including oceanic organisms Blue jellyfish Cyanea lamarkii Buoy barnacle, Dosima fascicularis Basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus (image: David Sims)

  20. Inventory of the fauna 1971-80 Lab work in the Barn Studies of burrowing species 1974 1970s:The voluntary marine nature reserve, research, training ....

  21. Rocky shore surveys - wave -exposed shores Dead Cow Point, 1977

  22. ….. preparing interpretive material ….

  23. And, in 2011, a cancellation stamp: Lundy stamps issue:

  24. ….. and just enjoying the marine life In the 1960’s, 70’s and into the 80’s, diving at Lundy was run by Bristol Channel Divers

  25. The 1980s and 1990s: Mapping, monitoring, more research, the statutory marine nature reserve Mapping habitats in 1983

  26. In 1984, monitoring sites were established for some of the features of conservation importance

  27. Lundy statutory Marine Nature Reserve: established 21 November 1986

  28. Time to come-up for air BREAK and rolling slide show Image: Chris Pirie

  29. The past 10 years: Lundy is now an EU Special Area of Conservation, has a No-Take Zone on the east coast and the MNR designation has been changed to ‘Marine Conservation Zone’

  30. The No Take Zone: gains from conservation at Lundy

  31. Spatial sampling for lobsters & crabs

  32. Abundances of lobsters • ANOVA tests: • Year x NTZ vs Control: • Non significant • (F3,3 = 0.19, P = 0.89) • Year x NTZ vs Reference: • Non significant • (F3,3= 5.25, P = 0.10) Near Far

  33. The numbers of Necora puber being caught in traps has fallen since lobster numbers have risen – is there a link? 27 A next question to address is “what impact, if any, has the increased lobster population had on other benthic species?”

  34. Lundy shores – 60 years on

  35. The next day and the next day’s weather

  36. Sorting quantitative samples from Coralline turfs

  37. Measuring toothed topshells – a climate change indicator species

  38. Subtidal ‘condition’ monitoring – September 2010

  39. Natural England staff undertaking rocky shore surveys

  40. Harpoon weed, Asparagopsis armata Lundy is changing: alien species Wire weed Sargassum muticum

  41. Lundy is changing: warming seas Topshell Osilinus lineatus

  42. New discoveries Asterina phylactica

  43. New technology, new images (multi-beam sonar)

  44. Lundy attracts a large numbers of divers

  45. And ‘Britain’s secret seas’, May 2010, screening soon Always, media interest: ‘Coast’ - filmed on 4 & 5 September 2008

  46. And, always new things to do and discover

  47. Finding-out more about marine life www.marlin.ac.uk/learningzone

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