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Conservationists welcome new protections for seabirds
The Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast is home to species such as the pied avocet.
Plans include new and extended special protection areas

Conservationists have welcomed plans announced by the government to help protect England’s rare and vulnerable seabirds, including new and extended special protection areas and a comprehensive Seabird Conservation Strategy.

Martin Harper, director of global conservation at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), hailed the announcement as a ‘first step’ in tackling the growing problem of species decline.

“Many seabirds are declining at an alarming rate, both globally and across the UK,” he said. “We welcome today’s announcement by the government to reverse these deadlines through a comprehensive Seabird Conservation Strategy.”

The plans were announced by environment minister Rebeca Pow earlier this month following an evidence-based assessment carried out by Natural England. They include new and extended special protection areas (SPA) designed to protected seabirds from human activity, such as outdoor recreation or fishing, and will be designated in the Solent and near Middlesborough.

Some 1,000 pairs of three species of tern will benefit from the Solent SPA, which will span an area equivalent to 125,000 football pitches. The Solent area is the fifth most important foraging site in the UK for little tern and the seventh most important for common tern during the breeding season.

The Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SPA will be extended by 109 km2 to an area the equivalent of more than 17,000 football pitches. With this extension in place, more than 25,000 birds, such as pied avocet, ruff and migratory red knot, will receive greater protection.

“The UK continues to be a world leader in cutting carbon emissions and pushing for greater protections for marine life around our coast and in the global ocean,” commented Rebecca Pow. “As the devastating impacts of climate change are only too visible, it is vital that we take decisive steps now that make a real difference to help protect our wildlife and allow vulnerable species to recover.

“We have already protected important nesting sites for seabirds, such as the little tern, and these new and additional protections to their feeding grounds, together with the development of a new strategy to protect our seabirds, will help the coastal environment recover, develop and, importantly, thrive.”

The environment minister has also confirmed a comprehensive Seabird Conservation Strategy, which will be published in December 2020. This will assess the vulnerability of each species in light of the pressures they face and propose actions to address them.

Martin Harper added: “It will be a first step in tackling this growing problem and is something that the RSPB has been calling for. We look forward to working with the UK Government to make sure that these islands remain globally important for seabirds.”

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.