Wildlife and conservation review 2002
There is also a requirement to undertake monitoring of aerial pollution loads on Hatfield Forest
(which is predicted to decline in the future as more efficient jet engines are developed and used);
and monitoring of nocturnal invertebrates of East End Wood, immediately outside the airport fence.
One of the aims of the latter was to investigate the status of the green laccwing Nineta inpunctata
at its only UK site. This work has now been undertaken by Colin Plant: it failed to locate the target
species (perhaps not surprising as only one specimen has ever been found in Britain, and very few
from anywhere else in Europe), but concluded that management of the site is likely to be on the
right track - even though nothing is known about its ecology However, Colin did produce a good
series of moth records (353 species - 166 micros, 187 macros), including the Nationally Scarce
Sitochroa palealis (a Carrot feeder) and 59 Local species, mainly associated with trees and shrubs,
notably a few which are dependent on Aspen. Interesting records included Ectoedemia argyropeza,
Pseudosciaphila branderiana, Ancylis laetana, Poplar Lutestring, Chocolate-tip and Dingy Shears.
Non-moth invertebtrates included the RDB sawfly Pontania versicolor, forming galls on Sallow
and primarily northern in distribution, and 17 Local species. There may not have been a huge
number of less-than-common species, but they are certainly indicative of the value of the wood,
and will form a useful baseline against which to assess any impacts of additional airport lighting
and changes in the pollution regime.
But before this expansion was even permitted, Government announced its consultation on the
potential for providing additional airport capacity in the south-east. One of the options was for
additional runways (up to 3) at Stansted, which not surprisingly caused a major public outcry. The
potential environmental impacts include additional disturbance and pollution, and significant land-
take, including ancient woods, as some of the additional runways are proposed as being a considerable
distance from the existing airport infrastructure. Of course, this is a double-edged sword - if it does
go ahead, there may be considerable opportunities for landscape-scale habitat creation and restoration
over a broad swathe of north-west Essex, around the new airport facilities.
Also proposed was Cliffe in north Kent. This would result in major wetland and woodland habitat
loss, Northward Hill and its famous heronry would be flattened. There would be huge impacts on
the Thames Estuary and its birds (both breeding and wintering), on both sides of the river. This
proposal spawned a massive No Airport@Cliffe campaign, which was co-ordinated by the RSPB,
a major landowner in the north Kent marshes.
The Thames Estuary has a mean peak of nearly 170,000 waterfowl, while the nearby Medway has
some 60,000, plus numerous gulls and other species, which would constitute a major risk of bird
strike. This risk was confirmed in a report (March 2003) by BTO and the Central Science Laboratory,
which also looked at the potential for reducing the level of risk by the 'aggressive management' of
birds in area (involving scaring and widespread habitat destruction, etc). It concluded that even if
such methods were fully employed, a significant risk would remain - after all, birds do move around
- and that without a comprehensive bird management programme, incorporating careful and
considered airport design, appropriate habitat management and removal, and active bird control,
an airport could not operate safely in this location. Even with such 'world-class' management and
mitigation measures in place, it is not considered possible to reduce the risk to a level similar to
that experienced at other UK airports - the model suggested that an aircraft loss due to bird strike
would be expected every 102-297 years. The range for existing large UK airports is 304-1210 yrs
(average 654) - the risk posed by birds at the proposed Cliffe airport is considered to be greater
than most, if not all, major airports in the UK. At the time of writing, however, Cliffe is still an
option for consideration.
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 20 (2003)