Spatial and temporal variation in the prevalence of illegal lead shot in reared and wild mallards harvested in England.

The use of lead shotgun ammunition for shooting wildfowl has been restricted in England since 1999, but surveys finding lead shot in harvested birds show compliance with regulations has been low. Following the announcement in 2020 of a voluntary transition from lead to non-lead shot by UK shooting organizations, we investigated spatiotemporal variation in the composition of ammunition used for shooting mallards Anas platyrhynchos. We collected 176 harvested mallards during the 2021/22 shooting season and analyzed recent shot extracted from carcasses to determine shot composition. Using a separate collection of ducks of known provenance, we used stable isotope analysis as a means of differentiating captive-reared from wild mallards. This allowed us to understand how compliance might vary between driven game shooters, characterized by shooting birds that are flushed over a stationary line of shooters, and who primarily harvest captive-reared and released ducks, and wild duck shooters. Of 133 mallards containing recent shot, 92 (69%) had been illegally shot with lead. Analysis of this and five comparable surveys between 2001 and 2019 indicates regional and temporal variation in lead shot presence in England. In the North West and West Midlands, the likelihood of mallards containing lead shot decreased significantly over time, but no other regions showed significant changes. The use of non-lead shot types varied over time, with increases in steel shot use approximately matched by declines in bismuth shot. Mallards likely to be reared were more likely to have been shot with lead (75%) than those likely to be wild (48%). This suggests the use of lead shot is more frequent among driven game shooters than wild duck shooters. In England in 2021/22, most mallards continued to be shot with lead, suggesting that neither legislation nor voluntary approaches have been effective in substantially reducing illegal use of lead shot.

Sarcocystis rileyi in UK free-living wildfowl (Anatidae): surveillance, histopathology and first molecular characterisation.

BACKGROUND: Reports from UK hunters of 'rice grains' in muscles of shot wildfowl (Anatidae) coincided temporally with the finding of sarcocystosis in a number of ducks found as part of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust long-term general surveillance of found dead waterbirds. Sarcocystis rileyi has also been relatively recently confirmed in wildfowl in north-eastern Europe. METHODS: This study uses four approaches to investigate UK wildfowl sarcocystosis: first, through a hunter questionnaire that captured historical case data; secondly, through an online reporting system; thirdly, DNA sequencing to characterise UK cases; and fourthly, histological myopathy assessment of infected pectoral muscle. RESULTS: Our questionnaire results suggest Sarcocystis infection is widely distributed throughout the UK and observed in 10 Anatidae species, reported cases increased since the 2010/2011 shooting season, with the online reporting system reflecting this increase. DNA sequencing (18S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer-1 region) of UK isolates confirmed S rileyi in the five dabbling duck host species tested and the associated histopathological myopathy is described. CONCLUSION: This work highlights an emerging issue to European wildfowl species and provides much opportunity for further research, including the impacts of S rileyi and the described myopathy on host health, fitness and survival.

The Application of Wearable Technology to Quantify Health and Wellbeing Co-benefits From Urban Wetlands.

Improved nature provision in urban environments offers great potential for achieving both biodiversity conservation and public health objectives. Yet there are few experimental studies that address links between specific natural environments and physiological and/or psychological changes that could contribute to the health and wellbeing co-benefits of urban nature. In addition, relative to green space, the salutogenic impact of aquatic environments are understudied. Here, we present a feasibility study examining the use of low-cost wearable technology to quantify the psychophysiological effects of short-term exposure to urban wetlands. The study took place at the WWT London Wetland Centre, which is characterized by its contrasting biodiverse wetland habitat and surrounding urban setting. Thirty-six healthy participants experienced counterbalanced exposures to an indoor space, a wetland, an urban site. We continuously recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) data and real-time physiological stress responses; with additional monitoring of post-exposure self-reported mood states. We found a significant effect of site on mean resting heart rate (HR), with increased HR in the urban setting, although this was only observed in participants with pre-existing high stress. We found no significant differences in other measures of physiological stress responses (heart rate variability and electrodermal activity). The EEG data showed modulation of high beta band activity only in the wetland setting, potentially related to changes in attention. However, the EEG findings were confounded by low quality signals and artifacts caused by movement and environmental interference. Assessments of self-reported mood states demonstrated an increase in positive feelings in the wetland setting. A pronounced decrease in negative feelings in the wetland setting was observed in stressed individuals only. Our results suggest that pre-existing stress levels may be an important modulator of the salutogenic effect of blue-green space. We provide partial support for the hypothesis that exposure to blue-green space promotes stress recovery and for the use of low-cost psychophysiological measurements to quantify the potential stress-reducing effects of blue-green space exposure in urban dwellers. Further technological refinement is required for this approach to become a viable tool to support evidence-based decision-making for public health and green/blue space provision.