Help student conservationists save the bees

A group of student zoologists from Newquay are creating a buzz around their important new conservation project.

The Back Garden Bee Project, consisting of seven Applied Zoology & Conservation degree students from Cornwall College Newquay, have made it their mission to raise awareness on bees and their importance in the natural world. The group was formed around the Conservation Project Management module of their degree programme and has united the students in their passion to offer a helping hand to this global issue.

Student Ria Arabin from the team, said: “Bees may seem small in size but they are colossal with regards to ecological influence. We formed the Back Garden Bee Project to provide people with an insight into the incredible life of bees, providing information on what exactly is causing their decline and most importantly how everyone can get involved to help give them a much needed boost!”

Bees are the most important pollinator of food crops in the natural world and as pollination is essential to the growth of much of the food sources we rely on as humans, the ongoing decline in bee numbers would have global implications if it continues. As Albert Einstein famously once said:  “No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”


Luckily, there are many simple changes that anyone can make to help bee populations in our own back gardens. Student Jessica Cranston explains: “By adding a few simple things to your garden you can turn it into a bee haven and help fight their decline! No matter what size garden you have, your level of gardening skills, available equipment, money or time, there are small changes you can make to help. Whether that is adding a window box full of their favourite flowers or planting a wild flower patch in your garden, every little thing will help your local bees.”

Fellow student Jamie McIlhatton continues: “Making more informed consumer choices is also really important. Supporting our local bee keepers and purchasing local honey rather than going for the easy, cheaper option at the supermarket will be integral to bee conservation in the future. You can visit your local farm shop or organic health food store for your best chance to find some local honey or even check out local bee keepers online. It’s a small change to make that can make a big difference, not to mention that local honey is delicious!”

The team of students have been spreading their conservation message online via social media and their own web site, as well as visiting local schools including a day spent at Summercourt Academy constructing DIY insect hotels with around 120 school children.

Jessica Cranston explains: “In addition to buying one from a local garden centre, anyone can make a contained insect hotel themselves, all the family can get involved and you can make it look however you want! You can go foraging in your garden or local woods to find wood, bark, pinecones, sticks and logs. The only challenging part is making the frame to fill, however there are resources online to show you how. It is also beneficial to the insects once inside, to cover the entire outside it wire mesh as this prevents predation from birds! We have a more detailed blog post that explains the process we went through to make our insect hotel on our website.”





For more information on The Back Garden Bee Project visit:

http://backgardenbeeproject.wixsite.com/website or search Back Garden Bee Project on Facebook.

 

For more information on the range of wildlife, conservation and marine science courses available across The Cornwall College Group visit www.cornwall.ac.uk or call 0330 123 2523.

Borneo research trip 2017

Written by Tamar Davis, FdSc Conservation & Ecology

In April 2017, I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to Danau Girang Field Centre for ten days with ten other students and three members of staff. We took part in numerous surveys which contributed to seven years’ worth of data collected by Cornwall College. Either side of the field course, we visited local conservation centres; explored Koto Kinabalu; and completed coral reef checks at Mantanani Island. The experience allowed us to use several survey techniques in a new environment and expand our knowledge of the projects taking place at Danau Girang.

To allow us to acclimatise, the first couple of days were spent in Sepilok, visiting the Orang Utan and Sun Bear Rehabilitation Centres, and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. This was a great introduction to the wildlife found in Sabah as well as an amazing opportunity to see such amazing animals such a short distance away. There were 44 sun bears at the centre that were undergoing the rehabilitation process to be rereleased. It was devastating to see so many sun bears in need of help, but so inspiring to see the conservation efforts of the local people.

                              

  We transferred to Danau Girang Field Centre where we were introduced to the team and the projects currently based at the centre. The buildings at DG were surrounded by riparian forest, which meant we were in constant contact with the wildlife around us. A family of macaques resided close to the centre and often appeared on the main path and outside our dormitory windows. A mother and baby orang utan, a wild boar and a civet also made appearances just metres from us and the buildings. Having such amazing animals so close to us made it hard for us to believe they were wild, but were reminders of what an incredible place DG is and how lucky we were to be living within such a remarkable environment.

In between the rain, we conducted surveys on the Kinabatangan River and in the forest. These included bird surveys; primate surveys; night frog surveys; fish surveys; camera trapping; fish and crustacean traps; moth surveys; and river profiling. During these surveys, we saw a diverse range of species including kingfishers, hornbills, and eagles; proboscis monkeys, macaques, and langurs; and brown bull frogs; tree frogs, and microhyla frogs. Being part of these surveys gave us the opportunity to learn and practice new techniques which we can use in the future.



A highlight of these ten days for me was the night walks. Walking slowly and silently through the forest at nigh allowed us to see a variety of unusual invertebrates including stick insects, mantis, and a Arctiine Moth pupa. The complexity of the invertebrates really made me appreciate the environment I was in and refuelled my fascination of the natural world and passion for conserving it for future generations to learn from and enjoy.




 After spending a night in Kota Kinabalu, we transferred to Mantanani Island, where the variety of surveys continued. During the day, several snorkelling trips took place to survey fish, marine invertebrates, and coral. In the evenings, we watched to sunset together and counted the frigate birds. We also had the opportunity to take part in early morning scrub fowl surveys and night walks to survey the endemic Mantanani scops owl. These surveys and this environment was a huge contrast to what we had experienced in DG, but equally as amazing and valuable.





The whole experience was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone willing to learn a vast range of survey techniques in a new and exciting environment, surrounded by like-minded and inspiring people. As a group, we have all become closer and have continued to remain in more constant contact than we did before we left, sharing our memories and discussing what conclusions can be made from the data we collected. I am very thankful to the lecturers who made the trip possible and allowed it to be so incredible and valuable.

 For more information on the Zoology, Surf & Marine Science courses available at Cornwall College Newquay please visit www.cornwall.ac.uk or call 0330 123 2523.