Summary

Chairman's Introduction - Going Global

• Increasingly, the focus of JNCC's work is on nature conservation worldwide.

Wetlands no longer cut and dried

• The degradation and loss of wetlands is more rapid than that for other ecosystems.

Taking flight for top honour

• David Stroud (JNCC's Senior Ornithological Adviser) received the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement Waterbird Conservation Award 2005.

UK leads on conservation of sharks and petrels

• The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is the international agreement which enables many countries to take co-ordinated action to conserve migratory species around the world.

Committee briefs

• Brief biographies for the thirteen members of committee.

Seabed mapping programmes will plug knowledge gaps for new European Marine Directive

• In October 2005 the European Commission released its proposals for a new Marine Strategy Directive, which will complement the existing Water Framework Directive.

Analysing the clues on Avian Influenza

• JNCC re-affirms that culling of wild birds is not an appropriate control response for H5N1.

Fossil mammals and birds before the Ice Age

• A new book published by JNCC charts the evolution of early mammals and birds.

MESHing together

• MESH partners attend an intercalibration workshop organised by Ifremer.

• Widespread starvation of seabirds occurred in some of the UK's largest and most renowned colonies around Scotland's north-west coast.

Involving people in geodiversity

• A short booklet entitled Involving People in Geodiversity has recently been published.