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Ownerless Property Is There Such a – Multiverse

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Ownerless Property – Is There Such a Thing in the UK?

The Land Registry in the UK has recently campaigned to encourage more people to come forward to register their property or land but at present over 40% of land is still unregistered in England and Wales. As HM Land Registry points out all land is owned by someone. Even if a person with no relatives has died without leaving a will there will still be an owner, they might not even know they are the owner!Is the recent improvement in house prices going to last? Or is it a temporary blip in a downward trend? Why 2010 may well see another “mini” crash before prices finally stabilise and a new boom starts around 2013. Real estate In case you haven’t noticed, the Federal Government has been putting a lot of different programs into place to try to lift the effects of the crisis. One of these new measures is in the form of the new loan modification program. somerset bellevue wa real estate Are you in real estate and struggling? Are you disappointed at the results and are perhaps thinking to going back to a 9-5 job boring corporate job? Have you seen your profits shrink? Real property It is not uncommon for a lending institution to ask for a home appraisal either when the home is being purchased or when a homeowner wishes to refinance a home. The home appraisal is simply a valuation of the current market price of a home and it takes many different factors into account. somerset bellevue wa The construction and building industry is extremely large and although it took a bit of a fall during the recession it is not back on the increase with new building developments popping up all over the place. No matter what developments start be it commercial buildings or housing the same equipment is still required for both. There is an awful lot of building equipment that can be used and a lot of companies that supply it… More and more people are turning to online conveyancing quotes in these difficult economic times, as people struggle to keep costs down and moving house is fraught with danger. If you’re really tight for cash, but you also want the very best service, then looking online is almost certainly the option for you!

Private Mortgage Notes, often referred to as Owner Financed Notes, are more and more common in today’s economy. Owner Financing offers advantages that traditional lending methods do not in the sale of real estate. Conversely, situations change, and the note holder may need to rethink his position. Lien waivers are critical if you hire contractors for work; otherwise, subcontractors could place a lien on your property if they are not paid. Why would someone place a lien on my home if I paid for the work? Real Estate (band) he Federal Government is trying another solution for its slumping housing market. There have been millions of property foreclosures since the start of the crisis and Obama has decided that it’s time to do something about it. He has decided to put a loan modification program into affect to slow these foreclosures down. bellevue real estate agents Private Mortgage Notes, often referred to as Owner Financed Notes, are more and more common in today’s economy. Owner Financing offers advantages that traditional lending methods do not in the sale of real estate. Conversely, situations change, and the note holder may need to rethink his position. Category:Real estate Private Mortgage Notes, often referred to as Owner Financed Notes, are more and more common in today’s economy. Owner Financing offers advantages that traditional lending methods do not in the sale of real estate. Conversely, situations change, and the note holder may need to rethink his position. bellevue real estate agent Home damage due to natural reasons such as rain or snow is truly regrettable. However, receiving a home repair grant is the appropriate solution. There are places that you can look for financial assistance and find if you are eligible and qualify for the home repair grant. Costa Rica has always presented the world with one of the best eco-friendly environments to live in. Its towns have always been attracting tourists with its natural beauty and diversified climatic conditions seen only in few other parts of Central America. The development activities undertaken over the past few years have left its tropical forests and assorted vegetation untouched, but it has surely enhanced the trade and tourism activities in various parts of the country.

For those seeking help making their mortgage payments, one more option just popped up. The Federal Government has created a program for those in dire circumstances to lower their monthly payments, amongst other benefits and help them out of a tough time. Real estate investing Buyers and sellers have their own standards when it comes to buying a property. Sellers would wish to dispose their properties based on what is the market’s condition. However, something that does not go on with their plans is unacceptable.Many individuals involved in real estate and real estate investing are somewhat confused and bewildered because of all the bad news about today’s real estate market. But think about it. Aren’t there still people out there who need to sell a house? And aren’t there still people out there who need a place to live – who are ready to buy a house? Real estate broker Sussex is one of those places that offer plenty of great scenic views and top-notch properties which are both suitable for first-time buyers and for people looking to retire to a different location. Many of the properties for sale in Sussex tend to be located near the countryside areas or nearby city areas that are within close proximity of various amenities and services, such as schools, hospitals and other significant businesses. This is also a place for people looking to buy a new flat or house, which can very often make for a better deal than an older house, which may incur extra costs for renovation and refurbishment work.The super luxury home market in the South Bay beach cities area of Los Angeles, CA has held steady over the last few years. The challenge is that the current inventory of unsold homes stands at about 19 months. Many appear to be spec homes. To become a real estate agent is very easy. About schools, that is one question to ask the brokers.

Home inspection is essentially important especially for first time home buyers who are not yet familiar with the different system of the real estate industry. Both home sellers and buyers may hire home inspectors for different purposes and objectives. The former needs his property inspected prior to home appraisals or visits from potential buyers. This is to make sure that he gets a high market value for his property when put up in the market list. It is also very important to have your property inspected to determine areas that need immediate repairs and fixtures so that when you home buyer comes to visit, probably with his own home inspector, they will not find any flaws with your property. Real estate (Second Life) Cleveland, Ohio is a good place to live. It is made up of many small neighborhoods with streets lined with small shops and restaurants. It also has many cultural opportunities such as the art museum, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For most people buying a house is the biggest financial investment they will ever make which means it should be done properly. Choosing the right conveyancing solicitor can sometimes be tricky we have some tips for you. Real estate development When looking for foreclosed HUD houses, you can find free listings that can save you valuable time trying to locate the properties within a particular geographical area. These listings usually have only foreclosed homes on them, so that most of the locating has already been done for you. Most foreclosed homes are not typically listed on a standard real estate property listing.When you first start looking at Houses for sale you have a choice to make: do you want to deal with this on your own or do you want to have an experienced Real Estate agent working on your behalf? This is a question that many people actually never end up answering in a way that works best for them and wind up taking a deal that could have been different if they knew what a Realtor knows about dealing with houses and home owners. Everyone knows that we need to distinguish ourselves from the competition. Everywhere we look, buyers and sellers have better access to the information that they used to be able to get only from us. So what is it that we have to offer them? The same thing we have always had to offer, but we never talked about.

When looking for foreclosed HUD houses, you can find free listings that can save you valuable time trying to locate the properties within a particular geographical area. These listings usually have only foreclosed homes on them, so that most of the locating has already been done for you. Most foreclosed homes are not typically listed on a standard real estate property listing. Real estate in the People’s Republic of China Are you in real estate and struggling? Are you disappointed at the results and are perhaps thinking to going back to a 9-5 job boring corporate job? Have you seen your profits shrink?One day as I waited for my Squadron Commander and First Sergent to finish inspecting the house we lived in, to make sure it was clean and in good repair, a thought struck me. Why am I putting up with having someone come in and tell me whether I am keeping this house clean enough, in all the years I lived with my parents, nobody ever came in to inspect the property. That is when I decided, I want to buy my own house. Real Estate (album) When purchasing a home, one of the most important last steps you will take is to have the house inspected by a certified home inspector. It is in your best interest to have a grasp on the kinds of things the inspector will be looking for. Here’s more about it.A report focusing on the Canadian housing market situation of 2008 and the 1st half of 2009 was recently released by The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It deals mainly with the housing starts and with the affordability to rent buy. Does your agent need to be “local”? Or is trusting an agent and knowing they will work hard for you much more important? What you need to think about when choosing an agent.

Source: http://update.multiverse.net/wiki/index.php/Ownerless_Property_Is_There_Such_a

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Jan

Jane Carrey, Daughter of Jim, Auditions for American Idol

Move over, Jim Carrey! Another family member is on the way to Hollywood.

On last night’s San Diego-based audition episode, 24-year old Jane Carrey tried out for American Idol, shocking Jennifer Lopez, who worked with her father way back in the day on In Living Color.

Seemingly a very normal waitress with a very cute family, Jane covered the Bonnie Raitt classic “Something to Talk About” and received a Golden Ticket based on merit, not her famous, funny connections. Watch her try out below, followed by a call to her father with the good news:

Jane Carrey American Idol Audition

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/01/jane-carrey-daughter-of-jim-auditions-for-american-idol/

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Jan

Poll: NJ residents like having their gas pumped (AP)

TRENTON, N.J. ? New Jersey residents aren’t primed about pumping their own gasoline.

A new poll shows nearly two-thirds support the state rule requiring that only station attendants can pump gas in the Garden State.

Forty-eight states allow self-serve gas pumps. Only New Jersey and Oregon do not.

The Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll released Monday finds 63 percent of respondents like New Jersey’s current law, while 23 percent oppose it and 14 percent aren’t sure.

The poll finds Democrats and women are more strongly in favor of having their gas pumped by someone else than are Republicans and men.

The telephone poll of 800 registered New Jersey voters was taken between Jan. 2-8 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

___

On the Web: http://publicmind.fdu.edu

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120123/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gas_pumping_poll_new_jersey

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Jan

Giffords meets with other survivors in Tucson

FILE – This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

This video image provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, walking. Giffords announced Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

FILE – In this Jan. 2, 2012, file photo Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, reacts after leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six othersin Tucson, Ariz. Giffords said Sunday Jan, 22, 2012, that she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

This video image provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords announcing her plans to resign, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? In what could be one of her last acts in office, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has met with other survivors and supporters more than a year after gunfire interrupted a spontaneous meet-and-greet session.

The meeting occurred Monday in the Tucson office of Giffords, who announced Sunday that she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from the assassination attempt that shook the country.

Among those who met Monday with Giffords was Pat Maisch, who was hailed as a hero for wrestling a gun magazine from the shooter.

Maisch, who was not injured herself, says it was touching that Giffords finished the meeting that was interrupted

She also says she would love to see Giffords continue in office but understands that she needs to take care of herself.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-23-Giffords/id-6ec21a7dddba44a897a0ef637380103d

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Jan

FERC gives wave energy developer one month

The Mendocino Coast’s only wave energy proposal was tasked with a New Year’s resolution by the federal agency in charge ? fix the paperwork.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice of deficiency to Green Wave Mendocino Wave Park on Dec. 29. The notice requires Green Wave to identify this month how many wave energy devices would be placed in the ocean under its proposal for a large-scale wave energy plant.

Green Wave is seeking an exclusive three-year lease from FERC to study wave energy off the Mendocino Coast in a 17-square-mile area centered on the town of Mendocino, where it proposes to bring electric connections onshore.

Unlike in the past, Green Wave’s paperwork problem is minor. In fact, Green Wave has said throughout the process that its proposal is intended to find the best technology and figure out the number of units from that process.

FERC told the Southern California company, which includes State Senator Tony Strickland, a major figure in the Republican Party in California, the application must include a number of total units by the end of January.

“While you have provided proposed installed capacity and estimated the annual production of the proposed project, you have not identified the estimated number of generating units. Given the range in rating capacity of different unit types, we are unable to determine a number for the proposed units. Please provide an estimated or range for the number of units that would

be installed within the proposed project boundaries,” FERC wrote.

Green Wave’s plan would generate much more electricity than any other local proposal dreamed. Chevron and PG&E are among those to have proposed wave energy arrays off the Mendocino Coast in the past.

“The application states the rating capacity of the different types of generation technology [Pelamis and OPT] ranges from 150 to 750 kilowatts and the proposed 100 megawatt (MW) Mendocino Wave Park is estimated to produce 250,000 megawatt hours per year.

That ambitious estimate would be enough for 100,000 homes, according to the most commonly used formulas to translate megawatts into usage.

A bigger challenge for Green Wave may be conducting a public process on the Mendocino Coast. Green Wave had been issued the permits it now seeks back in 2009, but those permits were thrown out by FERC last fall, citing repeatedly late paperwork and general answers to specific questions.

The current application has far more specifics.

In 2010, Green Wave promised FERC meetings would be held on the Mendocino Coast involving the firm; those meetings were never held. The company did hire a top consultant and form a partnership with a company actively developing wave energy on the West Coast, but never made any public appearances at numerous public forums on wave energy here, nor met with county or city officials.

That would be required, if FERC grants the permit to Green Wave.

A three-year preliminary permit gives a developer exclusive study rights to an area, and more importantly, automatic first priority for a FERC license at the end of three years.

Now that Green Wave has filed for the permit, FERC will review the application and decide whether to again grant a preliminary permit. FERC has established a process to weed out purely speculative permit applications and requires anyone holding a permit to file periodic reports.

There is no guarantee when FERC will make a decision on Green Wave’s application. FERC’s review period has lasted from weeks to nearly a year in the past.

Source: http://www.advocate-news.com/ci_19727694?source=rss_viewed

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Jan

Confidence in eurozone improves despite downgrades (AP)

PARIS ? France and Spain on Thursday sailed through their first bond market tests since Standard & Poor’s downgraded their credit ratings last week, a sign that politicians and central bankers have at least temporarily stemmed the spread of Europe’s debt crisis.

Worries about the 17-nation eurozone have receded since the start of the year, with stocks rallying consistently and bond yields ? the rate countries pay to borrow ? sliding.

Analysts warn, however, that those gains may simply be riding an absence of bad news ? a looming recession could hinder efforts to slash deficits while Greece depends on a deal with banks to avoid a disastrous default this spring.

Spain and France held successful short-term debt auctions earlier in the week. Spain’s success is at least partially thanks to the European Central Bank’s massive injection of cheap money into the financial sector in December and its regular purchases of Spanish and Italian debt.

But the latest auctions on Thursday were for longer-term bonds and were considered the first real tests of confidence in those countries.

Both easily hit their targets thanks to strong demand, while the borrowing rates fell, an indication investors are still happy to invest in them and have largely shrugged off S&P’s decision to downgrade nine eurozone countries because of concerns over Europe’s ability to get a grip on the crisis.

The auction results also boosted confidence in the region’s banks, particularly those that are heavily exposed to bonds in countries like Greece and Italy.

Shares in France’s Societe Generale soared 12 percent, Italy’s UniCredit 11 percent and Deutsche Bank 8 percent. Germany’s Commerzbank jumped 12 percent after it said it would be able to increase its capital cushions without government help.

Despite the raft of good news, Howard Wheeldon, an analyst with BGC Partners, warned that “time is running out” to find a true solution to Europe’s problems, which he said lies only with increased support in bond markets from the European Central Bank. The bank has intervened only in limited ways, saying its mandate does not allow it to go on the kind of bond-buying spree that the U.S. Federal Reserve has, for instance.

“The solution to Europe’s crisis must come through partner agreement that enables the European Central Bank to be given a proper mandate to act,” he said. “Meanwhile all that Europe has essentially agreed so far is what in air traffic parlance would be regarded as achieving a holding pattern.”

Greece’s ability to avoid default is one of the main unresolved issues.

The Greek government this week restarted debt negotiations with its private creditors to persuade them to take at least 50 percent losses on their Greek bonds.

The talks had faltered recently but will need to produce a deal if Greece is to avoid default this spring ? the European countries ponying up the money for bailout loans have said they won’t make up the difference.

Greece is in a unique situation because it’s clear it can never pay back all the money it owes, and so is asking banks to forgive some of its debt.

A rise in government borrowing rates has been at the heart of Europe’s debt crisis, and three countries ? Greece, Ireland and Portugal ? have been forced to seek bailout loans to avoid bankruptcy when they could no longer afford to raise money in markets.

There had been concerns last summer that Spain and Italy would be the next to be squeezed out of markets and that the crisis would then knock at France’s door. Pressure has eased considerably since then, but Spain is still struggling with a swollen deficit and eurozone-high 21.5 percent unemployment rate.

The yield on Spain’s 10-year bonds hit nearly 7 percent late last year, while Italy’s traded well above that level, before an ECB bond-buying program helped to drive them down. Changes of government in both Madrid and Rome have also helped restore confidence in the countries’ ability to pass reforms and reactivate their ailing economies.

On Thursday, Spain’s Treasury raised euro6.6 billion ($8.5 billion) from markets, much more than its initial aim of between euro3.5 billion and euro4.5 billion, in debt maturing in 2016, 2019 and 2022.

The interest rate on the 10-year bonds was 5.40 percent, down from 5.54 percent in the last such auction in December, while demand was 2.2 times the amount on offer.

France’s situation is far less serious than Spain’s but as the eurozone’s second-largest economy any hint that it is struggling to fund itself would be disastrous for market confidence in the euro. Last year, the benchmark yield on its 10-year bonds rose to near 4 percent, almost twice Germany’s.

But the new year has brought that rate down closer to 3 percent and on Thursday, France easily sold euro9.5 billion ($12.2 billion) in bonds.

The interest rates on the two-year, three-year, four-year and 10-year bonds the Treasury sold all fell significantly. The rate on 30-year inflation-linked bonds held steady.

Though S&P’s downgrade hasn’t had a big impact in the markets, the loss of the AAA rating was a severe blow to France’s self-image and is shaping up to be a major factor in presidential elections this spring.

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has brushed it off as only a minor setback and noted that the other two major agencies have maintained France’s AAA.

“In these circumstances, the only solution is calm, distance, courage, the courage to make decisions,” Sarkozy told business leaders Thursday. “It’s not the agencies that make state policy.”

But the opposition Socialists, whose candidate Francois Hollande is leading polls, have been using it as a rallying cry, saying it reflects the failure of Sarkozy’s policies.

___

Sylvie Corbet in Lyon, France, Daniel Woolls in Madrid and Derek Gatapoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120119/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_financial_crisis

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Jan

Researchers use sugar to halt esophageal cancer in its tracks

ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2012) ? Scientists working at the Medical Research Council have identified changes in the patterns of sugar molecules that line pre-cancerous cells in the esophagus, a condition called Barrett’s dysplasia, making it much easier to detect and remove these cells before they develop into esophageal cancer. These findings, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, have important implications for patients and may help to monitor their condition and prevent the development of cancer.

Esophageal cancer is the fifth biggest cause of cancer death in the United Kingdom and the eighth leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States. Moreover, the number of people diagnosed with this disease is increasing rapidly. Individuals with a pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s esophagus are at an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer, and need to be closely monitored to make sure that the disease is not progressing.

Dysplasia offers a stage at which cancer can be prevented by removing these cells. However correctly identifying these areas has proved to be problematic, as they can easily be missed during endoscopy and biopsy, which only take samples from a small part of the esophagus. This can result in false reassurance for patients in whom their dysplasia has been missed, and conversely those without dysplasia having to undergo further unnecessary treatments.

The team, based at the MRC Cancer Cell Unit in Cambridge, was led by Dr. Rebecca Fitzgerald and included New York University’s Lara Mahal, an associate professor of chemistry, and William Eng, a laboratory technician.

The researchers discovered a new mechanism for identifying Barrett’s dysplasia cells by spraying on a fluorescent probe that sticks to sugars and lights up any abnormal areas during endoscopy. By analyzing the sugars present in human tissue samples taken from different stages on the pathway to cancer — using microarray technology developed by NYU’s Mahal — they found that there were different sugar molecules present on the surface of the pre-cancerous cells. This technology uses sugar binding proteins, known as lectins, to identify changes in sugars and pinpointed carbohydrate binding wheat germ proteins as a potential diagnostic. When the wheat germ proteins, attached to a fluorescent tag that glows under a specific type of light, were sprayed onto tissue samples, it showed decreased binding in areas of dysplasia, and these cells were clearly marked compared with the glowing green background.

“The rise in cases of esophageal cancer both in the UK and throughout the Western world means that it is increasingly important to find ways of detecting it as early as possible,” Fitzgerald said. “Our work has many potential benefits for those with Barrett’s esophagus who have an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer.”

“We have demonstrated that binding of a wheat germ protein, which is cheap and non-toxic, can identify differences in surface sugars on pre-cancerous cells,” she added. “And when coupled with fluorescence imaging using an endoscopic camera, this technique offers a promising new way of finding and then treating patients with the highest risk of developing esophageal cancer, at the earliest stage.”

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by New York University, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Elizabeth L Bird-Lieberman, Andr? A Neves, Pierre Lao-Sirieix, Maria O’Donovan, Marco Novelli, Laurence B Lovat, William S Eng, Lara K Mahal, Kevin M Brindle, Rebecca C Fitzgerald. Molecular imaging using fluorescent lectins permits rapid endoscopic identification of dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus. Nature Medicine, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nm.2616

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120115135923.htm

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Jan

Here’s What The iPad 3, 4, and 5 Will Look Like [Ipad3]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/0hM01QjT29g/heres-what-the-ipad-3-4-and-5-will-look-like

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Jan

Video: Closing Countdown

Kate Moore, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research, discusses the market action heading into the close.

Feeding areas key for conservation

13 January 2012 Last updated at 10:42 ET By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News Continue reading the main story

The UK is an internationally important breeding site for a range of species, including puffins

The feeding patterns of seabirds around the UK coastline can be can used to help identify the location of possible marine protection areas, a study says.

Researchers compiled data on 25 species’ foraging behaviour, adding that feeding sites played a vital role in the success of breeding colonies.

There is just one Marine Conservation Zone in English waters but a network is expected to be decided by 2013.

The findings appear in the journal Biological Conservation.

“There is an increasing need to protect areas of sea for marine species because the environment is facing pressures – such as oil, shipping, gas and renewable energy,” explained co-author Chris Thaxter, research ecologist for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO).

“It is important not to let these events impact on the species that are using these areas.”

He told BBC News that there was a discrepancy between the level of protection offered to the birds while they were on colonies and when they were searching for food.

“Seabirds are an important part of the marine ecosystems,” Dr Thaxter said.

“Seabird colonies are relatively well protected but offshore areas are not – and that has been a big gap in [scientific] knowledge.

“This is the challenge that the government faces: deciding what areas to protect when they do not have the best evidence to hand.”

Pinpointing sites

The team, which also included researchers from Birdlife International and the RSPB, said the protection of foraging areas was widely recognised as a key component to breeding successes.

“Direct tracking of individual seabirds, at-sea surveys of seabird distributions and data from other environmental variables… can be modelled to suggest likely areas of usage associated with particular colonies,” they wrote.

The researchers listed data sets in a quality-based hierarchical order:

Direct studies – detailed data on locations, journey distance etc, gathered via technology such as radio-tracking and GPS devices (made up 21% of reviewed data),

Indirect studies - data that does not directly measure foraging ranges, but is information that allows estimates of species’ foraging patterns (12%),

Survey method studies – when carried out during the breeding season, surveys can offer an insight into birds’ foraging ranges (46%),

Speculative studies – considered to be the least robust of the four groups, these encompass a range of methods such as ring recoveries and author speculation (21%).

Continue reading the main story

Lundy in the Bristol Channel is, to date, the only designated MCZ in English waters

The study reviewed data for 25 seabird species, from 304 studies. The authors found that Manx shearwaters, northern gannet and northern fulmar had the longest maximum foraging ranges, covering 330-590km (200-670 miles).

The species with the shortest ranges were the red-throated diver and little tern, which cover just 9-11km.

The team added that by using the hierarchical approach, they had most confidence in the data on the northern gannet (mean foraging range: 230km), black-legged kittiwake (60km) and common guillemot (84km).

They had least confidence in the estimated ranges for the common gull (50km), common eider (80km) and Leach’s/European storm-petrel (90km).

Dr Thaxter said the findings could be useful for policymakers: “The generic foraging range information could be a very useful tool, as a first step, to narrow the range of areas at sea that could be used by species that breed in the UK.

“This could then lead to informed decisions on where is best to locate the protected areas.”

In 2009, the Marine and Coastal Access Act paved the way for Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) to be established in English and Welsh waters. There are four regional consultation groups that are tasked with assessing what marine areas should be designated MCZs.

Scotland has its own legislation, but the Marine Act 2010 also includes powers for ecologically important areas of sea to be designated MCZs.

Dr Thaxter added that the review’s methodology could also be used to review data from other nations.

“We actually reviewed studies outside the UK – this approach can be applied elsewhere,” he said. “Overall, this would lead to the wider protection of seabirds.”

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/science-environment-16532920

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