Wild Chalk Project BRIEF FOR: Focus Area Conservation Plans 1
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Wild Chalk Project BRIEF FOR: Focus Area Conservation Plans 1. Background Information Chilterns Conservation Board and the Chilterns AONB The Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is a nationally protected landscape comprising a ridge of chalk hills stretching from Goring on Thames in South Oxfordshire to Hitchin in Hertfordshire, covering an area of 833km2. The Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) is an independent statutory body established by Parliamentary Order in 2004. It has two statutory purposes: 1. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). 2. To increase the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the AONB. In fulfilling these purposes, the Board also has a duty to seek to foster the economic and social wellbeing of local communities within the AONB. Chalkscapes - North Chilterns Community Landscape Initiative Chalkscapes is a partnership community and conservation scheme bringing together diverse organisations and groups in the Northern Chilterns to work together to deliver the following aims: 1. To inspire communities in and around Luton and Dunstable to learn about, explore and love their local landscapes - strengthening communities through a sense of place. 2. To involve many more people, from diverse communities, in caring for local heritage - contributing to a sense of wellbeing and belonging through experience of natural and cultural heritage. 3. To forge strengthened partnerships across community and conservation interests, delivering mutual benefits for both. 4. To create more wildlife-rich, resilient chalk landscapes and habitats, securing enthusiasm and commitment from land managers to collaborate on landscape scale conservation strategies over the long term. 5. To develop, test and share learning and best practice from innovative approaches to chalk landscape management. 1 Need and opportunity The chalk hills surrounding the urban areas of Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis are home to rare and important wildlife and archaeology. Ancient trackways link urban areas to accessible countryside sites. These sites and access routes potentially provide a major recreational, cultural and health and well-being resource to local communities. The Chilterns as a whole is a landscape under pressure. However, it is in the north of the Chilterns that we find the most challenging combination of development pressure, disengaged communities and nationally important chalk landscapes, wildlife and habitats at risk. There is a real need and opportunity for many more people to get involved with initiatives to conserve and enhance what is left. Designation alone will not conserve what is special here. A sense of local pride in what makes this place special, how it came to be this way and why it matters today is crucial if we are to conserve this landscape for future generations. This specialist contract will inform a core element of the development of the Wild Chalk project – one of five projects within the Chalkscapes project. The Wild Chalk project will create bigger, more joined up, more diverse and better quality habitats to allow wildlife to flourish and move through the landscape. It will develop and test new methods for chalk habitat restoration and deliver large scale chalk habitat restoration schemes - linking and expanding existing habitat, recreating microfeatures and restoring declining fauna and flora. To do this, we need to first find out what we currently have, where there are gaps and specify where the opportunities are. The sites dossiers will be concentrated on five Focus Areas. 2 Designated sites and historical hotspots for some of the declining plants and birds. 2. Project development The purpose of this Commission is to lead and undertake work which will inform the development of ‘Chalkscapes’, a Stage 2 (Delivery) bid to be submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 3. Scope and purpose of contracts There are two interlinked projects described below (site dossiers and landscape scale networks) and these are divided up into a core brief and desirable brief. The core brief describes the vital work that will be carried out within the allocated funding. The desirable brief describes the work that will greatly benefit the project as its moves into the delivery phase but is subject to sourcing additional funding or a reallocation of funds. Consultants will be scored on their response to the core brief, however they should indicate their capacity to undertake the desirable brief and provide a quotation for such work. i) Core brief The core brief describes the vital work that will be carried out within the allocated funding. 3 Detailed Site Dossiers project Provide detailed site dossiers for agreed key landholdings within the five identified focus areas listed below. Focus area 1 – Sundon/Barton/Pegsdon/Pirton/Luton. Focus area 2 – Dallow Downs, Blow’s Downs and Winsdon Hill. Focus area 3 – Dunstable/AldburyNowers/Gaddesden. Focus area 4 - Around Totternhoe to Houghton Regis Chalk Pit and north of Luton. Focus area 5 - River Lea. The final list of site dossiers will be agreed in consultation with the Chalkscape Development Officer but will aim to complete, as a minimum, one report within each Focus Area. The sites selected will be of the highest priority and/or high potential for project activity. The findings from the species assemblage dossier brief will help inform key landholdings. Description of work The exact content of the reports will be adapted according to the type of landowner (e.g. private landowner, farmer, NGO) and their requirements. This relates specifically to bullet point’s 10 and 11 below. Overall, a minimum of 8 detailed site dossers will be produced. Each site dossier should provide, as a minimum: 1. Description of landholding and local area (use any information that the landowner holds, e.g. maps, existing management plans). 2. Historical background and landscape context. To include baseline historical information obtained from the Local Record Centres (e.g. species and habitat data, statutory and non- statutory sites) and Council’s Historic Environment Teams (e.g. Scheduled Ancient Monuments). 3. A map of Phase 1 habitats (could use mapping work from Landscape Scale Ecological Network plan project below). 4. A map and description of priority habitats, including national, local and county priorities. Where historical site reports are available, compare and calculate changes in habitat extent, for example, of priority chalk NVC habitats (e.g. CG2, CG3). 5. A map showing species guild locations for the landholding using data from species assemblage dossier. Use microhabitat/species guild management recommendations (identified in species assemblage dossier) to identify management actions for the landholding. (note: this work could possibly be contracted out to the successful contractor of species assemblage dossier, but this would be the responsibility of the appointed consultant for this brief). 6. An assessment of the constraints and opportunities for management on the landholding. 7. Connectivity options to other landholdings. 4 8. Specific, mapped recommendations for management and options for sustainability under the following suggested but not exclusive themes: Restoration/enhancement/creation work: - Scrub/invasive species control. - Chalk habitat creation and/or enhancement including early successional habitat creation/enhancement. Topsoil removal/scraping. Creation of microhabitats. - Arable management and/or reversion. - Costings for infrastructure and management work requirements. - Derogations, felling licences, consents. Long term management and legacy: - Grazing opportunities. - Infrastructure requirements. - Machinery availability and requirements. 9. Suggested implementation timetable. 10. Suggestions for options and possible funding via: Countryside Stewardship and forthcoming ELMS. 11. Biodiversity Net Gain. (Method and metric to be agreed at inception) Phased site dossier submission To be agreed with consultant upon appointment, however, we expect three dossier submissions by the start of September. Landscape Scale Ecological Network plan project Contact and initially engage the landowners in one of the focus areas (see map below) and identify priority locations for investment in the enhancement and creation of natural habitats as part of a landscape scale ecological network. This approach is already being trialled in focus area 1 (Sundon Chalk Pit SSSI to Galley and Warden Hills SSSI) as part of a separate project (completed April/May 2021). 5 Key aims: To identify the priority locations of an ecological network for landscape and biodiversity enhancement within the focus area based on the Lawton principles of More, Better, Bigger, and Joined up. To identify opportunities for habitats enhancement and creation in the short. medium and longer term through initial discussions with landowners. Lay the foundations of a working relationship with landowners with the intention of developing opportunities, for example, the creation of farmer cluster(s). Update and digitise phase 1 habitat maps for use in any future map based models and tools to help refine a landscape scale ecological network plan for the North Chilterns. Key outputs: Desk based exercise to analyse freely available data on, for example, priority habitats and statutory and non-statutory sites, within the selected focus area and identify key locations and landowners. Some of this work has already been done during the