OCCASIONAL REPORTS No. 2 -OPERATION FOR CONSERVATION OF RURAL ROAD VERGES Co-operation between County Highway Departments and Conservation Organisations on the management of rural road verges and conservation of Sites of Special Interest A report based on information obtained from County Council Highway Departments, The County Naturalists' Trusts, Regional Officers of the Nature Conservancy Council, and the Biological Records Centre, up to May 1974 MONKS WOOD EXPERIMENTAL STATION The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology (Natural Environment Research Council) Abbots Ripton, Huntingdon. INDEX Chapter I Introduction Chapter 11 Nature Conrervancy Southvert Ragion 1. Corwall 2. Devon 3. Dorret 4. Gloucerterrhire 5. Smerret Chapter I11 Nature Conservancy South Region 17 6. Berkrhire 7. Buckinghamrhire 8. Pmprhire 9. Inla of Wight 10. Oxfordrhire 11. Wiltrhire Chapter IV Nature Conrervancy Southeart Region 37 12. Hertfordrhire 13. Kent 14. Surrey 15. Eart Surrex 16. Wert Surra Chapter V Nature Conrervmcy Midland Region Cherhire Derbyrhire Herefordahire Leicer terrhire Northamptonahire Nottinghamrhire Rutland Shroprhire Staffordahire Warwickrhire Worcerterrhire Chapter VI Nature Conrervancy Eart Anglia Region Bedfordrhire Cambridge and Isle of Ely Errex Huntingdon and Plterborough Lincolnrhire - Holland Ker teven Lindrey Norfolk Ear t Suffolk Wert Suffolk Chapter VII Nature Conservancy North Region Cumber1 and 110 Durham 112 Lancashire 116 Northumberland 118 Wertmorland 120 Yorkrhire - East Riding 122 North Riding 1Z4 West Riding 126 Chapter VIII Nature Conrervancy North Wale8 Region 46. Anglesey 47. Caemrvonshire 48. Denbighshire 49. Flintshire 50. Merionethrhire 51. Hontgomeryshire Chapter IX Nature Conservancy South Wales Region 52. Brecknockshire 53. Cardiganahire 54. Camarthenshire 55. Glamorgan 56. Monmouthrhire 57. Pembrokerhire 58. Rndmrshire Chapter X Scotland Chapter XI Analysis of plant rpecier mentioned 153 Acknowledgements Bibliography Appendix A 169 Appendix B 179 Explanation of layout of lirtr of rite8 of Conservation Inside Importance in the report. back-cover Chapter I INTRODUCTION During the course of visits to County Highway Dapartrpmts in England and Wales in 1972 to discuss policies and practices of rural road verge lumgcpmt (Way, 1973). enquiries were made about the liairon between Highway Dapartnmtr and conservation organisations. The Highway Departments were asked rpecifically about their contacts with the Nature Conservancy (as it existed at that time; since November 1973 the Nature Conservancy Council) and the County Naturalists' Trusts with reference to general matters to do with roadside verge management, and about the particular protection of individual roadside sites of conserva- tion importance. Following on this information, commcnts and further information have been collected from the Regional Officers of the Nature Conservancy, and from the County Naturalists' Trusts up to Hay 1974. This report attempts to collate the information collected from the three sources for each County, and to present an objective summary of the deliberate efforts in the English and Welsh Counties to include management for wildlife conservation in the overall policies for road- side maintenance, and to select and protect individual siter. The role of the Naturalists' Trusts has been identified previously (Streeter, 1969) as fundamental in promoting these ideaa, having as they do local knowledge of the fauna and flora, and local interest in their conservation. Naturalists' Trusts are sometimes represented on the Countryside Cumittees of County Councils, and are widely respected as a responsible voice for wildlife conservation within the Counties. It is appropriate therefore that they should have a liaison with County Highway Authorities and seek their co-operation in the treatment of rural roadsides for the conservation of wildlife, which is a 'good reason' for their management (Perring. 1969; Streeter. 1969; Way, 1973). This liaison is supported by the SPNR (Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves), the central organi- sing body for the County Trusts, in a Conservation Circular 731624 dated November 1973. Because of its professional and scientific awareness of the conservation aspects of roadsides the Nature Conservancy has often acted as a link between Highway Departments and Naturalists' Trusts, promoting co-operation and suggesting procedures, although once these have been satisfactorily established the bnrervancy ha8 tended to luve detailed utter8 of liairon in the handr of the other hro. Thir function is reflected in the numbor of occeriolu in this report where the Ueture Conrervmcy'r Regional Staff are rhom to have M indirect contact with County Biglnmy Departmts thrm* the County A.turalists1 Trusts. The Cotlnty Highmy Authoritier u masagerr of the land have uny problems to contend With including the milability of uchiaue, employment of labour and economic conrideratione. The very wide rage of attitudes and of management policier adopted by Highway Authorities for the unageant of roadrider has already been demonstrated (Way, 1973). In som inrt.acer, either from a genuine interert within the Department, or as a result of public prersure, the County Council ha. taken the initiativa and asked for the co-operation of the Naturalists' Trust to arrive at mtually acceptable management policier in respect of wildlife conservation, and to identify roadride riter of special scientific interest. In other instance8 the Highway Department has set up working partier of a11 the inter- erted conservation, mnenity, agricultural and landowning interest#, or ha8 rought advice on wildlife matters through the County Cooncilr' Ca~ntrysideCommittee. In the majority of instancar, however, the initiative has come quite properly from the conservation organisationr. Detail8 of a far individual riter have been given to the author in confidence and conrequently the fact only of their axistence is reported here. In general it ha8 been considered that the circulation of thir report should be restricted to directly interested organisations er it is clearly not derirable that the informa- tion given rhould be widely dirtributed beyond thore who have a uorking experience of the mny problems involved. The objective of the report is to bring together information for 1972/73 on the co-operation that existed between the principal wildlife conservation orgenisations and Highw~yDopartaentr at that ti*, and to provide a consolidated account of rites of apecia1 interest on roadsides in England and Wales up to May 1974. It ir hoped that thir will provide a useful reference for continuing and increued co-operation in the future. The infor- mation is presented in a standard form where porrible and follows the layout of the schedules of verges of rpecial interest for the individual counties used by the Biological Record8 Centre at Monks Wood in a preliminary list of rites compiled in 1969 (referred to in the report a8 BE, 1969). An explanation of the layout and abbreviations is is printed um the inride of the rear cover. The report ir arranged by Counties in the Wture Conrervancy's regions. Fortunately those Uaturelirts' Trust8 (eg. Bedfordrhire and Buntingdonahire) that cover two or more countiea fit into thir grouping with the exception of Merioneth- shire, that belongs to a South Wales group of County ~aturalists' Trusts, but lies in the North Wales Region of the Conservancy; Herefordshire and adn nor shire that have formed a combined Trust but lie respectively in the Midland and North Wales regions of the Nature Conservancy; and the Soke of Peterborough included in the , Northamptonshire Trusts' area (Midland Region), but physically in the East Anglia Region. References throughout are to the Nature Conservancy as that was the body existing at the time of collection of data for the report. Likewise County Highway Departments were those existing before the changes brought about by the Local Government Act, 1972, effective from 1 April 1974. It is not known how, if at all, the Naturalists' Trusts will adapt their boundaries to these changes, although it is apparent that in some instances administrative links with Local Authority departments will be more complex. It will be apparent from the report that some ~aturalists' Trusts are more active than others in their liaison with Highway Departments, and in the discovery and scheduling of roadside verge sites of conservation importance. Whilst this might be seen as a criticism of the less active trusts it has to be remembered that in many Counties the Naturalists' Trust movement is less than ten years old, is often entirely voluntary or maintains a permanent staff on a slender budget, and is financially dependent on the subscriptions of its members. As with all voluntary organisations the Trusts' activity depends upon the particular interests of personalities. Thus, it should be emphasised that this report is intended as an objective account of the situation existing at the time it was written. The difficulties under which the Naturalists' Trusts work are fully appreciated and no criticism of any kind of the Trust8 is intended. The report will succeed in its aim if it stimulates the interest of those Trusts that have not yet had an opportunity to develop a liaison with their Highway Department(s), and further encourages those Trusts who have already established a greater or lesser degree of co-operation. 1. In the medium term future it is recommended that Trusts, in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy