A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements TR010044 Volume 6 6.3 Environmental Statement Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species) Planning Act 2008 Regulation 5(2)(a) Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 26 February 2021 PCF XXX PRODUCT NAME | VERSION 1.0 | 25 SEPTEMBER 2013 | 5124654 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species Infrastructure Planning Planning Act 2008 The Infrastructure Planning (Applications: Prescribed Forms and Procedure) Regulations 2009 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet Improvements Development Consent Order 202[ ] Appendix 8.16:Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species) Regulation Number Regulation 5(2)(a) Planning Inspectorate Scheme TR010044 Reference Application Document Reference TR010044/APP/6.3 Author A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Project Team, Highways England Version Date Status of Version Rev 1 26 February 2021 DCO Application Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.1 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species Table of contents Chapter Pages 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Background and scope of works 1 2 Legislation and policy 3 2.1 Legislation 3 2.2 Policy Framework 4 3 Methods 5 3.1 Survey Area 5 3.2 Desk study 5 3.3 Field survey: terrestrial invertebrates scoping survey 6 3.4 Field survey: terrestrial invertebrate survey 10 3.5 Biodiversity value 14 3.6 Competency of surveyors 17 3.7 Limitations 17 4 Results 19 4.1 Desk study results 19 4.2 Field survey results: terrestrial invertebrate survey overview 23 5 Summary and conclusions 55 6 References 56 6.1 Species list 57 Plates 96 Annex A: Figures 98 Figure 1. Invertebrate Survey Scoping Area ...................................................................... 98 Figure 2.1 Black Cat Roundabout: Areas A17, A18, G5, G6, P and Q (Part) .................... 99 Figure 2.2: Chawston (South-West Of), West of A1 Road, Area G4 (Incorporating A16 . 100 Figure 2.3. Quarry Area Q East of Black Cat Roundabout and R (Rectory Farm) ........... 101 Figure 2.4. Alington’s Land (Mainly) Near Little Barford, Areas H20, H22, H23, H24 And H25 .................................................................................................................................. 102 Figure 2.5. Alington’s Land (Mainly) Near Little Barford, Areas H17, H19 And H20 ........ 103 [Please note there is no Figure 2.6] Figure 2.7. East of St Neots, Near Wintringham Hall And Fox Holes, Areas H16, W9 And W10 And Ash ................................................................................................................... 104 Figure 2.8. North of Croxton and Staggered A428 Junction, West of Minor Road, Areas H9, H10 And W7 .............................................................................................................. 105 Figure 2.9. North of Croxton and Staggered A428 Junction, East of Minor Road, Areas H5, H6 And H7 ....................................................................................................................... 106 Figure 2.10. Eltisley Area G1 ........................................................................................... 107 Figure 2.11. West of Caxton Gibbet Roundabout, South of A428, Areas H1 And H3 ...... 108 Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species Figure 2.12. East of Caxton Gibbet Roundabout, South of A428, Areas A1 And W1 ...... 109 Table of Tables Table 2-1: Summary of Relevant Legislation for Terrestrial Invertebrate Species. .............. 3 Table 3-1: Areas included for invertebrate survey ............................................................... 6 Table 3-2: Weather conditions during surveys ................................................................... 10 Table 3-3: Importance of ecological features ..................................................................... 15 Table 4-1: Records returned from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Environmental Records Centre. ................................................................................................................. 19 Table 4-2: Records returned from Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Recording and Monitoring Centre. ............................................................................................................. 22 Table 4-3: Pantheon analysis of survey data organised by site codes. ............................. 40 Table 4-4: Pantheon analysis of survey data organised by broad biotope and Habitat. .... 47 Table 6-1: Full species list for invertebrates captured during the survey. .......................... 57 Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species 1 Introduction 1.1 Background and scope of works As part of the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Scheme (the Scheme), terrestrial invertebrate surveys including invasive non-natives species were carried out to inform the biodiversity assessment reported in Chapter 8, Biodiversity of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.1]. These species could be potential constraints to the Scheme or influence the design and implementation of the Scheme. An extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey (Appendix 8.20 of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.3]) identified and mapped the main habitats within a 1.2 kilometre-wide (0.7 mile-wide) corridor centred on the alignment of the Scheme as it was in 2016. Chapter 2, The Scheme of the Environmental Statement [TR010044/APP/6.1] provides a description of the Scheme. This appendix includes: a. Relevant legislation. b. Methods for desk and field-based assessments undertaken in 2018 to determine presence or absence of terrestrial invertebrates across the Survey Area (defined in 1.3) based on desk study and field survey visits. c. Competencies of the ecologists involved in undertaking the above surveys. d. Limitations to the surveys undertaken and any assumptions made as a result of incomplete data. e. Survey results. f. The approach for determining the nature conservation importance of terrestrial invertebrates’ populations recorded during the assessment. The information described in this appendix provides a baseline of terrestrial invertebrates’ activity recorded within the surveyed areas, including the wider area which has been used to inform the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Scheme. Terrestrial invertebrate ecology Invertebrates comprise an enormous group of organisms, both in terms of number of species and number of individuals. There are almost thirty thousand species of macro invertebrates in Britain, excluding groups whose members are all microscopic. Invertebrates are important in both ecosystems functioning and in agricultural systems. As herbivores, predators, parasites and as a food source for other species, they are a vital element in terrestrial food chains. At the base of many food chains, arthropods are important components of the diets of invertebrates and birds and are also an integral part of the nutrient- and energy processing abilities of the soil. Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 1 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species The evaluation of habitats for overall potential for terrestrial invertebrates is a more practical method of assessing nature conservation value than individual species surveying. Ideal feeding areas include woodland, dead wood, scrub, marshy grassland, rough grassland and areas with a mosaic of habitats. Bare earth and early successional stages of vegetation can provide nesting and sunning habitats and are often of value to specialist invertebrates. Overwintering habitats are sought in terrestrial features such as field margins with long rank grassland, which tends to support more species than short swards, piles of dead wood, hedgerows, low dense scrub, below rocks and in stonewall crevices. Planning Inspectorate Scheme Ref: TR010044 2 Application Document Ref: TR010044/APP/6.3 A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvements Environmental Statement – Appendix 8.16: Terrestrial Invertebrates (Including Non-Native Species 2 Legislation and policy 2.1 Legislation Whilst a large number of the UK invertebrate species are widespread and common, there are many threatened and/or vulnerable species that are afforded protection by legislation and policy. These include relevant international law, national wildlife legislation, and national and local biodiversity policies. Most of these measures aim to protect vulnerable species, but some protection against the spread of invasive species. A summary of the legislation relevant to terrestrial invertebrate species in England is presented in Table 2-1. Table 2-1: Summary of Relevant Legislation for Terrestrial Invertebrate Species. Legislation Summary of Key Aspects Directive 92/43/EEC on This Directive is enacted in the UK by The Conservation the Conservation of (Natural Habitats &c.)