Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation Wales Guidance (Pdf)
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Wildlife Sites Guidance Wales A Guide to Develop Local Wildlife Systems in Wales Wildlife Sites Guidance Wales A Guide to Develop Local Wildlife Systems in Wales Foreword The Welsh Assembly Government’s Environment Strategy for Wales, published in May 2006, pays tribute to the intrinsic value of biodiversity – ‘the variety of life on earth’. The Strategy acknowledges the role biodiversity plays, not only in many natural processes, but also in the direct and indirect economic, social, aesthetic, cultural and spiritual benefits that we derive from it. The Strategy also acknowledges that pressures brought about by our own actions and by other factors, such as climate change, have resulted in damage to the biodiversity of Wales and calls for a halt to this loss and for the implementation of measures to bring about a recovery. Local Wildlife Sites provide essential support between and around our internationally and nationally designated nature sites and thus aid our efforts to build a more resilient network for nature in Wales. The Wildlife Sites Guidance derives from the shared knowledge and experience of people and organisations throughout Wales and beyond and provides a common point of reference for the most effective selection of Local Wildlife Sites. I am grateful to the Wales Biodiversity Partnership for developing the Wildlife Sites Guidance. The contribution and co-operation of organisations and individuals across Wales are vital to achieving our biodiversity targets. I hope that you will find the Wildlife Sites Guidance a useful tool in the battle against biodiversity loss and that you will ensure that it is used to its full potential in order to derive maximum benefit for the vitally important and valuable nature in Wales. GUIDELINES FOR THE SELECTION OF LOCAL SITES IN WALES Copies of this document can be obtained from: http://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many organisations and individuals have contributed to the development of these guidelines, some significantly so, being especially generous in sharing their time, expertise and experience. The input provided by the following is gratefully acknowledged; Nigel Ajax-Lewis (The Wildlife Trust for South & West Wales), Martin Anthoney (Gwent Moth Recorder), Colin Barr (ITE), Gill Barter (CCW), Jamie Bevan (CCW), Gemma Bodé (Gwent Wildlife Trust), Sam Bosanquet (Gwent Bryophyte Recorder), Julian Branscombe (Gwent Wildlife Trust), Clare Burrows (CCW), Rosie Carmichael (Carmarthenshire County Council), Colin Cheesman (Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council), Richard Clarke (Gwent Ornithological Society), Rebecca Davies (SEWBreC), Hazel Drewett (CCW), Gareth Ellis (Brecon Beacons National Park) Trevor Evans (BSBI Botanical Recorder, Monmouthshire), Shelley Evans (BMS), Mike Fowler (Newport City Council), Vaughan Grantham (Cardiff Council Ecologist), Russel Hobson (Butterfly Conservation), Georgina Holdsworth (Monmouthshire County Council), Rachel Hackett (Wildlife Trusts Partnership), Rob Hathaway , Sarah Hawkswell , Nicola Hawkeswood , Deb Hill (Swansea County Borough Council), Dr Charles Hipkin (University of Wales, Swansea), Dr Liz Howe (CCW), Margaret Humphreys (Vale of Glamorgan Council), Alison Jones (Caerphilly County Ecologist), Greg Jones (Swansea County Borough Council), Julian Jones (Radnorshire Wildlife Trust), Richard Jones (CCW), Jerry Lewis (Monmouthshire County Council), Steve Lucas (BCT), Sean McHugh (Wales Biodiversity Partnership), Clare Mockridge (CCW), Steve Moon (Bridgend County Borough Ecologist), Linda Moore, Ian Morgan , Rob Nottage (BTO), Tony Prater , Kate Pryor, Ian Rabjohns (Gwent Bat Recorder), Dr Tim Rich (National Museum & Gallery of Wales), Kate Rodgers (CCW), Kris Roberts (Torfaen County Borough Council), Andrea Rowe , Barry Stewart (Pryce Consultants), Louise Thornhill (CCW), Stephanie Tyler (local naturalist), Suzanne Waldron (EA), Steve Williams (Torfaen County Borough Council), Jon Winder (Woodland Trust), Richard Wistow (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Ecologist), Elsa and Adrian Wood (local naturalists/ ecological consultants), Julian Woodman (CCW/BSBI) Yvonne Wright (Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council), and Chris Wynne (North Wales Wildlife Trust). Our apologies go to any individuals who have been inadvertently omitted. The Wildlife Sites Project was supported financially by a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Charitable Trust, CCW and in various ways by many of the Local Authorities across Wales. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 February 2008 Guidelines for the Selection of Local Sites in Wales CONTENTS PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1.0 Preface 2.0 Background 3.0 Policy Framework 4.0 The Guidelines 5.0 Principles behind the Guidelines 6.0 Local Sites in a Planning Context 7.0 Application of the Guidelines 8.0 Site Selection Process PART 2: GUIDELINES FOR SITE SELECTION The detailed guidelines in this section are set out in three groups comprising: GEOLOOGICAL HABITATS SPECIES GEOLOGICAL GUIDELINES HABITAT GUIDELINES Terrestrial and Freshwater Habitats H1: Broadleaved, Mixed, and Yew Woodland H1:1 Traditional Orchards H1:2 Wood Pasture & Parkland H1:3 Native Woodland o Upland Oak Woodland o Lowland Beech & Yew Woodland o Upland Mixed Ash Woodland o Wet Woodland o Lowland Mixed Deciduous Woodland H1:4 Scrub Communities H2: Boundaries and Linear Features H2:1 Hedgerows H2:2 Cloddiau H3: Arable and Horticulture H3:1 Arable Field Margins H4 Improved Grasslands H4:1 Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh H5: Neutral Grasslands H5:1 Lowland Meadows H6: Calcareous Grasslands H6:1 Lowland Calcareous Grasslands H6:2 Upland Calcareous Grasslands 3 Guidelines for the Selection of Local Sites in Wales H7 Acid Grasslands H7:1 Lowland Dry Acid Grasslands H7:2 Upland Acid Grasslands H8: Dwarf Shrub Heath H8:1 Lowland Heathland H8:2 Upland Heathland H9: Fen, Marsh and Swamp H9:1 Upland Fens, Marshes and Swamps H9:2 Lowland Fen H9:3 Purple Moorgrass and Rush Pasture H9:4 Reedbeds H10: Bogs H10:1 Lowland Raised Bog H10:2 Blanket Bog H11: Montane Habitats H11:1 Montane Heath and Willow Scrub H12: Rivers and Stream H12:1 Rivers H13: Standing Open Waters and Canals H13:1 Oligotrophic and Dystrophic Lakes H13:2 Ponds H13:3 Mesotrophic Lakes H13:4 Eutrophic Standing Waters H13:5 Aquifer Fed Naturally Fluctuating Water Bodies H14: Inland Rock H14:1 Inland Rock Outcrop and Scree Habitats H14:2 Calaminarian Grasslands H14:3 Open Mosaic Habitats on Previous Developed Land H14:4 Limestone Pavements H15: Coastal Habitats Supralittoral Rock H15:1 Maritime Cliffs and Slopes Supralittoral Sediment H15:2 Coastal Sand-Dunes H15:3 Coastal Vegetated Shingle H16: Mosaic Habitats H16:1 Fridd/Coedcae H16:2 Other Bracken Communities Marine Habitats H17: Littoral Rock H17:1 Intertidal Tidal Communities H17:2 Sabellaria Alveolata Reefs H17:3 Estuarine rocky habitats H18: Littoral Sediment H18:1 Coastal Saltmarsh H18:2 Intertidal Mudflats H18:3 Sea Grass Beds H18:4 Sheltered Muddy Gravels 4 Guidelines for the Selection of Local Sites in Wales H18:5 Peat and Clay Exposures H19: Sublittoral Rock H19:1 Tide-Swept Channels H19:2 Fragile sponge & anthozoan communities on subtidal rocky habitats H19:3 Carbonate Reef H20: Sublittoral Sediments H20:1 Subtidal Sands and Gravels H20:2 Sublittoral mixed muddy sediments H20:3 Mud habitats in deep water H20:4 Musculus discors beds, green crenella beds H20:5 Blue Mussel beds H20:6 Horse Mussel beds H20:7 Maerl beds H20:8 Saline Lagoons SPECIES GUIDELINES S1: Mammals S2: Birds S3: Herptiles (Reptiles and Amphibians) S4: Fish S5: Invertebrates S6: Vascular Plants S7: Lichens S8: Bryophytes (Mosses Liverworts and Hornworts) S9: Fungi S10: Charophytes Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations Bibliography Index Appendix 1 Examples of Vascular Plant and Bryophyte Indicator Lists Appendix 2 Wales and UK Habitat Targets disaggregated by Habitat Type Appendix 3 Wales and UK Habitat Targets disaggregated by LBAP Partnership 5 Guidelines for the Selection of Local Sites in Wales PART 1 INTRODUCTION 6 Guidelines for the Selection of Local Sites in Wales 1.0 PREFACE These guidelines have been developed in response to Action Point 38 of the first action plan of the Environment Strategy for Wales through discussion and consultation with a wide audience that has included experienced ecologists, LBAP officers, county recorders and local naturalists over a period of years. Terminology Many titles are used for biological Local Sites, including, Biological Heritage Site, Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI), Sites of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC), Site of Biological Interest and Site of Community Interest, whilst the term ‘Wildlife Site’ is the title preferred by the UK Wildlife Trusts Partnership. In Wales, Site of Interest for Nature Conservation (SINC) is the recognised term used in WAG planning guidance and local planning policies for biological Local Sites. It is suggested that SINC continues to be used in that context, a SINC may be considered a Wildlife Site when owner’s agreement, management advice and/or assistance, and potentially funding have been provided. Local geological sites are called RIGS, Regionally Important Geological Sites, recognized by WAG planning guidance and local planning policies. 2.0 BACKGROUND The origins of biological Local Sites systems stretch back to the 1970s where Wildlife Trusts in UK wished to protect and encourage the management the whole biodiversity resource within a given local government area. The idea behind Local Site systems based upon local planning authority [LPA] and now Local Biodiversity Action Plan Partnership