Natural Resources Management Plan for South-East Wales Uplands Prepared by TACP for 2166 Torfaen County Borough Council -1
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Natural Resources Management Plan for South-east Wales Uplands TORFAEN COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL OCTOBER 2015 Natural Resources Management Plan for South-east Wales Uplands Prepared by TACP for 2166 Torfaen County Borough Council -1- Torfaen County Borough Council NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SOUTH-EAST WALES UPLANDS October 2015 TACP 10 PARK GROVE CARDIFF CF10 3BN Project Number: 2166 Revision: Rev. 3 Revision No. Date of Revision Written by Date Approved by Date 0 30.03.15 TR/JH/JB 30.03.15 JW 30.03.15 1 26.06.15 TR/JH/JB/TW/PS 29.06.15 JW 29.06.15 2 06.08.15 TR/JH/JB/TW/PS 06.08.15 JW 06.08.15 3 13.10.15 TR/JH/JB/TW/PS 13.10.15 JW 20.10.15 SUGGESTED CITATION: TACP (2015). Natural resources management plan for South-east Wales Uplands. Report to Torfaen County Borough Council. October 2015. TACP UK Ltd. Natural Resource Management Plan for SE Wales Uplands Prepared by TACP for 2166 Torfaen County Borough Council Natural Resource Management Plan for SE Wales Uplands Prepared by TACP for 2166 Torfaen County Borough Council CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2 NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................................. 5 1.3 BIODIVERSITY ............................................................................................................................................ 6 1.4 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ................................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 WATER FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE ................................................................................................................... 6 2 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 LOCATION AND HISTORY .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 COMMON LAND ......................................................................................................................................... 7 3 RESOURCE ASSESSMENT ......................................................................................................................... 9 3.1 DATA SOURCES .......................................................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1 Phase 1 habitat survey ...................................................................................................................... 9 3.1.2 Ecological connectivity modelling ..................................................................................................... 9 3.1.3 Geology and soils ............................................................................................................................ 10 3.1.4 Water .............................................................................................................................................. 10 3.1.5 Ecosystem services .......................................................................................................................... 10 3.1.6 Cultural and Historical Heritage...................................................................................................... 12 3.2 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ...................................................................................................... 12 3.2.1 Topography ..................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.2 Geology ........................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2.3 Soils ................................................................................................................................................. 13 3.2.4 Hydrology ........................................................................................................................................ 13 3.3 BIODIVERSITY AND NATURE CONSERVATION ................................................................................................... 14 3.3.1 Designated Sites within the Study Area .......................................................................................... 14 3.3.2 Habitats within the Study Area ....................................................................................................... 18 3.3.3 Priority Species in South-east Wales Uplands ................................................................................. 24 3.3.4 Other species of interest in South-east Wales Uplands .................................................................. 27 3.3.5 Habitat Connectivity ....................................................................................................................... 28 3.4 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ................................................................................................................................ 29 3.4.1 Provisioning Ecosystem Services ..................................................................................................... 29 3.4.2 Regulating Ecosystem Services ....................................................................................................... 31 3.4.3 Cultural Ecosystems Services .......................................................................................................... 34 3.4.4 Supporting Ecosystem Services ....................................................................................................... 34 3.4.5 Other ecosystem services ................................................................................................................ 35 3.4.6 Total ecosystem services ................................................................................................................. 35 3.5 CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE ......................................................................................................... 35 3.6 EXISTING UPLAND MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................................ 36 3.6.1 Farming and agriculture ................................................................................................................. 36 3.6.2 Consultation with Commoners ........................................................................................................ 38 3.7 CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE...................................................................................................................... 41 3.7.1 Climate change predictions ............................................................................................................. 41 3.7.2 Predicted impacts of climate change on priority species and habitats ........................................... 42 3.7.3 Predicted impacts of climate change on ecosystem services .......................................................... 43 3.8 AIR POLLUTION ........................................................................................................................................ 45 Natural Resource Management Plan for SE Wales Uplands Prepared by TACP for Job Number: 2166 Torfaen County Borough Council 4 MAJOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANAGEMENT OF THE SOUTH WALES UPLANDS 2015-2025 46 4.1 ECONOMIC LAND MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVING THE COMMONS ................................................................. 46 4.2 ECOLOGICAL LAND MANAGEMENT AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION .................................................................... 47 4.3 ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ENHANCEMENT .......................................................................................................... 48 4.4 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF UPLANDS...................................................................... 49 4.5 LANDSCAPE CRIME ................................................................................................................................... 49 4.5.1 Arson ............................................................................................................................................... 49 4.5.2 Fly-tipping ....................................................................................................................................... 50 4.5.3 Illegal off-roading ........................................................................................................................... 51 4.5.4 Other landscape crime issues .......................................................................................................... 51 4.5.5 Next steps ....................................................................................................................................... 51 4.6 MECHANISMS FOR TAKING THE UPLANDS MANAGEMENT PLAN FORWARD ............................................................ 51 4.6.1 South-east Wales Directors of Environment and Regeneration (SEWDER) ...................................