The Natural Environment The Forest Office, Maulden Wood, Nr Haynes West End, Beds MK45 3QT T: +44 (0)1234 743666 F: +44 (0)1234 743667 e: [email protected] Indicators of Sustainablewww.greensandtrust.org.uk Development in To: Adventure, 26-34 BedfordshireLiverpool Road, March 2005 Luton, LU1 1RS Produced by Sue Raven of the Greensand Trust for Bedfordshire County Council, March 2005 Richard Woolnough Veronika Bale Director Education Officer T: +44 (0)1234 743666 M: +44 (0)1234 743667 The Forest Office, Maulden Wood, Nr Haynes West End, Beds MK45 3QT e: [email protected] T: +44 (0)1234 743666 M: +44 (0)1234 743667 www.greensandtrust.co.uk e: [email protected] www.greensandtrust.org.uk The Forest Office, Maulden Wood, Nr Haynes West End, Beds MK45 3QT T: +44 (0)1234 743666 F: +44 (0)1234 743667 e: [email protected] www.greensandtrust.org.uk The Greensand Trust The Forest Office, Maulden Wood Haynes West End, Bedfordshire MK45 3QT Tel: 01234 743666 Fax: 01234 743699 www.greensandtrust.co.uk w Contents Summary A. River and canal water quality Indicator 1 Percentage of length of rivers and canals of good quality Indicator 2 Percentage of length of rivers and canals of high nutrient status Indicator 3 Distribution of otters B. Condition of important wildlife & geological sites Indicator 4 Area of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and % in favourable condition Indicator 5 Area of County Wildlife Sites and % in favourable condition C. Condition of the wider countryside Indicator 6 Area of land under Countryside Stewardship agreements Indicator 7 Area of organic holdings Indicator 8 Area of woodland within Woodland Grant Scheme Indicator 9 Populations of wild birds D. Access to the countryside Indicator 10 Area of publicly accessible land managed for nature conservation per 1000 people Appendices 1.1 Notes on indicators suggested for possible future use – river flow rates & LERAPs 2.1 Details of Environment Agency’s General Quality Assessment Scheme 2.2 Environment Agency guidelines for the use of data 2.3 Chemical water quality data 2.4 Biological water quality data 2.5 Nutrient level data 3.1 Condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest 3.2 Condition of County Wildlife Sites 4.1 Sites managed for nature conservation with public access 4.2 Bedfordshire details from Woodland Trust report ‘Space for People’ Summary Indicator 1 Percentage of length of rivers and canals of good quality In 2002, 57% of the length of rivers and canals in Bedfordshire was of good chemical quality; similar to that found in the East of England region but slightly lower than that seen for England overall. The increase in quality seen in Bedfordshire over the previous decade is more marked than that seen regionally and nationally. Indicator 2 Percentage of length of rivers and canals of high nutrient status In 2002, 77% of the length of the county’s rivers and canals had high nitrate concentrations and 95% had high phosphate concentrations; proportions that are slightly higher than those seen in the Anglian region and considerably higher than those seen for England as whole. Clear trends are difficult to identify. Indicator 3 Distribution of otters In 2003/04 positive signs of otters were found at 41% of sample sites in the county, a considerable increase since the previous survey in 1996/97 when positive signs were found at 29% of sites. The spread seen through the county’s waterways has also been seen regionally and nationally. Indicator 4 Area (ha) of Sites of Special Scientific Interest and % in favourable condition In 2004, 83% of the area of SSSI in the county was in favourable condition, up from 78% in 2001. This proportion is higher than the regional and national figures, however, it must be remembered that the percentage of the county’s area designated as SSSI is considerably lower than that seen in the region or England as a whole. Indicator 5 Area (ha) of County Wildlife Sites and % in favourable condition Between 2001 and 2004 the number of County Wildlife Sites monitored increased from 20 to 83. Of these 83 sites (22% of the total number within the county), 64% of their area was found to be in favourable condition. There are no equivalent regional or national figures. Indicator 6 Area (ha) of land under Countryside Stewardship agreements By 2003, there were 190 CSS agreements in the county covering an area of 2280ha; an increase in area of 78% since 2000. The proportion of the county’s land area under CSS agreements is similar to that seen in the East of England region but less than that found for England as a whole. At all scales uptake of the scheme has increased year on year. From 2000 to 2005, considerable increases were seen in the lengths of arable margins and hedgerows being managed under the scheme in the county. Indicator 7 Area (ha) of organic holdings By January 2004 there were 12 holdings registered as organic in the county, covering a total of 775ha, or 0.9% of the county’s agricultural land – a similar proportion to the East of England region but lower than that for England as a whole. This is an increase in the area of organic land in Bedfordshire of 9% since 2001. Indicator 8 Area (ha) of woodland within Woodland Grant Scheme Since 2002 the area of woodland receiving WGS in Bedfordshire has continued to increase although the precise figures could not be established. Payments for planting have declined since 1999/2000; those for planting conifers have now all but stopped. No equivalent regional or national figures are available. Indicator 9: Populations of wild birds Data from 30 common bird species suggests that in Bedfordshire there has been an increase in the proportion of species whose population size is declining between 1994 and 2003. This has also been seen at a national and regional scale but appears to be more marked in Bedfordshire. Indicator 10: Area (ha) of publicly accessible land managed for conservation per 1000 people In 2004 there was 6.3ha of publicly accessible land managed for nature conservation available per 1000 people in Bedfordshire; up from 5.6ha per 1000 people in 2002. The total area, 2436ha, represents 2% of the land area of the county. There are no equivalent regional or national figures. There was 0.77ha of LNR available per 1000 people. A. River and canal water quality Background Information The Environment Agency’s General Quality Assessment [GQA] scheme monitors the chemical and biological quality and nutrient status of running water across England and Wales. In Bedfordshire all major rivers, canals and tributaries (a length of 236.4km) are covered by the GQA scheme and so it provides a good indication of the quality of running water throughout the county. Chemical quality is assessed on levels of dissolved oxygen, ammonia and biological oxygen demand – good indicators of the extent to which rivers are affected by the commonest types of pollution; sewage and the runoff and drainage from farms. Biological quality is assessed on the range of macro- invertebrates present in a stretch of water, compared with the number expected for the physical condition of that stretch. It gives a more integrated picture of the situation and can detect infrequently occurring pollution incidents that may be missed by the spot sampling techniques used in the chemical assessment. For both chemical and biological quality, stretches of rivers and canals are classified into six grades; Grade A (very good), Grade B (good), Grade C (fairly good), Grade D (fair), Grade E (poor) and Grade F (bad). To assess nutrient status, levels of nitrates and phosphates are monitored as these are the nutrients most likely to be directly influenced by human activities. Grades range from 1 (very low) to 6 (nitrates - very high, phosphates – excessively high). Unlike the chemical and biological grades these are descriptive and cannot simply be interpreted as good or bad. They reflect not only variation in agriculture and sewage, but local geology. A high level of phosphate (average concentration greater than 0.1mg/l) is that considered indicative of possible existing or future problems of eutrophication. A high level of nitrate (average concentration greater than 30mg/l) roughly corresponds with the limits used in the EC’s Drinking Water and Nitrate Directives. Further details of the GQA scheme, taken from the Environment Agency Public Water Quality Register, are given in Appendix 2.1. Source of data Data were obtained from the Environment Agency website [www.environment-agency.gov.uk] and also directly from the two regional offices covering Bedfordshire; Anglian and Thames. The most recent data available on the website were from 2002. All rivers and canals forming the county boundaries are included in the figures. Environment Agency guidelines for the use of the data are given in Appendix 2.2. Summary databases for the county prepared from the data supplied by the Environment Agency are given in Appendix 2.3 (chemical), Appendix 2.4 (biological) and Appendix 2.5 (nutrients). Indicator 1 Percentage of length of rivers and canals of good quality County level In 2002, 57% of the length of rivers and canals in Bedfordshire was found to be of good chemical quality (grades A – B). 95% was of good or fair quality (grades A – D). Full details are given in Table 1.1 and shown on Map 1.1. % of length of rivers and canals Beds Mid Beds South Luton Beds Beds & Borough Beds Borough Luton Chemical Grade A 0 4.60 0 0 2.22 2.14 B 53.41 55.93 51.88 0 54.35 52.36 C 34.09 21.33 17.22 100.00 24.89 27.64 D 7.45 17.08 16.75 0 13.77 13.26 E 5.05 1.06 14.15 0 4.77 4.60 F 0 0 0 0 0 0 % of good quality 53.41 60.53 51.88 0 56.57 54.50 % of good or fair quality 94.95 98.94 85.85 100.00 95.23 95.40 Table 1.1: Details of chemical water quality at county and district level, 2002 In the past, biological data has been available only every 5 years, however, from 2002, the Environment Agency aims to report on it annually.