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The Greensand Ridge Nature Improvement Area: the Ecological Evidence Base

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The Greensand Ridge Nature Improvement Area: the Ecological Evidence Base The Greensand Ridge Nature Improvement Area: The Ecological Evidence Base Cooper’s Hill Lowland Heathland Photography by Gwen Hitchcock January 2014 Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 What is a Nature Improvement Area? ........................................................................................... 2 1.2 Scope of this Report ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Introducing the Greensand Ridge ................................................................................................. 3 1.4 The Need for Ecological Networks ................................................................................................ 4 2. Updating and Presenting Ecological Data .......................................................................................... 6 2.1 Landform ....................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Habitats Overview ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Habitats of Principal Importance ................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Species of Principal Importance ................................................................................................. 10 2.5 Statutory and Non-Statutory Sites .............................................................................................. 11 2.6 The Wider Landscape including Agri-Environment Schemes..................................................... 15 3. Identifying the Potential ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Rebuilding Biodiversity ................................................................................................................ 18 3.2 Core Areas .................................................................................................................................. 20 3.2.1 Heathland and Acid Grassland ............................................................................................ 20 3.2.2 Wood Pasture and Parkland including Veteran Trees ......................................................... 20 3.2.3 Woodland ............................................................................................................................. 20 3.2.4 Grasslands ........................................................................................................................... 21 3.2.5 Wetlands .............................................................................................................................. 21 3.3 Restoration Areas ....................................................................................................................... 22 3.4 Corridors and Stepping Stones ................................................................................................... 23 3.5 Buffer Zones and the Surrounding Land ..................................................................................... 25 4. From Theory to Action ....................................................................................................................... 27 4.1 The Working Woodlands Centre ................................................................................................. 27 4.2 Recovering Heathland Habitats .................................................................................................. 27 4.3 Road Verge Connections ............................................................................................................ 27 4.4 Supporting County Wildlife Site Owners ..................................................................................... 28 4.5 Opportunities on Minerals Extraction Sites ................................................................................. 28 4.6 Building Up the Data – Bio-blitz .................................................................................................. 28 4.7 Recognising Veteran Trees and Restoring Parkland .................................................................. 28 4.8 Non-Native Invasive Species Local Action Group ...................................................................... 29 4.9 Supporting Farming for Wildlife in the NIA .................................................................................. 29 4.10 Focus on the Brickhills .............................................................................................................. 29 4.11 In-channel River Improvements ................................................................................................ 29 4.12 Horse Pasture Management for Wildlife ................................................................................... 30 References ............................................................................................................................................ 31 1 1. Introduction 1.1 What is a Nature Improvement Area? Over recent decades 60% of the species found in the UK have declined. Even those which were once common, like brown hares, common lizards and small copper butterflies are vanishing (State of Nature Report, 2013). A step-change is required to halt this loss and reverse the prospects for nature in the UK. In June 2011 the Government published The Natural Environment White Paper: The Natural Choice – Securing the Value of Nature. This was informed by England’s Biodiversity Strategy (Biodiversity 2020: A strategy for England’s wildlife and ecosystem services, August 2011) and the Lawton Report: Making Space for Nature. All three documents focus on the need to create bigger, better and more joined up spaces for wildlife whilst reconnecting people with nature. They also contain plans to achieve this; reversing the loss of biodiversity and creating the step-change which is needed. One of these plans, announced in The Natural Environment White Paper, is the creation of Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs). These are large (10,000-50,000 hectares/100-500km2) discrete areas, which are set up where the opportunities and benefits for biodiversity are greatest and operated by local partnerships with a shared vision for the natural environment. In 2006, Bedslife (the local biodiversity partnership) produced Rebuilding Biodiversity which identified biodiversity hotspots and opportunity areas across Bedfordshire. The Greensand Ridge is instantly recognisable on maps within this report because of the concentration of wildlife rich habitats and designated sites that it contains. It covers 19% of Bedfordshire but contains 41%, by area, of the county’s County Wildlife Sites (CWS). Through the sustainable use of natural resources, restoring and creating wildlife habitats, connecting local sites and joining up local action on a landscape-scale, NIAs (such as the Greensand Ridge) will bring about multiple benefits for wildlife and people. Each NIA will have its own character and specific issues to address, but they are all areas where: There are good opportunities to deliver an ecological network at the landscape-scale. There is a shared vision from a partnership of local people, including statutory and voluntary sectors. Significant improvements can be made to the ecological network in terms of enlarging and enhancing existing wildlife sites and improving ecological connectivity between them. Opportunities exist to better integrate the surrounding land uses with the ecological network. People living in urban areas and communities can access the network. Multiple benefits can be derived from the establishment of the NIA, for example, contributing to a low-carbon economy or Water Framework Directive objectives. People can be inspired through a better experience of the natural world (Defra 2012). To provide inspiration and begin to build up an evidence base the Government allocated £7.5 million to fund the establishment of 12 initial NIAs. These would guide the creation of more NIAs across the Country which would be identified locally by Local Authorities. After designation they can be included in Local Plans alongside other measures for sustainable development (Natural Environment White Paper, 2011). The protection and creation of ecological networks is also promoted in the National Planning Policy Framework (Department for Communities & Local Government, March 2012). 1.2 Scope of this Report This report summarises the ecological significance of the Greensand Ridge in the context of becoming a NIA. It identifies the existing ecological resource through the presentation of a series of maps illustrating various aspects of the Ridge’s biodiversity, before moving on to explore the potential to enhance and create ecological networks across the NIA; expanding, buffering and connecting the existing core areas. This will be put into practice through a range of projects outlined in the final section. Some of the diverse benefits from creating a more robust ecological network will be explored; however, the benefits for local people and improvements to allow better access to the 2 ecological network will be covered in a separate document (Access and Engagement Framework). This is an integral part of the NIA and so will be focussed
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