Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook by Tim Gardiner, Rob Pilcher and Max Wade
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Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Sea Wall Tim Gardiner, Biodiversity Officer at the Environment Agency, Rob Pilcher, Ecology Team Leader for North West England at AECOM and Max Wade, Technical Director (Ecology) at AECOM, have a long standing interest in the ecology and management of sea wall habitats. Their handbook on sea wall biodiversity brings together a wealth of knowledge about this Cinderella habitat based on the authors’ experience of practical management and the flora and fauna of sea walls. The handbook highlights the breadth of plant and animal species living and relying on sea walls and provides practical guidance for managers of sea defences to ensure that their biodiversity value is by conserved and enhanced. Tim Gardiner, Rob Pilcher and Max Wade Rob Pilcher Gardiner, Tim Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook by Tim Gardiner, Rob Pilcher and Max Wade SeaWall Layout Cvr v1.indd 1 02/09/2015 15:09 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 4 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook by Tim Gardiner, Rob Pilcher & Max Wade © Copyright First published in 2015 by RPS Images are the authors unless labelled. Designed and Printed by Mimeo Limited Units 1-3, The Ermine Centre, Hurricane Close, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE29 6XX. A CIP record is available from the British Lending Library in London. ISBN: 978-0-9546600-4-8 Citation; Gardiner, T., Pilcher, R. & Wade, M. (2015) Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook. RPS. SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 3 20/08/2015 15:57 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 4 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Acknowledgements Thanks go to those involved with preparation of the case studies, to site managers and their respective organisations for allowing data to be used and for reviewing draft text of the case studies. Steven Falk, Buglife, kindly provided the introductory paragraph to the Bumblebees section and the Large Garden Bumblebee and Red-tailed Carder-bee paragraph in Chapter 3 with inputs to the text of the invertebrate section. Steven also provided the cover photo of the Cuckmere Valley, East Sussex. Authorship Production of this handbook was commissioned by the Environment Agency and its publication was achieved through a partnership between the Environment Agency and RPS consultants. This handbook was conceived by Tim Gardiner (Environment Agency) and written by Rob Pilcher (RPS, now AECOM), Tim Gardiner and Max Wade (RPS, now AECOM). The handbook has benefitted from input and review by Environment Agency staff: David Baillie, Andy Baines, Jackie Banks, Anna Bright, Karen Brown, Rob Brown, Rob Dryden, Amanda Elliott, Caroline Essery, John Evans, Simon Hills, Richard John, Will Mackay, Laura McGowan, Ian Miller, Nick Moore, Ann Skinner, David Smith, Chris Strachan, Anne Thurston and Steve Witham. External reviewers and contributors of case studies, information and photographs include Toby Abrehart (ecological consultant), Ted Benton (University of Essex), John Dobson (Essex Field Club), Emma England (MOD), Steven Falk (Buglife), Neil Fuller (Natural England), John Millar (Amateur Entomologists’ Society), Sam Page (Bumblebee Conservation Trust), Rob Parker (Butterfly Conservation), Zoë Ringwood (NE), Colin Shawyer (Wildlife Conservation Partnership), Dave Smart (Essex Wildlife Trust), Christian Whiting (Halcrow) and Leon Woodrow (Tendring District Council) SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 5 21/09/2015 09:34 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 6 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Contents Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Scope ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 3: Wildlife interest ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Chapter 4: Making management decisions ....................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 5: Mowing ...............................................................................................................................................................................89 Chapter 6: Grazing ............................................................................................................................................................................. 119 Chapter 7: Scrub ................................................................................................................................................................................... 135 Chapter 8: Other management techniques ................................................................................................... 173 Chapter 9: Surveying and monitoring .................................................................................................................... 183 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 217 Glossary ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 241 Species index ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 253 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 7 20/08/2015 15:57 Whilst this handbook has been written primarily to inform those involved in managing vegetated sea walls, notably the Environment Agency, other operating authorities, landowners, land managers, land use advisors and contractors, it is also intended to have wider appeal to anyone with an interest in sea walls and coastal ecology. As such, whilst the text is consistent with Environment Agency decision-making guidance, care has been taken to ensure the language used is as jargon free and as easy to read as possible by anyone with an interest in sea wall vegetation management. Photographs are used to illustrate pertinent points, e.g. to show what good sea wall management may look like, as well as of certain species where this is thought to be helpful. The latter has been deliberately restricted as the handbook is not intended to be seen as a field guide to the habitats or species that can occur on sea walls. Photographs have been provided by the Environment Agency and RPS unless otherwise stated. All artwork was prepared by Jonathan Graham unless otherwise stated. The source of the information is cited throughout and a comprehensive reference list provided to enable further reading. SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 8 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction Sea walls are well known as vital engineered structures for the defence of our flat coastal areas such as along the Severn Estuary, around the Solent, the Pevensey Levels in Sussex, the North Kent Marshes and a significant part of the Essex coast. What is less well known is the importance of these structures for wildlife. Made up of a range of habitats, sea walls lie at the interface of the shoreline, be it of an estuary or the open sea with a marine influence and, on the landward side, usually grazing marshes and other agricultural habitats. They have strong linear characteristics, including their continuous nature and long length: 2,141 km in England (Figure 1.1; Table 1.1) with the county having the greatest length being Essex (450 km). This combination, not surprisingly, serves to support a wide range of flora and fauna, some of which are unique to sea walls and move along them and into the habitats on either side, using them as refuges at high tide or particular times of year, and as vital corridors between other habitats. Table 1.1: Length of sea wall flood defence (raised earth embankment) throughout England sorted by former Environment Agency region (see Figure 1.1). Former Region Sea wall length (km) % of national length Anglian 1,202 56 Midlands 43 2 North-east 102 5 North-west 198 9 South-east 421 20 South-west 175 8 Total 2,141 100 This Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook draws together the growing body of knowledge about the wildlife, value and management of vegetated sea walls found around our coasts and estuaries in England. This is used to present a synthesis of good practice guidance on how to manage the constituent habitats in a way that achieves the critical flood risk management requirements relating to the condition of sea walls whilst at the same time optimising their nature conservation value. 1 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 1 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook Figure 1.1. Distribution of sea walls in England 2 SeaWall Layout Txt.indd 2 20/08/2015 15:57 Sea Wall Biodiversity Handbook What is a sea wall? So, what do we mean by a sea wall? For the purposes of this Handbook, a sea wall is taken to mean any vegetated flood defence embankment or retaining wall present along the open coast or adjacent to tidal waters (such as an estuary) which is at least in part covered by vegetation. Such sea walls may be entirely earthen, though many will be constructed from a variety of materials, and may or may not have a seaward face that is protected against