Secret Spaces The status of Local Wildlife Sites 2014 & why these special places need saving Protecting Wildlife for the Future Dry Street Pastures, Essex Small pearl Wilderness Island, Carr Wood, Derbyshire bordered fritilary London Stoke Newington East Reservoir, London Embleton Local Wildlife Site (within Pymore Reedbed Dorset a golf course), Northumberland Drayton Drewray, St Anne’s on Sea, Fylde, Copper Hill, Norfolk Lancashire Lincolnshire Bombus lucorum Burgess Park Southwark Breach Hill Common Foxholes Heath London , Avon Derbyshire, The Wildlife Trusts: Secret Spaces 03 Secret Spaces The status of England’s Local Wildlife Sites 2014 From mystical ancient woodlands and vibrant, colourful meadows to quiet churchyards and bustling flower-rich roadsides; and, from field-bordering hedgerows to tiny copses, England enjoys special, often unnoticed wild places where nature thrives. These “secret spaces”, known as Local Wildlife Sites, are truly exceptional areas of land with significant wildlife value. They are frequently a legacy of the goodwill and care of their landowners and managers and of decades of hard graft by conservationists. ocal Wildlife Sites cover management of publically-owned Who treasures and takes at least five percent of sites. Then there is the question care of these places? England’s land mass. of how people and wildlife will Most Local Wildlife Sites are They vary substantially respond to a changing climate. in private ownership and it is L in size and shape. When these factors are considered ultimately landowners and farmers, They can be privately or publically in combination, it is no surprise that often with the support of nature owned and found in the depths of these important refuges for wildlife conservationists, who secure the the countryside and nestled in busy are vulnerable and have never been ongoing existence of these special towns and cities. These special areas under so much pressure. places – through sensitive habitat have been identified and selected management and sheer commitment by partnerships of local authorities, and care for nature. ecologists and local nature experts using robust, scientifically There are also more than 50 determined criteria and detailed partnerships of local authorities, ecological surveys. conservation bodies, Local Record Centres and local specialists across Unlike many nature reserves, these most of the country, helping to special places are not protected care for these amazing places. by law and most are not owned by Each partnership is responsible for conservation organisations. While surveying, assessing and selecting they have no direct legal status, Cowslips sites against robust local criteria. Local Wildlife Sites are considered at Crich Chase, Derbyshire Once sites are selected, partners important enough to receive can advise landowners on land recognition within the planning management and grants. They 1 system. National planning policy Every three years The Wildlife should also periodically monitor the requires local authorities to identify Trusts publish an assessment of sites to assess their status and the Local Wildlife Sites and provide for Local Wildlife Sites based on a effectiveness of the advice given. their protection through local policy. national survey of Local Wildlife Unfortunately, due to a lack of Site partnerships. This report resources most sites are not regularly But, the demands on our land have accompanies a full technical report revisited and, consequently, we don’t never been greater. Predicted growth ‘The status of England’s Local Wildlife have a complete picture of their in housing, new roads and other Sites 2014’ and presents some of the condition: this report provides a infrastructure are all set to increase. key points and trends along with snap-shot of what we do know and Changes to farm environment some background information. presents some worrying trends. schemes are reducing the incentives Despite their considerable value to for owners of Local Wildlife Sites to wildlife and people, Local Wildlife gain support for their management; Sites are being lost and damaged at austerity measures threaten the a significant rate. 04 Secret Spaces :The Wildlife Trusts Why do Local Wildlife Sites matter? ocal Wildlife Sites are vitally important for wildlife and people alike. Many studies have shown how they add value to local communities and contribute significantly L to our quality of life, health, well-being and education. While many are private and/or out of reach - the very existence of this network of thousands of areas of natural habitat across the country contributes to the wildlife we find in our gardens, parks and other public natural spaces. Ultimately, they also provide some of the natural services we rely on to maintain a healthy and Norfolk Wildlife Trust staff meeting a owner Moss Farm Staffordshire sustainable environment; such as clean air and water, pollinators and food production, and flood resilience. Improved health, well-being and social interaction As a population, we are experiencing increasing levels of obesity and physical inactivity 2 and one in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives 3 Yet natural places such as Local Wildlife Sites can encourage physical activity and help to improve health. In general: Friends of Carr Wood hay making, Derbyshire n individuals with easy access to nature are three times more likely to participate in physical activity and 40% less likely to become overweight or obese 4,5 n people living near moderate or high quality green space are twice as likely to report low psychological distress than those living near low quality open spaces 6 n the simple act of viewing nature from a window can reduce stress, increase recovery from illness and improve concentration and mood 7, 8, 9, 10 n nature close to the home increases the ability of Hickinwood Pond White admiral,Gutteridge Derbyshire Wood, London children to cope with stressful life events, directed attention and cognitive function 11, 12 n access to nearby nature can facilitate social interaction which in turn provides direct health benefits 13, 14 n nature near the home reduces the risk of crime, aggression and domestic violence 15, 16, 17, 18 In the UK, the costs of physical inactivity to the economy are £20 billion per year including direct treatment costs and work days lost through sickness 19 and in 2009-2010 the total cost of mental health problems was estimated at 20 £105.2 billion Upper Beanhall Meadows, Worcestershire The Wildlife Trusts: Secret Spaces 05 “Because of the way sites are selected for national protection, the wildlife-rich habitats of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire receive virtually no legal protection. Just over 1% of our region is protected – the national average is just under 8%. Our Local Wildlife Sites, without the status of national sites, but which may have just as much wildlife value, therefore support the vast majority of our wildlife. Most survive thanks to sympathetic landowners, and they need support. Without these sites quite simply we would have virtually no wildlife left.” Matt Jackson, Head of Conservation, Policy and Strategy at Berks, Bucks, Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Along with our statutory protected been in decline, with 30 percent in sharp Local Wildlife Sites and sites like Sites of Special Scientific decline. And currently, more than one in Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and National Nature ten of all the species assessed are under Interest (SSSIs) Reserves, Local Wildlife Sites now threat of disappearing altogether. There is a general misconception that represent the core areas where much all the best nature conservation sites If society wants to stop and reverse of England’s wildlife resides. As are designated and legally protected. this trend of wildlife loss and provide changes in land-use have eroded and This is not the case. While the network for nature’s recovery, we have to fragmented the wildlife-rich expanse of Sites of Special Scientific Interest expand, restore and recreate habitats of habitats that once covered the (SSSIs) is crucially important, they on a landscape-scale, way beyond country, these places are now refuges represent only a small sample of the boundaries of traditional nature for wildlife - remnant ‘islands’ in a ‘sea’ our most important habitats and reserves and wildlife sites. This is central of intensively managed urban, coastal their species; the SSSI network is to The Wildlife Trusts’ Living Landscape and rural landscapes. Some habitats selective and is not intended to be vision 23 and core to the outcome of a such as wildflower meadows, mires, comprehensive. Numerous areas with comprehensive review of England’s fens and wet woodlands are now equivalent nature conservation value Wildlife Sites led by Professor Sir John so scarce that the majority qualify are not designated as SSSIs and have Lawton in 2010 24. This review revealed for Local Wildlife Site status as a no protection despite being of equal or that there were ‘serious shortcomings’ in minimum. They offer vital havens for greater value to wildlife. a wealth of wildlife including many our existing network. It recommended threatened and declining plants such that ‘greater protection’ should be By contrast, the approach for Local as: frog orchid, green winged orchid, given to Local Wildlife Sites and their Wildlife Sites is comprehensive: all Isle of Man cabbage, limestone fern, management ‘must be improved’. It sites which meet the given criteria are marsh gentian and the beautifully concluded that ‘we need to take steps selected, some of which are of SSSI named coral necklace; and animals to rebuild nature’ by providing more quality. Consequently, in some counties including: pearl-bordered fritillary, natural areas, which are bigger, better Local Wildlife Sites are where most of grizzled skipper, yellow wagtail, noble and more joined up, so that existing our special wildlife can be found. For chafer, grass snake, slow-worm, harvest fragments of wildlife-rich land are example, in Nottinghamshire, SSSIs mouse and water vole.