Plate 1: Upper Heyford (site 1) flood prior to sowing Plate 3: Range of species from Emorsgate EM8 mix June 2009 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AS A TOOL FOR LANDSCAPE- SCALE GRASSLAND RESTORATION PROJECTS FOR LEPIDOPTERA IN , UK.

Field, R.G.1 & Monaghan, N.T.1

1 Regional Park, , UK: e-mail rfi[email protected] RESULTS INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT In total 29 sites have been identified (Figure 1) of which three are re-created sites, Lowland meadows were identified as a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Nationally it has been estimated that in the period between the two world wars and the mid 1980’s nine are future re-creation sites and 17 are restoration sites (Table 1). Two of the Plan (The UK Steering Group 1995) due to the 97% loss in England and Wales between over 97% of unimproved grassland has been lost to agricultural intensification. In Northamptonshire three re-created sites are now Local Wildlife Sites, one after only two years (Plates 1930 and 1984. Much of this loss was due to agricultural intensification (Fuller 1987) little more than 250ha of unimproved grassland remains and much of this is in small blocks 1-3). On the butterfly transect seven more species were observed on the species rich but in Northamptonshire also many of the meadows along the River Nene were lost due which are fragmented and surrounded by areas of arable production and improved grassland. grassland than on an adjacent area of improved grassland while butterfly abundance to quarrying for sand and gravel. The majority of what remains are small fragments of This fragmentation has a detrimental effect on the Lepidoptera population associated with these was significantly greater (P<0.001) on the species rich grassland than on the improved degraded habitat, many of which were designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest in habitats. To aid restoration firstly key green corridors and habitat assets were identified by the River grassland. Very large numbers (maximum of 55 on one day) of Small copper Lycaena the past, but over the years have suffered through a lack of appropriate management. Nene Regional Park within its Environmental Character Assessment. These included potential phlaeas were observed on the species rich grassland during the transect walks. Special Protection Area, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Local Wildlife Sites. Sites were One of the tools for restoring or re-creating sites is Natural England’s Higher Level then targeted to link these areas where possible. One of the main links is along the Nene Valley Scheme (HLS) which replaced the older Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) in where large areas have been quarried for sand and gravel with the resultant loss of unimproved Table 1: Summary of sites within the project 2005. Within HLS, payments are made for 10 years for various types of grassland grassland. This area is now the main focus of Environmental Stewardship applications via the management. Capital works such as fencing, gates, water for stock and hedge restoration Higher Level Scheme. A large scale meadow re-creation project (13.5ha) was started in April 2008 Re-creation site no. Owner Size (ha) Method Date Funding are also funded. Few of these schemes have a long term research element built in but and by 2009, 14 butterfly species were observed on the meadow, double the species richness Upper Heyford 1 Private 13.5 EM8 & EM1 2008 NE HLS at Upper Heyford (site 1) butterfly and vegetation monitoring was commenced in 2009 of an adjoining area of improved grassland. Significantly more butterflies were observed on the Kettering 5 Kettering BC 0.4 EM1 2008 RNRP Lyveden New Bield 7 National Trust 30 Local seeds 2000/8 NE CSS by the landowners and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust. As butterflies have declined created species rich grassland than on the improved grassland. (71%) by more than other groups such as birds (54%) and vascular plants (28%) & EM1 & RNRP Future re-creation (Thomas et al. 2004), monitoring butterfly changes as sites are restored or re-created Figure 1: Grassland sites may give an indication of the reconnection of these fragmented grassland habitats. Great Doddington 3 Private 4.46 EM8 2010 NE HLS Great Doddington 4 Private 50.6 EM8 & EM1 2010 NE HLS METHODS Newton 6 Private 20 EM8 & EM1 2010/11 NE HLS Suitable sites were identified from a range of sources including existing potential Special Stoke Doyle 8 Private 39 EM8 & EM1 2010/11 NE HLS Protection Area, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the River Nene Regional Wilby 9 Private 6 2011/12 NE HLS Park’s (RNRP) Environmental Character Assessment, Local Wildlife Sites system, Sywell 10 Private 25 2011/12 NE HLS Loddington 12 Private 25 2011/12 NE HLS Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust (NWT) Reserves and by local sites visits. Possible Salcey Forest 24 Private 6 EM1 2010 NE HLS habitat linkages were investigated for new sites and they and existing sites were targeted Grendon 25 Private 1.4 EM1 2010 NE HLS for re-creation and restoration through Natural England’s HLS. This often meant a change of management such as reintroduction of grazing or cutting of hay. Where Restoration sites site no. Owner Size (ha) Designation Date Funding possible sites for re-creation were suggested, soil testing provided evidence of suitability Flore 2 Private 1 None 2008 NE HLS but the landowners also needed to agree to the required long term management. & RNRP Barford Bridge 11 NWT 12 SSSI 2010 NE HLS As few species rich meadows survive in Northamptonshire there was little opportunity Summer Leys 13 NWT 4 pSPA & SSSI 2010 NE HLS for large scale seed collection or the use of green hay and this generally was only used & RNRP within sites. A range of mixtures of native wildflowers and grasses from Emorsgate Wappenham 14 Private 8 Part SSSI 2008 NE HLS Seeds were used as the author has successfully restored sites in both Essex and Bugbrooke 15 NWT 1.7 SSSI 2010 NE HLS using them before. The vegetative development of the re-creation Everdon 16 Private 5 LWS 2001 NE CSS sites has been monitored by NWT for the Local Wildlife Sites system and a butterfly Ramsden Corner 17 NWT 3.2 SSSI 2010 NE HLS transect was set up at site 1 in 2009 using the criteria from the UK Butterfly Monitoring Highwood 18 NWT 3 SSSI 2010 NE HLS Scheme (Pollard and Yates 1993). Titchmarsh 19 NWT 8 pSPA & SSSI 2010 NE HLS Ditchford meadows 20 NWT 10 pSPA & SSSI 2010 NE HLS

References Acknowledgements Wilson’s Pits 21 NWT 8 pSPA & SSSI 2010 NE HLS Fuller RM, (1997) The changing extent and conservation interest of lowland grassland in England I would like to thank the Natural England staff involved Higham Ferrers Pits 22 NWT 9 pSPA & SSSI 2010 NE HLS and Wales, a review of grassland surveys 1930-1984. Biol Conserv 40: 281-300. processing the HLS applications, the NWT staff for the Pollard E, Yates TJ, (1993) Monitoring Butterflies for Ecology and Conservation. Chapman and survey work and the private landowners, NWT and the Millcrook 23 NWT 5.9 SSS 2010 NE HLS Hall, London. National Trust for being involved in the project. Also I Thomas JA, Telfer MG, Roy DB, Preston C, Greenwood JJD, Asher J, Fox R, Clarke RT, Lawton would like to thank Mr & Mrs Banner of Dovecote Farm, Tailby meadow 26 NWT 5 LWS 2002 NE CSS & JH, (2004) Comparative losses of British butterflies, birds, and plants and the global extinction Upper Heyford for the butterfly data from their transect crisis. Science 303: 1879-1881. and Sarah Still, Moulton College for the design work Revital-ISE The UK Steering Group, (1995) Biodiversity: the UK Steering Group Report. HMSO. London. on the poster. Arthingworth 27 Private 40 None 2010 NE HLS Wicksteed meadows 28 Wicksteed 12 SAM & LWS 2010 NE HLS Park Trust DISCUSSION Southfield Farm Marsh 29 NWT 2.8 SSSI 2010 HLS & Sites have been successfully re-created at Upper Heyford and Lyveden New Bield and are Revital-ISE in the process of being restored at several NWT sites. Plans or proposals for large scale re-creation alongside the Rivers Nene and Ise at Great Doddington, Newton, Stoke Doyle, Key NE Natural England CSS Countryside Stewardship Loddington, Wilby and Sywell are in the pipeline and should start to reconnect remnant Scheme areas within the river corridors. Butterfly monitoring of the species rich grassland at Upper SAM Scheduled Ancient SSSI Site of Special Scientific Monument Interest Heyford, although for only one year, has identified that butterfly abundance is significantly LWS Local Wildlife Site pSPA potential Specially greater (P<0.001) and species richness is double that of adjacent improved grassland. Protected Area NWT Northamptonshire HLS Higher Level Scheme Without Natural England’s HLS very little of this restoration and re-creation work would be Wildlife Trust Plate 2: Broadmeadow, Upper Heyford (site 1) June 2009 occurring within Northamptonshire as few other forms of funding are available. One of the measures of this success is that over 40ha of species rich grassland which has been re- prior to cutting for hay www.rnrp.org created now meets the criteria for Local Wildlife Site status.