Report on Delivery of the Targets and Actions Within the Worcestershire Biodiversity Action Plan (2Nd Edition) 2008-2017

Report on delivery of the Targets and Actions within the Worcestershire Biodiversity Action Plan (2nd edition) 2008-2017

Rebecca Lashley Worcestershire County Council June 2019

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 3

Section One: Methodology of Targets and Actions review ...... 4

Section Two: Delivery of Targets and Actions - statistics ...... 5

Section Three: summary report for each Habitat and Species Action Plan ...... 8

Ancient and Species-Rich Hedgerows Habitat Action Plan ...... 8 Arable Farmland Habitat Action Plan ...... 9 Canals Hedgerows Habitat Action Plan ...... 10 Fen and Marsh Habitat Action Plan ...... 11 Grassland Habitat Action Plan ...... 12 Lowland Heathland Habitat Action Plan ...... 13 Ponds and Lakes Habitat Action Plan ...... 14 Reedbed Habitat Action Plan ...... 15 Rivers and Streams Habitat Action Plan ...... 16 Road Verges Habitat Action Plan ...... 17 Scrub Habitat Action Plan ...... 18 Traditional Orchard Habitat Action Plan ...... 19 Urban Habitat Action Plan ...... 21 Veteran Trees Habitat Action Plan ...... 22 Wet Grassland Habitat Action Plan ...... 23 Wet Woodland Habitat Action Plan ...... 24 Woodland Habitat Action Plan ...... 25 Adder Species Action Plan ...... 26 Bats Species Action Plan ...... 27 Black Poplar Species Action Plan ...... 28 Brown Hairstreak Species Action Plan ...... 29 Club-tailed Dragonfly Species Action Plan ...... 30 Common Fan-foot Species Action Plan ...... 31 Dormouse Species Action Plan ...... 32 Drab Looper Species Action Plan ...... 33 Farmland Birds Species Action Plan ...... 34 Great Crested Newt Species Action Plan ...... 35 Grizzled Skipper Species Action Plan ...... 36 High Brown Fritillary Species Action Plan ...... 37 Hornet Robberfly Species Action Plan ...... 38 Nightingale Species Action Plan ...... 39 Noble Chafer Species Action Plan ...... 40 Otter Species Action Plan ...... 41 Pearl-bordered Fritillary Species Action Plan ...... 42 Shad Species Action Plan ...... 43 Slow Worm Species Action Plan ...... 44 Stag Beetle Species Action Plan ...... 45 True Service Tree Species Action Plan ...... 46 Violet Click Beetle Species Action Plan ...... 47 Water Vole Species Action Plan ...... 48 White-clawed Crayfish Species Action Plan ...... 49 Wood White Species Action Plan ...... 50

Introduction

The 2nd edition of the Worcestershire Local Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was published in 2008 containing Targets and Actions for 17 habitats, 25 species (or species groups) and 3 Generic Action Plans (Awareness, Education and Involvement; Policy, Grants and Legislation; Biological Recording and Information). The Targets and Actions were intended to guide a decade of conservation activity from 2008 to 2017.

In 2018 the Worcestershire Biodiversity Partnership reviewed the BAP and published a 3rd edition. This review involved: 1. A comprehensive edit of the text of the 42 existing Action Plans 2. The adoption of the Grayling butterfly as a new Local BAP species 3. An assessment of the partnership's success or failure in delivering the 540 Targets and Actions within the 2nd edition of the BAP 4. The setting of new conservation aims and objectives for the decade 2018 to 2027

This report presents the results of (3) above. The BAP review was co-ordinated by Worcestershire County Council and supported by the following organisations:

Worcestershire Bat Group Worcestershire Mammal Group Worcestershire Amphibian and Reptile Group

Section One: Methodology of Targets and Actions review

A total of 111 Targets and 429 Actions were written for the 2008-17 BAP. Delivery of all of the Actions within each Habitat or Species Action Plan was anticipated to lead to the successful achievement of the Target(s) for that habitat or species.

During the 2018 BAP review partner organisations were requested to contribute data / information to report on the 540 Targets and Actions. For the most part Actions had been assigned to a particular location and to a particular organisation at the time of writing. As well as providing numerical data (if required) and a short commentary, partners were asked to assign, using their best judgement, a delivery status to each Target or Action using the following text:

For Targets For Actions  Target Achieved  Action Completed  Target Not Achieved  Action Ongoing  Action in Progress  Action Not Completed

Based on the proposed delivery status and the content of the data or information provided, Targets and Actions were given a Green, Amber, Red or Unknown rating. Smiley-face emoticons were used as quick representations of these ratings.

Targets Actions

Target achieved (GREEN) Action completed (GREEN)

Delivery incomplete or not Delivery incomplete or target delivered as intended not fully met (AMBER) (AMBER)

Target not achieved (RED) Action not completed (RED)

Delivery status unknown Delivery status unknown (no data or information returned) (no data or information returned) (GREY) (GREY)

The number of Targets and Actions assigned Green, Amber, Red or Unknown ratings for each Habitat or Species Action Plan informs an Overall Performance indicator of Green, Amber or Red for the Action Plan as a whole. This indicator is a relative measure of the partnership's success or otherwise in delivering the Targets and Actions set in 2008 (and is NOT a comment on the conservation status of the habitat or species itself).

This report should be read in conjunction with the Worcs BAP 2008-17 Target and Action Reporting Spreadsheet, which contains a full record of the data and information returned by partners during the reporting process.

Section Two: Delivery of Targets and Actions - statistics

Summary tables in this section show the number of green, amber, red and unknown ratings achieved by each Action Plan. Pie charts illustrate the overall statistics. 18%

Of the 540 Targets and Actions:  301 targets and actions were recorded as 'Green' (56%) 47%  37 targets and actions were recorded as 'Amber' (7%) 35%  139 targets and actions were recorded as 'Red' (26%)  63 targets and actions were recorded as 'Unknown' (11%)

Number of Number of Targets Actions

43 258 11% 32% 28%

8 29 26% 56% 40 99 40%

20 43 7%

18% 10%

100% 39% 23%

36% 60% 7% 7% 5

Overall Number of Targets Number of Actions Generic Action Plans Performance Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Education, Awareness and Amber Involvement 2 3 9 3 2 Policy, Grants and Legislation 2 1 1 12 4 5 Amber Biological Recording and Information 1 1 2 Amber TOTALS 2 1 3 3 22 5 10 2 (48)

Overall Number of Targets Number of Actions Habitat Action Plans Performance Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Ancient and species-rich Hedgerows 3 5 1 Red

Arable Farmland 1 3 1 Green

Canals 2 1 1 5 Red

Fen and Marsh 1 1 2 1 1 Amber

Grassland 8 2 4 3 6 Amber

Lowland Heathland 2 26 5 5 Green

Ponds and Lakes 1 2 1 Red

Reedbed 1 1 Red

Rivers and Streams 2 10 2 Green

Road Verges 1 1 1 Amber

Scrub 1 1 7 Green

Traditional Orchard 1 3 17 Green

Urban 1 4 3 Amber

Veteran Trees 3 2 11 2 Green

Wet Grassland 2 1 4 1 Green

Wet Woodland 1 1 12 2 2 Green

Woodland 3 5 2 4 Amber

TOTALS 26 5 12 6 108 9 33 10 (209)

Overall Number of Targets Number of Actions Species Action Plans Performance Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Adder 1 17 1 10 Amber Bats 1 2 15 1 2 Green Black Poplar 1 1 1 6 Amber Brown Hairstreak 1 1 7 1 1 Green Club-Tailed Dragonfly 1 5 1 3 Amber Common Fan-foot 2 5 Red Dormouse 1 18 1 4 Green Drab Looper 3 6 Red Farmland Birds 1 7 1 2 1 Red Great Crested Newt 1 2 Red Grizzled Skipper 1 2 1 14 Red High Brown Fritillary 4 2 6 Red Hornet Robberfly 1 1 3 Red Nightingale 1 1 4 3 Amber Noble Chafer 2 6 1 2 Green Otter 1 1 Green Pearl-bordered Fritillary 1 1 1 6 1 Amber Shad 1 18 2 Green Slow Worm 1 1 1 Red Stag Beetle 3 2 1 1 Amber True Service Tree 1 Green Violet Click Beetle 2 2 1 2 Amber Water Vole 1 8 1 6 Amber White-Clawed Crayfish 1 4 3 Amber Wood White 3 10 5 Amber TOTALS 15 2 25 11 128 15 56 31 (283)

Section Three: summary report for each Habitat and Species Action Plan

Ancient and Species-rich Hedgerows Habitat Action Plan*

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Ancient and species-rich 3 5 1 Hedgerows Red

Reporting limitations: 1. Availability of data sources. Applications made to agri-environment schemes provided the sole source of county-wide data on the planting and management of hedgerows during this time period. The figures given in the Biodiversity Action Plan Report are therefore assumed to be under-estimates of the total length of hedgerows planted or under 'good' management for biodiversity within the county during the BAP reporting period.

Successes: 1. N/A

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Two of the Targets set for this habitat appear to have been very over-optimistic. 2. A number of the Actions for this habitat were simply overlooked by the organisation tasked with delivering them.

* During the 2018 Worcestershire BAP review it was agreed to re-name this Action Plan the Hedgerows Habitat Action Plan and broadened its scope accordingly to cover all hedgerows.

Arable Farmland Habitat Action Plan Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Arable Farmland 1 3 1 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. None

Successes: 1. During the BAP reporting period the national importance of Worcestershire for rare arable flora became increasingly apparent following dedicated survey and conservation work in a small number of locations, notably the Kemerton Estate and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust's Naunton Court and Lower Smite Farm. This gave an added impetus to delivery of the BAP Actions. 2. The Kemerton Conservation Trust and Worcestershire Wildlife Trust both dedicated core time and resources to biodiversity conservation work within or focused on the arable habitat, which ensured delivery of the majority of the BAP Actions. 3. Uptake of arable field margin options within the Environmental Stewardship Scheme was good, which ensured delivery of the BAP Target.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None

Canals Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Canals 2 1 1 5 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Canal & River Trust. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations: 1. None

Successes: 1. Publication of (internal, for staff and volunteers) Canal & River Trust guide to the flora of lock gates and canal walls plus a blog post on the same topic http://canalrivertrustwaterfront.org.uk/nature/waterway-habitats-the-canal-wall/. The importance of built structures to canal biodiversity is also covered with the Canal & River Trust publication 'Waterways and Wildlife' https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/media/original/33561-waterways-and-wildlife-managing-our-natural-environment.pdf.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Securing financial resources for capital works and items.

Fen and Marsh Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Fen and Marsh 1 1 2 1 1 Amber

Reporting limitations: 1. It is possible that the distinction between maintenance and restoration within the Environmental Stewardship Scheme options did not marry with the terminology and definitions used for the BAP Targets. It may be that both Targets were in fact achieved but this could not be proven with the available data.

Successes: 1. Protection of the habitat through management of sites by conservation bodies such as Worcestershire Wildlife Trust reserves Wilden Marsh SSSI and Feckenham Wylde Moor SSSI.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Securing financial resources for delivering landowner liaison and advice.

Grassland Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Grassland 8 2 4 3 6 Amber

Reporting limitations: 1. None

Successes: 1. A review of grassland Local Wildlife Sites was completed in 2009 and this, coupled with the completion of the first iteration of the Worcestershire Habitat Inventory, resulted in a much better evidence base for the county grassland resource. 2. Worcestershire Wildlife Trust secured funding in 2013 from SITA Trust to deliver a grassland restoration project. This brought 110 ha of grassland (including a number of Local Wildlife Sites) back into good management through works such as fencing and scrub clearance.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Responsibility for delivery of a number of the Actions in this HAP was given to the Worcestershire Grasslands Forum and it was envisaged that this group would develop a project proposal and funding application. However, the Forum ceased to exist shortly after the launch of the 2008-17 BAP and delivery of many of the Actions remained incomplete.

Lowland Heathland Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Lowland Heathland 2 26 5 5 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. During the BAP reporting period Higher Level Stewardship funding was secured for the restoration and management of most of Worcestershire's significant lowland heathland sites.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

Ponds and Lakes Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Ponds and Lakes 1 2 1 Red

Reporting limitations: 1. Availability of data sources. AES options data provided the sole source of information for lakes/ponds/pond complexes created or restored. Water bodies created or restored via other means were not captured in the BAP reporting data. The picture in terms of delivery of Ponds and Lakes BAP Targets and Actions may therefore not be as bleak as the reporting data suggests.

Successes: 1. None.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Significant resources were required to deliver the Targets and Actions within this BAP and the time required to seek those resources was not prioritised.

Reedbed Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Reedbed 1 1 Red

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. None.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. The Target set for this habitat appears to have been very over-optimistic. The Target (for habitat creation) was adopted following the West Midlands-wide review of county level BAP Targets in 2010, when national habitat creation targets were apportioned to the regions and then down to county level.

Rivers and Streams Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Rivers and Streams 2 10 2 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 2. Information was returned by the Environment Agency. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. The Wetlands West partnership operated from 2000 to 2016 with a remit to restore floodplain habitats on a catchment wide scale within the vales of the lower River Severn and River Avon. The partnership worked within an area of 7,500 ha and delivered a significant amount of habitat creation and restoration alongside landowner engagement and advice. Much of the capital work was funded through agri-environment scheme payments. 2. A partnership between Worcestershire Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency between 2011 and 2013 delivered multiple habitat restoration schemes within the catchment of the Bow Brook, including arable reversion to grassland, creation of scrapes and ponds, installation of cattle drinkers and creation of fish refuge areas.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

Road Verges Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Road Verges 1 1 1 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations: 1. None

Successes: 1. The Road Verge Nature Reserve system is now managed by Worcestershire County Council in a partnership between Countryside, Ecology and Highways functions.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Budget restraints place limitations on the amount of time that can be spent annually on management work and on the frequency of botanical monitoring of sites.

Scrub Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Scrub 1 1 7 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. Uptake of agri-environment scheme options for the maintenance, restoration or creation of scrub was good and far exceeded the Target that had been set within the BAP.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Delivery of one of the Targets within this action plan would have entailed the doubling of the amount of managed scrub habitat on the Malvern Hills which, given the focus on securing and maintaining the open nature of the hill summits and upper slopes, was probably unrealistic.

Traditional Orchard Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Traditional Orchard 1 3 17 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Natural England agri-environment scheme (AES) options data. 'Environmental Stewardship Scheme Options (England)' dataset accessed 4th January 2019: http://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/20b24e747bc34a9fa4ffb2ef827efda7_0. Data was queried in GIS to identify relevant coded options within the administrative boundary of Worcestershire. 2. Technical support for use of AES data provided by Natural England. 3. Natural England National Orchard Inventory data (dataset originally created by People's Trust for Endangered Species). 'Traditional Orchards HAP (England)' dataset accessed 4th January 2019: https://naturalengland- defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/traditional-orchards-hap-england. Data was queried in GIS to calculate figures for the administrative boundary of Worcestershire. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 5. Information was returned by Kemerton Conservation Trust. 6. Information was returned by National Trust. 7. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 8. Information was returned by the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership. 9. Information was returned by Vale Landscape Heritage Trust. 10. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. The restoration Target set for this habitat was well exceeded. Major contributory factors include a strong uptake of traditional orchard Higher Level Stewardship options plus the Worcestershire County Council / Natural England partnership project in 2012- 2014 that offered small one-off grants for traditional orchard restoration (to sites not receiving / ineligible for AES). 2. Delivery of the HLF-funded 'Worcestershire's Flagship Orchards' project 2013-2014, led by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 3. Delivery of the HLF-funded 'Three Counties Traditional Orchard Project' 2014-2018, led by the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. The maintenance Target set for this habitat seems likely to have been based on an over-estimate of the extent of habitat within the county.

Urban Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Urban 1 4 3 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. The majority of local planning authorities within Worcestershire meet or exceed, within their local plan documents, the Urban Greenspace provision standard recommended by Natural England. 2. Although not a specific Target or Action within the BAP, the concepts behind Green Infrastructure, awareness of its multifunctional benefits within and to urban areas and the master-planning of GI into major development schemes at an early stage have advanced hugely since 2008, which has been positive for delivery of the Urban BAP in a broader context.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Staff time and resources.

Veteran Trees Habitat Action Plan*

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Veteran Trees 3 2 11 2 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Successes: 1. The restoration and ongoing conservation management of a number of high value veteran tree sites including Piper's Hill Common (Worcestershire Wildlife Trust), Croome Park and Hanbury Hall (both National Trust). This has included extensive tree planting, the reversion of arable land to grassland in areas of old parkland and halo-ing around significant trees located within woodland. 2. Worcestershire Biological Records Centre delivered the HLF-funded Worcestershire's Ancient Trees project between 2007-2009, which added significantly to our knowledge of the distribution and status of ancient and veteran trees within the county.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

* In the 3rd edition of the Worcestershire BAP (2018-2027) the title of this Action Plan was amended to 'Ancient and Veteran Trees'.

Wet Grassland Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Wet Grassland 2 1 4 1 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. None.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Lack of staff time and resources to deliver Actions relating to wet grassland Local Wildlife Sites.

Wet Woodland Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Wet Woodland 1 1 12 2 2 Green

Reporting limitations: 1. Lack of data sources on the current condition of the bulk of the wet woodland resource.

Successes: 1. Substantial restoration works at Hurcott and Podmore Pools SSSI carried out by the Environment Agency and Wyre Forest District Council to reverse the impacts of falling ground water levels and gradual and worsening drying of the site. The two SSSI units are now assessed as Favourable and Unfavourable Recovering.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Lack of staff time and resources to deliver Actions relating to wet woodland Local Wildlife Sites.

Woodland Habitat Action Plan

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Woodland 3 5 2 4 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Forestry Commission English Woodland Grant Scheme data. 'English Woodland Grant Scheme Sub Cpt' dataset accessed 4th January 2019: http://opendata.esriuk.com/datasets/e5d15dfdfc8048bfbb923543ff9e477f_0. Data was queried in GIS to calculate figures for the administrative boundary of Worcestershire. 2. Natural England Ancient Woodland Inventory data. 'Ancient Woodlands (England)' dataset accessed 4th January 2019: https://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/ancient-woodlands-england. Data was queried in GIS to calculate figures for the administrative boundary of Worcestershire. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 4. Information was returned by Forestry Commission. 5. Information was returned by National Trust. 6. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations: 1. Staff time and resources to participate in the reporting process reflected in the number of Actions recorded as unknown.

Successes: 1. Good uptake of the English Woodland Grant Scheme resulted in woodland BAP creation and restoration Targets being significantly exceeded. 2. Work to restore Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) increased within the county during the BAP Review period. At Ribbesford Wood a research project has been underway since 2000 to find the best method of reverting conifer plantations back to native broadleaves whilst maintaining dormouse populations.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Resources and consequently staff time to adequately support the county Tree Warden network.

Adder

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Adder 1 17 1 10 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Wyre Forest Reptile Report published annually by the Wyre Forest Study Group. 2. Information was returned by Forestry Commission. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 4. Information was returned by Malvern Hills Trust. 5. Information was returned by Nigel Hand, Central Ecology. 6. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 7. Information was returned by Wyre Forest District Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. During the BAP review period long-term adder monitoring programmes continued within the Wyre Forest and on the Malvern Hills. Results from these annual surveys inform the habitat management, grazing and forestry operations carried out by the Malvern Hills Trust and the Forestry Commission. 2. Funding was secured via the Grow with Wyre Landscape Partnership Scheme in 2010 and from the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership's Sustainable Development Fund in 2013 to supplement the annual surveys with telemetry radio tracking.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. The large number of Actions written for this Plan resulted in several being overlooked and not delivered.

Bats

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Bats 1 2 15 1 2 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Bat Group. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. The existence of a very active county Bat Group was fundamental to delivery of the bulk of the Targets and Actions within this Plan.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None

Black Poplar

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Black Poplar 1 1 1 6 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by the Environment Agency. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. A number of new black poplar trees have been planted in the county over the last decade, including on the Malvern Commons and as part of wetland creation or restoration projects elsewhere.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Staff time and resources were not prioritised towards delivery of this Action Plan.

Brown Hairstreak

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Brown Hairstreak 1 1 7 1 1 Green

Reporting limitations 1. AES options dataset does not record the level of detail required for reporting against this Action Plan (i.e. species composition of planted or managed hedgerows).

Successes: 1. Continuation of the significant volunteer effort co-ordinated by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation has more than doubled the number of 1km squares with confirmed breeding records of the species within the BAP reporting period. 2. Brown hairstreak was selected as a target species for Higher Level Stewardship within the butterfly's core population area of the Forest of Feckenham, which led to good uptake of hedgerow management options. 3. West Midlands Butterfly Conservation engaged with local planning authorities (Wychavon and Redditch) to achieve beneficial changes to hedgerow management within the core Forest of Feckenham area.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Limited ability, due to time and resource constraints, to reach and communicate with all hedgerow and tree management operatives within the core population area of the butterfly.

Club-tailed Dragonfly (now Common Club-tail)

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Club-Tailed Dragonfly 1 5 1 3 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by the Worcestershire Recorders. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 3. Information was returned by Canal & River Trust. 4. Information was returned by the Environment Agency.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Continuation of larval emergence surveys to monitor species distribution and abundance along the Rivers Severn, Avon and Teme.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Time and resources to engage directly with riparian landowners about habitat management.

Common Fan-foot

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Common Fan-foot 2 5 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. No data was returned.

Reporting limitations 1. Time constraints on partners to return reporting data.

Successes: 1. Unknown.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Unknown.

Dormouse

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Dormouse 1 18 1 4 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Dormouse Group (now part of Worcestershire Mammal Group). 2. Information was returned by Forestry Commission. 3. Information was returned by the Malvern Hills Trust. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 5. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 6. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Worcestershire has a very active county Dormouse Group/Mammal Group. This provides a good support network and multiple opportunities for license holders/trainees and volunteers to get involved and gain experience. 2. The long-running study in Ribbesford Wood on the best method of reverting conifer plantations back to native broadleaves whilst maintaining dormouse populations. 3. Ongoing contributions of data to the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme from a suite of sites across the Malvern Hills and Wyre Forest areas.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

Drab Looper

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Drab Looper 3 6 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. No data was returned.

Reporting limitations 1. Time constraints on partners to return reporting data.

Successes: 1. Unknown.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Unknown.

Farmland Birds

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Farmland Birds 1 7 1 2 1 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Breeding Bird Survey data published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). https://app.bto.org/bbs- results/results/county_lists/bbscountylist-GBHF.html. 2. Defra (2018). Wild Bird Populations in the UK, 1970 to 2017. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/754432/UK_Wild_birds_1970- 2017_FINAL__002_.pdf. 3. Information was returned by National Trust. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council. 5. Information was returned by Worcestershire Recorders. 6. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. Directly comparable data for 2008 and 2017 (and knowledge of the methodology of data analysis carried out in 2008 to set the Targets) were unavailable so it was not possible to directly assess delivery of the numerical Targets set for this Plan. The reporting for this Plan instead relied on published long-term and short-term national trend data for wild birds.

Successes: 1. Management of demonstration farms to show how sensitive farming techniques can improve the quality of the agricultural landscape for wildlife. Examples include Worcestershire Wildlife Trust's Lower Smite Farm, where bird food and habitat provision has been very successful in increasing numbers of both breeding and over-wintering farmland bird species.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Declines in the abundance of most of the UK's farmland bird species have been ongoing for many decades. These declines have been driven primarily by national trends in agricultural intensification and changes in land use practices, including increased efficiency in mechanical harvesting, increased use of pesticides and herbicides, the removal of farmland features such as hedgerows, the loss in area of mixed farming and a move from spring to autumn cereals.

Great Crested Newt

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Great Crested Newts 1 2 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. None.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Staff time and resource was not dedicated to seeking the external funding that would have been required to deliver the Target and Actions within this Plan.

Grizzled Skipper

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Grizzled Skipper 1 2 1 14 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. Time constraints on partners to return reporting data.

Successes: 1. Unknown.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Unknown.

High Brown Fritillary

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown High Brown Fritillary 4 2 6 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Recorders. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust 4. Information was returned by the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership.

Reporting limitations 1. Time constraints on partners to return reporting data.

Successes: 1. None.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Despite conservation efforts the High Brown Fritillary is now believed to be extinct within Worcestershire.

Hornet Robberfly

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Hornet Robberfly 1 1 3 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Recorders. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 3. Information was returned by Wyre Forest District Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Hornet robberfly has now been recorded from an increased number of sites (from 2008 baseline), albeit not necessarily the sites targeted within the Action Plan. 2. The core sites at Hurcott are managed by Wyre Forest District Council via their grazing animal scheme.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Changes to land management (of private agricultural land) outside of the partnership's control. 2. Lack of staff time and resources to engage directly with landowners regarding appropriate grassland/grazing management.

Nightingale

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Nightingale 1 1 4 3 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Recorders.

Reporting limitations 1. Lack of data on woodland management at privately owned sites.

Successes: 1. A number of woodlands within conservation ownership (Worcestershire Wildlife Trust; National Trust) continue to be managed to provide nightingale habitat. This includes woodland on the Croome estate, now believed to be the most important site within the county for nightingales. Despite this, it is believed that nightingales no longer breed in Worcestershire.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Lack of staff time and resources to engage directly with woodland owners regarding appropriate management.

Noble Chafer

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Noble Chafer 2 6 1 2 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 3. Information was returned by the Malvern Hills AONB Partnership. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire Recorders. 5. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Worcestershire Biological Records Centre delivered the HLF-funded 'Worcestershire's Flagship Orchards' project between 2013 and 2015, which contributed to the restoration of noble chafer habitat, undertook survey work for the species and resulted in the listing of 19 new noble chafer orchards within the Local Wildlife Sites system. 2. The Malvern Hills AONB Partnership delivered the HLF-funded 'Three Counties Traditional Orchard Project' between 2014 and 2018, which undertook wildlife surveys and produced management plans to guide owners in restoring and managing noble chafer habitat.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. A small number of Actions were overlooked for delivery.

Otter

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Otter 1 1 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. In common with other parts of England, Worcestershire has seen a recovery of otter numbers and distribution in the last two decades and recent records are now held for most rivers, streams, pools and canals within the county, as well as records for animals killed on roads.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Pearl-bordered Fritillary 1 1 1 6 1 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation

Reporting limitations 1. Lack of knowledge of woodland management on privately owned sites outside of the core Wyre Forest area.

Successes: 1. Successful delivery of this Action Plan resulted directly from the achievements of the Grow with Wyre Landscape Partnership Scheme which took place between 2009 and 2012. Within this scheme the SITA Trust-funded Back to Orange project focused on creating and improving habitat for Lepidoptera within the Wyre Forest including Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. The failure of the attempted re-introduction programme within woodlands in the Forest of Feckenham.

Shad

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Shad 1 18 2 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by the Environment Agency.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. In 2016 funding was secured from the EU LIFE Nature programme and the Heritage Lottery Fund for a 5-year project to reopen the entire River Severn and lower River Teme to fish including Twaite and Allis Shad. 'Unlocking the Severn' will remove physical barriers to migration and restore spawning habitat in the largest river restoration programme currently underway in Europe. The development work for this project, carried out by Environment Agency, Severn Rivers Trust, Canal & River Trust and Natural England, delivered a number of Actions within the BAP and the completion of the project will achieve the BAP Target and Actions in their entirety.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None, now that major external funding has been secured.

Slow Worm

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Slow Worm 1 1 1 Red

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcester City Council. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Regular monitoring of slow worms by the Worcestershire Reptile and Amphibian group is now taking place on a small number of key sites within Worcester city.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Staff time and resource was not dedicated to seeking the external funding that would have been required to deliver the Target and Actions within this Plan in full.

Stag Beetle

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Stag Beetle 3 2 1 1 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Consistently good public responses to requests for species records, particularly within the core Worcestershire population area around Upton-upon-Severn.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Lack of time and financial resource for habitat creation and management.

True Service

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown True Service Tree 1 Green

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Good records continue to be maintained on the location of True Service trees within the county and a number of new trees have been planted during the BAP reporting period.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. None.

Violet Click

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Violet Click Beetle 2 2 1 2 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Natural England. 2. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. All artificial habitat structures on Bredon Hill were surveyed and this experiment is due to be repeated in partnership with the Back from the Brink project.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. A small number of Actions were overlooked for delivery.

Water Vole

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Water Vole 1 8 1 6 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Bromsgrove District Council. 2. Information was returned by the Environment Agency. 3. Information was returned by the Canal & River Trust. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Implementation of the Bromsgrove Water Vole Conservation Strategy, which has delivered specific site management, habitat gain through planning developments, provision of advice to landowners and the integration of water vole habitat conservation into Bromsgrove District Council routine site management objectives. 2. In 2017 Severn Trent Water and the Environment Agency began work on the restoration of the Battlefield Brook through Sanders Park in Bromsgrove. The work will remove the concrete channelling that currently contains the brook and re-landscape the bed and banks to a more natural profile.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Lack of resources to develop a co-ordinated, catchment-scale plan for water vole species recovery in the Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest area.

White-clawed Crayfish

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown White-Clawed Crayfish 1 4 3 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by Worcestershire Wildlife Trust. 2. Information was returned by the Environment Agency. 3. Information was returned by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre. 4. Information was returned by Worcestershire County Council.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Establishment of the native crayfish Ark site in a partnership between Kemerton Conservation Trust, Buglife and the Environment Agency.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. Continued spread of non-native crayfish species within Worcestershire catchments. 2. Demonstrated inadequacies of the currently recommended biosecurity measures for crayfish surveys and watercourse management.

Wood White

Targets Actions Overall

Action Plan Green Amber Red Unknown Green Amber Red Unknown Wood White 3 10 5 Amber

Primary data / information source(s): 1. Information was returned by West Midlands Butterfly Conservation.

Reporting limitations 1. None.

Successes: 1. Butterfly Conservation was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant in 2016 for the 3-year 'Making a Stand for the Wood White' project. This delivered a number of the Actions within the Worcestershire BAP. 2. Wood White was successfully reintroduced to Monkwood in 2016.

Obstacles to delivery: 1. All of the Targets and several of the Actions for this BAP were not achieved because the species has been lost from sites that it previously occupied.