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Biodiversity Monitoring Model User Guide

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Biodiversity Monitoring Model User Guide New Life on the Old West Biodiversity Monitoring Model User Guide Document control Document: Biodiversity Monitoring Model User Guide Project: New Life on the Old West Client: Cambridgeshire ACRE Job number: WTBCN312 Primary author: Josh Hellon Signed: Review by: Martin Baker Signed: Revision Date Status Checked for issue 1 11/10/2018 Draft 2 15/01/2019 Final 3 30/01/2019 Revised Final 4 Cover photo: by Josh Hellon 2 Client: Cambridgeshire ACRE Date of Issue: January 2019 Tender Authors: Josh Hellon MCIEEM Martin Baker MCIEEM CEnv Prepared by: The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire The Manor House Broad Street Cambourne Cambridge, CB23 6DH Company no. 2534145 Website: www.wildlifebcn.org Email: [email protected] Telephone: 01954 713500 Copyright information Most images in this document and the appendices are taken from the Wildlife Trusts Wildnet Digital Asset Library. Credits are provided for the photographers. Copyright © Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, The Kiln, Waterside, Mather Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 1WT. Registered Charity Number 207238. Additional images are taken from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. Credits are provided for the photographers. All images are for use in these documents only and cannot be sold or passed on to other organisations for reuse. 3 Summary This document presents the proposed monitoring model for the New Life on the Old West project. This includes a description of the project area, target species, ID guides, survey methods, reporting, equipment, timetable, biosecurity and health and safety information. Full methodologies, fieldsheets, guidance documents and health and safety forms are included in the appendix. Contents Document control ................................................................................................................................... 2 Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Project area ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Designated sites found within the New Life on the Old West project boundary ................... 8 2.2 Sites with planned habitat enhancements ........................................................................... 11 3 Flagship & fen-specialist species ................................................................................................... 11 3.1 Flagship and fen-specialists .................................................................................................. 12 3.2 Plant species indicative of good quality ditches ................................................................... 15 3.3 Aquatic beetles indicative of good quality ditches ............................................................... 18 4 Invasive non-native species .......................................................................................................... 21 5 Survey types .................................................................................................................................. 22 5.1 Old West River Wardens ....................................................................................................... 24 5.2 Fixed Point Photography on the Old West ........................................................................... 24 5.3 I Spy on the Old West ............................................................................................................ 25 5.4 Aquatic Plants on the Old West ............................................................................................ 26 5.5 Old West Recorder Days ....................................................................................................... 27 5.6 Old West Bioblitz ................................................................................................................... 28 5.7 Old West Otters and Water Voles ......................................................................................... 29 5.8 eDNA on the Old West .......................................................................................................... 30 5.9 Amphibians and Reptiles on the Old West ........................................................................... 31 5.10 How clean is the Old West? .................................................................................................. 31 5.11 What did you catch on the Old West? .................................................................................. 32 5.12 Find the Rare Plant on the Old West .................................................................................... 33 5.13 Dragonflies and Damselflies on the Old West ...................................................................... 34 4 5.14 Butterflies on the Old West .................................................................................................. 35 5.15 Old West Hedgehog Highways .............................................................................................. 35 5.16 Old West Wildflowers ........................................................................................................... 36 6 Proposed timetable....................................................................................................................... 37 7 Training requirements .................................................................................................................. 37 8 Equipment requirements .............................................................................................................. 38 9 Data collation and sharing ............................................................................................................ 38 10 Reporting and indicators of achievement................................................................................. 39 10.1 Species diversity .................................................................................................................... 40 10.2 Species abundance ................................................................................................................ 41 10.3 Species distribution ............................................................................................................... 42 10.4 Species rarity ......................................................................................................................... 43 10.5 Habitat quality....................................................................................................................... 43 10.6 Presence/absence of indicator species ................................................................................. 43 10.7 Presence/absence of non-native invasive species ................................................................ 43 10.8 Water quality ........................................................................................................................ 44 10.9 Visual appearance ................................................................................................................. 45 11 Project legacy ............................................................................................................................ 46 12 Health & Safety ......................................................................................................................... 47 13 Biosecurity................................................................................................................................. 47 14 Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 48 5 1 Introduction The New Life on the Old West Project (NLOW) seeks to establish connectivity and ecological resilience in the Cambridgeshire Fens between the core wetland nature reserves: National Trust’s Wicken Fen and RSPB’s Ouse Fen and Ouse Washes This document presents a biodiversity monitoring model. This volunteer-led monitoring programme will provide new information on the presence of species and habitat quality in the project area. The model will measure and evaluate the impact of biodiversity-focused work delivered through the entire project. The framework will enable the continued evaluation of the project’s legacy for 10 years beyond its official delivery end point. This document includes a list of flagship/fen-specialist species, tools for data input/analysis, survey protocols, field forms, reporting advice, design of legacy and development of data collation/sharing protocols. Project progress will be monitored through ‘indicators of achievement’. This is based on a combination of species location, abundance, diversity and other indicators at the restoration sites and throughout the wider project area. The model is designed to monitor change over time through a range of survey types. Where possible, indicator species will be used to demonstrate change. This document has been created with input from Cambridgeshire ACRE, and the New Life on the Old West Biodiversity Technical Group that contains representatives
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