Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP)
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Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 - 1 - The Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 This document was published by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Wiltshire Biodiversity Partnership. It was funded by Wiltshire County Council, Natural England and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. The review of the Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was coordinated by the Wiltshire BAP Steering Group, which is made up of representatives from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Wiltshire County Council, Natural England, Biodiversity South West, Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre, and the Cotswold Water Park Society. Huge thanks go to all of the following organisations and individuals who attended workshops and inputted comments into the revised Wiltshire BAP: Action for the River Kennet Black Sheep Environmental Management Avon Salmon Group British Trust for Conservation Volunteers Butterfly Conservation British Waterways Center Parcs Cotswold Water Park Society Cotswolds AONB Council for the Protection of Rural England County Recorders Cranborne Chase & West Wilts Downs AONB Deer Initiative Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory Environment Agency Five Rivers Bat Group Forest Enterprise Forestry Commission Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust Great Bustard Group Great Western Community Forest Independent Ecologist – Lindsay Carrington Kennet District Council Ministry of Defence Mouchel North Wessex Downs AONB National Trust Natural England New Forest National Park Authority North Wiltshire District Council Peoples Trust for Endangered Species Plantlife Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Salisbury District Council Swindon BAP Partnership Thames Water Wessex Salmon and Rivers Trust Wessex Water West Wiltshire District Council Wild Trout Trust Wiltshire and Berkshire Canal Trust Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre Wiltshire Botanical Society Wiltshire County Council Wiltshire Fisheries Association Wiltshire Greater Horseshoe Bat Project Wiltshire Mammal Group Wiltshire Ornithological Society Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Woodland Trust This document was edited by Sarah Wilkinson, Biodiversity Action Plan Officer at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. All maps were provided by the Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre. Images used are credited individually. Thanks go to Charlotte Watson for providing hand drawn images. Any website links in this document are accessed at the user’s own risk. The Wiltshire Biodiversity Partnership can not take responsibility for the content of external sites. This document is available for download from www.biodiversitywiltshire.org.uk. Go to this website to find out the latest information on progress being made towards targets and actions and information about upcoming meetings and events, as well as more information about biodiversity in Wiltshire. - 2 - Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan 2008 Contents Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 4 Section One: Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 6 1. The Biodiversity Action Plan Process......................................................................................... 7 2. Biodiversity in Wiltshire.................................................................................................................. 8 3. The Wiltshire BAP 2002................................................................................................................ 10 4. Coordination of the BAP ............................................................................................................... 10 5. Progress towards the actions and targets set out in 2002............................................. 10 6. The need for review....................................................................................................................... 11 Wiltshire BAP 2008 .............................................................................................................................. 13 Section Two: The Action Plans .............................................................................................................. 17 Generic Action Plan ................................................................................................................................. 19 Woodland................................................................................................................................................... 30 Wood-pasture, Parkland and Ancient Trees ....................................................................................... 39 Ancient and/or Species Rich Hedgerows............................................................................................. 46 Traditional Orchards ................................................................................................................................ 50 Farmland Habitats.................................................................................................................................... 56 Calcareous Grassland............................................................................................................................. 67 Unimproved Neutral Grassland.............................................................................................................. 75 Rivers, Streams and Associated Habitats............................................................................................ 82 Standing Open Water .............................................................................................................................. 97 Lowland Heathland Information Note.................................................................................................. 107 Built Environment ................................................................................................................................... 108 Bats Species Action Plan...................................................................................................................... 117 Section Three: Species........................................................................................................................... 125 Appendix One: Changes in Policy and Attitude since 2002 .............................................................. 143 Appendix Two: Other BAPs.................................................................................................................... 149 Appendix Three: Acronyms .................................................................................................................... 151 Appendix Four: Further Information...................................................................................................... 155 - 3 - Executive Summary Biodiversity in Wiltshire: Wiltshire is a wonderful county for wildlife. It contains a great diversity of habitat types, from its internationally important chalk grassland and chalk rivers, to large networks of standing open water, and ancient hunting forests. The richness of habitats in Wiltshire is reflected in the diversity of species which occur here, including nationally important populations of Marsh Fritillary and farmland birds such as Stone Curlew. Whilst Wiltshire is comparatively rich in terms of its biodiversity, its wildlife has declined at a truly alarming rate over the last 50 years in line with national trends. For example, lowland unimproved grassland, an important habitat type in Wiltshire, is now the single most threatened type of grassland habitat in the UK, and between 1934-1984 it is thought to have declined in extent by 97%. Species have also shown worrying declines, with groups such as farmland birds having declined on average by about 50% since the 1970s. Why is biodiversity important? The wealth of Wiltshire’s wildlife makes it an interesting, beautiful and distinctive place to live. Living organisms are responsible for regulating the air we breathe, the climate we live in and the quality of water we drink. Without biodiversity we would not have soil, food or the other essentials for life as we know it. Biodiversity also provides us with economic benefits. A huge proportion of our medicines, food, raw materials and manufacturing and energy sources are a result of biodiversity. If biodiversity levels fall, the ability of natural systems to adapt to change, or the potential resource available for humans to make use of, declines. Therefore protecting and enhancing biodiversity is in all of our interests. Why a Biodiversity Action Plan? The threats facing wildlife in the UK have now been recognised for many years, and a range of organisations have and are working hard to make Wiltshire a better place for wildlife. The Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan is a tool which summarises and directs the activities of statutory, private and third sector organisations delivering biodiversity activity in Wiltshire. By pulling these actions into one plan, it creates a coherent plan of action which can be delivered through a partnership of organisations working together. It also acts as a vital reporting tool to help monitor key habitats and species. The Wiltshire Biodiversity Action Plan This document represents the radical revision of the Wiltshire BAP 2002. The new Wiltshire BAP will be updated annually so that it is kept up to date in the light of completed actions and changing circumstances.