Club-tailed dragonfly Biodiversity in Wrexham from the tiniest bug to the oldest oak and the places where they live September 2009 This booklet provides information and descriptions of some of the species and habitats contained in the Wrexham Biodiversity Action Plan The Action Plan can be viewed at www.ukbap-reporting.org.uk Many thanks to the organisations and individuals who have supplied photographs for inclusion in this leaflet including Denbighshire County Council, English Nature and the Environment Agency. Copyright is acknowledged with the photograph. All others are Wrexham County Borough Council. Agency Environment Young salmon (above) and Tree sparrow (main) This leaflet is available in Welsh and in alternative formats on request. It is also available on the Council’s website. www.wrexham.gov.uk/planning. Please contact 01978 292518 for further information Ian Spence Biodiversity in Wrexham Contents Slow worm Introduction 2 Wetlands and Fresh Water 7 Uplands 16 Woodlands 20 Lowland Grassland and Heathland 26 Urban and Brownfield 31 Farmland 34 Glossary 40 Contacts 41 air Thomson Alist Great raft spider Berwyn mountains 1 Introduction Why conserve it? Biodiversity is fundamental to sustaining human life on earth. Biological activity What is biodiversity? interacting with the environment provides the essential requirements for life: air, food, In simple terms biodiversity means the fresh water and shelter. It drives water, variety of life. It encompasses the whole element and nutrient cycles, underpins range of animals, plants and functioning agricultural systems, influences microorganisms on earth from the tiniest climate and provides protection from bug to the oldest oak along with the extremes of heat and cold, flood and ecosystems in which they live. It includes drought. It is, at a very basic level, the core the whole of the natural world from the requirement for human survival. commonplace to the critically endangered. The biodiversity found on Earth today In Wales the biodiversity resource has consists of many millions of distinct value for agriculture, fisheries and timber biological species, which is the product of production and provides the basis of many nearly 3.5 billion years of evolution. tourism and recreational activities and provides practical and artistic inspiration. The world's biodiversity is under threat for several reasons including habitat loss due to changes in agriculture, housing and industrial development, pollution of ecosystems and exploitation of species by practices such as unsustainable fishing. The most serious threats for the future, however, come from climate change and Wrexham County Borough from invasive species which move into a has an extremely habitat where they are not from and rich and varied array of become more successful than resident habitats and species species, both relatively recent concerns. Wild flower meadow at Ty Mawr Country Park 2 Key Burton Rossett Brownfield or Previously Developed Land Llay Floodplain Grasslands Marford Gresford Important Rivers and Streams Brymbo Bwlchgwyn Gwersyllt Holt Lowland Raised Bog Summerhill Minera Broughton Uplands Coedpoeth Wrexham Wrexham Industrial Woodlands R i v l y Estate e C w Wood Pasture and Parkland r e d o g Rhostyllen Marchwiel Dee Valley at Ty Mawr Urban Areas Cross Lanes e Worthenbury Rhosllannerchrugog e Johnstown D r Bangor-is-y-Coed Penycae e v Ruabon i R Tallarn Green Acrefair Trevor Cefn Mawr Overton Froncysyllte Penley Hanmer Bronington Y E Chirk Glyn Ceiriog L L A V R Pontfadog G i O v I R Bettisfield e I C E r C g e o i r i Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog Ruabon Mountain Wrexham County Borough: Distribution of Habitats Biodiversity in Wrexham In the eastern lowland areas of the Wrexham County Borough possesses an borough including the River Dee and its extremely rich and varied array of habitats floodplain, extensive areas of floodplain and species. From east to west there is meadow support an array of breeding incredible diversity resulting from birds, insects and small mammals. The differences in soils, topography, land use extremely dense occurrence of ponds in and legacies of the past. To the west, the the lowlands is of European importance open moorland of the Ruabon and and essential for the protection of the great crested newt population. Fenns, Whixall Esclusham Mountains are a valuable and Bettisfield Moss National Nature habitat for several important bird Reserve, once formed part of a huge populations including the most important lowland raised bog site which developed site for black grouse in Wales. The River after the last glaciation. The peat body Ceiriog Valley, and surrounding Berwyn supports dozens of locally and nationally Mountains, are a patchwork of small farms, rare species and is of European woodlands, open moorland and scrub. importance. 3 Protecting our Sites Throughout Wrexham County Borough there are numerous sites designated and protected because of their importance to wildlife. In total there are 5 sites protected under European Law known as Special Painted lady butterfly Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), 18 sites protected Wrexham has 4 internationally protected under British law called Sites of Special Scientific Interests (SSSIs), 4 Internationally wetlands and 5 sites protected protected wetlands (Ramsar sites) and a under European law known Local Nature Reserve at Alyn Waters as Special Areas of Conservation Country Park. There are also 161 Local Wildlife Sites that receive no statutory protection but are protected under planning policy. SSSIs In Wrexham County Borough Afon Dyfrdwy / River Dee * Hanmer Mere # Pandy Quarry Berwyn * Llay Bog Ruabon/ Llantysilio Mountains and Minera * Chawarel Singret Llyn Bedydd # Shell Brook Pastures Cloy Brook Pastures Marford Quarry Sontley Marsh Fenns, Whixall, Bettisfield, Wem and Cadney Mosses *# Nant Y Belan and Prynela Wood Stryt Las A'r Hafod/ Johnstown Newt Site * Gatewen Marsh Old Pulford Brook Meadows Vicarage Moss # *SAC #Ramsar 4 Wrexham Biodiversity Action Plan Wrexham's biodiversity is part of a global Partnership network! The UK's way of safeguarding The successful implementation of the biodiversity is through Biodiversity Action Biodiversity Action Plan objectives and Plans (BAPs). A Biodiversity Action Plan targets requires involvement from a variety (BAP) is an internationally recognised of partners including landowners, local program addressing the decline of authorities, statutory conservation agencies threatened species and habitats that is and voluntary bodies. The aim of the designed to protect and restore biological partnership approach is to share the systems. The plans derived from the workload and to involve a wide range of Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) resources and skills. It also ensures that adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. there is a shared commitment to, and ownership of, the plan process. A Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) focus' resources to conserve and enhance Established in February 2001, the biodiversity by means of local partnerships, Wrexham Biodiversity Group includes taking account of both national and local members from over 20 organisations and priorities. An LBAP ensures those national individuals, such as local recorders. Group targets for species and habitats are members assist with the preparation of translated into local action. They identify plans and achieving targets. targets for species and habitats appropriate to local areas, reflecting the values of people locally and develop effective local partnerships. Betty Lee 3 Rivers Project volunteers constructing an otter holt 5 Identifying Local Priority BARS Habitats and Species The Biodiversity Action Reporting System, The Natural Environment & Rural known as BARS, is the web-based Communities Act 2006 states that "The information system that supports the National Assembly for Wales must publish a planning, monitoring and reporting list of the living organisms and types of requirements of UK, national, local and habitat which in the Assembly's opinion are company Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs). of principal importance for the purpose of It also allows users to learn about the conserving biodiversity." This list is known progress being made towards local and as the Section 42 List, and forms the basis national targets. Detailed targets and for which habitats and species are included objectives for LBAP habitats and species in in the Wrexham LBAP. All Section 42 Wrexham County Borough can be seen on habitats found in Wrexham County Borough the BARS website. have targets on the BARS website, as do many of the species occurring in the county. In addition to those species considered of principle importance to Wales, additional species such as barn owl are included in the Wrexham LBAP, they are classed as local priority species. These local priority species are those which are thought to be in decline, have fragile populations locally (though not nationally), or have a high profile which can be used for conservation of other species. A full list of species which are included in the Wrexham LBAP can be found on the BARS web site: www.ukbap- reporting.org.uk. Records of habitats and species are brought together by Cofnod, the North Wales Record Centre. Having all biological records passed to a central point makes identifying species that are declining or becoming rare much easier. Banded Demoiselle 6 Wetlands and Fresh Water Wetlands are a vitally important habitat, supporting a huge variety of