Increasing Landscape Connectivity: Evaluating the Risks That This Will Encourage Invasive Non-Native Species
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Natural England Commissioned Report NECR146 Increasing landscape connectivity: evaluating the risks that this will encourage invasive non-native species First published 01 May 2014 www.naturalengland.org.uk Foreword Natural England commission a range of reports from external contractors to provide evidence and advice to assist us in delivering our duties. The views in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Natural England. Background Increasing landscape connectivity to enhance Conversely increasing connectivity through the resilience of landscapes to climate change is enhancing the habitat matrix has been a key adaptation principle, and is one of the suggested as a means of reducing the risk of most common forms of adaptation on the invasive species by enhancing the resilience of ground. Joining up landscapes was also one of native communities. the main findings of the Lawton Review as a means of ensuring coherent ecological This project was therefore commissioned to networks. investigate the potential conflicts and trade-offs between increasing connectivity to enhance At the same time an increasing threat from non- resilience through enabling species to track native invasive species has been identified as a climate change and reducing resilience through developing threat to the natural environment and encouraging the spread of invasive species. Natural England’s objectives from climate change. The findings of this research will help inform the design of ecological networks which in turn will Research into the spread of non-native species help determine how and where we prioritise has demonstrated that certain aspects of interventions such as habitat creation under the connectivity may lead to an increased risk of New England Land Management scheme, and spread, whilst in certain circumstances isolation biodiversity offsetting. and the introduction of barriers to spread (ie reduced connectivity) can be used as a conservation measure. Natural England Project Officer - Simon Duffield, Mail Hub Block B, Whittington Road, Worcester, WR5 2LQ [email protected] Contractor - Sarah Knight, FERA, York www.fera.defra.gov.uk/ Keywords - climate change, climate change adaptation, adaptation, ecological networks, connectivity, non native invasive species, invasives Further information This report can be downloaded from the Natural England website: www.naturalengland.org.uk. For information on Natural England publications contact the Natural England Enquiry Service on 0845 600 3078 or e-mail [email protected]. This report is published by Natural England under the Open Government Licence - OGLv2.0 for public sector information. You are encouraged to use, and reuse, information subject to certain conditions. For details of the licence visit www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright. Natural England photographs are only available for non commercial purposes. If any other information such as maps or data cannot be used commercially this will be made clear within the report. ISBN 978-1-78354-101-0 © Natural England and other parties 2014 Increasing landscape connectivity: evaluating the risks that this will encourage invasive non-native species By: Sarah Knight*, Dr Larissa Collins*, Simon Conyers*, Dr Andrew Crowe*, Dominic Eyre*, Dr Dave Parrott*, Dr Sugoto Roy*, Kate Somerwill* Dr Jamie Williams† and Dr Nigel Boatman* *Fera † Environment Systems Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................. i 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 2. Summary of literature review and species selection process for case studies .. 3 2.1. Landscape .................................................................................................................... 3 2.2. Climate .......................................................................................................................... 6 2.3. Key traits ....................................................................................................................... 7 2.4. Species selection .......................................................................................................... 7 2.5. Additional factors ........................................................................................................... 9 2.6. Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 10 3. Trade off table and species selection .............................................................. 13 3.1. Environmental Stewardship ......................................................................................... 13 3.2. Birds ............................................................................................................................ 14 3.3. Plants .......................................................................................................................... 14 3.4. Invertebrates ............................................................................................................... 15 3.5. Herptiles ...................................................................................................................... 15 3.6. Mammals .................................................................................................................... 15 3.7. Summary..................................................................................................................... 15 4. Case Study ..................................................................................................... 17 4.1. Study site .................................................................................................................... 17 4.2. Species selection ........................................................................................................ 18 4.3. Modelling methodology ............................................................................................... 20 5. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 45 6. Acknowledgements ......................................................................................... 50 7. References ...................................................................................................... 51 8. Appendix A Literature review .......................................................................... 73 8.1. Aims ............................................................................................................................ 73 8.2. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 73 8.3. Landscape .................................................................................................................. 76 8.4. Climate change ........................................................................................................... 96 8.4.4. Climate – mammals ............................................................................................... 109 8.5. Other factors influencing of invasion success ............................................................ 114 9. Appendix B Species analysis ........................................................................ 134 9.1. Non-native species selection ..................................................................................... 134 9.2. Assessment of species relative risk ........................................................................... 134 9.3. Birds .......................................................................................................................... 139 9.4. Plants ........................................................................................................................ 146 9.5. Invertebrates ............................................................................................................. 154 9.6. Mammals .................................................................................................................. 161 9.7. Herptiles .................................................................................................................... 168 10. Appendix C: Climate degraded habitat ...................................................... 174 11. Appendix D: Invasion pathways and traits ................................................. 179 12. Appendix E: References used in plant species analysis ............................ 190 13. Appendix F: Insects excluded from analysis .............................................. 192 14. Appendix G: Statistical tables of spread maps .......................................... 196 Executive Summary 1. Non-native species are those that enter regions outside of their natural range, along a number of different pathways, involving either deliberate or accidental release through human activity. Those species that spread and impose detrimental impacts on native species or the country’s economy or health are called invasive non-native species. 2. Increasing connectivity of the landscape is known to be beneficial to the conservation of native species in many situations as it promotes coherent ecological networks that allow movement through the landscape. The importance of ecological networks increases when considered in light of climate change as they are believed