Landscape Biodiversity Areas A landscape-scale framework for conservation in Wiltshire and Swindon Poppies on Salisbury Plain. Photo: Stephen Davis WWT Completed in collaboration with the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group July 2013 Wiltshire’s Landscape Biodiversity Areas 2012 This document was published by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust with funding provided by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council. The review of the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) was coordinated by the Wiltshire and Swindon BAP Steering Group which is made up of representatives from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Wiltshire County Council, Swindon Borough Council, Natural England, Wiltshire & Swindon Local Nature Partnership, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Records Centre, Cotswold Water Part Trust, Longleat Center Parcs and the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This document was produced by Melanie Wright, Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plan Development Officer, between March and September 2012. All maps were created using data from the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre. All website links in this document are accessed at the user’s own risk and the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust can not take responsibility for the content of external sites. This document has been made available to communicate the outcomes of a six month review of the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plans. This document supports information available on the new Wiltshire and Swindon Local Nature Partnership (Link2Nature) website which should be consulted for further details www.link2nature.org.uk 1 Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. 4 1. Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................ 5 1.1 Biodiversity in Wiltshire and Swindon ........................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Why is biodiversity important? ..................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Biodiversity Action Plans ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Setting Wiltshire’s biodiversity conservation in a UK context ...................................................................... 6 1.5 Building on the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plans ................................................................ 8 1.6 Priority Habitats and Species ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.7 Useful links: ................................................................................................................................................. 10 2. Designing the Landscape Biodiversity Areas ..................................................................................... 11 2.1 Delimiting the Landscape Biodiversity Areas .............................................................................................. 11 2.2 Strategic Nature Areas................................................................................................................................. 11 2.3 Work outside of SNAs .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.4 Exiting landscape-scale conservation initiatives ......................................................................................... 13 3. Landscape Biodiversity Area Profiles ............................................................................................... 14 3.1 Area Profile .................................................................................................................................................. 14 3.2 Background .................................................................................................................................................. 15 3.3 Priority Habitats ........................................................................................................................................... 15 3.4 Priorities and Opportunities for Conservation ............................................................................................ 15 3.5 Conservation Initiatives ............................................................................................................................... 16 4. Landscape Biodiversity Areas .......................................................................................................... 17 Area 01 –Wiltshire Upper Thames Clay Vale .....................................................................................................18 Area 02 - Swindon Ridge and Clay Lowlands......................................................................................................24 Area 03 –Braydon Forest ....................................................................................................................................30 Area 04 -Cotswold Limestone Lowlands ............................................................................................................36 Area 05 – Marlborough Downs and Savernake Forest ......................................................................................44 Area 06 - Bristol Avon Vale .................................................................................................................................53 Area 07 – Vale of Pewsey ...................................................................................................................................60 Area 08 – Salisbury Plain ....................................................................................................................................66 Area 09 - West Wiltshire and Cranborne Chase Downs .....................................................................................73 2 Area 10 - Warminster and the Vale of Wardour ................................................................................................80 Area 11 - Tytherley and Langley Woods ............................................................................................................88 5. Taking Forward the Landscape Biodiversity Areas Framework ............................................................. 95 6. Partnership ........................................................................................................................................ 96 7. Get Involved ...................................................................................................................................... 97 7.1 Monitoring& Recording ............................................................................................................................... 97 8. References ......................................................................................................................................... 98 9. Glossary ............................................................................................................................................. 98 10. Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 100 3 Executive Summary This addition to the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plans is designed to aid the process of identifying priorities and opportunities for the landscape scale conservation of priority habitats and their associated species. It provides a framework within which to coordinate conservation efforts and create viable, interconnected, landscape scale units of these priority habitats. Additionally, it should highlight where priority habitats are not receiving the focus which they require and can hopefully guide future efforts in such areas. This document has been developed to build on the Wiltshire and Swindon Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) published in 2008 and 2010. This document is not designed to supersede the previous BAPs but instead enhances the evidence base upon which we make decisions relating to the future direction of conservation within Wiltshire and Swindon. These BAPs should still be referred to for more specific guidance on habitats and species, while this document is designed to set the information presented in the previous versions of the BAP within a landscape context. It draws together a raft of work which has been undertaken to identify opportunities and priorities for landscape scale conservation within Wiltshire and Swindon and these documents should be consulted for more detailed information on specific areas than can be included here. It is hoped that the new Landscape Biodiversity Areas identified in this document will provide a framework within which future conservation planning can occur such as the identification of potential Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs). These will help inform groups and individuals from the strategic to the local level, including the Local Nature Partnership, Local Authorities, Community Area Boards, Wildlife NGOs and also local community and wildlife groups. A number of Biodiversity Action Plans have been compiled by other organisations which cover specific areas of Wiltshire