LOCAL BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN FOR BRIDGEND COUNTY BOROUGH Volume 2 Species and Habitat Action Plans BRIDGEND BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP Compiled by Planning Department, Bridgend County Borough Council and David Clements Ecology on behalf of the Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership, January 2002 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – January 2002 CONTENTS Introduction 3 The Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership 4 Part 1 Habitat Action Plans Ancient and Species-rich Hedgerows 7 Lowland Ancient Woodlands 10 Upland Oak Woodlands 14 Upland Mixed Ash Woodlands 17 Wet Woodlands 20 Lowland Wood-Pasture and Parklands 23 Hay Meadows and Old Pastures 26 Lowland Dry Acid Grasslands 29 Calcareous Grasslands 32 Heathlands 35 Purple Moor-Grass and Rush Pastures 37 Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marshes 40 Reedbeds 42 Fens and Flushes 44 Blanket Bogs 46 Coastal Sand Dunes 49 Marine Habitats Statement 52 Part 2 Species Action Plans Hazel Dormouse 57 Bats (All Species) 59 Otter 61 Water Vole 64 Barn Owl 66 Lapwing 68 Skylark 71 Whinchat 73 Reed Bunting 74 Spotted Flycatcher 76 Great Crested Newt 77 Marsh Fritillary Butterfly 79 High Brown Fritillary Butterfly 82 Small Blue Butterfly 84 Double-Line Moth 85 Bordered Gothic Moth 86 Waved Carpet Moth 88 Hornet Robberfly 89 Brown-Banded Carder-Bee 91 Shrill Carder-Bee 92 Hairy Dragonfly 93 1 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – January 2002 Scarce Blue-Tailed Damselfly 94 Bog Bush-Cricket 95 Medicinal Leech 96 Fen Orchid 97 Whorled Caraway 99 Shore Dock 100 Viper’s-Grass 101 Arable Weed Species (Group Plan) 102 The Lichen: Bacidia incompta 104 References 106 Glossary of Abbreviations 117 Part 3 Appendices Appendix 1: Statutory & Policy Framework 120 Appendix 2: Sources of Wildlife Data for Bridgend County Borough 128 Appendix 3: Guidance on Management for Sites & Species 131 Acknowledgements The Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership wishes to acknowledge the work of the Association of Local Government Ecologists in providing support to the biodiversity work of local authorities. 2 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – January 2002 INTRODUCTION Volume 1 of a draft Local Biodiversity Action Plan (or ‘LBAP’) for Bridgend County Borough was launched by the Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership at the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust's 'Festival of Wildlife' on 15th July 2000. Volume 1 served as the first stage of consultation with the wider public. It contained statements about issues affecting biodiversity, put forward a strategy for action and suggested broad actions that should be taken to help conserve biodiversity in the county borough. Volume 1 should be read alongside this new document. The launch of Volume 1 of a draft LBAP for Bridgend County Borough was attended Mr Win Griffiths MP, Mr Carwyn Jones AM, and Cllr H. Clive Davies, Bridgend County Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Environmental, Planning, Highways and Technical Services. Also present at the launch were members of the Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership, officers and members of the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust, and members of the public visiting GWT's Tondu headquarters. The present document, Volume 2 of the draft LBAP for Bridgend, provides the technical detail of the action plan, setting out the actions and partnerships required to conserve and enhance the County Borough’s wildlife resource. The LBAP for Bridgend County Borough remains very much in draft form. Volume 1 has already been amended to include constructive comments received during the six-month consultation period, which began on 15th July 2000. Volume 2 has been issued for consultation at this time to enable a further period of consultation and consolidation. Everyone still has an opportunity to comment on, improve on and amend what has been done so far. The development of species and habitat action plans, even the clarification of the status and distribution of those same species and habitats, is of necessity a continuing project. Initiatives such as the disaggregation of habitat data held by the national conservation agencies, and the working-up of relevant targets for habitat management and enhancement, are still in progress at the time of writing. Without the knowledge and commitment of a wide partnership, inclusive of all sectors of society, there is little prospect of effective long-term action. These therefore are continuing steps in building consensus and support for action. Volume 2 will therefore need to be amended over time as information becomes available and new partnerships are identified. 3 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – January 2002 BRIDGEND BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP The Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership (BBP) was initiated in August 1998 and consists of a range of conservation organisations involved with the collection and collation of wildlife data within the Bridgend County Borough area. The Partnership feeds into, and is informed by, a grouping of key partners responsible for delivering the Countryside Strategy and Integrated Action Programme for Bridgend. Our goal is to maintain and enhance the physical and biological integrity of the biodiversity of Bridgend County Borough to a condition capable of supporting its characteristic range of habitats and species, and to encourage human contact with and enjoyment of its biodiversity, so that present and future generations can benefit from its environmental, aesthetic and economic benefits. BRIDGEND BIODIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP Botanical Society of the British Isles Coed Cymru (East Glamorgan Recorder) Environment Agency Butterfly Conservation (South Wales Forestry Commission Branch) Forest Enterprise Countryside Council for Wales Groundwork Bridgend Glamorgan Bird Club Prince’s Trust - Cymru Glamorgan Moth Recording Group Royal Society for the Protection of Birds Glamorgan Wildlife Trust Wales Tourist Board British Trust for Ornithology Welsh Development Agency Organisations in bold type are members of the Bridgend Biodiversity Partnership Steering Group; the other organisations are a grouping of key partners also involved with delivering the Countryside Strategy and Integrated Action Programme for Bridgend County Borough. GLAMORGAN BIODIVERSITY ADVISORY GROUP The work of BBP is supported by the Glamorgan Biodiversity Advisory Group (GlamBAG), a forum established in July 1997 whose remit is to develop biodiversity objectives and action plan targets for the old Glamorgan County area (often referred to as the Watsonian Vice-County 41). This ‘strategic approach’ was seen as both sensible and logistically essential, considering the limited resources of not just the eight local authorities that comprise Glamorgan, but also of the old county’s statutory and non-statutory environment organisations. In any event, such an approach is consistent with 'Planning Guidance (Wales): Planning Policy', which stresses that ‘landscape and nature conservation issues are not confined by administrative boundaries, and should be addressed strategically and discussed with adjoining planning authorities’. The first major success of GlamBAG was the development of a genuine partnership between local authorities, statutory and non-statutory nature conservation organisations, as well as land-use and development bodies. The group's next 4 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – March 2001 important output was the ‘Habitat Action Plans (First Tranche)’ (GlamBAG 1999), which contained worked-up and internally agreed guidance for seven Priority Habitats, namely: ‘Fens', 'Upland Oak Woodland', 'Purple Moor-grass and Rush- Pasture', 'Coastal and Floodplain Grazing Marsh', 'Lowland Heathland', 'Reedbeds' and 'Species-rich and/or Ancient Hedgerows'. This first tranche of seven plans was launched for consultation in May 1999 at the Welsh Development Agency's offices in Penllergaer, Swansea. A second tranche of regional habitat action plans is currently in production, and these are at various stages of consultation with the Countryside Council for Wales, prior to their public consultation phase. These plans include: ♦ Lowland Hay Meadow ♦ Lowland Dry Acidic Grassland ♦ Lowland Calcareous Grassland ♦ Eutrophic Standing Waters and Ponds ♦ Sand Dunes ♦ Shingle ♦ Coastal Cliff & Slope ♦ Cereal Field Margins ♦ Wood Pasture & Parkland ♦ Wet Woodland ♦ Upland Mixed Ash Woodland ♦ Beech & Yew Woodland ♦ Saltmarsh The work of GlamBAG continues to guide the development of this Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough. For further information about the Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough, please contact: Implementation and Environment Section, Planning Department, Directorate of Environmental and Planning Services, Bridgend County Borough Council, Civic Offices, Angel Street, Bridgend, CF31 4WB Telephone: 01656-643170, Fax: 01656-643190 e-mail [email protected]. 5 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – March 2001 PART 1: HABITAT ACTION PLANS 6 A Local Biodiversity Action Plan for Bridgend County Borough – Volume 2 – March 2001 Ancient and/or Species-Rich Hedgerows Ancient and/or Species-Rich Hedgerows are a UK BAP Priority Habitat. Definition and Description: ‘Ancient hedgerows’ are defined as those which were in existence before the Enclosure Acts, which in Glamorgan were largely effective during the period 1809 to 1936. The age of a hedgerow is often a factor in determining its biodiversity, with older hedges