Upper Rock Nature Reserve: A Management and Action Plan Charles E. Perez & Keith J. Bensusan Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society Produced for the Government of Gibraltar Copyright © 2005 The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society Jews’ Gate, Upper Rock Nature Reserve, P.O. Box 843, Gibraltar Citation: Perez, C.E. & Bensusan, K. (2005) The Upper Rock Nature Reserve, A Management and Action Plan. The Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society. Gibraltar. Published by the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society. Feasibility study and publication funded by the Government of Gibraltar generously assisted by the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund Objetive 2 Programme. Printed and bound by Roc-a-Graphics Ltd. Tuckey’s Lane, Gibraltar. Tel. +(350) 59755 - From Spain: (9567) 59755 Contents Contents Foreword . .VI Acknowledgements . .VI 1) Introduction . .1 1.1. The Upper Rock Nature Reserve . .3 1.2. Research . .5 2) GONHS & The Nature Reserve . .7 2.1. Introduction . .9 2.2. History . .9 2.3. Current Work . .9 2.4. The Future . .10 3) Legislation . .11 3.1. Administration . .14 3.2. Recommendations . .14 3.3. Traffic . .15 3.4. Recommendations . .17 3.5. Vandalism, Defacement and Litter . .18 3.6. Recommendations . .18 3.7. Buildings and Structures . .19 3.8. Recommendations . .19 3.9. Wildlife Wardens . .20 3.10. Recommendations . .20 3.11. Disturbance to Fauna . .21 3.12. Recommendations . .22 3.13. Introduced Fauna and Flora . .22 3.14. Recommendations . .25 3.15. Poisons . .25 3.16. Recommendations . .26 3.17. ‘The Authority’ . .27 3.18. The Role of the Royal Gibraltar Police . .27 3.19. Recommendations . .28 4) European Wildlife Directives & the Convention on Biodiversity . .29 4.1. Natura 2000 . .31 4.2. The Habitats Directive . .31 4.3. The Gibraltar Habitats Directive Report . .32 4.4. Additional notes & comments . .34 4.5. The Natura 2000 network . .36 4.6. Eurobat . .40 4.7. The Biodiversity Convention . .41 5) The Face of the Upper Rock . .47 5.1. Litter . .49 5.2. Graffiti . .50 5.3. Roads . .51 5.4. Sewerage and Disused Pipes . .52 5.5. Paths . .53 5.6. Structures . .55 5.7. Picnic Sites . .57 5.8. Recommendations . .58 6) Geology & Caves . .61 6.1. Geological Features . .63 6.2. Caves . .64 6.3. Threats to Cliffs . .71 6.4. Threats to Caves . .73 6.5. GONHS . .73 6.6. Recommendations . .74 7) Heritage . .75 7.1. Caves . .77 7.2. Moors . .77 7.3. Spaniards . .78 7.4. British . .78 7.5. World War II . .79 7.6. Water Catchments . .80 7.7. Recommendations . .80 8) Introduced Flora . .85 8.1. Senecio angulatus . .89 8.2. Chasmanthe floribunda . .91 8.3. Lantana camara . .93 8.4. Opuntia ficus-indica . .94 8.5. Carpobrotus acinaciformis . .95 8.6. Oxalis pes-capre . .97 8.7. Ailanthus altissima . .99 8.8. Tecoma capensis . .100 8.9. Aloe arboresecens . .101 8.10. Agave americana . .102 8.11. Problem Areas . .104 8.12. Proposed list of Exotic Plant Species that should not be grown within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve . .106 Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society - GONHS Contents 9) Pine Trees . .107 9.1. Introduction . .109 9.2. Methods . .111 9.3. Results . .112 9.4. Discussion . .116 10) Habitats . .119 10.1. Introduction . .121 10.2. Methods . .122 10.3. Results . .124 10.4. Discussion . .129 10.5. Recommendations . .133 11) Fire and Firebreaks . .135 11.1. Location of Firebreaks . .137 11.2. Flora and Fauna of the Firebreaks . .138 11.3. Fire and Firebreaks . .139 11.4. The Gibraltar City Fire Brigade and the Upper Rock Nature Reserve . .139 11.5. Management of the Firebreaks . .140 11.6. Clearing of the Firebreaks . .140 11.7. Recommendations . .141 12) Birds . .143 12.1. Directives and Conventions . .145 12.2. How are these applied in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve? . .146 12.3. International Importance of Gibraltar for Birds . .146 12.4. Migrants . ..