2016 CIRENCESTER POLLINATOR STRATEGY A better place to bee! “A living document” SCOTT PROBERT Cirencester Pollinator Plan Foreword by Scott Probert The aim of this document is to promote discussion around ways in which we can make Cirencester a better place to bee! Four generations of my family live in Cirencester and, with the exception of my time at university, I have spent my whole life as a resident of this town. I’ve seen Cirencester change quite a lot during this time, with the arrival of the out of town supermarkets, the construction of new homes and the development of new office blocks. Cirencester is growing and I’m concerned that some of the little things are being left behind! I have been interested in natural history for as long as I can remember; however, having graduated from Reading University with a degree in Earth Science in 2000, I have spent the last fifteen years working in Financial Services. I will however be returning to full-time education in September 2016 to study for a Foundation degree in British Wildlife Conservation at the Royal Agricultural University; this is a vocational qualification aimed at developing the practical skills required for a career within the conservation sector - my BumblebeeWatching blog has some more background information about my interests. As an offshoot from my wildlife gardening hobby I created a #BumblebeeWatching Twitter and Facebook pages to share my success stories and interact with likeminded people, through which I have also become increasingly aware of the issues affecting our wild pollinators. More recently I have started to think about how I can do more to help. Inspired by the work of my friend Brigit Strawbridge in her home town of Shaftsbury, I wondered whether some similar ‘bee-friendly’ initiatives could be implemented in Cirencester. I contacted Cirencester town council to enquire about related pollinator friendly actions, and to find out more about the ways in which our green spaces are managed, and was directed towards the Cirencester Green Spaces Strategy. The following is a collection of thoughts and ideas regarding the value of our green spaces, for people and wildlife, and possible ways in which the residents of Cirencester could work together to make Cirencester a better place to bee! Scott Probert The pictures contained within this document were all taken in my small wildlife garden, proof positive that little changes can have a big impact. 1 Cirencester Pollinator Plan Contents Setting the Scene. 2 National Strategies . 2 Regional Strategies . 3 People and Wildlife. 4 Nature Deficit Disorder . 4 Natures' Health Service . 4 A Natural Childhood. 4 A Healthy Habitat . 5 Pesticides. 7 1. Raising Awareness. 9 2. Public Engagement . 11 3. Habitat Creation. 13 Land use types . 15 Parks and Gardens. 15 Natural and Semi-natural green spaces. 15 Allotments. 16 Private Gardens. 17 Churchyards and Graveyards. 18 Educational Facilities . 18 Amenity land and green corridors . 19 Local businesses . 20 Appendix. 21 Wild plants. 21 Wildlife Garden Plants. 24 Garden Plants . 25 Bumblebee Plants (easy to maintain). 26 Edible Plants . 27 Large Plants. 28 Butterfly Plants. 28 References . 31 2 Cirencester Pollinator Plan SETTING THE SCENE Conserving and enhancing the diversity of Cirencester’s habitats and green spaces for the benefit of wildlife and the enjoyment of local Figure 1. Leafcutter Bee (Megachile Sp.) people. The town of Cirencester lies on the south-eastern margin of the Cotswold Hills, just outside the Cotswold area of outstanding natural beauty - the largest of the 38 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England and Wales. The close relationship between the geology, topography and agriculture is particularly marked in Cirencester. The area is dominated by middle Jurassic limestones and mudstones, and terrace deposits from the river churn, giving rise to calcareous fine loamy and clayey soils. These clay soils produce particularly rich neutral grasslands, home to many diverse populations of invertebrates and native flora. However, this habitat and the pollinator populations they support are sadly under threat. In the 1930’s, 40% of the Cotswolds was covered in wildflower rich limestone grassland. Today, fewer than 3,000 hectares remain - only 1.5% of the total area. [27] National Strategies [23] Thankfully the government has taken steps to address these losses; in 1992 the UK was one of 150 countries that signed up to the Convention of Biological Diversity at the Earth Summit in Rio. To demonstrate its commitment to this The National Indicator for convention, the UK government subsequently published the UK Biodiversity (NI 197) Biodiversity Action Plan in 1994. Ten years later, following public support for the Friends of the Earth’s Bee Cause campaign, the The new National Performance government then produced the National Pollinator Strategy with Indicator (NI 197) for biodiversity the specific aim of protecting pollinating insects. requires local authorities to report on ‘the proportion of Local Sites where Some of the key aims of this document are listed below: positive conservation management has been, or is being, implemented’ Supporting pollinators across towns, cities and the countryside: regardless of whether they have • Working with large-scale landowners, and their advisers, chosen it as a performance contractors and facility managers, to promote simple changes to improvement target in their Local Area land management to provide food, shelter and nest sites. Agreements. • Ensuring good practice to help pollinators through initiatives with a wide range of organisations and professional networks including managers of public and amenity spaces, utility and transport companies, brownfield site managers, local authorities, developers and planners. • Encouraging the public to take action in their gardens, allotments, window boxes and balconies to make them pollinator-friendly or through other opportunities such as community gardening and volunteering on nature reserves. 3 Cirencester Pollinator Plan Raising awareness of what pollinators need to survive and thrive: • Developing and disseminating further advice to a wide range of land owners, managers and gardeners as part of Bees’ Needs. (Grow more flowers, shrubs & trees, Let it grow wild, Don't disturb insect nests and hibernation spots, Cut grass less often, Think carefully about whether to use pesticides) • Improving the sharing of knowledge and evidence between scientists, conservation practitioners and non-government organisations (NGOs) to ensure that actions taken to support pollinators are based on up-to- date evidence. Figure 2. Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis) Improving evidence on the status of pollinators and the service they provide: • Developing a sustainable long-term monitoring programme so we better understand their status, the causes of any declines and where our actions will have most effect. • Improving our understanding of the value and benefits pollinators provide, and how resilient natural and agricultural systems are to changes in their populations. Regional Strategy [1] In 2011 the Cirencester Green Spaces Strategy (2011 to 2021) was published, with the aim of improving Cirencester’s green spaces for wildlife and local people. Some of the key recommendations proposed in this document (listed below) tie in with national strategy and could be considered for inclusion within the development of a local biodiversity plan. 11.2 Establish a baseline of key local UK Priority Species under the NERC act and monitor every 5 years. 11.5 Set up a regular monitoring system to determine trends in the indicator species and establish a programme to train volunteers to take part 11.6 Develop environmental programmes aimed at education, stewardship and management that build resources in the local community to seek to improve the natural signature. Develop a programme to train volunteers to monitor indicator species. Partners could include BTCV and the Neighbourhood Partnership and community groups. 11.7 Work in partnership with the Royal Agricultural College to deliver Natural Connection projects through their Heritage Foundation Degree and Countryside Management Degree. 11.8 Use the Town Council website to make information about Cirencester’s natural signature available to the public and to encourage involvement in environmental programmes. 17.2 Work with local education providers (public and private) to develop more and better ways for local people to access nature in Cirencester. 17.4 Work with local primary and secondary schools to develop a “natural laboratory” and learning package to deliver the curriculum, working with local community organisations and key stakeholders. The Cirencester Green Spaces Strategy is scheduled for a five year review in 2016; the development of a local biodiversity Figure 3. 4 Cirencester Pollinator Plan initiative would be a great way of demonstrating commitment to some of the strategies key ‘Well-meaning, protective house arrest’ recommendations as well as meeting national biodiversity targets. Fewer than a quarter of children regularly use their local ‘patch of nature’, compared People and Wildlife to over half of all adults when they were As well as benefiting wildlife, a local biodiversity children. initiative can also have a positive impact on local residents. Taking part in a wildlife project can increase Fewer than one in ten children regularly people’s confidence and pride in an area. Studies have play in wild places; compared to almost half also shown that children are physically and mentally a generation ago. healthier and communities are more cohesive and connected when there’s a closer relationship with the Children spend so little time outdoors that natural world. they are unfamiliar with some of our commonest wild creatures. According to a ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’ 2008 National Trust survey, one in three Nature Deficit Disorder describes the human costs of could not identify a magpie; half could not alienation from nature, among them: diminished use of tell the difference between a bee and a the senses, attention difficulties, and higher rates of wasp; yet nine out of ten could recognise a physical and emotional illnesses.