Parish Biodiversity Audit for Axmouth Consultation draft – April 2010 Anne Harvey Report commissioned by Devon County Council Data supplied by the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre Contents INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... 4 DESIGNATED SITES .............................................................................................................................. 7 SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST ............................................................................................ 7 Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs SSSI .................................................................................. 7 Springhead Axmouth SSSI ......................................................................................................... 11 River Axe SSSI............................................................................................................................. 12 SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION .................................................................................................. 13 Sidmouth to West Bay Special Area of Conservation ............................................................ 13 River Axe Special Area of Conservation .................................................................................. 14 Poole Bay to Lyme Bay Reefs draft Special Area of Conservation ...................................... 14 NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES .......................................................................................................... 14 COUNTY WILDLIFE SITES ................................................................................................................... 14 Diggen’s Moor Coppice County Wildlife Site ........................................................................... 15 Stedcombe Wood County Wildlife Site ..................................................................................... 16 Boshill Wood County Wildlife Site ............................................................................................. 16 Springhead (E) County Wildlife Site .......................................................................................... 17 Parsonage Barn County Wildlife Site ........................................................................................ 18 Haven Ball Woods County Wildlife Site .................................................................................... 18 Axe Estuary and Marshes County Wildlife Site ....................................................................... 19 ANCIENT WOODLAND INVENTORY ..................................................................................................... 21 OTHER DESIGNATIONS AND REGIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS ................................................................. 22 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty ....................................................................................... 22 Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site .......................................................................................... 24 Natural Areas ................................................................................................................................ 25 Regional Nature Map .................................................................................................................. 26 OTHER HABITATS (IDENTIFIED FROM FIELD SURVEY): ....................................................... 26 SPECIES-RICH HEDGES ...................................................................................................................... 26 CHURCHYARDS ................................................................................................................................... 29 RECREATION AREAS AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACE ................................................................................. 31 VILLAGE AND GARDENS ...................................................................................................................... 33 ROADSIDE AND RAILWAY VERGES ...................................................................................................... 34 GREEN LANES ..................................................................................................................................... 35 VETERAN TREES ................................................................................................................................. 36 WOODLANDS ...................................................................................................................................... 37 PITS, QUARRIES AND CUTTINGS ......................................................................................................... 39 PONDS ................................................................................................................................................ 40 RIVERS, DITCHES AND WATER‟S EDGE ............................................................................................... 40 SHINGLE RIDGE .................................................................................................................................. 41 SEA CLIFF AND SLOPE ........................................................................................................................ 42 ESTUARIES AND MUD FLATS ............................................................................................................... 42 SALTMARSH AND GRAZING MARSH ..................................................................................................... 43 ARABLE LAND ..................................................................................................................................... 45 CALCAREOUS GRASSLAND AND OTHER UNIMPROVED GRASSLAND................................................... 46 OTHER POTENTIAL HABITATS ............................................................................................................. 47 UNCONFIRMED COUNTY WILDLIFE SITES .......................................................................................... 47 SPECIES ............................................................................................................................................... 49 IMPORTANT SPECIES .......................................................................................................................... 49 BIRDS .................................................................................................................................................. 49 PLANTS ............................................................................................................................................... 51 MAMMALS ........................................................................................................................................... 52 INVERTEBRATES ................................................................................................................................. 54 REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS AND FISH ...................................................................................................... 55 THE DEVON BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (BAP). .................................................................. 56 BIODIVERSITY LINKS: .......................................................................................................................... 56 1 LINKS BETWEEN THE WILDLIFE OF AXMOUTH AND THE DEVON BAP: ............................................... 57 SOME IDEAS FOR LOCAL ACTION… .......................................................................................... 58 1 FURTHER SURVEY: ..................................................................................................................... 58 2 INFLUENCE THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACE: ......................................................... 59 3 BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL LANDOWNERS: ................................................................... 60 4 ADOPT A ROAD VERGE: .............................................................................................................. 60 5 WILDLIFE GARDENING: ............................................................................................................... 60 6 JOIN LOCAL CONSERVATION ORGANISATIONS: .......................................................................... 62 7 INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATION: ................................................................................................. 62 8 VOLUNTEER: ............................................................................................................................... 63 9 LINK BIODIVERSITY TO AXMOUTH PARISH PLAN: ....................................................................... 63 10 JAPANESE KNOTWEED: .......................................................................................................... 63 USEFUL SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION: .................................................................. 66 POSSIBLE SOURCES OF FUNDING: ..................................................................................................... 67 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 69 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 70 APPENDIX 1 – NOTABLE SITES AND SPECIES WITHIN AXMOUTH PARISH (2009) ......