Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) State of the AONB Report 2021 To Accompany the Wye Valley AONB Management Plan 2021-2026 Contents List of Tables ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 List of Figures & Maps .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) .................................................................................... 5 Priority Habitats analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 5 Wales Priority Habitat data .............................................................................................................................. 6 Orchards ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 Sensitive Habitats ............................................................................................................................................. 7 Priority Habitats in SSSIs ................................................................................................................................... 8 Wider AONB Network picture .......................................................................................................................... 9 Farming statistics analysis .................................................................................................................................... 9 Land Management Agreements ......................................................................................................................... 12 Veteran Trees ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Woodland Data ................................................................................................................................................... 17 Carbon Offsetting ........................................................................................................................................... 21 Woodland in Active Management .................................................................................................................. 21 Ancient Woodland .......................................................................................................................................... 21 Traditional Orchards ........................................................................................................................................... 22 Designated Sites data ......................................................................................................................................... 24 Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) ......................................................................................................................... 24 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) ............................................................................................................. 25 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) ....................................................................................................... 26 SSSI condition (England) ................................................................................................................................. 30 Local Wildlife Sites .......................................................................................................................................... 33 Listed Buildings ................................................................................................................................................... 34 Scheduled Ancient Monuments ......................................................................................................................... 35 Offa’s Dyke ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Conservation Areas............................................................................................................................................. 37 Heritage at Risk ................................................................................................................................................... 38 Welsh Historic Landscapes ................................................................................................................................. 39 Historic Parks and Gardens ................................................................................................................................ 40 Landownership ................................................................................................................................................... 41 Small Commons .................................................................................................................................................. 42 Access Land......................................................................................................................................................... 43 Promoted Routes ................................................................................................................................................ 44 Welsh Language.................................................................................................................................................. 45 Railway Heritage ................................................................................................................................................. 47 The River Wye and tributaries ............................................................................................................................ 50 Land Use ............................................................................................................................................................. 53 Green Belt ....................................................................................................................................................... 53 Flood possibility by land use........................................................................................................................... 53 Land Use Change: Land changing to residential use ...................................................................................... 54 Wye Valley AONB State of the AONB Report 2021 Page 1 of 60 Housing Density .............................................................................................................................................. 54 Dark Skies ........................................................................................................................................................... 55 Ecosystem Services analysis ............................................................................................................................... 55 Carbon Stock value ......................................................................................................................................... 58 List of Tables Table 1 – Wye Valley AONB England Priority Habitats (source - Natural England MEOPL data) 6 Table 2 – Wales Sensitive Habitats (Glastir Woodland Creation Sensitivity Layer – Priority Habitats gis layer) 7 Table 3 – English AONB Priority Habitats and SSSIs (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 8 Table 4 - SSSI English Priority Habitat condition (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 8 Table 5 – English AONB land holdings (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 9 Table 6 – English AONB farmed area land use (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 10 Table 7 – English AONB farm size (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 10 Table 8 – English AONB farm labour (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 10 Table 9 – English AONB pig and sheep farming (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 11 Table 10 – English AONB cattle farming (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 11 Table 11 – English AONB poultry farming (source – Natural England MEOPL data) 11 Table 12 – Live (Jan 2021) Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship Agreements English AONB (source – Natural England MEOPL data and gis table) 12 Table 13 - Wye Valley AONB Veteran Tree Survey data 14 Table 14 - Woodland Trust Veteran Tree Survey data (source – Ancient Tree Inventory GB & NI) 15 Table 15 – Parkland data in AONB (source – gis table) 15 Table 16 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2011 to 2018 (source - National Forest Inventory) 18 Table 17- Wye Valley AONB woodland 2011 (source - National Forest Inventory 2011) 19 Table 18 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2012 (source - National Forest Inventory 2012) 19 Table 19 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2013 (source - National Forest Inventory 2013) 20 Table 20 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2014 (source - National Forest Inventory 2014) 20 Table 21 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2015 (source - National Forest Inventory 2015) 20 Table 22 - Wye Valley AONB woodland 2017 (source - National Forest Inventory 2017) 20 Table 23 – Wye Valley AONB woodland 2018 (source - National