Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI Luton Notification under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Supporting Information Issued by Natural England’s West Anglia Area Team on 13 October 2020 Contact points and further information This supplement is issued on request by Natural England’s West Anglia Team and is intended to be read in conjunction with the notification document for owners, occupiers and other notified parties. The address for correspondence is: Natural England West Anglia Team Telephone number: 0208 0265947 Email: [email protected] Online: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/natural-england/dallow-downs-and-winsdon-hill Your contact point for specific enquiries relating to this notification is Sarah Clarkson. The date of notification of Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI is: 13 October 2020 Page 2 of 22 Contents Summary 1. Information used to support the selection of Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI 2. Explanation of how Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill meets the SSSI selection guidelines 3. Assessment of the current condition of Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI 4. Selection of ‘operations requiring Natural England’s consent’ 5. Site unit map 6. Photographs 7. National Vegetation Classification (NVC) maps Page 3 of 22 Summary Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI is notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). The site is considered to be of special interest for its: lowland calcareous grassland, predominantly of the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) type CG3 upright brome Bromus erectus grassland; and population of the Nationally Rare plant great pignut Bunium bulbocastanum. Page 4 of 22 1. Information used to support the selection of Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI Feature Data source Author Date Content General A Phase II (National Irving, P., The 2003 NVC survey of Dallow Vegetation Classification) Greensands Trust Downs and Winsdon Survey of Dallow Downs and (on behalf of the Hill and information on Winsdon Hill and Assessment Bedfordshire, recent status of Bunium of its Potential as a Site of Cambridgeshire & bulbocastanum Special Scientific Interest Northamptonshire population at Dallow (SSSI) Wildlife Trust and Downs Luton Borough Council) Guidelines for the Selection of Bainbridge, I., 2013 National selection Biological SSSIs. Part 1: Brown, A., Burnett, guidelines for biological Rationale, Operational N., Corbett, P., Cork, SSSIs Approach and Criteria for Site C., Ferris, R., Howe, Selection. Joint Nature M., Maddock, A. & Conservation Committee, Pritchard, S. (eds) Peterborough. http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/SS SI_GuidelinesPart1_PUBLICA TION_Dec2013v2.pdf Calcareous The changing extent and Fuller, R.M. 1987 Information on the Grassland conservation interest of national status of lowland grasslands in England grassland habitats and Wales: a review of grassland surveys 1930-1984. Biological Conservation 40: 281-300. https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/0006320787 901212 British Plant Communities. Rodwell, J.S. (ed) 1992 National Vegetation Volume 3: Grasslands and Classification (NVC) for montane communities. grasslands Published by Cambridge University Press Monitoring the condition of Robertson, H.J. & 2000 National extent of CG3 lowland grassland SSSIs. Jefferson, R.G. grassland English Nature Research Report 315. http://publications.naturalengla nd.org.uk/publication/64033 The condition of lowland BAP Hewins, E.J., 2005 Information on the priority grasslands: results Pinches, C., Arnold, national status of from a sample survey of non- J., Lush, M., grassland habitats statutory stands in England. Roberston, H. & English Nature Research Escott, S. Report 636. http://publications.naturalengla nd.org.uk/publication/106007 Extent & Distribution of UK Joint Nature 2010 UK extent of lowland Lowland Grassland Habitats Conservation calcareous grassland http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page- Committee 5848 Page 5 of 22 Feature Data source Author Date Content Too steep for the plough? The Walker, K.J. & 2011 Under-grazing/under history of Pasqueflower in Pinches, C.E management as a key Britain. British Wildlife 23:240- driver of poor condition 249. A Phase II National Vegetation Downton, L., 2012 NVC survey of Dallow Classification (NVC) Survey of Bedfordshire, Downs and Winsdon Dallow Downs and Winsdon Cambridgeshire & Hill and assessment of Hill and Assessment of its Northamptonshire its potential as a SSSI Potential as a Site of Special Wildlife Trust (on Scientific Interest (SSSI) behalf of Natural England) Potential habitat creation and Natural England 2013 Biodiversity 2020 target restoration by National for the creation and Character Area (NCA) (B2020- restoration of lowland 003) calcareous grassland in http://publications.naturalengla the Chilterns NCA nd.org.uk/publication/4787624 740913152?category=585683 5374415872 Fate of semi-natural Ridding, L.E. 2015 National study on loss grasslands in England Redhead, J.W & rates of semi-natural between 1960 and 2013: A Pywell, R.F. grasslands within and test of national conservation outside protected sites policy. Global Ecology and Conservation 4: 516-525. https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S235198941 5300184 Long term changes in lowland Stroh, P.A., Pescott, 2017 Under-grazing/under calcareous grassland plots O.L. & Mountford, management as a key using Tephroseris integrifolia J.O. driver of poor condition subsp integrifolia as an indicator species. Plant Ecology 218: 1269-1281. https://link.springer.com/article/ 10.1007/s11258-017-0767-1 Guidelines for the Selection of Jefferson, R.G., 2019 National selection Biological SSSIs. Part 2: Smith, S.L.N. & guidelines for SSSIs for Detailed Guidelines for MacKintosh, E.J. lowland grasslands Habitats and Species Groups. Chapter 3. Lowland grasslands. JNCC, Peterborough. http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/pdf/SS SI_Chptr03_revision_2017(v2. 0).pdf NVC survey. Dallow Downs Natural England (A. 2019 Survey of grassland and Winsdon Hill. Natural Prendergast) vegetation England survey (in prep.) Specialist support for Pinches, C.E. 2020 Support for notifying the notification of Dallow Downs site from Natural and Winsdon Hill England’s senior grassland specialist Page 6 of 22 Feature Data source Author Date Content Great Guidelines for the Selection of Nature Conservancy 1989 National selection pignut Biological SSSIs. Part 2: Council guidelines for SSSIs for Detailed Guidelines for vascular plants Habitats and Species Groups. Chapter 11. Vascular plants (flowering plants, ferns and their allies). Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough. http://archive.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/S SSIs_Chapter11.pdf Arable Plants – a field guide Wilson, P. & King, 2003 Distribution and threats M. to great pignut Red data list of threatened Evans, S., Henrici, 2006 Red-listing of great British fungi (preliminary A. & Ing, B. pignut rust Puccinia assessment): bulbocastani http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/ files/2013/3537/5755/RDL_of_ Threatened_British_Fungi.pdf (Accessed Feb 2015) Rediscovery of ‘extinct’ British Ainsworth, M., 2011 Status of great pignut rusts Puccinia bulbocastani on Woods, A., rust Puccinia great pignut and P. libanotidis McVeigh, A. & bulbocastani on moon carrot. Field Carey, J Mycology 12(2): 42–48. https://www.sciencedirect.com/ science/article/pii/S146816411 1000053 England Rare and Scarce Stroh, P.A. 2013 Status of Bunium taxa. Botanical Society of bulbocastanum Britain and Ireland. Great pignut 2017-18 report for Downton, L. & 2018 Surveys of great pignut Luton Borough Council Dickinson, L. in 2017-18 Online Atlas of the British and Botanical Society of 2020 National distribution of Irish Flora: the British Isles Bunium bulbocastanum https://www.brc.ac.uk/Plantatla (BSBI) s/plant/bunium-bulbocastanum Accessed January 2020 Specialist support for Taylor, I 2020 Support for notifying the notification of Cowslip Meadow site from Natural and comparison of populations England’s senior of Bunium bulbocastanum vascular plant specialist across its English (and therefore GB) range 2. Explanation of how Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill meets the SSSI selection guidelines This section explains how the information listed in Section 1 has informed the decision to notify the SSSI, according to the Guidelines for the selection of Biological SSSIs. Part 1: Rationale, Operational Approach and Criteria for Site Selection (Bainbridge et al. 2013), Part 2: Detailed Guidelines for Habitats and Species Groups. Chapter 3 Lowland Grasslands (Jefferson et al. 2019) and Chapter 11 Vascular plants (Nature Conservancy Council 1989), hereafter referred to as ‘the Guidelines’. Page 7 of 22 2.1 Lowland calcareous grassland Dallow Downs and Winsdon Hill SSSI is considered to be of special interest for its nationally important lowland calcareous grassland, which largely consists of the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) type CG3 upright brome Bromus erectus grassland. Some of the CG3 grassland is in mosaic with semi-improved neutral grassland of the NVC type MG1 false oat-grass Arrhenatherum elatius and W21 common hawthorn Crataegus monogyna - ivy Hedera helix scrub type (see photographs 2-7 in section 6 and also the National Vegetation Classification (NVC) maps in section 7). The calcareous grassland provides habitat for a variety of fauna, including slow-worm Anguis fragilis and an array of invertebrate species. Plant species of interest within the calcareous grassland include the Nationally Rare great pignut Bunium bulbocastanum (see section 2.2, below) and locally