Parish Biodiversity Audit for Beer 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 .............................................................................................................................. 6 SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST ............................................................................................ 6 Sidmouth to Beer Coast SSSI ...................................................................................................... 6 Beer Quarry and Caves SSSI ...................................................................................................... 9 SPECIAL AREAS OF CONSERVATION .................................................................................................. 10 Sidmouth to West Bay Special Area of Conservation ............................................................ 10 Beer Quarry and Caves Special Area of Conservation .......................................................... 10 Poole Bay to Lyme Bay Reefs draft Special Area of Conservation ...................................... 11 COUNTY WILDLIFE SITES ................................................................................................................... 11 Beer Quarry and Caves County Wildlife Site ........................................................................... 12 Beer Head County Wildlife Site ................................................................................................. 14 Beer Fields County Wildlife Site ................................................................................................ 14 Bovey Lane Fields County Wildlife Site .................................................................................... 15 Bovey Lane Quarries County Wildlife Site ............................................................................... 16 OTHER SITES OF WILDLIFE INTEREST ............................................................................................... 16 OTHER DESIGNATIONS AND REGIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS ................................................................. 17 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty ....................................................................................... 17 Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site .......................................................................................... 19 Natural Areas ................................................................................................................................ 20 Regional Nature Map .................................................................................................................. 21 OTHER HABITATS (IDENTIFIED FROM FIELD SURVEY): ....................................................... 23 SPECIES-RICH HEDGES ...................................................................................................................... 23 CHURCHYARDS AND CEMETERIES ..................................................................................................... 26 RECREATION AREAS AND PUBLIC OPEN SPACE ................................................................................. 27 VILLAGE, GARDENS AND ALLOTMENTS ............................................................................................... 30 SEA CLIFF AND SLOPE ........................................................................................................................ 31 ROCKY FORESHORE ........................................................................................................................... 32 CALCAREOUS GRASSLAND AND OTHER UNIMPROVED GRASSLAND................................................... 34 PITS, QUARRIES, CAVES, KARSTS AND MINES .................................................................................... 35 ROADSIDE VERGES ............................................................................................................................. 36 GREEN LANES ..................................................................................................................................... 38 WOODLANDS ...................................................................................................................................... 39 RIVERS, DITCHES, WATER‟S EDGE AND PONDS ................................................................................. 41 ARABLE LAND ..................................................................................................................................... 42 OTHER POTENTIAL HABITATS ............................................................................................................. 43 SPECIES ............................................................................................................................................... 44 IMPORTANT SPECIES .......................................................................................................................... 44 BIRDS .................................................................................................................................................. 44 PLANTS ............................................................................................................................................... 45 MAMMALS ........................................................................................................................................... 47 INVERTEBRATES ................................................................................................................................. 48 REPTILES, FISH AND AMPHIBIANS ...................................................................................................... 49 THE DEVON BIODIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (BAP). .................................................................. 50 BIODIVERSITY LINKS: .......................................................................................................................... 50 LINKS BETWEEN THE WILDLIFE OF BEER AND THE DEVON BAP: ...................................................... 51 SOME IDEAS FOR LOCAL ACTION… .......................................................................................... 52 1 FURTHER SURVEY: ..................................................................................................................... 52 2 INFLUENCE THE MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACE: ......................................................... 53 3 BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL LANDOWNERS: ................................................................... 54 4 ADOPT A ROAD VERGE: .............................................................................................................. 54 5 WILDLIFE GARDENING: ............................................................................................................... 55 6 JOIN LOCAL CONSERVATION ORGANISATIONS: .......................................................................... 56 1 7 INVOLVEMENT AND EDUCATION: ................................................................................................. 56 8 VOLUNTEER: ............................................................................................................................... 58 9 LINK BIODIVERSITY TO BEER PARISH PLAN: .............................................................................. 58 10 JAPANESE KNOTWEED: .......................................................................................................... 58 USEFUL SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION: .................................................................. 60 POSSIBLE SOURCES OF FUNDING: ..................................................................................................... 61 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 63 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................. 64 APPENDIX 1 – NOTABLE SITES AND SPECIES WITHIN BEER PARISH (2010) ................ 65 APPENDIX 2 – SPECIES LIST RECORDED FOR BEER PARISH DURING THE FIELD VISIT ...................................................................................................................................................... 80 2 Beer - Parish Plan Biodiversity Project This document has been produced as a starting point to help community action for wildlife. By starting to bring together knowledge of the natural assets of the parish, it may go some way to achieving its aim of contributing to and stimulating ideas for – local action. It should be emphasised that it is just a beginning. It does not represent a comprehensive account of the parish and is based very largely on existing records held by the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre (DBRC). There will be a wealth of local knowledge that can be used to build upon and improve this report. Indeed, it is important that it is seen as a „living document‟ and one that belongs to the parish. It is hoped that it will be added to and refined by the people of Beer parish in future years. Did you know…? Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 places the following biodiversity duty on all public bodies: ‘Every public authority must, in exercising its functions,