APPENDICES APPENDIX I SSSI Unit Information Appendix I. SSSI unit information Latest Assessment Landcover 2000/Aerial ID SSSI Name ENSIS Unit ID Unit Area (ha) Unit Condition Condition Assessment Comments Main Habitat (from Citation) Inventory Habitats Reason for Notification Management Comments Notes Date photograph/Phase 1 habitats 1011463 Dee Estuary 1000595 811 Favourable 31/03/2004 Littoral sediment Littoral Sediments, Sea/Estuary Littoral sediment Assessment based on Dee Estuary NVC survey completed by Dargie in 2000. The survey reported a good level of species diversity with a 90% loss Broadleaved Woodland, Improved in Spartina. Despite being backed by hard coastal defences there is good 1011464 Dee Estuary 1000595 690 Favourable 30/03/2004 Littoral sediment Grassland, Littoral Rock, Littoral Mudflats, level of naturalness; environmental influence of tidal inundation of Dee Sediments, Saltmarsh Estuary interacts strongly, complete communities sequences from low to high marsh, excellent examples of succession and zonation. The Dee Estuary/Aber Afon Dyfrdwy is of special interest for its total populations of internationally important wintering waterfowl; its populations of individual waterfowl and tern species whose numbers reach national and in some cases, internationally important levels; its intertidal mud and sandflats, saltmarsh and transitional habitats; the hard rocky Seven pages covering management on Natural England sandstone cliffs of Hilbre Island and Middle Eye with The Dee Estuary has been designated website. Factors regarded as most important include: i. A precautionary approach was adopted in the management of this fishery Broadleaved Woodland, Improved their cliff vegetation and maritime heathland and as a Ramsar Site under the Ramsar Coastal processes including sedimentation and during the 2004 season resulting in the fishery not being opened due to Grassland, Neutral Grassland, Acid grassland; its assemblage of nationally scarce plants; Convention of Wetlands of Coastal Sand Dunes, Deciduous Woodland, erosion/coastal defence and sea level changes ii. Water 1011465 Dee Estuary 1000595 3684 Unfavourable Recovering 07/03/2004 insufficient cockle stocks. The application for a Regulatory Order has been Littoral sediment Grassland, Bare Ground, Supra Littoral and its populations of sandhill rustic moth Luperina International Importance and as a MIre Fen Bog, Reedbed Quantity iii. Pollution and water quality iv. Development sent to DEFRA which, once in place, will help ensure sustainable Sediment, Littoral Rock, Littoral nickerlii gueneei, Red Data Book species. The estuary Special Protection Area (SPA) under v. Port facilities including navigational/operational management principles are promoted in the management of this fishery. Sediments, Saltmarsh, Sea/Estuary supports internationally important populations of a the EC Birds Directive (79/409) in July requirements vi. Recreation/Human Disturbance vii. number of wader species. Nationally important 1985. Fishing viii. Agricultural land management numbers of ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula are regularly seen on passage. In addition, the summering flock of non-breeding black-tailed godwit, one of the largest in the United Kingdom, is regarded as of national importance. In addition, the summering flock of non-breeding black-tailed godwit, one of the largest in the United Kingdom, is regarded as of national impo Some work being done to maintain (via repointing) Victorian block work stabilising cliffs on SW corner near lifeboat station. Additional blockwork been put in to try to stabilise cliffs adjacent to track onto Hilbre. Concerns Broadleaved Woodland, Supra Littoral 1011466 Dee Estuary 1000595 56 Favourable 30/08/2001 expressed by management committee about process of erosion, but some Inland rock Sediment, Littoral Sediments, 0 acceptance that is natural process. Rock sea lavender populations doing well Saltmarsh and expanding. Seal populations doing well on adjacent sand bank (peak count 550 this year). Broadleaved Woodland, Supra Littoral 1011466 Dee Estuary 1000595 56 Favourable 31/08/2001 Inland rock Sediment, Littoral Sediments, 0 Saltmarsh The site is underlain by Triassic sandstone over which Low intensity grazing is a suitable means of managing podsolic soils have developed and consists of a areas of dry heath. Generally areas of wet heath require number of small deep water worn valleys. These soils limited management but light grazing may also be useful support a fine representative dry heathland for maintaining the variation in vegetation composition community which has been invaded by bracken, birch and structure, and for controlling invasive grasses such oak woodland and gorse scrub. Damp heath and as purple-moor grass. Alternatively, cutting or mowing acidic marshy grassland has developed along some o Heathland restoration works are addressing the increase in scrub and may be useful options for managing dry heath where a Broadleaved Woodland, Improved the natural water courses. Heswall Dales is regarded 1011508 Heswall Dales 1002996 30 Unfavourable Recovering 16/11/2004 bracken through a combination of WES and Countryside Stewardship over Dwarf shrub heath - lowland Fens,Lowland Heath, mosaic of patches of heather of different ages is desired Grasslandland as the second best example of lowland heath in the majority of the site. Management should ensure the predominantly open Merseyside. It is ranked second to Thurstaston nature of the dry and wet heathland vegetation is Common which is larger and botanically more maintained, but there is some benefit in retaining a few diverse. The wet areas are the most interesting scattered individual trees. Water levels within areas of botanically and contain such species as many-stalked wet heath should be maintained to avoid adverse spike rush Eleocharis multicaulis and green-ribbed changes to the characteristic plant composition of the sedge Carex binervis, both of which have a very habitat. localised distribution in Merseyside. The Dungeon is a small wooded ravine a quarter of a mile to the north-west of Heswall, which shows a natural stream section through the Tarporley Siltstone Formation of the Mercia Mudstone Group, of Triassic The ideal management for natural inland geological sites age. At the south-west end of the section the faulted is the maintenance of rock exposure free of vegetation contact with the older Wilmslow Sandstone Formation and, in some cases, the build-up of rock debris. The feature appears to be in much the same state as previous assessment. is seen. The Tarporley Siltstone section is similar to Broadleaved Woodland, Improved Management usually involves periodic clearance of 1011632 The Dungeon 1002901 1 Favourable 19/12/2005 Minor impacts are graffiti and fires being lit in the "cave". Vegetation is kept aEarth heritage 0 that in other parts of the Cheshire basin, being made Grasslandland vegetation and rock debris. Vegetation growth is a bay by regular usage up of red fine sandstones and siltstones, with parallel problem on many sites, because erosion rates are usuall and rippled bedding, and salt pseudomorphs. Current too low to naturally maintain fresh exposure of the ripple crests indicate that sediment transport was geological features. towards the northwest. Sediments and sedimentary structures in these rocks make it possible to infer that they were deposited in a marine intertidal environment. Thurstaston Common is the largest and best Dry and wet lowland heath. Low intensity grazing is a remaining example of a lowland heathland in suitable means of managing areas of dry heath. Merseyside. It is similar in character to Heswall Dales, Generally areas of wet heath require limited managemen but its larger size and the fact that it contains better but light grazing may also be useful for maintaining the examples of wet and dry heath gives it pre-eminence variation in vegetation composition and structure, and for over the Heswall site. Thurstaston Common is controlling invasive grasses such as purple-moor grass. situated 3 km north-west of Heswall and is underlain By feeding selectively in different areas and on different It is clear from the walk over of the site that significant effort has been put in by Triassic sandstone. Podzolic soils have developed plants, free-roaming livestock help to maintain variation to the control of scrub encroachment on the areas of open heath land. over the sandstone which support characteristic in the vegetation composition and structure. Broadleaved However parts of the heath still have a problem with encroachments of trees Broadleaved Woodland, Coniferous heathland vegetation including wet heath, dry heath, Thurstaston semi-natural woodland. Where good quality areas of 1011651 1003730 72 Unfavourable Recovering 24/01/2008 especially at the south east side of the site. Therefore the site still falls in as Dwarf shrub heath - lowland Woodland, Improved Grasslandland, Deciduous Woodland,Lowland Heath, acidic marshy grassland and birch-oak woodland. The Common woodland exist that do not compromise the extent of unfavourable. However given the significant work in to controlling trees on th Neutral Grassland wetter areas contain the most interesting heathland on this site, parts of the woodland should be heath the site is recovering. Tree encroachment is still a problem and on assemblages of plants including oblong-leaved left unmanaged to benefit species that do best under low going works are still needed until the root of the problem can