Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments Cumbria Catchment Pioneer Pilot Project Phase 1 Natural' Capital' Solu-ons This project is funded by the Environment Agency and commissioned by Cumbria Wildlife Trust on behalf of the Cumbria Local Nature Partnership Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments The Cumbria Catchment Pioneer Pilot Project is a Cumbria Local Nature Partnership initiative delivered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust in conjunction with Natural Capital Solutions. Author: Dr Alison Holt Contact: Natural Capital Solutions Ltd www.naturalcapitalsolutions.co.uk [email protected] Tel: 07981 278686 Reviewed by: Dr Jim Rouquette, Natural Capital Solutions Ltd Report prepared for: Cumbria Local Nature Partnership Published: November 2017 Recommended citation: Holt, A.R. (2017) Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments. Cumbria Catchment Pioneer Pilot Project Phase 1. Natural Capital Solutions. Acknowledgements: Thank you to Cumbria Wildlife Trust for supporting Phase 1 and bringing most of the data together. Natural England, the Lake District National Park Authority and the Environment Agency also contributed data for the report that was not openly accessible. Cover image: Tall herb fen: Looking towards the villages of Kentmere and Green Quarter and the upper Kent catchment. © Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Natural Capital Solutions Ltd ii Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments Executive summary Implementation of the government’s 25 year plan framework is being trialled through a series of Pioneer Projects across England. Cumbria is hosting one such project called the Cumbria Catchment Pioneer Pilot Project. It is being led by the Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, and it aims to take forward a natural capital approach in three sub-catchments (Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley), to create a natural capital investment and intervention plan for each. This report outlines the work of Phase 1 of the Cumbria Catchment Pioneer Pilot Project. The main aim of this phase is to develop natural capital summaries for the three pilot sub-catchments and an outline of the issues and challenges faced in these areas. Natural capital is the stock of natural assets (e.g. soils, water, biodiversity) that produces a wide range of benefits to people. These benefits are known as ecosystem services, which include food production, regulation of flooding and climate, pollination of crops, and cultural benefits such as aesthetic value and recreational opportunities. The concept of natural capital and its associated approaches can be used to understand the natural capital assets of an area. A natural capital assessment reveals the extent and condition of the assets, and then allows the number and flow of ecosystem service benefits to be estimated. These benefits can then be valued. This kind of assessment is key to identifying trade-offs and synergies between different ecosystem services. A spatial mapping approach is used here to describe the extent and quality of the natural capital assets of Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments. Existing data on the extent and condition of the natural capital assets across the broad UK National Ecosystem Assessment habitats (mountain, moor and heath, freshwater and woodland) of these sub-catchments was gathered using a wide range of data. An assessment of conservation status and other important aspects of natural capital that act as a foundation for the provision of ecosystem services were included. For example, carbon storage, soil properties, accessibility, grazing of livestock, and water abstraction. Maps of the provision of six ecosystem services were also included for each of the sub- catchments. These were based on a mapping project undertaken by AECOM and Defra at the Lake District National Park scale (see White et al. 2015). Each of the maps require careful interpretation, bearing in mind how the data was derived, modelled and the scale at which it has been mapped. The assessment has been based on the priority habitats inventory for the North of England (2016) map, using Land Cover Map (LCM) 2007 to identify the habitats in between. The Natural England and CEH natural capital maps, and the Aecom and Defra ecosystem service maps included are from models based on LCM 2007 data, which is now rather out of date, and have been mapped at a coarse resolution (1 x 1 km). These should be regarded as a guide, rather than a definitive picture of what is on the ground. The sub- catchments will require ecosystem service flow estimation to be completed at a finer scale (e.g. 10m x 10m or less) in Phase 3. Natural Capital Solutions Ltd iii Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments The Braithwaite sub-catchment (5,044 ha) supports 13 priority habitats, with 60% of the area falling within SSSI and 90% within SAC designations. There are a large number of SSSIs in unfavourable condition (30 out of 35 units across 6 SSSIs) that cover a wide range of habitats from freshwater, lowland fen, but mostly upland habitats such as neutral grassland and dwarf shrub heath. The Newlands Beck catchment holds a section of Bassenthwaite Lake and 12 tarns. Issues with water quality stem from long- term phosphate pollution, and zinc pollution from abandoned mines. There are significant threats from invasive non-native species within the lake, Newlands Beck and the Derwent and Cumbria West Lower Palaeozoic and Carboniferous Aquifer bedrock aquifer. Flooding is of major concern. There are significant opportunities for Natural Flood Management (NFM) through planting ‘Woodlands for Water’ downstream of Bassenthwaite Lake. Soil improvement works and run-off attenuation features are a priority for this sub-catchment. The assessment shows that 46% of the peat habitats are in sub-standard condition. Only a small area (8 ha) of peat habitats have a medium potential of restoration, 53 ha show low potential. The uplands here are heavily grazed, but the farms in the uplands are in the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. There is a significant area of woodland in this sub-catchment (775 ha), a large area being the National Forest Estate managed woodlands, dominated by coniferous species. This area performs particularly well at carbon sequestration, carbon storage and regulation of air quality, and for the production of timber and woodfuel. Soil invertebrate abundance is also high in the National Forest Estate woodland and other woodland pockets. Sixty-one percent of the catchment is open access and is an important area for recreation, especially around the lakes and on the fells, which provide highly appealing visual landscapes. The challenges for Braithwaite are in balancing flood alleviation with the conservation of priority habitats for wildlife, recreation, and upland livestock farming. The natural capital assessment shows that there is limited opportunity for restoration of peat habitats and ‘Woodlands for Water’ planting. A more in depth focus on what the opportunities are in the small number of sites that are suitable for peat restoration is required, and the extent to which woodland can be created south of Bassenthwaite Lake. The Glenridding sub-catchment (6,270 ha) supports 12 priority habitats, with 41% of the area falling within SSSI designations, and 90% of the SSSI area being a SAC. Twenty- nine of 39 units across 7 SSSIs are in unfavourable condition. The area contains a small section of Ullswater Lake, 5 other lakes and 16 tarns. There are issues in particular with water quality in Glenridding Beck, where there is a problem with wastewater pollution and phosphates. The lakes are at risk from a wide variety of invasive non-native species. Flooding is of major concern, but there has been no assessment of the opportunities for NFM in this sub-catchment. However, the integrated flood action plan for Cumbria identified the need for NFM upstream of Glenridding village where woodland creation and management could be used to slow the flow. This could also be used to stabilise banks to reduce the material entering the watercourse. Seventy-eight percent of the 293 ha of habitats associated with peat in this sub-catchment show negative condition features. Just under half of this area has been assessed as having high or medium potential for restoration (106 ha). The upland areas of this sub- catchment show a range of grazing levels, but overall they are reasonably high. There is little woodland in this sub-catchment and it is largely broadleaved (288 ha, 4.6%), Natural Capital Solutions Ltd iv Natural capital assessments for Braithwaite, Glenridding and Staveley sub-catchments with just under half of this being ancient woodland. These woodland areas provide the highest carbon sequestration, carbon storage and regulation of air quality within the sub-catchment. Eighty-seven percent of the catchment is open access and is an important area for recreation, especially around the larger lakes and the high slopes of Helvellyn, that provide appealing visual landscapes. The challenges for Glenridding are in balancing flood alleviation with the conservation of priority habitats for wildlife, recreation, and upland livestock farming. The natural capital assessment indicates that the most obvious restoration opportunities are the peat habitats that have high and medium restoration potential (although this is quite a small area). Alternative management to reduce stocking densities could be beneficial. Woodland creation opportunities should be explored as it could enhance the flood alleviation and water purification services, at the same time as controlling erosion, the latter being a particular problem in the sub-catchment. The Staveley sub-catchment (5,583 ha) supports 15 priority habitats, however, <1% of the area is designated an SAC or a SSSI. All of the terrestrial SSSIs are in a favourable condition, with one of the freshwater ones also in favourable condition, and the rest in unfavourable condition. There are 28 reservoirs and tarns within this sub-catchment.