PREPARED BY NICK BRODIN A BIODIVERSITY AUDIT OF THE NORTH EAST The North East Biodiversity Forum is a partnership of the following organisations: Northumberland Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group Newcastle Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group Tees Valley Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group Durham Biodiversity Partnership North Tyneside Council Biodiversity Action Plan Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group National Farmers Union PREPARED BY NICK BRODIN OCTOBER 2001 A BIODIVERSITY AUDIT OF THE NORTH EAST This document has been produced by English Nature on behalf of the North East Biodiversity Forum Copyright © 2001 North East Biodiversity Forum Text prepared by Nick Brodin/English Nature Project management by Adrian Bury Associates 01937 590541 Designed by Figurehead Printed by Harrogate Printing Limited ISBN 1 85716 558 6 1 CONTENTS List of Tables 4 List of Maps 6 Acknowledgements 7 Foreword by the Prime Minister 17 Preface 18 Introduction 19 About this Audit 23 Habitat Audit Introduction to the Habitat Audit 29 Habitats Part 1: UK BAP priority habitats 1. Woodlands 36 1.1. Upland oak woodland 39 1.2. Upland mixed ashwoods 41 1.3. Wet woodland 43 1.4. Lowland wood pasture and parkland 45 2. Ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows 47 3. Cereal field margins 49 4. Coastal and flood plain grazing marsh 51 5. Meadows 5.1. Lowland meadows 54 5.2. Upland hay meadows 58 6. Calcareous grassland 6.1. Lowland calcareous grassland 61 6.2. Upland calcareous grassland 64 7. Lowland dry acid grasslands 66 8. Heathland 8.1. Lowland heathland 69 8.2. Upland heathland 73 9. Fen, marsh and swamp 9.1. Purple moor-grass and rush pasture 76 9.2. Fens 79 9.3. Reedbeds 83 10. Bogs 10.1. Lowland raised bogs 87 10.2. Blanket bog 90 11. Open water 11.1. Mesotrophic lakes 94 11.2. Eutrophic standing waters 96 12. Maritime cliffs and slopes 98 13. Coastal sand dunes 101 14. Coastal saltmarsh 105 15. Mudflats 108 16. Sea-grass beds 112 17. Saline lagoons 114 18. Sublittoral sands and gravels 117 2 A Biodiversity Audit of the North East Habitats Part 2: Other regionally important habitats 1. Lowland mixed deciduous woodlands 120 2. Rivers and streams 121 3. Post-industrial habitats 122 4. Urban managed greenspaces 123 5. Ponds 124 6. Offshore islands 125 7. Rocky shores and sandy beaches 126 8. Conifer plantations 127 9. Dry stone walls 128 10. Upland acid grasslands 129 11. Inland rock and scree 130 12. Montane heaths and grasslands 131 Species Audit Introduction to the Species Audit 135 Species Part 1: UK BAP priority species 1. Mammals 140 2. Marine mammals 143 3. Birds 145 4. Amphibians 152 5. Fish 153 6. Bees 155 7. Beetles 156 8. Ants 157 9. Molluscs 158 10. Butterflies 159 11. Moths 160 12. Crustacea 164 13. Lichens 165 14. Liverworts 167 15. Mosses 168 16. Fungi 170 17. Vascular plants 171 Species Part 2: Other regionally important species 1. Mammals 184 2. Birds 186 3. Fish 192 4. Butterflies 194 5. Reptiles 195 6. Lichens 196 7. Vascular plants 197 Annex 1 Selection of regionally important species 201 Annex 2 Harmful species introductions into the the North East Region 211 Glossary 212 Index 215 A Biodiversity Audit of the North East 3 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: UK BAP priority habitats found in the Region and their relationship with the UK broad habitat types and habitats identified for protection within the EU ‘Habitats Directive’ 30 Table 2: Habitat areas in the North East Region 31 Table 3: Habitat presence or coverage in each local planning authority 32 Table 4: Habitat presence or coverage in each Natural Area 34 Table 5: Broadleaved and mixed woodland cover in the North East Region 37 Table 6: Known distribution of upland oak woodland in the North East Region by local planning authority 40 Table 7: Known distribution of wet woodland in the North East Region by local planning authority 44 Table 8: Known distribution of ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows in the North East Region by local planning authority 48 Table 9: Uptake of arable margins options of Countryside Stewardship in the North East Region (March 1999) 50 Table 10: Grazing marsh sites identified in the North East Region 53 Table 11: Presence or estimated area of species-rich lowland neutral grassland by local planning authority 57 Table 12: Estimated area of species-rich neutral grassland by Natural Area 57 Table 13: Estimated area of upland hay meadow by local planning authority 60 Table 14: Estimated area of upland hay meadows by Natural Area 60 Table 15: Presence or area of unimproved and semi-improved lowland calcareous grasslands within the North East Region by local planning authority 62 Table 16: Presence or areas of unimproved and semi-improved lowland calcareous grassland by Natural Area 62 Table 17: Estimated areas of unimproved and semi-improved upland calcareous grassland within the North East Region by local planning authority 65 Table 18: Estimated areas of unimproved (UI) and semi-improved (SI) upland calcareous grassland by Natural Area 65 Table 19: Presence or area of lowland unimproved and semi-improved acid grasslands by local planning authority 68 Table 20: Presence or estimated area of acid grasslands (unimproved and semi-improved) by Natural Area 68 Table 21: Presence or estimated extent of lowland heathland within the North East Region by local planning authority 70 Table 22: Estimated area of lowland heathland by Natural Area 70 Table 23: Sites listed in English Nature’s Lowland Heathland Inventory by local planning authority 71 Table 24: Presence or estimated areas of upland heath and heathland/acid grassland mosaics in the North East Region by local planning authority 75 Table 25: Estimated area of upland heath and heathland/acid grassland mosaic by Natural Area 75 Table 26: Sites of purple moor-grass and rush pasture in the North East Region 78 Table 27: Presence or estimated area of fen in the North East Region by local planning authority 81 Table 28: Estimated area of fen by Natural Area 82 Table 29: Presence or estimated area of reedbed in the North East Region by local planning authority 85 Table 30: Presence or estimated area of reedbed by Natural Area 86 Table 31: Estimated area of intact lowland raised bog SSSIs in the North East Region by local planning authority and Natural Area 89 Table 32: Additional sites also listed in ‘An inventory of lowland raised bogs in Great Britain’ (1996) 89 Table 33: Estimated area of blanket bog in the North East Region by local planning authority 93 4 A Biodiversity Audit of the North East Table 34: Estimated area of blanket bog by Natural Area 93 Table 35: Lengths of maritime cliffs and areas of maritime grassland in the North East Region 100 Table 36: Estimated area of coastal sand dunes in the North East Region by local planning authority 104 Table 37: Estimated area of coastal sand dune by Natural Area 104 Table 38: Estimated area of saltmarsh in the North East Region by local planning authority 107 Table 39: Estimated area of saltmarsh in the North East Region by Natural Area 107 Table 40: Area of intertidal mud and sandflats in the North East Region’s estuaries 109 Table 41: Estimated area of intertidal mud and sandflats by local planning authority 111 Table 42: Saline lagoons in the North East Region 116 Table 43: A summary of records of UK BAP Priority Species in the North East Region by local planning authority 176 Table 44: A summary of records of UK BAP Priority Species in the North East Region by Natural Area 180 Table 45: Initial selection of potential species of Regional importance shown against selection criteria 204 Table 46: Harmful species introductions into the North East Region 211 A Biodiversity Audit of the North East 5 LIST OF MAPS Map 1: The local planning authorities of the North East Region 24 Map 2: The Natural Areas of the North East Region 24 Map 3: Presence of semi-natural and ancient replanted woodlands shown by local planning authority 38 Map 4: Presence of semi-natural and ancient replanted woodlands shown by Natural Area 38 Map 5: Presence of coastal and flood plain grazing marsh shown by local planning authority 52 Map 6: Presence of coastal and flood plain grazing marsh shown by Natural Area 52 Map 7: Presence of lowland meadows shown by local planning authority 55 Map 8: Presence of lowland meadows shown by Natural Area 55 Map 9: Presence of upland hay meadows shown by local planning authority 59 Map 10: Presence of upland hay meadows shown by Natural Area 59 Map 11: Presence of calcareous grasslands shown by local planning authority 63 Map 12: Presence of calcareous grasslands shown by Natural Area 63 Map 13: Presence of lowland dry acid grassland shown by local planning authority 67 Map 14: Presence of lowland dry acid grassland shown by Natural Area 67 Map 15: Presence of heathlands shown by local planning authority 72 Map 16: Presence of heathlands shown by Natural Area 72 Map 17: Presence of purple moor-grass and rush pasture shown by local planning authority 77 Map 18: Presence of purple moor-grass and rush pasture shown by Natural Area 77 Map 19: Presence of basin mires and lowland fens shown by local planning authority 80 Map 20: Presence of basin mires and lowland fens shown by Natural Area 80 Map 21: Presence of reedbeds shown by local planning authority 84 Map 22: Presence of reedbeds shown by Natural Area 84 Map 23: Presence of lowland raised bog shown by local planning authority 88 Map 24: Presence of lowland raised bog shown by Natural Area 88 Map 25: Presence of blanket bog shown by local planning authority 91 Map 26: Presence of blanket bog shown