Title: Potential For Biodiversity Delivery By Welsh Agri-Environment Schemes POTENTIAL FOR BIODIVERSITY DELIVERY BY WELSH AGRI-ENVIRONMENT SCHEMES FINAL REPORT TO WELSH ASSEMBLY GOVERNMENT submitted April 21st 2008 Morris A.J., Smart J.1, Lamacraft D.2, Bialynicki-Birula, N., Luxton K-J.3, Haysom K., Rasey A.4, Williams C., Hobson R.5, Dines, T.6, Parry R.J., Wilberforce E.M.7 contact: [email protected] 1 RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, SG19 2DL 2 RSPB North Wales Office, Maes y Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DW 3 RSPB Wales HQ, Sutherland House, Castlebridge, Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9AB 4 Bat Conservation Trust, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BG 5 Butterfly Conservation, 10 Calvert Terrace, Swansea, SA1 6AR 6 Plantlife, c/o Countryside Council for Wales, Maes y Ffynnon, Ffordd Penrhos, Bangor, L57 2LQ 7 Wildlife Trust Wales, The Nature Centre, Fountain Road, Tondu, Bridgend, CF32 0EH Title: Potential For Biodiversity Delivery By Welsh Agri-Environment Schemes 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................................................................................... 1 2 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 BACKGROUND TO DECLINES IN FARMLAND BIODIVERSITY .............................................................................. 6 2.2 BACKGROUND TO AGRI-ENVIRONMENT SCHEMES (AES)................................................................................. 6 2.2.1 EU............................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.2 Wales ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 2.3 THE ROLE OF AES IN REVERSING BIODIVERSITY DECLINES ............................................................................. 8 2.4 WELSH AUDIT OFFICE REPORT ON TIR GOFAL ................................................................................................ 9 2.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF AES MONITORING .......................................................................................................... 9 2.6 OUTLINE OF REVIEW OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................... 11 3 METHODS............................................................................................................................................................ 11 3.1 THE REVIEW CONSORTIUM: A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH TO AES EVALUATION............................................. 11 3.2 DATA ON FOCAL SPECIES ................................................................................................................................12 3.2.1 Reason for selection of focal species..................................................................................................... 12 3.2.2 Mammals ................................................................................................................................................ 15 3.2.3 Birds ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.2.4 Key Areas for focal species.................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 DATA ON AGRI-ENVIRONMENT SCHEMES ...................................................................................................... 19 3.3.1 Tir Cynnal............................................................................................................................................... 19 3.3.2 Organic Farming Scheme ...................................................................................................................... 21 3.3.3 Tir Gofal ................................................................................................................................................. 21 3.4 ANALYSIS........................................................................................................................................................ 25 3.4.1 Scoring of Tir Gofal prescriptions......................................................................................................... 25 3.4.2 GIS data on Tir Gofal agreements and prescriptions........................................................................... 26 3.4.3 Merging AES and focal species datasets............................................................................................... 26 3.4.4 Data analysis method............................................................................................................................. 27 4 RESULTS.............................................................................................................................................................. 31 4.1 RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS OF FOCAL SPECIES ............................................................................................... 31 4.2 ASSESSMENT OF TIR GOFAL PRESCRIPTIONS POTENTIALLY CONTRIBUTING TO DELIVERY OF RESOURCES FOR FOCAL SPECIES ............................................................................................................................................................ 31 4.2.1 Overview – delivery across taxa............................................................................................................ 32 4.2.2 Plants...................................................................................................................................................... 34 4.2.3 Butterflies ............................................................................................................................................... 35 4.2.4 Mammals ................................................................................................................................................ 38 4.2.5 Birds ....................................................................................................................................................... 41 4.3 ASSESSMENT OF WHETHER UPTAKE OF TIR GOFAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DELIVER RESOURCES FOR FOCAL SPECIES ........................................................................................................................................................................ 45 4.3.1 Overview – delivery across taxa............................................................................................................ 46 4.3.2 Plants...................................................................................................................................................... 46 4.3.3 Butterflies ............................................................................................................................................... 56 4.3.4 Mammals ................................................................................................................................................ 68 4.3.5 Birds ....................................................................................................................................................... 78 5 DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................................................ 91 5.1 TIR CYNNAL.................................................................................................................................................... 91 5.2 ORGANIC FARMING SCHEME .......................................................................................................................... 92 5.3 TIR GOFAL ...................................................................................................................................................... 92 5.3.1 Tir Gofal: key taxa or species-specific conclusions.............................................................................. 95 5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS....................................................................................................................................... 97 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................................................. 98 7 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 99 8 APPENDICES................................................................................................................................. 112 8.1 APPENDIX 1: PLANTS .................................................................................................................................... 112 8.1.1 Distribution, populations and key areas.............................................................................................. 112 Title: Potential For Biodiversity Delivery By Welsh Agri-Environment Schemes 8.1.2 Literature review of resource requirements of focal plant species..................................................... 117 8.1.3 Scoring of Tir Gofal prescriptions for focal plant species.................................................................. 122 8.1.4 Discussion of Tir Gofal delivery for focal plant species....................................................................