Developing Nature Improvement Areas in Warwickshire – bigger, better and connected

Local Wildlife Sites and Connectivity Mapping

Chris TalbotBiodiversity Project Manager

Warwickshire Habitat Biodiversity Audit

Local Wildlife Sites• Areas carefully identified and selected for their

special wildlife habitats - ‘County importance’• The best natural places in everyone’s

neighbourhood – ‘Local’• Form a network of our most valuable urban and

rural areas for the natural environment• Complementary to statutory designations such as

SSSIs and LNRs• Afforded protection through the planning system (but non-statutory) • Perform a crucial role in protecting our natural

environment

Statutory wildlife sites in Warwickshire

• 13 Local Nature Reserves (LNR’s)• 57 SSSI’s• 1 Special Area of Conservation (SAC) - Ensor’s

Pool

Collectively cover 0.7% Warwickshire sub-regionNational figure is 6.8%Local Wildlife Sites cover 2.71% Warwickshire

sub-region

Warwickshire Local Wildlife Sites project• Guidance for Non-Statutory Sites of Importance for Nature

Conservation (SINCs) in Warwickshire - May 1998• formalised into the Local Wildlife Sites Project (LWSP) as

part of the HBA in 2000• range in size from less than 1 hectare to over 120 hectares• cover 13 wildlife habitat types from canals to woodland and

scrub• include churchyards, road verges, ponds, meadows, disused

railway lines, orchards, rivers, quarries etc..• occur on publicly and privately owned land, urban and rural• Incorporated into the LBAP habitat plans

Proportion of Local Sites in positive conservation management – defra 2012

Tame Valley Local Wildlife Sites

Status Count Area in hadeferred 2 10.13destroyed 2 4.53LWS 24 362.18potential site 34 572.51rejected 8 43.33Total 70 992.68

Coombe Abbey Local Wildlife Site SP37Z2

• Designated 21/09/2010• Area 51.45 ha• Habitats:

• Wet woodlands• Dry woodlands• Acid grasslands• Neutral grassland• Open water

• Rare Flora• Sanicle• Large Bittercress• Hard shield-fern• Narrow Buckler-fern• Black Poplar

• Rare Fauna• Spotted Flycatcher• Marsh Tit• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker• Beeflies• Nomad Bees

Dordon Spoil Heap LWS

Grange Farm Moat Meadows LWS

Wappenbury Wood LWS

Warwickshire’s habitat Connectivity mapping

Joint project WBRC, York University and HBA - 2011

WoodlandsHedgerows GrasslandsWetlands

HabitatBiodiversity Audit

Connectivity modelling• Designed for highly fragmented habitats• Applied to different types of habitat e.g.

woodlands, grasslands, wetlands.• Key components of the model are the quality,

size, shape and type of patch (habitat)• Requires GIS mapping to extract habitat data

and interpret results• LWS information and Phase 1 habitat mapping

is ideally suited to applying the model because of the detail and quality of the data

Applying connectivityIdentifying strategic areas for wildlife – forward planning•Incorporating connectivity into local plans – Lawton report recommendations•Delivering Living Landscapes initiatives through habitat connectivity•Individual species connectivity e.g. bats, butterflies, dormice, water voles etc.

The Lawton Report

• Bigger• Better• Connected

Put theRight Habitatin theRight Place

Making Space for Nature: a review of England’s wildlife sites and ecological networks: defra 2010

Incorporating connectivity mapping into local plans

• Stratford-on-Avon District Council- Ecological Study of Local Service Villages July 2012

• Warwick District Council - Landscape Sensitivity and Ecological & Geological Study November 2013

• Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council – Ecology and Geodiversity Assessment April 2014

Delivering living landscapes initiativesPrincethorpe project

Conservation measures •hedgerow gap reduction and hedge row creation •tree plantation - infilling

Species connectivity: Barbastelle bat study Whichford Wood

Conservation measures •retention and management of key woodlands, flight-lines and foraging areas• hedgerow creation - connectivity• small linear woods• field margins• wet meadows

Conclusions

• Local wildlife sites make a valuable contribution to wildlife conservation in Warwickshire

• They do require protection where ever possible• Difficult to determine their condition and

continuing management for wildlife• Good habitat data and connectivity mapping is

the basis for delivering living landscapes • LWS are the building blocks for living landscapes • More research opportunities and applications in

applying connectivity

Thank you