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