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Priority species Priority species Adder Priority species were originally chosen as iconic species which capture the public imagination. Each species is associated with at least one priority habitat and can be used as a flagship to help generate support and interest in wider habitat creation and management projects. As discussed above, national guidance recognises that the majority of benefits for priority species are derived from the creation and management of the habitats on which they rely. Therefore, priority species are no longer given separate action plans, but are considered within habitat action planning. In this 3rd edition of the BAP, priority species are listed against the relevant habitats in Tables 2, 3 and 4. However, rather than repeat objectives multiple times under each relevant habitat, targets for each species are listed below, together with a brief description of their distribution and the reasons for their inclusion in the BAP. Objectives are also included in the Landscape Action Plans for those areas of the Forest in which the species are a priority. Table 6: Achievements for priority species Species target Result Sites enhanced for adders 1 Barn owl boxes erected 44 Bat boxes erected 311 Sites with black poplar planted 30 Number of black poplar planted 222 Sites where bluebells planted 47 Otter holts created 8 Length of riverside managed for otters 150m Bird boxes erected 88 Sites enhanced for ruddy darter 42 Sites enhanced for water vole 4 Note: Results are for the period 2005-10 © Gordon Hudson A new approach Nationally the adder is widely distributed. However, it is less common and sometimes rare in the central, eastern and north western parts of England. Its preferred habitats include heathland and woodland with suitable rides and clearings. Adder populations are declining over most of its range and it is included on the UK’s “Long List” of globally threatened/declining species. Within The National Forest, adder populations are limited to areas with significant blocks of acid grassland and heath, such as in Charnwood. Legal status The adder is protected from deliberate killing, injury and sale under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 under Schedule 5. It is also protected under the Bern Convention (1991). Threats • Increases in agricultural intensification, development have led to the decline in this species through habitat loss and indirect mortality. • Deliberate killing is a threat to individual animals as a result of poor public awareness and misunderstanding. • Scrubbing up and poor management of suitable habitat (e.g. heathland). Objectives • Increase the number of sites and populations of adders in The National Forest through habitat management and the creation of hibernacula. Useful links • Amphibian & Reptile Conservation: http://www.arc-trust.org/ The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011 - 31 - Bats © RSPB Priority species Barn owl Barn owls can be found across the whole of The National Forest area but numbers are low. Since rapid decline in the 1950s as a result of pesticide use and agricultural intensification, there is some evidence that numbers are increasing as organochlorine use has ceased. In Derbyshire, the species is listed as a scarce resident but proven breeding is recorded at one or two sites in South Derbyshire each year. Legal status Protected under the EU Birds Directive and listed on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (amended by the Countryside & Rights of Way Act 2000). Threats • Loss of habitat such as rough grassland, field margins and verges as the result of agricultural intensification. • Loss of nest and roost sites due to conversion of old barns to houses and loss of old hedgerow trees. • Increased mortality on roads as they hunt for food along roadside verges. Objectives • Increase the breeding population of barn owls. • Continue to expand the network of barn owl nest boxes across the Forest area. Useful links • Information on barn owl boxes: http://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/infopage. html?Id=42 • Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithological Society: http://www.lros.org.uk/ - 32 - Little is known about the current status of most bat species in The National Forest, although the available evidence suggests an overall decline in populations. Ten of the 14 UK species have been recorded across the Forest area. Only the Pipistrelle is considered to be common. Legal status Protected by: The Bern Convention, 1979; The EU Habitats Directive, 1992; The Bonn Convention, 1980; Schedule 2 and 5 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994; and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the CRoW Act 2000). Threats • Intensification of agriculture and inappropriate riparian management leading to a decline in the amount of insect prey. • Widespread misunderstanding of legislation protecting bats, leading to loss or damage of roosts. • Loss, destruction and disturbance of roosts through the use of toxic timber treatments, intolerance by roost owners, inappropriate building practices and tree felling. • Loss of winter roosting sites. Objectives • Maintain existing bat populations and increase the distribution of bats to all suitable habitats within the National Forest. • Erect bat boxes at suitable locations. Useful links • Bat Conservation Trust: http://www.bats.org.uk/ • Information on bat boxes: http://www.bats.org.uk/publications_ download.php/235/Howtomakeabatbox. pdf The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011 Priority species Black poplar Bluebell The black poplar is endangered and is restricted to parts of central and southern Britain and also occurs in central Europe and Asia. It is mainly found along watercourses and in river valleys. Extensive surveys have enabled existing and newly planted trees to be mapped across the whole of the Forest. Threats • The populations of trees are very scattered throughout its distribution with few female trees, affecting the rates of natural reproduction. • Individual trees have been lost through development and damaged through insensitive agricultural operations. • There is no longer a thriving market for the timber so trees are no longer pollarded. • The species hybridises with other poplars reducing the genetic integrity. • There has been a reduction in the areas subject to flooding due to flood alleviation schemes which have reduced the suitable habitat available for seed germination. Objectives • Increase the number of black poplars in appropriate locations within the National Forest. Useful links • Forestry Commission guidance: http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/FCIN057. pdf/$FILE/FCIN057.pdf The bluebell is common and widespread in the UK, being found primarily in broadleaved woodland. However, it is rare in a European context and is therefore of international importance. The UK supports 30% of the world’s population. The bluebell is both widespread and abundant in the National Forest area. Legal status The bluebell was added to the Wildlife and Countryside Act in 1998 and is now protected as an individual species. Threats • Wholesale uprooting of plants for sale. • Climate change. • Inappropriate management of woodlands, e.g. lack of thinning resulting in dense canopy shading out bluebells. • Destruction of broad-leaved woodland for development has affected bluebell populations, although they are often found in open ground such as former wood pasture. • There is evidence that deer inhibit plant growth (e.g. muntjac graze bulbs and flowers) and smaller plants develop in deergrazed areas. • Trampling by walkers, which can destroy the leaves. The plants can survive without their flowers, but without their leaves they cannot photosynthesise and will die. • Hybridisation with Spanish bluebell. Objectives • Include bluebells in new woodlands. • Bring woodlands with existing bluebell populations into management. The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011 - 33 - Otter The smallest of the woodpecker family, the lesser spotted woodpecker breeds in broadleaf woodlands, orchards, wood pasture and riverside woodlands. They rely on dead or decaying trees for nesting holes. They feed by foraging for insects on the trunks and in the crowns of mature trees. Although found in The National Forest, the national population of lesser spotted woodpecker has fallen by at least 50% in the last 25 years. As a result it is listed on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. Legal status Lesser spotted woodpecker is protected under the general provisions of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by the CRoW Act 2000. Threats • The reasons for the decline of the lesser spotted woodpecker are not fully understood. They include: • Loss and fragmentation of suitable woodland. • Reduction in the availability of deadwood within woodland areas. • Tree crowding leading to a reduction in crown development. Objectives • Increase the provision of lesser spotted woodpecker habitat in the National Forest area. Useful links • RSPB information page: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/ name/l/lesserspottedwoodpecker/index. aspx • Leicestershire & Rutland Ornithological Society: http://www.lros.org.uk/ - 34 - © GlisGlis @ Flikr © Sergey Yeliseev Priority species Lesser spotted woodpecker The otter was once widely distributed in the UK but suffered a dramatic decline in the 1950s. By 1993 it was reported as virtually absent from central England. The otter is currently uncommon but spreading in to the National Forest area from both the north and west. Legal status The otter is fully protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 as amended by the CRoW Act 2000. It is also included on Schedule 2 of The Conservation Regulations, 1994. Threats • Past use of organochlorines, which pass through the food chain. • Poor water quality, which reduces the productivity of rivers and other waterbodies. • A decline in suitable riparian habitat with little cover on rivers and lack of holt sites. • Otters are susceptible to human disturbance and are very rarely seen. Recreational pursuits such as dog walking and motor boats will disturb otters and can prevent them from successfully breeding. • Otters are also killed on roads while moving through catchment areas. Poor design of bridges result in otters having to use roads to cross during times of flood. Objectives • Expand the provision of suitable otter habitat along watercourses in the National Forest area. • Encourage measures to prevent road deaths. Useful links • Natural England guidance: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ ourwork/regulation/wildlife/species/otters. aspx#advice The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011 Priority species Water vole © Max Westby Ruddy darter dragonfly The ruddy darter is a nationally scarce species of dragonfly, grade B (i.e. it is present in less than 100 10km grid squares). It breeds in the marshy margins of ponds, lakes, gravel pits, canals and ditches where there are tall emergent plants present but which are not excessively vegetated. In some areas of the country the species has been increasing in numbers and distribution in recent years but in other areas there has been a clear decline. It is rare and local within the National Forest area and is dependent on wetlands and open water bodies. It particularly favours mesotrophic waters and likes to forage over scrub and rough grassland habitat around pools. Threats • The decline in the area of wetlands and open water bodies. • The species is very susceptible to permanent changes in water level due to improved drainage, and to natural seral changes in habitat. • Decline in water quality in otherwise suitable water bodies. Objectives • Increase the number of ruddy darter breeding sites in the Forest area. Useful links • Pond Conservation pond management advice: http://www.pondconservation.org.uk/ advice/seasons • Leicestershire & Rutland Dragonfly Group: www.lrdg.org.uk/species/ruddy-darter.php The water vole is found throughout Britain but is confined mainly to lowland areas near water. Once common and widespread, this species has suffered a significant decline in numbers and distribution. In The National Forest, Staffordshire county as a whole shows a decline in the population. In the Leicestershire part of the Forest, the most important remaining sites are in urban areas. In Derbyshire, a population has been found on the Hooborough Brook and another in Hartshorne, with most populations remaining very low. Legal status Listed on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended by the CRoW Act 2000. Threats • Pollution of watercourses and poisoning by rodenticides. • Habitat change through neglect, causing scrub encroachment and overshading. • Overgrazing, causing poaching of watercourse, banks and denuding of vegetation. • Insensitive watercourse dredging and canalising leading to habitat loss and fragmentation. • Increased disturbance and bank erosion. • The spread of American mink in combination with previous factors leading to predation and local extinction. Objectives • Expand the provision of suitable water vole habitat along watercourses in the National Forest area. Useful links • Natural England guidance: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/ regulation/wildlife/species/watervoles.aspx The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011 - 35 - Landscape character areas The National Forest is made up of six landscape character areas, which are individually distinctive and influenced by their underlying geology, landform, ecological and historic character. They relate to the national Joint Character Areas identified by Natural England and form part of the wider landscape that extend beyond the Forest boundary. As biodiversity is a key component of landscape character, it is logical to base a spatial approach to BAP targeting on these landscape areas. Map showing landscape character areas ds Melbourne Parklands lan tV all ey W as h Needwood & South Derbyshire Claylands Tre n Landscape action plans Landscape action plans Le ice Mease & Sence Lowlands ste rsh ire &S ou th De rby sh ire Charnwood Co alfi eld Format Each landscape character area is presented on a separate sheet, the intention being for them to act as quick reference notes for anyone wishing to contribute to biodiversity within that area. Each sheet begins with some basic information on its size in terms of both its area (in hectares) and the proportion of The National Forest that it represents. A map of the character area then shows the distribution of priority habitats within it. This map, due to its scale, should only be treated as indicative. For each area, a short description of its landscape character is provided to give a ‘feel’ for the area. This is followed by a table listing the habitats and species that are priorities for the character area. It should be noted that these are priorities for action, not an exclusive list. Other habitats will be present in the area, but may not be priorities for action. The back of the sheet contains the targets for the landscape character area, divided into the same groups as the HAPs. These are derived from the Forest-wide targets for each habitat and are indicative of the scale of action that is appropriate for each area. The intention is to focus effort where it is most appropriate. But, that said, our priority is to achieve ongoing gains for biodiversity. If a local target has been met, that does not mean that no more of that habitat is needed. Our priority is to meet and (ideally) exceed the Forest-wide targets. Finally, the targets for the priority species for the area are listed. After the Landscape Area Plans are two tables. The first summarises the actions that are priorities in each area. The second provides information on some of the mechanisms that could be appropriate in each area to support the delivery of biodiversity gains. Many of these will be Forest-wide, but some are more locally available. Once again, it is not an exclusive list but one meant to highlight opportunities. - 36 - The National Forest BAP - 3rd edition 2011