Cornish heathland, Lands End Biodiversity is a term used to describe the variety of all species and habitats in the environment. The distribution of wildlife is the product of complex interactions, but the detail is shaped in part through human activity. Wildlife in the South West is an important stimulus for both its economy and inhabitants, and is a key indicator of the overall health of our environment.

The South West has a rich and diverse range of wildlife, and retains a significant proportion of the UK�s overall resource of important wildlife sites, habitats and species. However, there have been significant declines in certain habitats and species in past years and much of our wildlife is still under threat.

Biodiversity in the South West is particularly threatened by land use changes (development, agriculture and water management), climate change and environmental pollution. Locally, other pressures are significant - such as fishing methods in the marine environment.

Key sites in the South West

Nearly a tenth of the Region's land area is designated as nationally and internationally important wildlife sites, many of which are unique in Europe. At a more local level, areas of wildlife value may be designated as local nature reserves, county wildlife sites or non-statutory nature reserves.

Key nationally important wildlife sites in the South West

County / regional total	Nationally important sites
County / regional total	National Nature Reserves	Local Nature Reserves	Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Cornwall	3	10	166
Devon	10	29	210
Dorset	10	25	139
Somerset	11	19	126
Wiltshire	7	6	132
Gloucestershire	3	10	121
Avon	2	16	84
Regional Total	46 (covering 13,092 hectares)	115	978

Source: English Nature

Location of important wildlife sites in the South West

The following maps reveal the locations of designated wildlife sites (including a brief explanation of the designation) in the region:

Designation

Description

National Nature Reserves

(click to enlarge)

National Nature Reserves (NNRs) are places where wildlife comes first. They were established to protect the most important areas of wildlife habitat and geological formations in Britain, and as places for scientific research. This does not mean they are "no-go areas" for people. It means that we must be careful not to damage the wildlife of these fragile places.

The region has 46 National Nature Reserves, covering 13,092 hectares. These were established to protect Britain's most important wildlife habitats and geological formations.

There are also 71 Local Nature Reserves, covering 2,327 hectares, which are places where wildlife or geology is of special local interest and local people are encouraged to learn about and enjoy their environment. Many Local Nature Reserves are in urban areas.

Source: English Nature

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

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SSSIs are the country's very best wildlife and geological sites. They include some of our most spectacular and beautiful habitats - large wetlands teeming with waders and waterfowl, winding chalk rivers, gorse and heather-clad heathlands, flower-rich meadows, windswept shingle beaches and remote upland moorland and peat bog.

Wildlife and geological features are under pressure from development, pollution, climate change and unsuitable land management. SSSIs are important refuges for plants and animals which are no longer found in the wider countryside.

Source: English Nature

See landscape for the latest condition survey results.

Ramsar sites

(Click to enlarge)

Ramsar sites are wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention.

The initial emphasis was on selecting sites of importance to waterbirds within the UK, and consequently many Ramsar sites are also Special Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under the Birds Directive. However, greater attention is now being directed towards the selection of Ramsar sites in UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies; the first of these was designated in 1990. As part of the UK’s Review of the Ramsar Site Series, non-bird interests will increasingly be taken into account, both in the selection of new sites and when reviewing existing sites.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Council

Special Areas of Conservation

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Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are strictly protected sites designated under the EC Habitats Directive. They are areas of land and sea that are considered important for threatened habitats and species. They make up part of the Natura 2000 network of sites.

This network of sites is designed to conserve rare, endangered or vulnerable habitats, wild animals and plants, both on land and at sea.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Council

Special Protection Areas

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Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are strictly protected sites in accordance with Article 4 of the EC Directive on the conservation of wild birds (79/409/EEC), also known as the Birds Directive, which came into force in April 1979.

They are designated to protect rare and vulnerable birds, listed in Annex I to the Birds Directive, and include regularly occurring migratory species.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Council

South West Biodiversity Action Plan

The South West Biodiversity Action Plan, produced by the South West Regional Biodiversity Partnership, was published in 1997.

Regional habitat and species action plans have been produced for the following reasons:

To make it easier for the UK biodiversity plans to be implemented at the local level
To enable organisations that function at a regional (or similar administrative boundaries) to recognise those conservation priorities relevant to their boundaries
To inform regional planning of the main biodiversity issues within the South West
To ensure the best possible information base on which decisions can be made
To provide consistent information and identify priorities

Habitats listed in the South West Biodiversity Action Plan

The South West supports a high proportion of some of the UK�s rarest and most endangered habitats. Many are priority habitats. These include (figures taken from the Audit of the South West Biological Resource 1996)::

Calcareous grassland - 62 % of the UK total - e.g. Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire
Lowland heathland - 25 % of the UK total - e.g. Dorset heathlands.
Flower rich pastures - 57 % of the UK total - e.g. Culm grasslands, Somerset Levels and Moors
Saline lagoons - 37 % of the UK total - e.g. The Fleet, Dorset is the largest brackish lagoon in England
Offshore reefs - e.g. those off south and east Devon are among the best in the country.

Many of these, especially soft coastal habitats (e.g. Bridgwater Bay saltmarshes or Slapton Ley saline lagoon), floodplain marshes (e.g. Somerset Levels and Moors), and chalk rivers (e.g. the River Avon) have been identified as particularly vulnerable to climate change (DETR/MAFF 2000).

Each of the habitats listed below appears in the South West's Regional Action Plan - Action for biodiversity in the South West (1997). Each plan closely reflects the action plan format used for the UK biodiversity action plans listing:

Current status
Current factors affecting the habitat
Current action
Benefits
UK biodiversity objectives and proposed targets
South West biodiversity objectives and proposed targets
Proposed action required to meet objectives with lead agencies

A summary of the habitats included in the South West Biodiversity Action Plan, including the regional resource as estimated in 1996, can be found below:

Habitat	Description	South West total of the UK resource	Additional comments about the Sw resource
Ash maple woodland	Semi-natural ash woodland on calcareous substrates with associated maple, small-leaved lime, elm and oak, and may be ancient or secondary in origin.	10% of the UK total is found in the South West	Much of this resource is concentrated in North Somerset and the Bristol area
Arable farmland	Areas of land under cultivation or temporary grassland (including grass leys) of less than five years. Includes all tilled land (i.e. horticulture, cereals and roots crops)	The South West has 16% of the UK resource covering 709,000 hectares	Devon and Wiltshire account for the highest percentage of arable land in the region. Cereals, of which wheat is the most significant crop, cover a total of 43% of the arable land, with 37% under temporary grassland
Calcareous grassland	Species-rich grasslands that occur on chalk or limestone, often co-existing with variable amounts of scrub. Calcareous grassland often merges into dry neutral or even acid grassland on flatter areas.	The South West has over 60% of the UK resource covering around 25,000 hectares	Over half the regional total of calcareous grassland occurs in Wiltshire (around 17,000).
Coastal sand dunes	Windblown sand formations, both stable and shifting, and the associated foreshore, slacks (areas of dune wetland), grassland, heathland, scrub and woodland.	The South West has around 8% of the UK resource (47,000 ha) and around 40% of the England total (9,300 ha)	Covering approximately 4,000 ha. Around 80% of the South West total is found in Cornwall and Devon.
Coastal floodplain and grazing marsh	Seasonally waterlogged grassland which forms part of a wetland system; including lowland wet grassland and floodplain meadows which may be agriculturally improved or unimproved. Grazing Marsh occurs in inland and coastal situations.	The South West has 25% of the national total (around 300,000 ha)	Covering approximately 76,339 hectares, with large sites on the Somerset Levels & Moors, Lower Avon Valley and the Exe Estuary
Estuaries	Estuaries, including harbours and rias, are partially enclosed water bodies which are open to the sea but usually have reduced salinity as a result of freshwater inputs. Rias are drowned river valleys created by land subsidence, a rise in sea level, or a combination of both, forming deep narrow, well defined channels which have a large marine influence i.e. high salinity. Rias are characteristic of the South West, with the Region accounting for approximately 90% of the UK resource. The high salinity and shelter of rias supports a very high biodiversity compared with normal estuaries of lower salinity regime.	The South West has approximately 8% of the UK total (200,000 ha) of mud & sandflats and 6% of the UK total of salt marsh (40-50,000 ha)	Covering around 16,700 ha of mud and sandflats and around 2,900 ha of salt marsh
Hedgerows	Linear features composed of woody species, sometimes raised on grassy banks	The total length of hedgerow in the region is unknown but the South West is believed to have the highest densities in the UK (UK total estimate is 450,000 km)	No sub-regional breakdown available
Lowland heathland	Open, uncultivated nutrient-poor land (usually below 250m); dominated by heathers and gorse	The South West has 25% of the UK total (around 58,000 ha)	Covering around 14,500 ha
Maritime cliffs and slopes	Hard and soft rock formed at the junction between the land and the sea where a break in slope is formed by slippage and/or erosion by the sea. Soft rock cliffs are often characterised by slips, areas of slumped cliff face that gradually become vegetated; hard rock cliffs are often characterised by sheer faces with small but important plant communities and ledges that provide important nesting areas for seabird colonies.	The South West has 18% of the national total (estimated)	At least 700 km of cliff
Parkland, wood pastures and veteran trees	Sites with old trees, sometimes mixed with younger trees of various ages but often associated with open habitats including grassland	It is estimated that between 10-20,000 ha of UK parkland, including wood pasture, remain in working condition.	At least 11,000 ha of parkland plus further areas of wood pasture
Reedbeds	An area dominated but not necessarily composed purely of common reed Phragmites australis.	The South West has around 12% of the UK total (around 5,000 ha)	Covering around 600 ha. There are 55 sites greater than 20 ha in Britain of which five are found in the South West and account for 170 ha or 37% of the regional total.
Rivers, streams and associated habitats	All flowing water courses (down to the point where saline influence becomes dominant) streams and river-dependent habitats such as backwaters and oxbows; chalk rivers and winterbournes; tufa springs and spring-fed mires in head-waters systems; and artificial channels such as rhynes and ditches.	It is estimated that the South West has over 40,000 km of rivers, streams and associated habitats	No sub-regional breakdown available
Rocky seabed	Areas of sublittoral hard substrates typically consisting of bedrock reefs and boulder plains, out to 6 nautical miles from baselines, or to the 50m depth contour, whichever is the greater.	The full extent of this habitat is unknown, in part due to the difficulties and expense of surveying the seabed.	No sub-regional breakdown available
Standing open water	Standing open water includes ponds, defined broadly as small bodies of water (between 1m and 2 ha in area) which hold water for at least four months of the year, anything larger is termed a lake, with recognition that lakes encompasses special cases such as reservoirs and flooded gravel, sand, clay and marl pits. Saline waters are not included. It is important to recognise that a standing open water site also includes terrestrial habitats, and that some sites comprise a collection of water bodies.	The number of ponds in the South West is unknown, but is probably several thousand rather than tens of thousands. The UK total is estimated at 375,000 and a 75% decline is thought to have occurred over the last hundred years.	In the South West there are around 4,100 ha of lowland still water over 5 ha, this represents a small fraction of the UK total (c300,000).
Sea grass beds	An area of soft or mixed marine substrata characterised by one or more of the three UK seagrasses: eelgrass (Zostera marina), narrow-leafed eelgrass (Zostera angustifolia) and dwarf eelgrass (Zostera noltii). All three species are considered nationally scarce.	The distribution, extent and quality of the South-West eelgrass resource or the current range and severity of impacts affecting regional populations is not fully known	No sub-regional breakdown available
Upland heathland	Open, infertile ground (usually above 250-300m) with a vegetation dominated by heather (Calluna vulgaris), western gorse (Ulex gallii) and whortleberry (Vacciniium myrtillus).	Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin Moor upland areas combined total is around 20,000 ha of upland heathland. This represents a very small amount (c1%) of the UK total (c3,700,000 ha).	Dartmoor holds the largest area of this resource in the region. Most of this heathland is managed for sheep or cattle and is maintained by grazing and/or rotational burning.
Upland oakwoods	Upland Oakwoods are characterised by a predominance of oak (most commonly sessile but locally pedunculate) and birch. They occur generally above 200m but may be found as low as sea level on thin acid soils and steep slopes.	There are believed to be between 70,000 and 100,000 ha of this habitat in the UK. The South West holds approximately 4,700 hectares.	The South West resource is made up of 2,800 ha on Exmoor and the Quantocks, 1,600 ha on Dartmoor and 300 ha in Cornwall.
Urban areas	Greenspaces and associated ecological niches found within built-up areas. Buildings and hard surfaces, which can support important plant and animal communities (e.g. birds of prey nesting in the 'cliffs' of high buildings, lichens) are also considered as part of the urban habitat. Greenspaces are divided up into five categories: Remnants of ancient systems, such as woodland, wetland. Freshwater and estuaries Pre-industrial rural landscapes with arable land, meadows, heathland, grazing marshes and villages Managed greenspaces, including parks, amenity grassland, gardens. Naturally seeded urban areas or industrial sites, such as demolition sites, disused railway lands or unexploited industrial landscape.	It is very difficult to estimate the amount of urban habitat in the South West region.	No complete data set of major urban habitats in the South West is currently available.

Source: South West Biodiversity Partnership - Habitat Action Plans
All images: copyright English Nature (unless otherwise stated in hover text)

South West Species Action Plans

The South West supports 25 species that are globally important, over 700 species that are of national conservation concern, and 34 species endemic to the UK, 11 of which are only found in the South West. Some specific examples include:

Greater horseshoe bat - 70 % of the UK population occurs in the South West
Sand lizard - once occurring throughout the South West but now only found on fragmented heathland in southeast Dorset
Freshwater pearl mussel - an outlying population occurs in the Taw and Torridge, isolated from the main population in the North West and Wales
Hairy click beetle - the only known population in the world occurs in reedbeds alongside the River Parrett in Somerset
Triangular club-rush - one of only two populations in England is found on the River Tamar.

Each of the species listed below appears in the South West's Regional Action Plan ('Action for biodiversity in the South-West' (1997)').

Each plan closely reflects the action plan format used for the UK biodiversity action plans listing:

Current status
Current factors affecting the species
Current action
Benefits
UK biodiversity objectives and proposed targets
South West biodiversity objectives and proposed targets and proposed action required to meet objectives with lead agencies.

A summary of the species included in the South West Biodiversity Action Plan, including the regional resource as estimated in 1996, can be found below:

Species	Description	South West total of the UK resource	Additional comments about the Sw resource
Early Gentian	A rare UK endemic species that has declined dramatically in recent years.	44 sites / colonies are known in the South West.	Around 70% of the regional total for the Early Gentian is found in Dorset
Pink Sea Fan	A warm water species which has a limited western distribution in the British Isles running from the north of Ireland (Donegal Bay) around the South West of England and up the English Channel as far Portland Bill.	No information available about regional distributions	The stronghold of the pink sea fan in the UK are the shallow reefs off the southern coast of Devon and Cornwall.
Marsh Fritillary butterfly	This attractive butterfly occurs in wet grassland across the South West where its caterpillars feed on Devil's bit scabious	The South West holds nearly 50% of the UK population	Strongholds of colonies can be found in Devon, Wiltshire, Cornwall and Dorset.
White-Clawed Crayfish	A freshwater crayfish native to a variety of freshwater habitats in England and Wales	Limited to calcium-rich water in Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire with one site in Devon.	Vulnerable to crayfish plague.
Great Crested Newt	Britain's largest newt species. This species is naturally rarer in the South West than in many parts of lowland Britain.	211 known sites / colonies in the South West - just over 6% of the UK population (3221)	Gloucestershire and Dorset are the stronghold counties in the region
Sand Lizard	A native lizard confined to lowland areas and dry sandy heaths	188 known sites / colonies in the South West - 82% of the UK total (230). The South West is the last remaining stronghold for this species in the UK.	The Dorset heathlands in the Poole Basin now support the South West only remaining natural populations and significantly hold over 90% of the UK population.
Nightjar	A nocturnal bird found on heathlands, moorlands, in open woodland with clearings, and in recently felled conifer plantations	The South West holds 26% (218 known sites / colonies) of the national total (1194)	The Dorset heathlands is the region's stronghold for Nightjars
Sea Birds	Information on seabirds around the South West is variable. For a few species (e.g. breeding terns), populations are relatively well described, for others much less so e.g. wintering gannets).	No information available about regional distribution	No information
Water Voles	The largest of the 3 native British voles, which lives alongside rivers, streams, lakes and ditches	Water voles have declined dramatically across the South West, with 87% of known sites lost in Devon and Cornwall in just 8 years (1990 - 1998). In Wessex 49% of sites were lost.	Now confined to the Somerset Levels & Moors, Central and East Dorset and rivers in Wiltshire. The introduction of the American mink has been a major factor in the decline of water voles.
Pipistrelle Bat	The most widespread and abundant bat in the UK. The pipistrelle (now recognised as a separate species) is Britain's smallest bat	Under 660 known sites / colonies in the South West	Particular strongholds in Devon and Avon
Southern Damselfly	Found in specific fresh water habitats (streams within acid heathland areas & water meadows in the flood plains of two chalk rivers)	9 known sites / colonies in the South West	Found only in Dorset (stronghold) and Devon
Harbour Porpoise	Small compared to other types of porpoises, with rounded heads. Tend to live near shore	No information about regional distributions	Two offshore populations of harbour porpoise are of direct relevance in a South West context, those of the Celtic Sea, to the north and west of the region, and the English Channel, to the south and east.

Source: South West Biodiversity Partnership - Species Action Plans
All images: copyright English Nature (unless otherwise stated in hover text)

Local Biodiversity Action Plans

Local Biodiversity Action Plans have been produced at a unitary, county, district and national park level in the South West.

A map of Local Biodiversity Action Plans and links to the plans themselves can be found on the South West Biodiversity Partnership's website.

South West Biodiversity Implementation Plan

Published in 2004, South West Biodiversity Implementation Plan (South West Regional Biodiversity Partnership, 2004) provides a co-ordinated programme of actions for delivering biodiversity conservation across the region over the next 10 years. The plan contributes to the implementation of the South West Regional Environment Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy for England. It supports and updates the work of the South West Biodiversity Action Plan by taking account of current biodiversity policy context.

The SW Biodiversity Implementation plan does this by integrating cross-cutting issues through the following sectors:

Farming and Food
Water and Wetlands
Woodlands and Forestry
Towns, Cities and Development
Coastal and Marine Environment

South West Nature Map

There is much information available about biodiversity in the South West, including designated sites, non statutory sites, species and habitats.

The South West Nature Map shows the best areas, ‘Strategic Nature Areas’, to maintain and expand terrestrial wildlife habitats at a landscape scale. It is important to stress that land outside of the Nature Map areas also contains wildlife sites and species that are important in their own right. There are many different tools and mechanisms in place that contribute to Strategic Nature Area conservation, and Nature Map is a significant addition to the wider strategy for biodiversity conservation in the region.

More information, maps and downloads are available from the South West Nature Map website.

South West Nature Map

South West Nature Map has been produced by the South West Regional Biodiversity Partnership and partners.

Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve

Biosphere Reserves form a unique global network of special places for people and nature. They are designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with the aim of being "sites of excellence to explore and demonstrate approaches to conservation and sustainable development on a regional scale".

UNESCO define these sites as areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that promote solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.. They are internationally recognized, nominated by national governments and remain under sovereign jurisdiction of the states where they are located. Biosphere reserves serve in some ways as 'living laboratories' for testing out and demonstrating the integrated management of land, water and biodiversity.

There are currently nearly 450 Biosphere Reserves in almost 100 countries. In the UK, the only Biosphere reserve can be found at Braunton Burrows in North Devon. A further 7 sites throughout the UK are currently working towards this status.

About 53,000 people live in the biosphere reserve (2002). Traditional land use practices are still important in this area, with Soay sheep and cattle grazing on the saltmarshes which maintains the marshes in a condition suitable for wintering wildfowl. Traditional local fisheries harvest Atlantic salmon, sea trout and sea bass which are species that rely on the site as part of their lifecycle. The estuary also supports a mussel fishery and the harvest of Ulva and for laverbread is still practiced in a traditional way.

More information about the Braunton Burrows Biosphere Reserve from UNESCO.

Nature's calendar - Mapping how biodiversity is responding to a changing climate

Climate change will affect not just our woods and forests but all natural environments, and is the biggest threat that the whole human race has yet to face.

The Nature's Calendar website is a fantastic resource that not only helps you to understand how climate change is directly affecting our biodiversity, it also allows you to become directly involved in improving our knowledge of what is happening locally. Run by the Woodland Trust and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, this website collects in phenological records (such as timings of flowers, leaves, bird arrivals) that entered by the general public, schools and other organisations based on sightings in gardens or local area.

Phenology is the study of the times of recurring natural phenomena especially in relation to climate. It is recording when you heard the first cuckoo or saw the blackthorn blossom, which can then be compared with other records such as temperature to help track how our biodiversity is changing over time. Phenology already provides some of the longest written biological records in Britain.

Live maps, trends and data is all available online to help track nature's calendar, such as the first signs of spring or species distribution.

Over 15,000 people across the UK are now actively involved with the UK Phenology Network, collecting valuable information on seasonal occurrences in order to help to demonstrate how climate change is affecting our wildlife and habitats.

Get involved and register to enter your own records or simply visit the website to find out how biodiversity in your area may be changing.

Postcode native plant database

The Natural History Museum has a database of native plants and wildlife that is searchable by postcode. The aim of the Postcode Plants Database is to encourage gardeners and other horticulturalists to plant the native trees, shrubs and flowers that are local to their areas.

By typing in a postcode householders, schools, garden centres and councils can obtain tailor-made lists of local plants, many of which are both hospitable to wildlife and suitable for gardens within their postal districts.

It is hoped that this database will foster greater understanding and awareness of the local environment, helping people to appreciate local plants and their importance for wildlife

Local Record Centres

Local record centres specialise in collecting and analysing environmental data on a county level. There are record centres for each county in the South West and for the Isles of Scilly, contact details and links for which can be found below:

Record Centre	Details	Contact details
Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC)	BRERC collects, stores and distributes environmental data concerning the former Avon area. There are millions of records in paper format, and over 825,000 available on a computerised database.	Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) Third Floor, Bristol Central Library College Green Bristol. BS1 5TL Telephone: 0117 9349833 Email: info@brerc.org.uk
Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS)	ERCCIS acts as a centre for the collection, management and distribution of wildlife and geological information relating to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It endeavours to collate all the information available to build an accurate and informed picture of the biodiversity in the region.	Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Five Acres, Allet, Truro, Cornwall. TR4 9DJ Telephone: (01872) 240777 E mail: WIS@cornwt.demon.co.uk
Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC)	SERC is the centre of reference for all information relating to wildlife and biodiversity in Somerset. It maintains an up-to-date record of sites, habitats and species found in the county and makes the data available for decision making, conservation, research, monitoring and education.	Somerset Environmental Records Centre, Tonedale Mill, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 0AW Telephone: (01823) 664450 E mail: bill.butcher@somerc.com
Devon Biodiversity Records Centre	DBRC aims to provide accurate, up-to-date information to anyone who wants it, including the public, researchers, teachers, students, environmental consultants and local authorities. It aims to provide a "one stop shop" for anyone needing information about Devon's natural heritage	Shirehampton House, 35 - 37 St David's Hill, Exeter, Devon. EX4 4DA Telephone: (01392) 279244 E mail: devonwt@cix.co.uk
Dorset Environmental Records Centre	DERC has close to half a million records entered onto its main database, including many records of rare and notable species. The database stores and cross-references information very efficiently and can recall species and site information almost instantly. It provides an opportunity for local naturalists and conservation organisations to work together.	Library Headquarters, Colliton Park, Dorchester, Dorset. DT1 1XJ Telephone: (01305) 225081 E mail: enquiries@derc.gov.uk enquiries@derc.gov.uk
Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre	The Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre (WSBRC) provides a central reference point for environmental information on geology, habitats, sites and species in the county of Wiltshire and the Borough of Swindon.	The Wiltshire and Swindon Biological Record Centre Elm Tree Court Long Street Devizes Wiltshire SN10 1NJ Telephone No: 01380 725670 Fax No: 01380 729017
Gloucestershire Environmental Data Unit	The Gloucestershire Environmental Data Unit aims to collect, collate and disseminate high quality information and data on the species, habitats and geology of Gloucestershire for the benefit of individuals and organisations working towards a sustainable future for the county.	Church House Standish Stonehouse Gloucestershire GL10 3EU Tel: 01453 822761 Fax: 01453 791338 E-mail - info@gedu.co.uk

UK Biodiversity Action Plan

The UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP), published in 1994, sets out actions, targets and objectives in order to conserve, enhance and safeguard those species and habitats that are in the most urgent need of action.

in August 2007, a comprehensive review of the UK List of Priority Species and Habitats has just been published, which is the most complete analysis every undertaken in the UK.

The result of more than two years of research by more than 500 wildlife experts and a large number of volunteers, it brings together key scientific data on all the listed species in one document. As well as outlining the state of British species, it also contributes to global conservation commitments, outlined in the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The Governments of all four UK administrations have now adopted the recommendations of experts and published the UK list of priority species and habitats. The new UK BAP list is an important reference source, bringing all the scientific information on UK BAP species and habitats together in one place.

When the action plan was launched in 1997, it listed 577 species - half the number included in the updated version. However, wildlife experts said this was a result of wider research and not necessarily down to more habitat being destroyed.

BAP Priority Species:

Birds - 59 species
Fish (freshwater) - 14 species
Reptiles/amphibians (herptiles) - 10 species
Lower plants and fungi - 337 species
Marine fauna and flora - 88 species
Invertebrates - 411 species
Terrestrial mammals - 18 species
Vascular plants - 212 species

Source: UK Biodiversity Action Plan (2007)

Hedgehogs and house sparrows have been included on an updated list of species and habitats which need protection. Other animals added to the list for the first time include the starling, grass snake and the garden tiger moth; while otters, bottlenose dolphins and red squirrels are deemed to remain in need of habitat protection.

But the latest BAP shows that a number of species have benefited from being featured on the original list 10 years ago. The numbers of ladybird spiders and lady's slipper orchids are at a 50-year high.

Additional protection of habitats and species

Habitats and species are further protected by their designation as important on a European, national or local scale. These are statutory designations in which activities such as building and development are controlled.

They include:

Ramsar sites - wetlands of international importance
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) - sites of European importance protected under the Wild Birds Directive. Part of the Natura 2000 network.
Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) - sites of European importance protected by the Habitats Directive. Part of the Natura 2000 network.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) - sites of national importance due to their biological or geological significance. These are protected under the Countryside & Rights of Way Act.
National Nature Reserves (NNRs) - sites of national significance. They are managed for nature conservation and overseen by English Nature
Local Nature Reserves

Regional state of environment reports:

Southern Area state of environment report details maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.
Thames region state of environment report on maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.
East Midlands region state of environment report on agriculture
West Midlands region state of environment report on agriculture
Wales living and working environment report on wildlife

Changing flora of the UK - mapping plant distribution

A major survey of the flowering plants and ferns of Britain and Ireland was undertaken by botanists between 1987 and 1999. The resulting New Atlas of the British and Irish Flora provides the most comprehensive picture of the distribution of wild plants.

A summary of the main findings of this survey are available in the report The Changing Flora of the UK (2002). Key findings include:

Species introduced by man before AD 1500 (called archaeophytes), especially arable plants, have decreased in frequency.
Species introduced to the UK in recent times (called neophytes) have increased in frequency.
Plants with a northerly global distribution have decreased in frequency, particularly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Plants with a Mediterranean distribution, and especially those which are widespread in the northern hemisphere, have prospered.
Tall species have been more successful than short species.

Although the survey does not in itself directly identify the drivers of change, evidence suggests that major causes behind change over the past 40 years include:

Increasing levels of nutrients available across a range of habitats– eutrophication
Habitat loss, particularly through the conversion of species-rich plant habitats to more species-poor communities as a result of agricultural intensification or afforestation
The demise of mixed farming, with an increased tendency towards livestock farming in the north and west and arable farming in the south and east.
The spread of introduced and some native plants from gardens.

The following maps reveal the richness of native species and mediterranean species (as surveyed between 1970 and 1999. Of particular interest, is the fact that the richest 10-km square in England, and in the UK as a whole, is
in Dorset (square SY98 in the left hand map). This contains the town of Wareham and a wide range of species-rich habitats, including heathland, chalk grassland, two lowland rivers (River Frome and River Piddle) with their associated grazing marsh, ditches and a range of coastal plant communities near Poole Harbour. The 844 species
recorded there since 1970 include 56 nationally rare and scarce species of which 38 are native to the area, 13 are native elsewhere in Britain but are known in this square only as garden escapes, and 5 are archaeophytes.

Richness of native and archaeophyte plant species, 1970-1999

Richness of species whose main distribution is in the Mediterranean, 1970 - 1999

Source: Preston et.al. 2002

Full details about this report and its findings are available in the Changing Flora of the UK report.

European & world view

The first assessment of all European mammals, commissioned by the European Commission and carried out by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), shows that nearly one in every six mammal species is now threatened with extinction. According to this assessment, a quarter (27%) of all mammals has declining populations and a further 33% had an unknown population trend. Only 8% were identified as increasing, including the European bison, thanks to successful conservation measures.

Europe is one of the best studied regions of the world, but no overall view of the conservation status of mammals across the continent had been compiled. To fill that gap, the European Union commissioned the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to assess all mammals of continental Europe against the IUCN Red List criteria in order to identify Europe’s most threatened mammals and help set conservation priorities.

The assessment shows that Europe’s mountains and the Balkan Peninsula are home to the greatest diversity of species. This wealth of biodiversity forms an arc which extends from the Pyrenees through the Alps towards the Carpathians and Rhodopes in south-eastern Europe. The greatest concentration of threatened species was found in Bulgaria.

Europe is now home to the world’s most threatened cat species, the Iberian Lynx, and the world’s most threatened seal, the Mediterranean Monk Seal, both classified as Critically Endangered.

Key trends:

While some 15%, or almost one sixth, of mammals are threatened in Europe, the situation of marine mammals is even bleaker: some 22% are classified as threatened with extinction. The true number is likely to be even higher, as almost 44% were classified as Data Deficient due to missing information. By comparison, 13% of European birds are threatened.
The main threats to European mammals are habitat degradation and loss such as deforestation or wetland drainage, followed by pollution and over-harvesting. For marine species, pollution and accidental mortality from fisheries by-catch or ship collisions are the main risks. These threats are most severe in the enclosed seas of the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Within the European Union, six species have been classified as Critically Endangered. The most threatened category includes the Arctic fox and the European mink, which both have very small and declining populations. Only 150 Iberian Lynx survive today and the Mediterranean monk seal population has decreased to between 350-450 individuals.
The European bison was brought to the brink of extinction during the early 20th century when the last individuals were saved in zoos. As a result of re-introductions and introductions, there are now some 1,800 individuals occurring in free-ranging and semi-free herds in Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Slovakia.
The Alpine Ibex, another European endemic, was brought close to extinction in the 19th century by intensive hunting and was found only in the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy. This species is now classified as least concern due to extensive conservation efforts and re-introductions.

To reverse the decline of Europe’s mammals, the study recommends urgent implementation of the EU’s nature conservation policies, to develop species action plans and integrate nature conservation into the EU’s land use policies.

World Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - A Global Species Assessment 2006 has been published by the IUCN (the World Conservation Union)

The 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species brings into sharp focus the ongoing decline of the earth’s biodiversity and the impact mankind is having upon life on earth. Widely recognized as the most authoritative assessment of the global status of plants and animals, it provides an accurate measure of progress, or lack of it, in achieving the globally agreed target to significantly reduce the current rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

Key trends:

16,119 species (out of the 40,177 species assessed by the IUCN threatened species criteria) are now known to be threatened with extinction. This includes 1 in 3 amphibians and a 25% of the world’s coniferous trees, on top of the 1 in 8 birds and 1 in 4 mammals known to be in jeopardy.
784 species have now been declared officially extinct and a further 65 are only found in captivity or cultivation.
The polar bear, hippopotamus and desert gazelles are new to the list, along with ocean sharks, freshwater fish and Mediterranean flowers.
Freshwater fish species have suffered some of the most dramatic declines: 56% of the 252 endemic freshwater Mediterranean fish are threatened with extinction, the highest proportion of any regional freshwater fish assessment so far. 7 species, including carp relatives Alburnus akili in Turkey and Telestes ukliva from Croatia , are now extinct.
Of the 564 dragonfly and damselfly species so far assessed, nearly one in three ( 174) are threatened, including nearly 40% of endemic Sri Lankan dragonflies.

However, conservation action is working in some areas...

Following large recoveries in many European countries, the numbers of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) doubled in the 1990s and it has been downlisted from Near Threatened to Least Concern.
On Australia’s Christmas Island, the seabird Abbott’s booby (Papasula abbotti) was declining due to habitat clearance and an introduced invasive alien species, the yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes), which had a major impact on the island’s ecology. The booby, listed as Critically Endangered in 2004, is recovering thanks to conservation measures and has now moved down a category to Endangered.
The 300 kg Mekong Catfish (Pangasianodon gigas) of South-east Asia is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and was listed as Critically Endangered in 2003.
Swift action since the dramatic 97% population crash of the Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), listed as Critically Endangered in 2002, means that the future for this and related species is more secure.
Many other species, such as the humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) (listed as Endangered since 2004), Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) (listed as Critically Endangered since 2002) are also the subject of concerted conservation campaigns.

2004 results (last publication)

The 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified a total of 15,589 species now facing extinction - including species from a broad range of taxonomic groups including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and fungi. However, this figure is an underestimate of the total number of threatened species as it is based on an assessment of less than 3% of the world’s 1.9 million described species.

The IUCN Red List contains 784 documented extinctions and 60 extinctions in the wild since 1500 AD, with 27 documented extinctions over the past 20 years. Extinction rates based on known extinctions of birds, mammals and amphibians over the past 100 years indicates that current rates are 50 to 500 times higher than extinction rates in the fossil record.

The number of species now threatened includes:

One in three amphibians (32%)
Almost half of turtles and tortoises (42%)
One in eight birds (12%)
One in four mammals (23%)
Over a quarter of sharks, rays and chimaeras (18%)
25% of conifers
52% of cycads (plants known as ‘living fossils’ because they have remained unchanged for millions of years).

Habitat loss is the most pervasive threat, impacting 86% of threatened birds, 86% of threatened mammals and 88% of threatened amphibians.

Most threatened birds, mammals, and amphibians are located on the tropical continents: Central and South America; Africa south of the Sahara; and tropical South and Southeast Asia. However, the distribution of threatened marine species is poorly known.

The study has revealed major gaps in knowledge of the status of threatened species. The status of vertebrates is relatively well documents (with around 40% assessed), however, little is known about freshwater and marine ecosystems, many of the species-rich habitats (such as tropical forests) and groups such as plants, invertebrates and fungi - which compose the majority of species on earth. Also evident is the fact that a number of families have significantly more threatened species than others. These include:

Birds - including albatrosses, cranes, parrots, pheasant, and pigeons
Mammals - including ungulates, carnivores, primates, dugongs and manatees
Amphibians - including salamanders, true toads, Asian tree frogs, Cameroonian stream frogs and tropical American frogs.

Find out more by visiting the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species website, including data and photo gallery. Arkive is also an important online resource and contains audio and visual record of life on earth.

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Key trends:

However, conservation action is working in some areas...

2004 results (last publication)