creating environmental improvements through biodiversity

Sustainable Aggregates Creating Environmental Improvements through Biodiversity
in this report would be a key stage in the process. The After Minerals website also identifies opportunities for
habitat creation on existing active mineral sites.
Clayton et al. (2004) makes recommendations on approaches to habitat creation and management on quarry
sites, and on monitoring during and after extraction. The report also identifies a gap in ecological information
on many quarry sites, and in recorded results of habitat creation. Monitoring the results of habitat creation is
a crucial aspect of improving best-practice and planning appropriate management.
Ryland et al. (2005) contains advice on restoration schemes including design, implementation, long-term
management and monitoring. The West Sussex County Council handbook has a list of some suppliers for
locally sourced plant material, nest boxes etc. Industry and planners would benefit from similar lists being
available for other areas.
Cripps et al. (2004) discusses the value of natural regeneration of hard rock quarries, depending on
required timescales, site conditions etc. – that habitat creation techniques may be required to assist natural
regeneration, but that valuable habitats can sometimes develop naturally. It states that ‘wherever possible,
subject to other overriding reclamation objectives, natural colonisation will generally be considered the
preferred and primary ecological reclamation technique’ – this is relevant particularly to hard rock quarries
Figure 3: Profiled lake edges at a site restoration
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