creating environmental improvements through biodiversity

Many site BAPs would benefit from incorporating fewer habitat types in restoration designs, and ensuring
that larger areas of valuable habitat are created. Restoration plans should include measurable biological aims
and ecologically meaningful designs.
Information on habitat creation / restoration design should be disseminated more widely among planners and
between disciplines (e.g. ecologists, geologists and hydrologists).
Monitoring of biodiversity on planned, active and restored minerals sites should be standardised and
recorded centrally.
Further investigation would be useful into preservation of best and most versatile agricultural soils on sites
with a nature conservation end-use, and the role of important wildlife habitats as carbon stores.
Restorations in air safeguarding zones should be considered on a site-by-site basis, with relation to the most
hazardous species locally. Site design and restoration in air safeguarding zones should be researched further
in relation to bird strike risk.
Sustainable Aggregates Creating Environmental Improvements through Biodiversity
6.5 LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF SITES:
Long-term management of sites and financial provision for this are key perceived blocks to habitat creation
on minerals sites. Integration of long-term management into site management plans is key to addressing
these issues.
Existing mechanisms can be used to secure long-term management, including section 106 agreements and
‘official’ provision for transfer of management. Long-term management agreements for valuable sites that run
beyond a 5-year period can be very beneficial.
A commercial approach to funding long-term conservation management can prove very useful, and can
even integrate by-products of management into commercial schemes. High quality after-care of sites can
sometimes help to reduce overall long-term management costs.
Other end-uses can be integrated with nature conservation restoration if considered and planned early, but
should not be detrimental to the quality of habitat provided.
Long-term monitoring is important on restored sites, and should feed back into site management. Due to the
specific characteristics of minerals sites, monitoring and management needs may be complicated. Therefore
communication and data sharing among the minerals community is especially important.
6.6 WORKING TOGETHER:
The value of stakeholder engagement at an early stage is a common theme among many of the reviewed
reports. In many cases ALSF funding has brought all types of stakeholders together for the first time.
Integration of end-use demands can be a successful means of providing for long-term management. Part of
successful integration is the sharing of expertise and provision of contacts among different disciplines.
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