Cornwall's Biodiversity Action Plan - Cornwall Wildlife Trust

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Coast to Coast This will involve creating a living landscape/wildlife network to link the two coasts of Cornwall, from Padstow through the Camel valley, into the Fowey valley and then splitting to take in both Fowey and the Looe valley. The lower Fowey valley section of the project area is currently being worked up as a project, see detail below. Other project areas will need to be identified during the course of this plan. Lower Fowey Valley The lower Fowey River valley system features a network of historic parklands, ancient woodlands, wood pasture, and veteran trees in the wider landscape. A number of sites within this network are known to be of international or national importance for their epiphytic lichen flora and, at very least, of regional importance for their saproxylic (dead wood) invertebrates. However, data on the invertebrate interest of the site network remains limited, and information on the status and distribution of lichens outside of the Lanhydrock and Boconnoc Estates needs updating. Without better baseline information the biodiversity interests of the sites are unlikely to be fully accounted for in management plans at both a site and landscape scale. Funding is currently being sought to: • Conduct new surveys for saproxylic invertebrates and epiphytic lichens, and reassess the significance of assemblages of these groups at a regional and national scale. • assess habitat quality and connectivity • assess the role of the site network in conserving the deadwood and veteran tree biodiversity at a landscape scale • produce site management guidance and a landscape-scale conservation strategy which will contribute to delivery of targets for UKBAP priority species and habitats • Communicate with stakeholders and raise the profile of the habitat and its biodiversity to the public. The lead organisations for the lower Fowey Valley project are Buglife and the National Trust. Other project areas should be lead by Natural England and Cornwall Wildlife Trust with the Highways Agency, local Voluntary Marine Conservation Zones (VMCAs) and Westcountry Rivers Trust identified as potential partners. Key BAP habitats: • Wood-Pasture and Parkland • Lowland Mixed Deciduous Woodland • Wet Woodland • Hedgerows Key BAP species: Invertebrates: A large number of deadwood invertebrates will benefit, many of which are rare or scarce (14NS, 2 RDB known) however are not recognised as BAP priority species. • Carabus intricatus (Blue ground beetle) Lichens: 7 UK BAP Priority species have been recorded from within the NT’s Landhydrock Estate: • Arthonia invadens • Bacidia incompta • Lecania chlorotiza • Melaspilea lentigosa • Porina hibernica • Usnea articulate • Usnea florida Mammals: although not a focus of the project many species of bats will benefit: Blue ground beetle. Photo by John Walters Page 15
Cornwall’s Super Green Spine (SGS) The project aims to establish a permeable corridor for wildlife along the spine of Cornwall, linking Land’s End to the Tamar valley, and beyond. Loosely based on the route of the A30 trunk road, a 4 km wide corridor would link all the significant river catchments in the county, providing new opportunities for wildlife to move east-west along the SGS as well as north-south along the river corridors. The corridor would be characterised by BAP habitats typical of Cornwall’s farmed landscape, including heathland, low input neutral grasslands, purple moor grass pastures, wet woodland, upland unimproved acid grassland, mires and sand dunes. The project would be delivered in the main by the appropriate targeting of Environment Stewardship agreements. The project would run over a 3 year timeframe aiming to have 90% of agricultural holdings within the SGS corridor in agri environment schemes (or alternative), and for these management agreements to include management options aimed at delivering: • a more permeable landscape for wildlife • all BAP habitats present to be under appropriate management • opportunities identified and realised for the recreation of appropriate BAP habitats. The project is currently in the planning stage. The lead organisations in this proposed project are likely to be land managers, Cornwall Council and Natural England with Cornwall Wildlife Trust and FWAG identified as potential partners. Key BAP habitats: • Lowland Heathland • Lowland Calcareous Grassland • Lowland Dry Acid Grassland • Purple Moor Grass Pastures • Wet Woodland • Upland Flushes, Fens and Swamps • Coastal Sand Dunes Key BAP Species: • Marsh fritillary • Otter • Dormouse • Adder • Curlew • Willow tit Goss Moor. Photo by Wesley Smyth Page 16
Page 1 and 2: Cornwall’s Biodiversity Action Pl
Page 3 and 4: Contents Introduction 2 Background
Page 5 and 6: Introduction It is perhaps fitting
Page 7 and 8: Landscape Scale/Ecosystem approach
Page 9 and 10: Habitat targets Broad Habitat Acid
Page 11 and 12: BAP Volume 4: Priority Project List
Page 13 and 14: Cornwall Biodiversity Action Plan P
Page 15 and 16: Bodmin Moor Mires and Headwaters Bo
Page 17: China Clay Area The aim of this are
Page 21 and 22: Linking The Lizard The Lizard Penin
Page 23 and 24: Truro Development - Growth Point Tr
Page 25 and 26: Cetacean BAP species This Cetacean
Page 27 and 28: Connectivity Landscapes are, by def
Page 29 and 30: Marine Atlas This broad project wil
Page 31 and 32: Orchards The county once boasted ex
Page 33 and 34: References BRERC (2006) Review of S
Page 35 and 36: SPECIES LIST TERRESTRIAL SPECIES Fu
Page 37 and 38: Chamaemelum nobile Cicendia filifor
Page 39 and 40: Pyrgus malvae Satyrium w-album Thec
Page 41 and 42: Bird Acrocephalus paludicola Aquati
Page 43 and 44: Lamna nasus Prionace glauca Raja un
Page 45 and 46: APPENDIX 3 Geographical Priority pr

Cornwall's Biodiversity Action Plan - Cornwall Wildlife Trust

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