Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Pingos are important and unique standing-water elements. The available ecological information for47 Breckland conservation priority species mentioned pingos; 30 of these species had Notableconservation statuses and 17 were RDB listed. Seven of these species were Breckland specialists, allwith secondary strongholds in the region. A large proportion of the Breckland conservation priorityspecies associated with pingos are water beetles in the Hydrophilidae and Dytiscidae families, whichare mostly large predaceous/scavenging water beetles. However, species also include a number ofDiptera and the orange-rayed pearl moth (Nascia cilialis) that occurs in fen and pingo systems, whereit requires mostly saw sedge (Cladium mariscus) and greater pond sedge (Carex riparia). 15% ofpriority species for which autecological information mentioned pingos are associated with littoralhabitats, such as Cercyon tristis, a scavenging water beetle (Hydrophilidae) found in decaying reedlitter in shallow margins. A further 64% species are thought to occur in a range of standing-waterhabitats, including Prionocera subserricornis, a RDB cranefly recorded at East Walton and ThompsonCommon.Distribution of the open standing-water guild is shown in Figure 30. These species are associatedstrongly with areas of standing-water and the river valleys clearly shown on the map, but also withsmaller unmarked pingo and mere sites, such as East Wretham. The north-east corner of theBreckland NCA is particularly good for species in this guild, with sites in STANTA and SSSIs such asThompson Common. Foulden Common and East Walton Common are also hotspots for this guild.The Relative Importance of Shaded and Un-shaded Wetland HabitatsDiscussions with entomologists, including those who have surveyed Thompson Common, suggestedthat whilst open and un-shaded pingos were important for most invertebrate groups, includingaquatic Coleoptera, shaded pingos and wet woodland were vital, particularly for rare and scarceDiptera (B. Nichols 2004). This is reflected in the proportions of these groups in the shaded waterguilds (shaded littoral, standing water, running water, standing or running water and wetland guilds);these contain 72 species in total, of which 46% are Diptera and 38% Coleoptera.Wet wooded habitats (pooling assemblages associated with damp woodland, wet woodland, wetwoodland with littoral, standing water and running water habitats) support a total of 86 Brecklandconservation priority species. The shaded damp/wet woodland assemblages include relatively fewRDB species, 18 species, and only 2 Breckland specialists, both of these are associated with damp orwet woodland, rather than shaded standing-water.180 conservation priority species were associated with un-shaded, open wetland habitats, whichcould include a variety of habitats from tall reedbeeds to grazed fen and wet meadows. A further 108priority species associated with open littoral habitats and 96 species with open standing-waterhabitats. This is a total of 480 priority species in open un-shaded habitats, more than five times thenumber (86 priority species) in damp/wet woodland. Open wetland habitats provided 74 RDB, with afurther 48 RDB species in open littoral habitats and 28 in open standing water, a pooled total of 150RDB species, approximately eight times as important as the shaded wooded habitats (with 18 RDB).The Brecks Workshop Report (Perkin and Norden 2007) identified a need to carry out a survey of thewet woodland resource and also to develop an understanding of the importance of wet woodlandversus open wetland habitats. Following the analysis of assemblages, we are now able to report that,as described in the preceding section, wet woodland habitats were generally found to support low172
numbers of conservation priority species and Breckland specialities compared to open un-shadedfen, littoral margins or standing water in open situations.Standing water in woodlandAgabus (Gaurodytes) melanarius – Notable: BColeoptera - DytiscidaeThis water beetle is associated with shaded shallow pools ofstanding water within woodland. Generally the pools in whichit is found are rich with dead and decaying leaves from thesurrounding trees and can include conifer plantations.However, older observations also suggest springs and coldpools in forests, or cold, shaded pools with no mention ofdead leaves and detritus.© Christoph Benisch www.kerbtier.deLittoral HabitatsLittoral habitats were associated with a greater number of conservation priority species thanstanding water. The open littoral guild has one of the largest proportions of RDB species, with 40%(55 of 136) of the species in this guild designated as RDB. 13 Breckland specialist species require openlittoral habitats, with only two of these preferring grazing and eight required open standing water,for which grazing requirements were unknown. Littoral species were dominated by Diptera,Coleoptera, Bryophytes and Charophytes (stoneworts).Hotspots of littoral biodiversity included Thompson Common and Chippenham Fen, but thedistribution of littoral species was considerably less widespread and dispersed than those of standingwater guilds (Figure 31).Standing water with aquatic vegetationPisidium pseudosphaerium –Notable:BMollusc – SphaeriidaeThis species occurs in marsh drains and ponds. It requires clear clean water but that which isstagnant and choked with a high volume of aquatic plants. It often occurs in waterbodies overa richly organic benthos that verges on becoming anaerobic. The management of ditches forsuch as species needs to be relaxed more than normal procedures would dictate where theonly concern is land drainage. To provide sufficient ditch vegetation, the community must beallowed to reach late stages of the natural succession. However, the ditch still needs to beunder management, as with all successional stages, these are temporary and eventualclearance will be needed. The vegetation clearance should be conducted along short stretchesof ditches and on long rotations.173
Page 1 and 2:
Securing Biodiversityin BrecklandGu
Page 3 and 4:
Commissioning GroupNeil Featherston
Page 5 and 6:
Wind-blown sand guild .............
Page 7 and 8:
milder winters and increased winter
Page 9 and 10:
Creating broad ruderal and disturbe
Page 11 and 12:
Introduction“Few of the lowland d
Page 13 and 14:
Inland DunesThe 1km wide dune and b
Page 15 and 16:
Following the Black Death of the mi
Page 17 and 18:
The area of grass-heath declined by
Page 19 and 20:
PingosPingos are ground water fed p
Page 21 and 22:
Breckland Conservation and the Need
Page 23 and 24:
SSSI. The Breckland Forest SSSI cit
Page 25 and 26:
The Breckland Biodiversity Audit ha
Page 27 and 28:
The Breckland bio-geographic region
Page 29 and 30:
polygons of alternating calcareous
Page 31 and 32:
quality calcareous fen communities
Page 33 and 34:
Figure 2. The extent of Breckland,
Page 35 and 36:
Table 3. Grass-heath vegetation in
Page 37 and 38:
The Conservation Resource: Designat
Page 39 and 40:
All other SSSIs are less than 600 h
Page 41 and 42:
GrasslandHeathWoodlandWetlandFlowin
Page 43 and 44:
Calcicolous grasslandsShingle, stra
Page 45 and 46:
Figure 4. Location of designated si
Page 47 and 48:
Figure 6. Location of Plantlife’s
Page 49 and 50:
Figure 7. Locations of stations in
Page 51 and 52:
Scheme for Stilt & Stalk Flies, Dra
Page 53 and 54:
Table 6. Rare vascular plant specie
Page 55 and 56:
Recommendation BTO be commissioned
Page 57 and 58:
Table 7. Species for which records
Page 59 and 60:
Table 8. Descriptions of Red Data B
Page 61 and 62:
If the sub-species was designated b
Page 63 and 64:
Collating and Synthesising Species
Page 65 and 66:
Table 11. Published, documentary an
Page 67 and 68:
Baron de Worms, C.G.M. (1953) Colle
Page 69 and 70:
Guild AnalysisA number of habitat a
Page 71 and 72:
The specific questions for the work
Page 73 and 74:
Findings of the Breckland Biodivers
Page 75 and 76:
Recording Effort and CoverageThere
Page 77 and 78:
Butterfly Conservation (Suffolk) 17
Page 79 and 80:
Norfolk Biodiversity InformationSer
Page 81 and 82:
Figure 11. Number of taxonomic grou
Page 83 and 84:
difference is partly attributable t
Page 85 and 86:
There were Breckland specialist spe
Page 87 and 88:
Figure 13. Proportion of Breckland
Page 89 and 90:
Distribution of Breckland Conservat
Page 91 and 92:
Figure 15. Number of Breckland cons
Page 93 and 94:
Evidence of Climatic Change: Long-T
Page 95 and 96:
Figure 17. Total seasonal precipita
Page 97 and 98:
Biodiversity Implications of the Ch
Page 99 and 100:
Ariel depositions to agricultural s
Page 101 and 102:
the status of Deschampsia flexuosa.
Page 103 and 104:
The relative effects of ploughing,
Page 105 and 106:
Trends in Species Status: Extinctio
Page 107 and 108:
HymenopteraHymenopteraHymenopteraCo
Page 109 and 110:
In addition to the loss of rare lic
Page 111 and 112:
edstraw Galium parisiense (Tansley
Page 113 and 114:
The relative extent of lichen rich
Page 115 and 116:
The Feasibility and Usefulness of t
Page 117 and 118:
Across patch arrangementLandscape c
Page 119 and 120:
Across patcharrangementJuxtapositio
Page 121 and 122: Delivery of Multiple Species by Int
Page 123 and 124: Figure 24. Number of Breckland cons
Page 125 and 126: Mechanical disturbance to create br
Page 129 and 130: estricted to road verges, with the
Page 131 and 132: 131
Page 133 and 134: Records of species from this guild
Page 135 and 136: © Jeremy Earlywww.natureconservati
Page 139 and 140: Open with sward mosaics guildChryso
Page 141 and 142: Grazing without physical disturbanc
Page 143 and 144: Deadwood in an open-woodland ecoton
Page 145 and 146: Specific Requirement in a Variety o
Page 147 and 148: Management to Sustain Dry Terrestri
Page 149 and 150: Heather should rather be considered
Page 151 and 152: GrazingrequirementsLightly sheep-gr
Page 153 and 154: a mosaic of overlapping ploughed, a
Page 155 and 156: Wind-blown sandThere is great uncer
Page 157 and 158: IntensityProcess Technique Immediat
Page 159 and 160: Complex Sward MosaicsComplex sward
Page 161 and 162: Management for Assemblages of Light
Page 163 and 164: Management for Species of Physicall
Page 165 and 166: Key Recommendations for Cultivated
Page 167 and 168: Shallow cultivation is preferable t
Page 169 and 170: Maidscross Hill is largely overgrow
Page 171: Ecological Requirements of Wetland
Page 175 and 176: Recommendation Requirements of wetl
Page 179 and 180: Restored pingo complexAt Great Hock
Page 183 and 184: the difficulties of achieving this
Page 185 and 186: Strategic Challenges to Biodiversit
Page 187 and 188: Table 22. Problems arising from poo
Page 189 and 190: Recommendation: Natural England and
Page 191 and 192: It is therefore vital to carefully
Page 193 and 194: Creating networks for resilienceTo
Page 195 and 196: More ambitious possibilities that c
Page 197 and 198: Figure 34. Example of a potential c
Page 199 and 200: Connectivity networks© Neal Armour
Page 201 and 202: and consider whether these repeated
Page 203 and 204: Ensure that scrub removal, ploughin
Page 205 and 206: ReferencesADAS. (1997) Biological M
Page 207 and 208: Haes, E. C. M. & Harding, P. T. (19
Page 209 and 210: Sastre, B.(2003). Ground spider com
show all

Securing Biodiversity in Breckland - European Commission

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?