Tag: Habitat Plan

1. Current Status
1.1 National

1.1.1 This habitat covers unimproved, semi-improved and improved grasslands occurring in urban and urban fringe areas. Soil types typically vary between a moist substrate with a pH between 5.0 and 6.5, a sandy, base-poor substrate or one which is less distinctive, due to former industrial
processes or on-going urban greenspace management.

1.1.2 Relevant habitats include unimproved permanent neutral or acidic urban common, roadside verges, which are either unimproved, or  semi-improved (towards the urban fringe where there is more likelihood of the land being previously in agricultural use) or semi-permanent former-industrial sites currently free from management.

1.1.3 The vast majority of such sites are, to varying extents, naturally seeded and in the early stages of colonisation. Species composition varies greatly with soil-type, pH, former land-use, disturbance, location and the presence, level and type of management all influencing community structure and diversity. Variants on this habitat occur within all lowland urban conurbations on former industrial sites, unmanaged greenspace and post-agricultural sites on the urban fringe.

1.1.4 It is impossible to assess the extent of these habitats, mainly due to the lack of a clear definition but also because of their fragmentation. However, they are known to be widespread in urban areas and to provide important wildlife habitats in the urban context.

1.2 Local
1.2.1 The extent of these habitats is not known but information is being collated.

1.2.2 The wildlife value of these sites depends to a large extent upon their management regime. At one end of the scale are the closely mown amenity
grasslands of formal urban parks, which often provide little more than a feeding site for some bird species but where relaxation of management
allows the development of areas of more natural plant communities. At the other end are ex-industrial or other sites that have escaped built
development, where colonisation by vegetation has been essentially natural and management is usually absent. In between are less formal urban
green spaces where mowing is less intensive, allowing greater sward height to develop and natural processes of colonisation to take place.

1.2.3 Larger examples of these approximate categories include Court Hey and Mill Brook Parks in Knowsley; Kraft Meadows in Kirkby, the Burgy Banks in St Helens and Cressington Heath in Liverpool; the Rimrose Valley in Sefton, Childwall Fields and parts of Ottterspool in Liverpool, Thatto Heath Meadow in St Helens and Stadt Moers Country Park in Knowsley.

1. Current Status
1.1 European and National

1.1.1 Coastal sand dunes are a declining and threatened habitat throughout Europe and the UK, particularly fixed dune and dune heath types. Their
current status across Europe is “unfavourable declining”.

1.1.2 The total area of coastal sand dune in the UK is 54,500 ha: 11,897 ha in England; 8,101 ha Wales; approximately 33,000 ha in Scotland; 3000
ha in Northern Ireland. The current status in the UK is “unfavourable” with some improvements.

1.2 Local
1.2.1 The Sefton Coast dunes cover 2,074 ha, approximately 15% of the total for England. A range of habitats, identified under Corine codes, includes embryo dunes, shifting dunes, fixed dunes, dunes with creeping willow, humid dune slacks, dune heath, and dunes with sea buckthorn, are present on the Sefton Coast.

1 Current status
1.1 National

1.1.1 Urban trees can be defined as those that occur as individuals or small groups rather than in woodlands. Sites include roadsides and verges, parks, cemeteries and private gardens.

1.1.2 No national information is available on numbers, species or distribution. Trees in Towns” 1994 gives representation data status, species and quality.

1.1.3 Trees have important non-wildlife functions in the urban context, principally in softening and ‘greening’ landscapes, screening undesirable views, reducing noise pollution and mitigating the effects of aerial pollution, especially from vehicle emissions. They contribute hugely to people’s perceptions about their quality of life.

1.1.4 Their contribution to biodiversity is to a large extent dependent upon their context. Suburban areas with large numbers of scattered trees in proximity to shrubs and bushes, large gardens or parkland are especially valuable, particularly to mobile animals. Such areas provide important nest
and feeding sites for birds and feeding and roost sites for bats. Native species are of greatest importance since they usually support a larger diversity of invertebrates.

1.1.5 Ancient trees are often of great cultural and historical significance and can not be replaced.

1.2 Local

1.2.1 None of the local authorities has a complete database of its urban tree stock. However, Liverpool has an estimated 12,300 park and street trees and 2550 privately-owned trees are covered by Tree Preservation Orders.

1.2.2 The variety of species is very large and includes a number of unusual exotics. Most urban trees are probably not locally native species.

1.2.3 Most major planting schemes were carried out in the latter part of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th. In many areas the stock is therefore evenly aged and declining in condition.

1.2.4 In areas of Southport, Formby and Blundellsands urban trees, particularly in gardens, provide important habitat for Red Squirrels.

Green infrastructure (GI) is defined in the North West Green Infrastructure Guide (GRITT 2007) thus:

“Green infrastructure is the region’s life support system – the network of natural environmental components and green and blue spaces that lies within and between the north west’s cities, towns and villages and provides multiple social, economic and environmental benefits.”

Urban green infrastructure is a holistic way of thinking about the natural resources and ecosystem services that support our way of life in Merseyside. Biodiversity is an integral part of our urban green infrastructure, fulfilling vital roles in ecosystem services and contributing, in myriad ways, to the well-being of the people who live and work here.

Despite the importance of our urban biodiversity, the existing BAP framework is not the ideal mechanism to look after it. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution noted this failing at both national and local levels stating: “national conservation policies fail fully to recognise the special nature of urban habitats. Implementation of the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) (1994), national BAPs and the designation of SSSIs currently provide less protection to urban sites than rural ones” and “many urban BAPs fail to identify the potential for maximising biodiversity through advocating green infrastructure, ecosystem function, and integrating features onto existing buildings and new development” (RCEP 2007).

1 Current status
1.1 National
There are over 2,000 miles of canals and inland waterways in Britain. In their heyday
there were more than 5,000 miles of canal. The canals and inland waterways are in
various states of repair with approximately 60% still operational, i.e. in use by boats.
British Waterways among others is an agency charged with maintaining and
extending the canal system.
Canal habitats include open water, swamp and reedbed, grassland, hedgerows,
woodlands and built structures such as bridges, aqueducts and tunnels.
Canals were constructed mostly during the late 18th century and 19th century and
began to fall into disrepair in the early 20th century. In urban areas, disused canals
have been in-filled and have often been built over. However, many canals have been
actively used for recreation including, boats, angling, walking, and cycling.

1.2 Local
There are two canals in North Merseyside, the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and the St
Helens Canal (also known as the Sankey Navigation). These two canals are very
different in terms of their construction, current uses and habitats and species.
Although man-made these two water features are highly significant in North
Merseyside.
The St Helens Canal was the first true canal in England; it was the first designed to
carry industrial cargoes. It opened in stages, the first stage opened in 1757, and it
eventually linked the Mersey Estuary with Blackbrook, Sutton, St Helens and
Ravenhead. By the mid-1800s, sections of the canal in St Helens began to fall into
disuse. The last commercial traffic was in 1959, when a cargo of sugar was carried to
the Sankey Sugar Works at Earlestown. The canal was officially abandoned by Act of
Parliament in 1963.
The canal was neglected and several sections in filled with waste materials and
domestic refuse between 1963 and the mid-1970s. Halton, Warrington and St Helens
undertook various improvements on those sections of canal still in water between the
late 1970s and 1980s, which greatly improved the appearance and amenity value of
the canal. However, a large proportion of the canal had been in filled and several large
obstacles had been constructed across the line of the canal preventing navigation from
being re-established.
The Leeds-Liverpool Canal was constructed later than the St Helens Canal. It passes
through the districts of Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton. The canal is in-water along
its entire length from Stanley Dock, Liverpool, where access to the river Mersey can
be gained, to Leeds. The length from Stanley Dock, Liverpool to Maghull has nonoperational
status although still under British Waterways’ management.
Both canals are significant recreational and nature conservation resource and are
valuable wildlife corridor for species such as Water Vole, bats particularly
Daubenton’s Bats, Kingfisher and dragonflies.

1 Current status
1.1 National
Approximately 7% (1.5 million hectares) of Great Britain is covered by conifer
woodland. Ownership is evenly split between Forest Enterprise and the private sector.
Stands are usually single species with some 40% being Sitka Spruce. However mixed
plantations are common at the forest scale and older thinned stands often develop an
under storey of native trees and shrubs particularly at the edges or in glades. Apart
from areas of Caledonian Scots pine forest all conifer woodland in Britain is of
plantation origin, commonly comprising introduced North American conifers such as
spruce, fir and hemlock.
During the 20th Century many coniferous woods have been planted on areas which
had significant biodiversity value as other habitats or ancient semi-natural woodland.
The latter are known as PAWS (plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites). In these
instances restoration to the former habitat is the preferred option.
Many plantation forests are reaching harvestable age. This provides opportunities to
restructure the habitat leading to wildlife diversification. Examples being the creation
and extension of rides and glades and other habitats.
Although mature conifer plantations support fewer birds and mammals than broadleaved
woodlands they do support priority species such as Goshawk, Crossbill, and
Red Squirrel. Others such as Nightjar and Woodlark are associated with the
regenerative phases of conifer woodland development.

1.2 Local
In North West England extensive conifer forests are present in the uplands of north
Cumbria, the Lake District and the Forest of Bowland. Large blocks have been
planted in the lowlands of Cheshire at Delamere, on the mosslands in Lancashire and
Greater Manchester and on the Sefton Coast between Ainsdale and Formby.
The 1979/82 Woodland Census figure for Merseyside as a whole recorded 313ha of
coniferous high forest (currently being updated as part of FC National Woodland
Inventory) the majority being Corsican and Scots pine plantation on the Sefton Coast.
In 2007, an update of the 1996/7 survey of the Sefton Coast woodlands recorded
235ha of pure pine, 35ha of predominantly conifer mixed woodland and 20ha of
predominantly broadleaf mixed woodland.

Conifer plantations form part of the large estates including the Earl of Derby’s estate
in Knowsley. There are numerous conifer and mixed shelterbelts and coverts in the
open mossland landscapes north of the A580. These mossland woods are dominated
by pine species. Pine birch mixtures are typical of former acid peatland landscapes
prior to drainage and agricultural development.
The coastal pine woodlands are an important refuge for one of England’s remaining
populations of Red Squirrel.

Field Boundaries contain a large proportion of the biodiversity in arable landscapes.
For the purposes of this plan, the term ‘field boundaries’ refers to boundary structures
such as hedgerows, hedgebanks, drains and ditches. It also includes field margins and
buffer strips, lying between the crop and the field boundary, along with infield
structures such as beetle banks and conservation headlands.

Hedgerows are an intrinsic part of the farmed landscape and provide shelter and food
for many species of farmland birds, insects and mammals and also provide important
corridors for wildlife movement across the farmed landscape.

The particular mix of shrub and tree species in a hedgerow, which reflects both the
age of the hedgerow and local management customs, contributes to local landscape
character distinctiveness.

Buffer strips have a wide range of potential benefits, such as creating new habitat for
small mammals, invertebrates and birds; protecting habitats from sprays, fertiliser and
cultivation, protecting archaeological or historic features from damage by mechanical
operations; stabilising banks, protecting water courses and reducing diffuse pollution.
Ditches can also provide beneficial wildlife habitat through the provision of
undisturbed varied bank side and aquatic vegetation.

Beetle banks are tussocky grass ridges, generally about 2m wide that run from one
side of a field to the other whilst still allowing the field to be farmed. They provide
habitat for ground nesting birds, small mammals and insects. If carefully placed
across slopes they can also help reduce run-off and erosion.

Conservation headlands are areas of cereal crops where careful use of sprays allows
broadleaved weeds and their associated insects to develop. This provides feeding
habitat for farmland birds and rare arable plant communities also benefit.

1 Current status
1.1 National
Lowland acid grassland is usually found on nutrient-poor, generally free-draining
soils that have pH ranging from 4 to 5.5 and overlying acid rock or sands and gravels.
Lowland acid grassland is defined as both enclosed and unenclosed acid grassland
below 300metres. It can often be found as an integral part of lowland heath
landscapes, parklands and locally on coastal cliffs and shingle. It is normally managed
as pasture.
The NVC communities usually present include U1 Sheep’s Fescue-Common Bent-
Sheep’s sorrel; U2 Wavy Hair-grass; U3 Bristle Bent; U4 Sheep’s Fescue-Common
Bent-Heath Bedstraw. Characteristic plants include Heath Bedstraw; Sheep’s Fescue;
Common Bent; Sheep’s Sorrel; Sand Sedge; Wavy Hair-grass; Bristle Bent and
Tormentil.
Acid grasslands can have a high cover of bryophytes and parched acid grassland can
be rich in lichens. These grasslands are very variable in terms of species-richness and
can be relatively species-poor. Parched acid grasslands contain a significant number
of rare and scarce plants, many of which are annual. These include Mossy Stonecrop
and Smooth Rupturewort.
The birds of lowland acid grassland are similar to those of other lowland dry
grasslands and include Woodlark, Nightjar and Lapwing. Many invertebrates are
specialist species only found in lowland acid grasslands, particularly ground-dwelling
and burrowing species such as solitary bees and wasps.
Acid grassland has undergone a decline in the 20th century although there are no
figures available on rates of loss. The decline is mostly due to agricultural
intensification. Those areas of acid grassland remote from the uplands are of primary
conservation focus and are of restricted occurrence. It is estimated that there are less
than 30,000ha remaining in the UK.

1.2 Local
Lowland acid grassland is found on soils overlying sandstone rock, peats and sands in
North Merseyside, including ex-industrial sites.
About 100ha of acid grassland is present in North Merseyside, of which 88ha are
found on the Sefton Coast, where it occurs on the more inland areas where leaching
has reduced calcium and nutrient levels; 80% of this is on golf courses. No
significant recent losses are known. Since 2000 3ha have been created in St. Helens
and a further 3ha restored from scrub at Freshfield Dune Heath. The habitat is found
in all four districts, sometimes in association with heathland. Some of the best
examples can be found in St Helens, at Billinge Beacon, and in Sefton, on road verges
in Ainsdale and in the Rimrose Valley.
Where acid grassland is managed it tends to be used as pasture or is cut by machine
for a variety of purposes, e.g. road verges.

1 Current status
1.1 National
Lowland heath is characterised by dwarf shrubs, such as heather and dwarf gorses. It
usually occurs below 300 metres. Habitats such as acid grassland, scrub and woodland
form part of heathland but dwarf shrubs such as heather dominate.
Lowland heath is a priority for nature conservation because it is a rare and threatened
habitat. The UK has some 94,000ha of lowland heath of which 58,000ha is found in
England. Only one sixth of the heathland present in England in 1800 now remains.
The UK has an important proportion (about 20%) of the international total of this habitat.

1.2 Local
The total area of lowland heath in 2000 was 27.3ha, about 1ha of which has since
been lost to development. This represents only a tiny fraction of the UK resource (and
of the NW England total of 1397ha) but the 22.7ha of dune heath in North Merseyside
may be as much as 25% of the national total for this sub-type.
According to the most recent NVC survey of the coast (2004), 9.3ha of dune heath
occurs on Freshfield Dune Heath, Woodvale Airfield and Willow Bank Caravan Park
(mostly on Freshfield Dune Heath); 10.1ha occurs on Formby Golf Course; scattered
areas amounting to 2.2ha occur on Ainsdale Golf Course; and 1ha occurs on the
National Trust property at Larkhill. All of these areas are within the Sefton Coast
SSSI.
Lowland heath can be found in each district, on sandstone outcrops in Liverpool,
Knowsley and St Helens, on derelict land with acid soils in Liverpool and St Helens,
and on former mosslands in Knowsley and St Helens.