Habitat Action Plans This page contains the Habitat Action Plans of the North Merseyside BAP. Each action plan details information on the current status of habitats and objectives and means for their conservation. Most action plans contain the following information: Current status Current factors causing loss or decline Current action SMART targets Proposed actions Resource… Read More »
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… Read More »
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;… Read More »
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… Read More »
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.”… Read More »
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… Read More »
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… Read More »
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… Read More »
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… Read More »
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… Read More »