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Northumberland wildlife site rescued from decline09/06/2011 11:35:26
Reed buntings are among the many birds and other wildlife that should benefit from the management of the grasslands Largest area of lowland species-rich unimproved grassland in the North East June 2011: The future of Arcot Hall Grasslands and Ponds, a 32-hectare wildlife site near Cramlington, has been secured thanks to an agreement between The Grasslands Trust, a national wildlife charity, and the Arcot Consortium which owns the site. Thought to be the largest area of lowland species-rich unimproved grassland in North East England, the site provides refuge to many birds on autumn and spring migration, and is also home to numerous breeding birds - including rare and threatened species such as the grasshopper warbler and tree sparrow, whitethroat and reed bunting. It has an incredible array of insects and at least 33 species of water beetle alone have been recorded. Sadly, the wildlife value of the site has been declining in recent years - animal grazing is really important for managing grasslands; but a lack of fencing on-site and local anti-social behaviour issues has made this impossible. Transforming area into a beautiful and valued haven Grasslands have all sorts of benefits to people - they lock up carbon, help clean our drinking water, and even affect the food we eat. One in every three mouthfuls of food is dependent on pollination by insects, which need wildlife-rich grasslands to survive and cattle that graze on grasslands also produce healthier meat. Currently, parts of the grasslands at Arcot are choked with rank grass and scrub, and work will now take place to restore these areas, which should be abundant with flowers. The Grasslands Trust has been able to secure Government funding to ensure ten years of wildlife management at Arcot.
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Well done Grasslands Trust and Natural England. I think they know rather better than some how to restore declining habitats and features! £78000 over 10 years is not a lot for this important site.
Posted by: Ralph Hobbs | 13 Jun 2011 10:56:43
So the Trust gets to trouser £78306.76 of ELS and HLS money, Neil Tulloch of Natural England gets to change the Condition Assessment Description of Units 2 and 3 of the SSSI from unfavourable no change to unfavourable recovering, and the conservation industry gets the satisfaction of another "job" well done. I wonder what the woodland on Unit 3 is thinking about now (the NIWT shows that it covers about two-thirds of the Unit) knowing that it is likely to be sacrificed to the dogma of Common Standards Monitoring guidance. Lets not forget that the notification for the SSSI has this:
"The intricate mosaic of habitats and the occurrence of all stages of ecological succession from open water to woodland are particular features of the site"
But I could be wrong as Units 2 and 3 of the SSSI are classified for the features of Standing open water and canals, and the guidance for either of these has nothing about trees or scrub away from the water features. Excpet that Mr Tulloch doesn't even mention these in the condition assessment, but instead assessed for MG5 grassland. Then I find that the BAP priority habitat on the Units is mapped as heathland, even over the substantial pond in Unit 2! They just make it up to suit themselves as they go along
I wonder - do NGOs go around looking for pay days like Arcot Hall Grassland and Ponds SSSI because of the agri-environment money that will inevitably follow from the SSSI condition assessment?
Posted by: Mark Fisher | 10 Jun 2011 10:26:09