Biodiversity Action Plans

Question 1

What is the purpose of a biodiversity action plan?

Answer 1

the concept of Priority Species and Habitats,
which are those that have been identified as being the most threatened and requiring conservation action - the lists were created between 1995 and 1999, and were subsequently updated in 2007 and 2020/

Question 2

What is the importance of a biodiversity action plan?

Answer 2

selection criteria, based on international importance, rapid decline, high risk, and habitats of importance for key species. Following the review, the number of priority species increased from less than 600 to
1,150, and the number of priority habitats increased from 49 to 65.

Question 3

What legislation is there for a BAP?

Answer 3

The law places a duty on local authorities and other public bodies to consider the conservation of biodiversity when carrying out all of their functions. If a priority species or habitat is identified, specific action plans must be drawn up to show how the body concerned aims to preserve or restore the habitat and
that there are Species Action Plans to follow for any priority species on the
site.

Question 4

How do Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) relate to gardens?

Answer 4

If gardens, parks or other designed landscapes include these designated species or habitats, then there is a responsibility on the part of owners and their employees, or volunteers working there, to commit to working within the
action plan.

This includes barn owls, hedgehogs and insects and small plants. Conserve all plant/fungi as food for all.

Question 5

What is considered ‘habitat’ for BAP?

Answer 5

roadsides
orchards
cemeteries
grassland

Question 6

Examples of BAP’s management of habitats?

Answer 6

TREE MANAGEMENT: pruning rather than removal of tree and Wood stacks for local habitat.

HERBICIDES: target areas need to be carefully selected, drift minimised and not used anywhere near open water. (May be necessary to clear new areas for planting etc)

MOWING: ‘tidying up’; for conservation, the less the better! However, balance needed,

We’ve identified a problem, a situation and an issue concerning biodiversity and we’ve
decided to do something about it.

Question 7

Why are old orchards so important?

Answer 7

Horts responsible for them.
Little incentive to maintain them, which is good.
However, community may want new trees so BAP important to maintain status.

Question 8

What is in an old orchard to make them so important?

Answer 8

The wildlife of orchard sites depends on the mosaic of habitats they encompass, including fruit trees, scrub, hedgerows, hedgerow trees, nonfruit trees within the orchard, the orchard floor habitats, fallen dead wood

associated features such as ponds and streams.

great variety of fruit cultivars that they contain, many of these may be pretty worthless as sources of fruit, but many see them as part of our heritage and worthy of preserving.

Question 9

Community and heritage hort needs to be aware and deal with LBAPS.

Answer 9

1. need to integrate sites with the rest of the garden or park and with neighbouring
   habitat, by thinking through design and management strategies that create
   real linkages.
2. not have much biodiverse habitat but are aware of neighbouring or other local sites that do, we should consider how we can build habitat to create more corridors and connections.

Question 10

What is the aim of LBAPS?

Answer 10

to ‘conserve and restore’ biodiversity wherever possible, but the structure and function of the habitat that supports the species is regarded as more critical than the presence or absence of particular species within it.

Question 11

List some priority species for BAP’s?

Answer 11

those that were identified as being the most threatened and requiring conservation action under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP)

REDDISH BUFF MOTH: Fully protected under Schedule 5 of Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981.
Found only in Isle of Wight.

How to save: Open areas periodic scrub removal undertaken in rotation, with only a portion of the site cut in any one year.

Larvae feed on saw-wort Serratula tinctoria only. considered noxious weed in some regions, can be invaseive but

POTTER FLOWER BEE: Anthophora retusa
Marked decline in the UK
Int’l threat
Solitary digger bee found in Sussex
forage on common plant species

LADY SLIPPER ORCHID
habitat loss and over grazing by sheep the markedly reduced numbers couldn’t withstand the final onslaught by naturalists and hobby gardeners who uprooted the final few native wild specimens for their own gardens and collections.

The Lady’s Slipper orchid favours a habitat of open woodland on well-drained calcareous soil. The limestone rocks in the Yorkshire Dales offered a perfect home for them. This was the very last habitat these flowers could be found in the wild.

habitat management and warding. In addition, propagation of this rare flower has been carried out at other suitable sites both within the Yorkshire Dales National Park and nationally. A good site to see this reintroduced species and red squirrels, Sciurus vulgaris, another BAP priority species, is Kilnsey Park.

Question 12

BAP Bridgewater

Answer 12

led by the landscape. We’re not trying to impose artificial habitats or work against nature.”

ecologically, we started from a very low baseline. We’re right at the bottom of the ladder, but we have an amazing opportunity to create new, species-rich habitats and enhance existing ones.”

Permaculture: Kitchen garden (This layering naturally creates cover and offers protection for wildlife.
Pollinator friendly - orchard garden
Woodland habitat

Sustainable drainage system

Question 13

What are the main aims of the Richmond BAP?

Answer 13

1. To conserve and enhance the variety of habitats and species, particularly those which are of int’l and nat’l importantce, are in delicne locally and are characteristic of local area.
2. Ensure resident become aware and given opp to become involved in conserving.
3. RAise awareness and increase stakeholder involvement in maintaining and enhancing species and habitats of importance.

2.

Question 14

Specific aims for each area?

Answer 14

Each habitat and species action plan sets out specific aims, assesses the current status and specific
factors affecting the habitat/species, and identifies actions needed to ensure habitats are maintained and, where necessary, enhanced, and for species to survive and thrive

Question 15

What are the prioirity species for Richmond?

Answer 15

bats, native black poplar, hedgehogs, house sparrows, song
thrushes, stag beetles, swifts, tower mustard, water voles and white-letter hairstreak and elm. These
species are also of regional and national, and, in some cases, international importance. The plan also
includes a pollinator action plan that specifies the actions needed to help reverse the decline in
pollinator populations in the borough.

Question 16

What is the BAP Framework?

Answer 16

revised direction for nature conservation, towards an approach which aims to consider the management of the environment as a whole, and to acknowledge and take into account the value of nature in decision-making.

Question 17

What is a BAP?

Answer 17

BAPs are plans developed by organisations to protect and enhance the biodiversity of environments that they control or manage.

BAPs recognise that an organisation can have both a positive and negative impact on nature.

The aim is to use the BAP to help tip the balance in nature’s favour.

BAPs recognise that a place can only be a building block - BAPs should ideally
co-ordinate with neighbors.

Question 18

Who are BAP’s For?

Answer 18

Schools and other educational institutions.

Organizations with gardens or planted landscape.

Municipally owned properties.

Charitable/Not for profit or business entities with garden space or land.

Heritage properties

Community managed property.

Role of activists and campaigners.

Question 19

Reasons for needing a BAP?

Answer 19

Operate from private to gov’t controlled areas.

Sometimes legal req’t, esp if grant applications are being made.

Very good public relations,

Way of building links with other organizations in the community.

Question 20

What should a BAP Include? NOEL

Answer 20

They should include aims, objectives, and targets.

• The aim should be in some way to enhance biodiversity. (Should be some means whereby there is a plan for monitoring the implementation of the goals and the resulting biodiversity).
• Objectives are describing the means by which we’re going to do that.
• Targets are goals that we aim to achieve within a particular period.
• If there is any legislation involved, e.g. re. the protection of particular species, or even something statutory tree protection, this should be referenced

Opportunities for enhancing biodiversity.

Possible threats to biodiviersity.

Action Plan

Monitoring

Communication/dissemination.

Question 21

What does a BAP require?

Answer 21

habitat assessment, looking at land in terms of potential for supporting biodiversity.

Question 22

How to work with BAP’s?

Answer 22

Work within a plan developed as part of a BAP.

Involved in monitoring a BAP.

Consider how your work is coordinated with the bap of another body you may have no control over.

You may need to help draw up a BAP, alongside: Management, committee, experts, local gov’t offices.

May have to consider how your work as an activist/campaigners is coordinated with, or given importantance by a BAP.

May have to help communication BAP objectives to a wider audience.

Question 23

Example of a BAP.

Answer 23

Small museum in country town with several acres of woodland. Museum has found several dead trees on site.

1. Dead trees a good wildlife resource: woodpeckers nest, insects species and great overall habitat.
2. Dead trees can be dangerous - may need management.

OPTIONS TO CONSIDER:

1. Complete removal of tree (bad for biod).
2. Leave tree for biod. but risk assessment for health and safety.
3. Removal of selected branches only.

SENSIBLE COMPROMISE: bring tree surgeon to take off dangerous branches to stabilize trunk.

Piled up nearby to create woodpile debris heap, additional wildlife resource.

1. Necessary action for public safety YES within context of biod.
2. Once done, communicaiton that info.
3. If grounds of museum open to the public, have some interp. and explanation of what haps and why trunks left there. Teaching moment as well as explaining why not removed.

Question 24

Issues of involvement of BAP

Answer 24

involves thinking about how your work in
gardening actually has wider impacts both on biodiversity itself, but also on a wider community which may have a different set of aims and objectives.

It involves thinking about how the area that you’re responsible for, integrates with a wider natural world and indeed a wider human community.

really good way of getting everybody thinking critically about how we can make our spaces better for nature

Question 25

How does a BAP help working with others?

Answer 25

Working with others inside and outside organization.

May be sympathetic or not or political/beaurocratic.

Involves thinking about how your work as a garden or managers has impacts beyond the hort.

Involves thinking about how your ‘patch’ integrates with the wider world.

Question 26

Briefly outline what a biodiversity action plan is, with reference to garden situations.

Answer 26

A Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) is a set of criteria, determined by an organisation, as to what needs to be done in the space to protect, enhance and encourage further biodiversity in the garden area. BAP’s should include aims, objectives and targets. The aim is to increase biodiversity, the objective is how to manage this project and the target is the goals that have been set to increase biodiversity.
In a small garden, it usually includes what plants and methods to produce the outcome. IT can be as simple as planting pollinator friendly flowers to something more substantial such as building a woodpile and pond to encourage wildlife to enter.

The BAP can be used in a small scale for the home gardener.

MODEL:
A BAP is a plan that sets out to analyse a particular place from the point of
view of biodiversity and sets out ways in which it could be improved. Targets
are set and proposals are made and dates set for implementation. In a garden
a BAP is a way of looking at what we do in the garden in a wider context.
BAPs operate at many different scales and within many different
organisational and institutional contexts. They are actually very
straightforward and can easily be developed for a small scale, even a private
garden.
In a garden context, much of the content of a BAP would be concerned with
issues of plant selection, and management.

Question 27

What are some of the garden practices that might be included in the recommendations for boosting biodiversity
in a BAP? Make FIVE suggestions and a brief rationale.

Answer 27

1. Building a woodpile from pruned tree branches – this will provide habitat and nesting locations for birds and insects.
2. Adding a hole in the fence – provides an entry point for hedgehogs to forage in the area.
3. Creating a water feature or providing marginal plants near ponds – this allows wildlife access to water in a safe manner.
4. Planting shrubs, subshrubs and climbers under trees – allowing a corridor and habitat for wildlife to move from one place to another safely.
5. Reducing the amount of mowing of lawns – this provides more pollen and nectar for foraging pollinators while also reducing carbon emissions from lawnmowers.

MODEL:
leaving log piles in discrete shaded locations – boost invertebrate
biodiversity,
* softening a gradient to a pond and planting up with water-loving plants
– improve access to water, creating habitat, and impeding human
access to water as a safety measure,
* new shrub planting along boundaries – to build up wildlife corridors,
* underplanting of roses in old-fashioned rose border with ground cover
perennials – small habitat boost and reduces area of bare soil,
* replacing annual bedding with a seed-sown hardy annual mix, and
leaving the seed heads until mid-winter – benefits for pollinators and
bird life.

Question 28

Briefly describe a situation in your locality, or in your knowledge where it would be beneficial if a BAP could be carried out. Outline some key stages.

Answer 28

There is a large strip of land between the coastline and my neighborhood that has been left fallow for many years as a natural green space. It has just been approved by the local government to make a park and recreation center in this area. At present, they are in the design phase which I feel is the most important timeframe to review and determine a biodiversity action plan.
1. A study should be done of what wildlife lives there at present and what wildlife is either missing or underrepresented (This is an extremely biodiverse neighborhood with birds, snakes, invertebrates, coyotes, raptors, mountain lions, gophers, rabbits, voles and moles to name a few!).
2. Any design should make sure that the community park retains the habitats in some form as well as develops more habitats for those missing or underrepresented.
3. A BAP should be done by our State Park Rangers with the help of naturalists. This should then be discussed with all parties to determine the best way forward, with the safety and health of the wildlife at hand.
4. Areas should be set aside for native plants, pollinator gardens and the use of a rain garden. My wish would be to include demonstration gardens so people can see/learn about what wildlife lives here.
5. When designing the area, the BAP should be adhered to and reviewed annually by an outside organization to be sure it is working well.

Noel: You should mention the need for community engagement, which could be simply interpretation (boards etc.) or in some cases community consultation; very important that people feel a sense that they are being listened to. What is happening in this case?

MODEL:
The grounds of a school, once an extensive private garden, somewhat
neglected, much unimaginative planting carried out. Some areas overgrown,
others very intensively maintained.
The school governors are approached and if they agree:
A local naturalist is involved in a habitat survey, to assess what biodiversity
might exist and to make some recommendations about how the situation
could be described.
Interested staff, governors and pupils involved in a project to make some
proposals, and draw up some realistic targets.
A BAP is drawn up, by the school gardener, in consultation, for changes in
management to be made, over a number of years.
The BAP to be made available and aspects of it integrated into the school
curriculum where possible.
An annual evaluation of progress to be made, involving an outside individual
(perhaps the naturalist originally employed).