NATE28 Front CC 140314 - GOV.UKrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12462_ISA...It is part of Natural England's Integrated Monitoring Programme, and provides an invaluable tool

Natural England

Environmental Stewardship Monitoring & Evaluation Framework March 2014

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NATURAL ENGLAND

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP MONITORING & EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

INTEGRATED SITE ASSESSMENT REPORT

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Penny Anderson Associates Ltd ‘Park Lea’ 60 Park Road Buxton Derbyshire SK17 6SN Alistair Blackshaw Senior Ecologist March 2014 This project has been undertaken in accordance with PAA policies and procedures on quality assurance.

Signed:_________________________________

Ref. No. 140146 Natural England

Environmental Stewardship Monitoring & Evaluation Frameword

March 2014 Integrated Site Assessment Report

CONTENTS

Page

1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................. 2

Project Aims ................................................................................................................. 2

Project Objectives......................................................................................................... 2

2. METHODOLOGY................................................................................. 4

3. SURVEY FINDINGS ............................................................................ 5

South Pennine Moors SSSI.......................................................................................... 5

North York Moors ......................................................................................................... 6

Hexhamshire Moors ..................................................................................................... 6

Simonside Hills ............................................................................................................. 7

4. PROJECT REVIEW ............................................................................. 9

Field Forms................................................................................................................... 9

Summary................................................................................................................ 10

Suggested Improvements...................................................................................... 10

Mapping...................................................................................................................... 11

Access ........................................................................................................................ 11

Feasibility of Future Projects ...................................................................................... 12

5. REFERENCES................................................................................... 13

TABLE

Table 1 Differences in the ISA Forms and Vegetation Mapping between SSSIs ........ 4

Table 2 SSSI Units Assessed by the Project ............................................................... 5

Table 3 Assessment of the Forms Provided for Each SSSI....................................... 10

FIGURES

1 Survey Site Locations


Environmental Stewardship Monitoring & Evaluation Framework


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1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Penny Anderson Associates Ltd (PAA) was commissioned by Natural England to carry out Integrated Site Assessments (ISAs) of 36 Units selected from four SSSIs in northern England (Figure 1). The work will form part of a project, to carry out difficult or complex site assessments, and determine the feasibility and suitability of carrying out further work of a similar nature.

1.2 Whilst ISAs were originally designed to be carried out by Natural England advisers, a number of sites have proved particularly demanding in terms either of time needed to carry out the survey, or complexity of site objectives or features, combined with assessment requirements. In order to complete ISAs on these sites, and to assess the comparative value of ISAs carried out by external agents, Natural England commissioned this limited programme of selected ISA surveys.

1.3 Integrated Site Assessment is Natural England's rolling programme of assessments of environmental features and their management in SSSIs and Higher Level Stewardship scheme (HLS) agreements. It is part of Natural England's Integrated Monitoring Programme, and provides an invaluable tool for the monitoring of the progress of HLS agreements in achieving the Indicators of Success (IoS), SSSI condition and informing compliance with agreement management plans. It also helps assess the suitability of the option prescriptions and management plans to provide a trajectory towards favourable condition.

1.4 The objectives of the ISA programme are:

To ensure and inform appropriate site management that delivers environmental outcomes;

To assess the effectiveness of Natural England’s interventions and enable reporting on its corporate plan targets and statutory responsibilities;

To improve delivery through feedback, guidance, training and scheme development;

To contribute to monitoring of the long-term change of the natural environment.

Project Aims

1.5 The project aims were to:

Undertake Integrated Site Assessments of SSSI units which, due to their, size or complexity of features and objectives were not able to be resourced by Natural England staff.

Provide an overview of assessments carried out, and conclusions drawn from the project.

Project Objectives

1.6 The project objectives were to:

Undertake individual site assessments according to the ISA protocols and report format;




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Collect the data required for assessments of the IoS identified for the chosen agreement and present it on the forms generated for each site by the Natural England project team;

Provide a view of the appropriateness of the existing HLS option(s) for the site or feature objectives and present it on the forms generated for each site;

Provide an overview of progress towards IoS for the agreement sites as a whole and present it on the forms generated for each site;

Provide a report giving an overview of assessments carried out, and conclusions drawn from the project, together with an additional brief summary report.

1.7 This report summarises the data collection methodology and provides an overview and brief discussion of the results of the assessments of each SSSI. To contribute to the ongoing development of the ISA programme, a subjective review of the various ISA forms and other materials supplied by Natural England is provided, together with recommendations to improve the ISA process for future projects carried out by external agents.




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2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 The ISAs followed the same sampling methodology for each of the SSSI units assessed. This comprised a walk through each notified feature within the unit taking samples of vegetation and management attributes at intervals throughout its spatial extent. Sampling bias was minimised by surveyors deciding to stop within a particular area, before walking a set number of paces away from the decision point and placing their quadrat. Quadrats were placed in the direction of travel through the feature and the spatial location of their lower right hand corner was recorded from a Garmin eTrex Venture handheld GPS receiver as a 10 figure Ordnance Survey (OS) grid reference.

2.2 A total of 20 sample points were collected in most features. Where the feature accounted for a relatively small area of the site a smaller number of samples, usually 15, were collected. Identification of features within the unit was informed by habitat mapping, aerial photography and field assessment of vegetation and peat depth using a 100cm ‘peat stick’.

2.3 Vegetation and management attributes were recorded at each sample point on forms provided by the Natural England officer responsible for the particular unit. Differences in the forms and habitat mapping between the SSSIs assessed are highlighted in Table 1.

Table 1 Differences in the ISA Forms and Vegetation Mapping between SSSIs

SSSI Name Form Layout Form Format Habitat Mapping

South Pennine Moors

Common Standards Type Word document NVC (high resolution)

North York Moors

Common Standards Type (Generated from HLS agreement for Unit 63)

Word document (Print for Unit 63)

Phase 1

Hexhamshire Moors

Bespoke PDF document Phase 1

Simonside Hills Generated from HLS agreement

Print Phase 1 (Low resolution)

2.4 In addition to answering the questions on the forms, surveyors collected additional notes on the vegetation quality/communities, management and restorability of any negative features (e.g. drainage). Following field survey, the units were assessed against the management prescriptions outlined in the HLS agreement and the likelihood of meeting the IoS. A comment on the condition of the unit was provided for the Natural England Site Information System (ENSIS)




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3. SURVEY FINDINGS

3.1 This section of the report presents the key findings of the ISAs for each SSSI, summarising their vegetation and discussing past and present management issues. The units assessed are presented in Table 2.

Table 2 SSSI Units Assessed by the Project

SSSI Name Units Assessed Number of Units

Total Area (ha)

South Pennine Moors

36, 37, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 50, 53, 55, 56, 57, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 90

21 4,679

North York Moors

11, 12, 18, 63, 71, 142, 186 7 2,269

Hexhamshire Moors

22, 21, 64, 79 4 712

Simonside Hills 7, 8, 11, 12 4 1,414

Total 36 9,074

South Pennine Moors SSSI

3.2 Blanket bog is the dominant vegetation type within the units assessed. Dry heath occurs at the periphery of many units on steep ground. Occasional acidic grasslands are dominated by Nardus stricta and flushes by Juncus effusus.

3.3 Blanket bog is represented by the M20 Eriophorum vaginatum NVC community (Rodwell 1991). Although Sphagna typical of better quality bog are widespread they generally contribute little to overall vegetation cover. Dwarf shrubs include Calluna vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus and Empetrum nigrum with occasional Vaccinium oxycoccos. Isolated and small stands of the richer M19 Calluna vulgaris - Eriophorum vaginatum community with S. capillifolium and S. papillosum also occur. Some large tracts of Molinia caerulea dominated vegetation occur over deep and shallow peat that is previously likely to have supported blanket bog vegetation.

3.4 Many of the units surveyed have suffered from past drainage of the peat which has no doubt contributed to the general lack of Sphagna and to erosion of peat from the site. Unlike the more northerly sites Sphagnum seems very slow to recolonise the grips here. Stabilisation of drainage features by recolonisation of vegetation, particularly within gullies, is often hampered by managed burning up to and over their edges. Injudicious burning is also impacting on late mature heather, such that stands of suitable habitat for moorland nesting raptors were rare on both the blanket bog and dry heath features where Calluna is dominant. Some evidence of burning in remaining areas was recorded.

3.5 To summarise, key management activities that would benefit recovery towards Favourable Condition include:

Grip and gully blocking;




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Improvement of burning practice;

Possible re-introduction of Sphagnum.

North York Moors

3.6 The units assessed comprised mainly dry heath vegetation with some wet heath and blanket bog. Dry heath was generally dominated by Calluna vulgaris with frequent Vaccinium myrtillus at low cover, and occasional Empetrum nigrum and Erica cinerea. Many units fell below the requisite number of dwarf shrub species due to the dominance of dense building phase Calluna, which also excluded desirable bryophytes, over large areas. A small amount of M15 wet heath was also sampled on two units. Dominance of Molinia caerulea was a problem in both.

3.7 Blanket bog was present on five of the seven units assessed and is generally confined to small basins or restricted areas of the high plateaux, except on Unit 12 where the habitat is dominant. The vegetation generally lacks continuous Sphagnum cover, although isolated pockets of M19 are present, and comprises Eriophorum vaginatum E. angustifolium, Calluna and Hypnum jutlandicum. The peat is often gripped and these drains are regularly ignored when managed burning is taking place, setting back the recolonising vegetation and resulting in further damage to the peat. A number of sites have, however, been subject to grip blocking and these are showing signs of recolonisation.

3.8 Habitat mapping for the units assessed under-records the area of blanket bog and deep peat present. This is a concern as deep peat is a scarce resource in the North York Moors and areas which are suitable for restoration are likely to be overlooked by future ISAs, particularly if they are carried out by external agents with no prior knowledge of the sites (see paras 4.10 - 4.11). It is recommended that all areas of deep peat are mapped and targets set for restoration of blanket bog vegetation. It is also concerning that most of the blanket bog assessed is included in the burning rotation, which tends to be short. It is considered that this a major factor in preventing the feature, as a whole, achieving favourable condition in the units assessed. It is recommended that, given the scarcity of blanket bog on these units, consideration should be given to excluding stands from the commercial burning rotation.


Mapping of deep peat and setting of objectives to prevent damage (i.e. no burn areas);

Improvement of burning practice;

Further grip and gully blocking.

Hexhamshire Moors

3.10 The units assessed comprise a mixture of blanket bog and dry heath, with the former present in basins and plateaux and the latter on steeper slopes and around rock outcrops. The predominant NVC type on the units is M19, with Eriophorum vaginatum, Calluna vulgaris, Sphagnum papillosum, S. capillifolium and occasionally Rubus chamaemorus. One unit supported the M18 Erica tetralix - Sphagnum papillosum community. As suggested by the communities present Sphagnum species provide a significant contribution to overall vegetation cover. Grazing pressure on most units is too high and is causing the conversion of some richer




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stands to M20 bog locally. Most of the blanket peat has been gripped although one area has been restored and is recolonising. Unlike the South Pennines, blocked grips are evidently more readily colonised by Sphagna here, suggesting further grip blocking would yield good results relatively quickly.

3.11 Most stands of dwarf shrubs lack diversity being dominated by Calluna with Vaccinium myrtillus, Erica cinerea and Vaccinium vitis-idea infrequent and subordinate where they do occur. Steeply sloping ground usually supports more balanced, but still Calluna dominated, vegetation. The majority of Calluna is in the pioneer and building phases with only steep slopes supporting stands of late mature bushes. This is a function of the short burning rotation, although there is some evidence of burning of remaining late mature stands. Heavy grazing affects the dry heath feature locally (it had been lost entirely from one unit) but overall the effect is less severe than in the blanket bog feature.


Further grip and gully blocking;

Improvement of grazing practice;

No burn areas within dry heath to increase cover of late mature heather.

Simonside Hills

3.13 The units assessed comprised dry heath on steep slopes and around rock outcrops and blanket bog in small basins and on high plateaux. Soligenous mires occur along the north-western edge of the area.

3.14 Blanket bog vegetation comprises the M19 and M18 NVC communities with Eriophorum vaginatum, Erica tetralix, Calluna vulgaris and abundant Sphagnum including S papillosum, S. capillifolium and S. magellanicum. In addition, Andromeda polifolia is quite frequent and Sphagnum pulchrum occurs in Boddle Moss. Where the vegetation has been subject to past heavy grazing or burning, the E. vaginatum dominated M20 community occurs. Most of the deep peat within the units has been gripped, but extensive blocking with plastic piling has been undertaken by the Northumberland National Park Authority and there are ongoing efforts to block the remaining drains. Recovery of the restored areas has been very successful with the majority of grips infilled with typical vegetation.

3.15 Dry heath is dominated by Calluna vulgaris with Vaccinium myrtillus widespread, but usually suppressed by the former. In freshly burnt areas on peaty slopes Erica tetralix is frequent. The burning rotation here is longer than the other grouse moors assessed and consequently the units have frequent stands of late mature heather which support a luxuriant carpet of bryophytes.

3.16 Soligenous mires occur sporadically in the northern part of Simonside with the best examples at the north-western edge of the assessment area. Small basins and seepage slopes support Sphagnum fallax, S. palustre, Carex echinata and J. effusus. Locally, base rich seepages occur with Juncus acutiflorus, small sedges including Carex panicea and Palustriella falcata. A number of other basiphilous species are present including Triglochin palustris, Valeriana dioica, Briza media and Schoenus nigricans. These features are generally very small and usually undamaged by drainage although one small basin contains faint grips.




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3.17 Grazing of the site is light overall but is locally heavy along the northern boundary, adjacent to and amongst the flushed slopes to the north-west. The latter are particularly at risk from preferential grazing due stock being fed in winter nearby. The lack of grazing elsewhere on the hill suggests that shepherding, together with an alternative feeding location, may be beneficial.


Grip and gully blocking of remaining areas;

Improvement of grazing practice.




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4. PROJECT REVIEW

4.1 Common Standards Monitoring is recognised as a very effective method for rapidly assessing site condition. It has been operational since 1999 (Williams 2006) with regular incremental changes and improvements, including the integration of HLS objectives within the assessment methodology to form ISA. It is therefore considered outwith the scope of this report to provide a critical review of the Common Standards process.

4.2 It was, however, felt that this project offered an opportunity to contribute to the improvement of delivery of the ISA programme, through a critical review of the forms and other materials used from an outside agent’s point of view. This section of the report therefore focuses on the survey forms and vegetation mapping provided by Natural England to facilitate this project. Comment is also provided on arranging of site access and on the feasibility of future ISA projects to be completed by external agents.

Field Forms

4.3 In our experience, the ideal form for ISAs of moorland SSSIs is logically ordered, clearly states the units and scale required for each variable, allows collection of data that accurately represent the unit and is brief, easily handled in difficult weather and easily transferred back to Natural England via digital means.

4.4 In order to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the forms provided for the four SSSIs,the following subjective measures are used:

Clarity - The general usability of the form, particularly the logical order of the variables (e.g. whether one question follows from the next) and ‘double handling’ of data (e.g. (collecting DAFOR1 scores and assessing percent cover for the same variable);

Precision - Clear statement of the units and scale required for each variable ensuring a high confidence that it will be interpreted in the same way by different surveyors;

Accuracy - The ability of the form to provide an accurate snapshot of site condition and thus relating to the questions asked on the form including the species list;

Brevity - How quick the form is to complete, with implications for handling in poor weather and reprographics and data transfer costs.

4.5 Table 3 presents an assessment of the forms for each SSSI using these criteria. The assessment uses a three point scale, based on our subjective experience of using them in the field. Each criteria is scored to indicate suitability for use by agents external to Natural England, where: +++ = No change required; ++ = Could be improved; + = Should be improved.

1 A relative measure of the abundance of a plant species where: D= Dominant, A= Abundant, F=Frequent, O=occasional, R= Rare

Table 3 Assessment of the Forms Provided for Each SSSI

SSSI Name Clarity Precision Accuracy Brevity

South Pennines ++ +++ +++ ++

North York Moors + ++ ++ ++

Hexhamshire Moors ++ +++ ++ +++

Simonside Hills (and North York Moors Unit 63)

+ + ++ +

Summary

4.6 The South Pennines forms were logically laid out and provided surveyors with clear instructions on how to collect the required data. They also allowed a degree of freedom to provide an accurate portrayal of the vegetation through an unconstrained list of indicator species. The Hexhamshire forms were precise and concise (one side of A4), which aided handling in difficult field conditions and reduced reprographics costs, particularly in relation to waterproof paper. Data collation and transfer time were also reduced, as scanning forms was very quick and the resulting PDF images small.

4.7 The forms for Simonside and Unit 63 of the North York Moors had been generated automatically, using software only available to Natural England officers, and were the most difficult to use. In some cases they lacked clarity, presenting variables in an illogical and inconsistent order. Some also lacked precision, providing no guidance on the scale at which variables should be assessed or omitting to provide separate boxes where two scales were required, resulting in data not being collected correctly. They were also considered to be too generic, with species lists presented in common name order and often containing plants not occurring within the feature. They lacked the space to formally record additional species information, for example the bryophytes present in dry heath. Due to them being generated internally by Natural England, the forms were only available as hard copy, which resulted in increased collation time, as each form needed to be scanned before it could be printed on waterproof paper.

Suggested Improvements

4.8 The forms supplied for the South Pennines and Hexhamshire Moors possess a wealth of positive attributes. However, a further incremental improvement is also suggested.

4.9 Under the current system of data collection surveyors are often required to ‘double handle’ data during fieldwork as the forms require the same data to be collected for different variables, using different measurement systems. For example, most forms require the collection of species data using the DAFOR scale, but also require surveyors to re-collect portions of the same data using the percent cover scale, such as:

% Sphagnum cover;

% Molinia cover;

% Cover of Eriophorum vaginatum/Calluna vulgaris.




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4.10 A further improvement to the data collection process could therefore be made by recording all species data at the 2m x 2m scale using percent cover values. The IoS values for the vegetation in each feature could then be derived from interrogation of the raw data by formulae in Excel, or a similar package without the need for lengthy consideration in the field. Visual scale variables could be ordered in a separate section of the form (c.f. Hexamhshire Moors) thereby increasing clarity.

4.11 In addition to shorter forms and simplification of field work, this approach would have the following advantages:

Data on the full range of vegetation occurring in each quadrat would be collected during each ISA allowing long term monitoring of vegetation change at a higher resolution than is currently possible; and

Improved acquisition and maintenance of botanical skills of upland surveyors due to the requirement to record, and thus be familiar with, a wider range of species than when truncated lists of indicators are used.

Mapping

4.12 Consistent and repeatable ISAs should be underpinned by high quality habitat mapping. Without it, changes in the extent of a feature cannot be reliably assessed by those without prior knowledge of a site. Low resolution or inaccurate mapping affects survey efficiency due to surveyors having to effectively make a new evaluation of vegetation patterns each time an assessment is undertaken. Needless to say, this is likely to have a negative impact on the consistency of ISAs of the same unit, particularly if carried out by different surveyors. In the worst case scenario, for example in habitats that are visually similar, such as dry heath and Calluna dominated ‘blanket bog’ on deep peat, poor quality mapping may hinder the loss of condition or extent of interest features from being detected.

4.13 The ideal standard is NVC mapping, not only to facilitate representative sampling of a feature but to also allow changes in individual vegetation communities to be assessed over time. However, accuracy is the key attribute of mapping to support ISAs and in lieu of NVC survey accurate Phase 1 or feature mapping is considered suitable. In some cases peat depth mapping may also be required to determine where Calluna dominated vegetation should be assessed as blanket bog rather than dry heath.

4.14 The feasibility of high resolution digital mapping being made available for future ISA surveys will be determined by the quality of existing spatial habitat data held by NE for individual sites. Where no suitable Phase 1 or NVC mapping is held for a given unit or habitat feature, then a separate survey or project should be commissioned to gather appropriate data. Surveys would need to be conducted by suitably experienced ecologists at an appropriate time of year. Habitats should be surveyed according to standard methodologies (Rodwell 1991 or JNCC 2010), and mapping carried out at an appropriate resolution to allow future changes in distribution or extent to be identified.

Access

4.15 Difficulty in obtaining access has the potential to threaten delivery of ISA projects, particularly where seasonal deadlines are in place. Landowners of units which were due an ISA survey were informed by letter from Natural England at the start of the financial year. Although access to all units was ultimately granted, additional negotiation by Natural England to secure permission was required in certain cases. It is considered that written notification and timely




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communication with landowners by their regular Natural England advisors, in advance of contact by external contractors, are important stages in securing land access for future ISA projects.

Feasibility of Future Projects

4.16 The latter section of this report has, from an external agent’s perspective, scrutinised in a detailed manner the way in which ISAs are undertaken in order to provide feedback and promote improvement to the ISA programme.

4.17 It is considered that none of the issues raised have at any time seriously threatened this project’s delivery, both in terms of its timeliness and quality. Close contact has been maintained with the Natural England project manager throughout and all issues that have arisen have firstly been relatively minor and secondly have been resolved quickly. On the basis of this project therefore, future ISAs carried out by agents external to Natural England are considered entirely feasible.




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5. REFERENCES

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (2010) Handbook for Phase 1 Habitat Survey - a Technique for Environmental Audit. Reprinted by JNCC, Peterborough.

Rodwell, J.S. 1991. British Plant Communities Volume 2: Mires and Heaths. Cambridge University Press

Williams, J.M., ed. 2006. Common Standards Monitoring for Designated Sites: First Six Year Report. Peterborough, JNCC.

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Title:

Project Name

Discipline

OriginatorDrawn By Date

PAA Ref.

Scale Drawing No.

Revision

Penny Anderson Associates Ltd,Parklea, 60 Park Road,Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6SN.Telephone 01298 27086

0 5 10 15 202.5

km

British National GridProjection: Transverse MercatorFalse Easting: 400000.000000

False Northing: -100000.000000Central Meridian: -2.000000

Scale Factor: 0.999601Latitude Of Origin: 49.000000

1:600,000

Ecology

Figure 1

CC

A

ISO A3

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Data © Crown Copyright [2013]. All rights reserved.

27/11/2013SRSField assessment of selected

Higher Level Stewardship agreements

Survey SiteLocations

´

Hexhamshire Moors SSSI units for survey

North York Moors SSSI units for survey

Simonside Hills SSSI units for survey

South Pennine Moors SSSI units for survey

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41

36

81

53

46

3740

50

83

55

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56

80

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See top-right

Registered Office as Above Registered in England & Wales Company No. 4223109 Directors: Mrs P Anderson Mr P Worrall Mr C Anglish

Park Lea, 60 Park Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6SN

Documents

NATE28 Front CC 140314 - GOV.UKrandd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=12462_ISA...It is part of Natural England's Integrated Monitoring Programme, and provides an invaluable tool