Warwickshire, Coventry
& Solihull
Local Biodiversity Action Plan
Reporting on our Action Plans in 2008
This year began the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) 4th Reporting Round 2008-2010, requiring the reporting on all Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAPs) into the national database, the Biodiversity Action Reporting System (BARS). As in 2005-2007, in the first year of the reporting round, local LBAPs are asked to report only on those action plans they shared with the UKBAP prior to its new priority list in 2007.
For Warwickshire this applies to 27 of its 50 action plans and, as in 2005, those partners involved in reporting on progress with actions came up trumps, meeting the deadline for signing off last September. Many thanks to all of them for the information they collected. It is now being used by UKBAP steering groups for reporting on progress with national targets.
Reporting on progress with local targets is, however, optional but Warwickshire’s LBAP Steering Group was keen that this should be carried out, as in 2007, in order to update its first report of LBAP progress; see last year's LBAP Annual Report below. With time short owing to the imminent retirement of the coordinator, it was decided that this task should be undertaken solely by the coordinator, with reference to partners where necessary.
A significant improvement in the progress of 10 out of the 27 action plans has emerged and full details for all the plans can be seen on the relevant Action Plan web pages.
For a summary of the current situation with LBAP progress, see 'Where we are now in 2008. (PDF - 129KB).
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Barn Owl
Steven Falk
Apples
Garden Organic
Water Vole
Arundel Wildfowl & Wetland Trust
Poppies
Warwickshire Museum
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Warwickshire, Coventry & Solihull
Local Biodiversity Action Plan
Report 2001 - 2007
Warwickshire, Coventry & Solihull’s Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) has just produced the first report of its conservation effort. (PDF - 915KB).
A major success has been the Parish Biodiversity Action Plan, a booklet of ideas to help people start wildlife projects on their doorsteps. Distributed to all parish clerks, Women’s Institutes and libraries a year ago, it is now being used as a guide to conservation in many of our local communities.
More more information please see www.warwickshire.gov.uk/biodiversity
Barn owls are doing well, already exceeding our target for restoring the breeding population to 60 pairs by 2010. In good years for small mammals such as field voles, the bird is very productive, with nest box schemes helping their recovery. Another success has been the formation of the South Warwickshire Orchard Group to restore local fruit orchards and create and sustain interest in their products.
On the down side, we are concerned at the continuing decline in species and habitat loss in the region, with wildflower meadows are at an all-time low. Water voles could be extinct in a few years owing to the predations of mink and loss of habitat while the adder may already be extinct.
In our Focus 2008 programme, we will be concentrating our efforts on four habitats that are ‘behind schedule’ in our targets for them:
Adobe Acrobat Reader
We will also be identifying opportunities to enhance the biodiversity of three habitats of particular public interest in a new action plan, Gardens, Parks & Churchyards (PDF - 73KB). Projects that protect the animals associated with all these habitats, such as the hedgehog, common toad, bumblebees and bats, will be part of the programme.
Read the full report (PDF - 915KB) |