Care for UKs rarest wildlife

Plans to care for some of the UK’s rarest wildlife are revealed today. The black grouse, river shingle beetles and a rare soldierfly are among the threatened animals that will get intensive care over the next few years to boost their populations in Wales.

Habitats listed for urgent action include peatlands, upland heathlands and calcareous grasslands. In total, plans for more than 180 species and 37 habitats have now been published and, with the resources available, action is starting on half of them. Dr Malcolm Smith, CCW senior director commented: “This work will help meet promises made by world leaders at the Rio Earth Summit to care for the variety of wildlife in their own countries. The Action Plans give a practical steer for conservation work so that the richness of our natural world survives for future generations to enjoy.”

Intensive care will be given to:

Black Grouse: this bird of the moorland edge is well known for the dramatic, early morning ‘lekking’ display of breeding males. It is now almost completely restricted to six upland sites in Wales. Changes in the birds’ breeding habitat led to a dramatic decline from 300 males in 1986 to 164 males in 1995. Research by the RSPB, with funding from CCW, has shown what the black grouse depends on and, through careful land management, its habitat is now being cared for. A close eye is being kept on black grouse populations, and there are early signs that the species is beginning to recover on the Berwyn mountain.

River shingle beetles (six different types): these beetles are totally dependent on pockets of bare gravel and sand along river banks so the main conservation effort will go into caring for rivers by encouraging sympathetic river engineering schemes; fencing off important areas so that livestock do not damage the habitat; and preventing fertilisers used on farms from polluting the habitat. River shingle can be cared for through the Tir Gofal agri-environment scheme and by protecting the best examples as Sites of Special Scientific Interest or Special Areas of Conservation if they are of European importance. By 2010, the goal is for good populations to remain in the river areas where they are found now and to boost populations in some key places. Important rivers for these beetles include the Rheidol, Ystwyth, Wye, Tywi and Usk.

Soldierfly Odontomyia hydroleon: this attractive lime green and black fly lives on grassland flushes that are rich in calcium, visiting flowers of plants like hogweed for nectar. Little is known about its life history or why it is so rare. It was recently found at a site in Ceredigion, which is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest being monitored by CCW and the Wildlife Trust West Wales. By 2010, the aim is to boost the population at this and its only other British site in Yorkshire.

Blanket bog: there are important areas for this type of peatland across many parts of Wales, including the Brecon Beacons, Elenydd, Pumlumon, Berwyn and Migneint uplands. Blanket bogs often conceal a metre or more of peat, draped like a blanket over hills and gentle slopes, giving a unique wilderness feel to uplands and supporting a rich mix of plants, including a colourful range of bog mosses, hare's-tail cotton grass, and round-leaved sundew as well as more widespread plants such as purple moor grass and heather. Blanket bog is an important habitat for hen harrier, merlin, golden plover and black grouse. The blanket bogs of Britain and Ireland make up about 10-15 per cent of the world’s total - Wales has around 35,000 hectares of blanket bog. Overgrazing, air pollution, burning heather and land drainage are just some of the factors which continue to damage the habitat. Major management initiatives are underway at key sites, including Berwyn and Elenydd, while research is investigating the causes of blanket bog degradation in mid and south Wales.

Lowland raised bog: This habitat, the lowland equivalent of blanket bog, is much rarer in Wales with only around 800 hectares remaining in a near natural state compared with the 4,000 hectares which once existed. The rate of loss has been even worse elsewhere in Britain and northern Europe, mainly caused by draining land for agriculture and forestry and extracting peat for fuel and horticultural use. Raised bogs get their name from the domed mass of peat which builds up over thousands of years. Sphagnum bog mosses, cotton-grass, heather, cross-leaved heath and bog myrtle found here are well adapted to their nutrient-starved and waterlogged environment. An intact raised bog preserves the remains of plants, animals (sometimes including humans!) and minerals and is an irreplaceable record of natural history stretching back thousands of years. Large raised bogs still dominate the local landscape at Cors Caron and the Dyfi; major CCW management initiatives are underway at these two National Nature Reserves to restore water levels and control the spread of scrub. The cross-border Fenns & Whixall Moss is the third big Welsh site and although it bears the scars of large-scale and intensive peat cutting, a major project to repair the damage is already underway.

Upland heath: confined to north west Europe, this habitat which carpets our uplands with purple heather in the autumn, is mainly found in Britain and Ireland which has 75 per cent of the European total. Wales’ 80,000 hectares of upland heath is most characteristic of the hills near the west coast and moorlands in the north and east. A third of heather moorland has been lost in England in Wales between 1947 and 1980 - about 44 per cent has been lost on the Berwyn mountains. Much of the loss is due to agricultural modification, overgrazing by sheep, and planting conifer trees. Tir Gofal will help conserve the habitat and its special plants and animals including the rare black grouse and a range of uncommon mosses and liverworts.

Upland Calcareous Grasslands: although Wales only has 800 of the UK’s 25,000 hectares of this habitat, the examples on limestone in south and north Wales are important - especially those in Snowdonia. About 500 hectares are Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Factors putting the habitat at risk include overgrazing by sheep, agricultural intensification in general, quarrying, and air pollution. The action plan specifies measures to address these issues, with Tir Gofal offering a practical way of encouraging more favourable ways of farming.

“Partnership is vital to take effective action to save these species and habitats from extinction in Wales”, said Dr Malcolm Smith, “Only through co-operation between Government departments, a range of voluntary organisations and land owners and managers will we meet the challenge of conserving our wealth of wildlife.”

Also this week the Countryside Council for Wales have released details on marine action plands. Habitats listed for urgent action include mudflats, saline lagoons and horse mussel beds. Attention to species includes a conservation drive for small dolphins, harbour porpoise and other less noticeable creatures like the pink sea fan and bearded anotrichium - equally important to ensure a variety of wildlife. Dr Maggie Hill, CCW’s Head of Maritime Group said: “Publishing action plans is a commitment to meet promises made by world leaders at the Rio Earth Summit to sustain the variety of wildlife in their own countries. Caring for marine wildlife is a particular challenge - far less is known about life in the sea than on land and surveying, monitoring and taking action pose practical difficulties which we have to overcome. If successful, biodiversity action will mean that the richness of Wales’ marine world is protected for future generations to enjoy.” Of the published UK plans, twelve marine species and eleven habitats are found around the Welsh coast.

SPECIES

Harbour porpoise - Analysing where they are seen in the sea around Wales - and where they are sometimes stranded on beaches - will help pinpoint the most important areas. This will hopefully lead to more survey work and to protecting important areas as Special Areas of Conservation under European law. There is anecdotal evidence that porpoises breed in west Wales. CCW is also supporting studies into one of the greatest threats to porpoises - being caught in fishing nets - a matter of concern because it is happening on the Celtic Shelf at a level that is not sustainable in terms of the porpoise population.

Risso’s dolphin (which, along with other dolphins such as bottlenose and common dolphins, are classed as small dolphins) Risso’s dolphin, with their sabre-like dorsal fin and light coloured scars, are being surveyed off Bardsey island by the Friends of Cardigan Bay. This is one of the few sites in England and Wales where Risso’s are seen regularly near the shore during the summer. The study will assess the importance of the Bardsey area for Risso’s by comparing the frequency of sightings there with other areas.

Bearded Anotrichium - this rare red seaweed was found in Cardigan Bay last year and again this summer by CCW’s diving team having been unrecorded in Britain for over 100 years. The surveyors were studying the Pen Ll_n a'r Sarnau candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC), so that the area’s wildlife of European importance is better protected into the future. The only previous records of this small, multi-branched, rose-pink seaweed in Britain were made by Victorian naturalists who collected specimens from rock pools along the English Channel coast. Indeed, its value to collectors probably lead to the decline of the species. Now it has been found, the species will be monitored as the wellbeing of this rare seaweed contributes to the richness of marine life around the Welsh coast.

Pink sea fan - usually found in the warmer waters of the Mediterranean, but the pink sea fan thrives in Skomer Marine Nature Reserve - its most northerly known location in Britain. Sea fans grow very slowly, eventually reaching 50cm high and wide. Some colonies can live for as long as 100 years. The sea fan, usually pink, but sometimes yellow or white, is being carefully monitored at Skomer.

HABITATS

Mud flats: As part of CCW’s survey of intertidal habitats - the area between high and low water mark - surveyors are mapping mudflats. The value of mudflats is often hidden - their burrowing creatures are diverse and are rich pickings for birds and other wildlife particularly in the winter. Important mudflats in Wales include those in the Dee, Severn and Burry Inlet estuaries.

Sheltered Muddy Gravels: This rare habitat is also being mapped to find out exactly where it is and what depends on it. It is rich in species such as peacock worm and native oyster and highly vulnerable to damage from bait digging. Changes to the law covering Sites of Special Scientific Interest are needed to curb damage to these places.

Honeycomb worm reefs: These are golden honeycomb-like mounds, 1-2 feet, high found on the shore made by marine worms. These reefs are a home for a range of other marine animals. Between the mounds, there are rockpools full of animals and seaweeds. These reefs are also being mapped by CCW surveyors. Wales has a significant proportion of the UK total of this habitat. If funding allows, CCW will look into problems such as the effects of sea defence work on honeycomb worm reefs. Changes in SSSI legislation would also give extra protection to this habitat.

Horse mussels: Although usually found in the north Atlantic, horse mussels live as far south as the Bay of Biscay but dense reefs have not been reported further south than the Welsh coast. In Wales there is an excellent horse mussel reef off the Ll_n Peninsula near Porth Dinllaen, where CCW, and others, have done extensive diving and ship-based survey work this summer. The reefs are made up of dense layers of living and dead horse mussel shells lying on mud, and are a home for a rich variety of animals. It's like a 'secret garden' - colourful, varied and teeming with life. Reefs develop slowly and, if undisturbed, they can last for hundreds of years but they are unlikely to survive catastrophic events. Some horse mussel reefs outside Wales have been damaged and possibly destroyed by dredge fishing activities. A Working Group of experts has been convened by CCW to discuss such matters and share experience.

Saline Lagoons - a CCW commissioned study completed last week from the Natural History Museum in London has mapped Saline Lagoons in Wales, revealing that Wales has twice as many lagoons as we thought. Seven lagoon animals and two lagoon plants were discovered for the first time in Wales. One of the most interesting finds was the tentacled lagoon worm, found in two places in Pembrokeshire.