Advisory and Advocacy
Description
Most of Northamptonshire's countryside, including protected sites and nature reserves, is under private ownership. Landowners are therefore stewards of a significant proportion of the county's biodiversity resource. It is essential that as much privately owned land as possible is not lost or degraded, but instead enhanced, from the biodiversity point of view.
The dominant land cover in the county is cropped land. Advisory work is therefore needed to notify landowners of biodiversity resources and to facilitate creation, restoration and enhancement works under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS) and other funding sources. Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) is likely to be highly targeted where the greatest opportunities lie. Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) and other funding sources may be more widely available.
Much of our biodiversity exists within Local Wildlife Sites (LWS). These are non-statutory and are recognised at the local level as being of local, national or sometimes even international importance. Most landowners and managers welcome advice on funding availability and appropriate sensitive land management.
Main Issues
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With limited resources available, funding and advice need to be targeted.
-
Scarcity of additional funding streams to complement agri-environment schemes.
Strategy and Guidelines
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Support and advisory work for landowners and managers.
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Guidance on good practice for biodiversity to be made available to landowners and managers.
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Establish key sites as best examples of good practice.
Targets
|
Target Code |
Target Description |
Target Units |
Northants Baseline Resource |
Target |
By |
Unit Cost £ |
Total Cost £ |
|
NOR_AAA_T1 |
Establish a Flagship site by 2010 as an example of good land management practice and promotion for agri-environment schemes. |
Sites |
0 |
1 |
2010 |
||
|
NOR_AAA_T2 |
Ensure that an additional 400 local wildlife sites are under positive management across the county by 2015. |
Sites |
79 (WT reserves and Country parks) |
479 |
2015 |
||
|
NOR_AAA_T3 |
All Protected Wildflower Verges to be maintained to meet the designation criteria or improved in species diversity by 2012. |
Sites |
23 |
23 |
2012 |
||
|
NOR_AAA_T4 |
Expand Northamptonshire's network of Protected Wildflower Verges by identifying 10 new sites or expanding10 existing sites by at least 20 meters by 2012. |
Sites |
23 |
33 |
2012 |
||
|
NOR_AAA_T5 |
Produce best-practice guidance leaflets for all 16 BAP habitats. |
Leaflets |
0 |
16 |
2012 |
Actions
|
Action Code |
Action Description |
Lead Partner |
Support Partner(s) |
Related Target |
|
NOR_AAA_CA_A1 |
Natural England to liase with potential landowners regarding the establishment of a Flagship land management site. |
Natural England |
NOR_AAA_T1 | |
|
NOR_AAA_CA_A2 |
Produce best-practice guidance leaflets for all 16 BAP habitats. |
Natural England |
NOR_AAA_T2 | |
|
NOR_AAA_CA_A3 |
Each Local Authority to ensure that landowners of 10 Local Wildlife Sites (on average) in their district receive management advice and implement it each year. |
Local Authorities |
NBRC/NBP, The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T2 |
|
NOR_AAA_CA_A4 |
Liase with the relevant road verge management bodies and landowners to ensure adoption of suitable management prescriptions for all existing PWVs by 2010. |
County Council |
The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T3 |
|
NOR_AAA_SU_A5 |
Ensure that all Protected Wildflower Verges are surveyed every year and assessed against the qualification criteria. |
County Council |
The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T3 |
|
NOR_AAA_ID_A6 |
Update the GIS map of Protected Wildflower Verges after the annual surveys. |
County Council |
The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T3 |
|
NOR_AAA_CA_A7 |
Liase with the relevant road verge management bodies and landowners to ensure adoption of suitable management prescriptions. |
The Wildlife Trust |
County Council |
NOR_AAA_T3 |
|
NOR_AAA_HC_A8 |
Where appropriate implement sympathetic management 10 meters either side of existing PWV boundaries to allow wildflowers to spread. |
County Council |
The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T4 |
|
NOR_AAA_SU_A9 |
Follow up on reports of suitable new PWVs made by partners or the public by surveying and assessing during the current/next suitable surveying period. |
County Council |
The Wildlife Trust |
NOR_AAA_T4 |