Woodlands Project
From Wild Warwickshire
SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT OF THE LANDSCAPE AND SPECIES ECOLOGY CONCERNING THE PRINCETHORPE GREAT WOOD PROJECT
In 2004 Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and several other partners began to investigate the possibility of linking up several woodlands in Warwickshire. As my background was in Habitat Fragmentation I offered my services to analyse some of the issues involved.
Contents |
Introduction
This report explores in greater detail the potential responses and effects on organisms and the landscape to the Princethorpe Great Wood Proposal. It is based upon the earlier informal report (Smith, 2004) and provides greater depth of analysis. It is designed to provide a baseline of landscape structure and some modelling of species dynamics.
Main Part
Conclusions and Recommendations
The Princethorpe Great Wood Project has a great potential to return this landscape to a state when the county was heavily forested. The network of woodlands provide one of the densest concentrations of woodland in the county. As has been demonstrated in this report and the previous one (Smith, 2004) there are a number of key issues concerning the project. Some of these issues are fixed such as the severance impact of the roads whilst others such as management are flexible.
The study as a whole has highlighted a number of common themes, areas where improvement would greatly improve the ecology of the area. These are:
1. Accessibility/Connectivity: This one factor alone holds the key to long term success. By connecting the woods up in a comprehensive way not only improves the landscape structure but would help stabilise all species in the area. The analysis of connecting up the woods to improve Dormouse dispersal has shown that any linkage between woods would increase dispersal potentials. Improvements to the hedgerow networks would also facilitate species movement and help improve the surrounding matrix.
2. Management: Management of the physical structure of the wood would help stabilise existing populations. Special attention to the provision of butterfly food and larval plants is needed to ensure populations persist. Management can be tailored too each woodland and balanced to fit its nature. For example some are already designated Nature Reserves and already managed for Wildlife, others are commercially farmed and done so in a sympathetic way. Coppicing seems to be the most productive method of management not only does this fit with Dormouse management but also provides suitable habitats for most of the core butterfly species, providing the necessary open space and allowing suitable flowering plants to grow.
3. Species Control: For Dormice the key factors in stabilising and spreading the species are deer control and monitoring of Grey Squirrels. Provision of Nest Boxes is additionally very advantageous. The support of butterfly species requires the careful monitoring of food plants and careful planning of glade and ride management as most species seem highly reliant upon both glades and rides. Given the butterflies short generation time there is an inherent fragility to their communities however the same trait means that it is easier to establish new colonies if conditions are maintained especially in multi-voltine species.
Most of the recommendations and findings are included in text but here is a list of general recommendations that draw together all the threads of the study.
- Focus efforts on getting Wappenbury to an optimum state. Use this as a focal point of all activities allowing further change and effects to radiate out from it.
- Manage Deer in all Woods
- Monitor Grey Squirrel Numbers
- Introduce Dormice to Wappenbury and Ryton either by encouraging dispersal or by releases. Ensuring the development of optimal habitat.
- Monitor Dormice Populations
- Add nest boxes to Weston, Bubbenhall, Ryton and Wappenbury Woods.
- Improve Hedgerows between all woods. Plant trees, widen and ensure continuity by filling gaps with new planting.
- Plant a strip of woodland at least 200m wide between North Cubbington and Weston Woods
- Plant a strip of woodland at least 300m wide between Wappenbury and Ryton.
- Focus connectivity efforts on linking Bubbenhall and Wappenbury either by hedgerow improvement or by woodland.
- Monitor core butterfly species regularly.
- Introduce key Butterflies to recommended key woods such as Wappenbury.
- Encourage wider involvement in the project in the woodland network perhaps by improving limited access to some woods.
References
Bright, P.W and MacPherson, D (2002) Hedgerow Management, dormice and biodiversity. Research Report No. 454 English Nature
Bright, P.W, Morris, P. and Mitchell-Jones A. (1996) The Dormouse Conservation Handbook English Nature.
Butterfly Conservation [1] (Accessed 2004)
Chardon, J.P, Adriaensen, F and Matthyson, E Incorporating Landscape (2001) Elements in a connectivity measure: A Case Study for the Speckled Wood Butterfly (Parage aegeria L). Landscape Ecology 18 561-573
Hanski, I (1999) Metapopulation Ecology Oxford University Press
Hanski, I and Gaggiotti O.E (2004) Ecology, Genetics and Evolution of Metapopulations. Elsevier Academic Press
Hinsley, S. Bellamy, P. Newton, I and Sparks, T. (1994) Factors influencing the presence of individual breeding bird species in woodland fragments. English Nature Research Report No. 99 English Nature
Krebs, C (1994) Ecology. 4th Edition. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc
MacDonald, D.W and Rushton, S (2003) Modelling Space Use and Dispersal of Mammals in Real Landscapes: A tool for Conservation Journal of Biogeography 30 607-620
Morris, P (2004) Dormice British Natural History Series Whittet Books
Saunders, D. Hobb, R. and Biological Consequences of Margules, C. (1991) Ecosystem fragmentation: A review Conservation Biology 5 p18-32
Smith, M.C (2004) Assessment of Fragmentation and current issues concerning the Princethorpe Great Wood Enhancement Project: An Informal Report.
Warmington, K. and Vickery M. Warwickshire Butterflies: (2003) Their Habitats and where to find them The Warwickshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation
