Oxfordshire State of Nature Report – an overview Graham Scholey Conservation Technical Specialist

SoN – Project Board Hilary Phillips – primary author Helen Marshall Nick Mottram Sian Liwicki Mike Pollard Neil Clennel Graham Scholey

Oxfordshire SoN - Background Making Space for Nature – the Lawton report Natural Environment White Paper ‘The natural choice – securing the value of nature’ 2011 national ecosystem assessment 2013 and 2016 National ‘State of Nature’ reports Biodiversity 2020 Defra 25-yr Plan

Data sources and contributors Base-line data held by Wild Oxfordshire and datasets compiled by key local recording groups and experts (such as Freshwater Habitats Trust, Oxfordshire Flora Group, RSPB (Midlands), Oxfordshire and Banbury Ornithological Societies, Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation, Oxfordshire Flora Group and Oxfordshire Mammal Group) Current information of area of Priority Habitat in the county, as supplied by Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) with additional information from the local Forestry Commission (FC), Natural England (NE) and the Environment Agency (EA) An analysis of change in land cover provided by TVERC Information from the Local Wildlife Sites project, jointly run by TVERC and Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)

What is the Oxfordshire SoN report? It summarises the best information currently available to paint a picture of the overall state of Oxfordshire’s natural environment It seeks to set this in the context of current and historical data, to give an understanding of long-term trends as well as more recent losses and gains in habitats and species It will be the basis for a shorter advocacy document It will be updated regularly

Main Features of the Report Summarise status and cause of change, with case studies, for: -Lowland semi-natural grassland and heathland -Freshwaters and wetlands -Woodland and Trees (4.2% of county) -Farmland (70% of the county) -Settlements (8.6% of the county) Followed by: ‘How to improve nature in Oxfordshire’

What’s special about Oxfordshire? Oxfordshire has some of the rarest and finest grasslands in the country Oxfordshire’s limestone and chalk grassland support the bulk of the UK population of meadow clary, Chiltern gentian and downy woundwort The county’s wet grasslands support the vast majority of the UK’s population of creeping marshwort and fen violet Oxfordshire has an outstanding pond resource with a wide range of pond types, which support some of our rarest and most vulnerable aquatic plants and animals

Oxfordshire – other important attributes 162 SSSIs wholly or partly in the county (4500Ha) of which ‘45% favourable’; 370 Local Wildlife Sites (5650Ha). Oxfordshire has 146 legally protected species and 260 priority (NERC Act) species Three of the UK’s 150 Important Plant Areas are in the county Important habitat restoration and creation projects, such as that at Wytham valley fens, Chimney Meadows, Pinkhill Meadow, Otmoor RSPB Reserve Large number of active environment focused community groups

Lowland semi-natural grassland and heathland Includes floodplain grazing marsh, hay meadows, chalk and limestone grassland, acid grassland, heathland Amount of semi-natural grassland has remained stable in Oxon since 1998, set against national decline of 98% since 1934. Internationally important site at Oxford Meadows – 5.6% of national MG4 resource

Wet grassland and breeding waders

Freshwater and Wetlands Includes rivers and streams and associated wetland habitats - fens, gravel pits, reedbeds, permanent and temporary ponds, wet grassland and wet woodland WFD major driver for improvements to riverine and groundwater quality – major legacy of impacts to overcome 8km of river restored in the last five years

Freshwater and Wetlands -Oxfordshire has an outstanding pond resource, including Little Wittenham SAC, and the Pinkhill Meadow complex (20% of all UK wetland plant and invertebrate species) -Cothill Fen is the largest surviving alkaline fen in central England -lack of management is a significant pressure in loss of good value fen habitat

Restoring floodplain connectivity and function River of Life project, nr Shillingford, Oxon 42% of UK rivers are disconnected from their floodplain The River of Life is a wetland creation and river restoration project developed over three years, since 2010, when the Earth Trust purchased new land which bordered 2 km of the River Thames in Shillingford, Oxon. Construction of the project was undertaken from October to December 2013. The project aimed to create high quality floodplain habitats to meet national biodiversity targets, including 20 ponds, a fen, two reedbeds and herb-rich grassland. In total, the project has improved over 50 ha of Earth Trust land and created (once the habitats establish) over 35 ha of new priority habitat. In addition, five large backwaters have been excavated which are connected to the River Thames. These backwaters will provide refuge areas for fish during flood events and valuable areas for fish fry to develop. These backwaters are deemed to be critical features in helping this reach of the Thames meet its objectives under the Water Framework Directive. Off-line refuge habitats are considered a limiting factor in the health of our fish populations on the main Thames. The scheme design makes the most of its floodplain situation by not only relying on flood events to support some of the floodplain features, but the project also helps to reduce flood risk through the removal of spoil out of the floodplain. The wetland features have been integrated into the drainage pattern of the local catchment to intercept run-off from agricultural land, to process and store silt and nutrients and reduce run-off rates. . FACT: 42% of UK rivers are disconnected from their floodplain

Planned restoration at Gill Mill

Woodland 73% of Oxfordshire’s woodland is broad-leaved or predominantly broad-leaved We have 8,919ha of ancient semi-natural woodland 38% of the county’s woodlands are less than 10Ha in size Since 1980 there has been an increase of 6,033ha (42%) of woodland more than 2ha in size Parkland, wood-pasture and veteran trees are an important component There are 873 traditional orchards

Case study – woodland birds

Farmland Agricultural pollution contributes 50-60% of nitrates, 20-30% of phophates and 75% of sediment into England’s Rivers Bird and Butterfly populations have shown long-term declines on farmland 4,207 Ha of Priority Habitat in the county were managed under agri-environment agreements 2006-2014 Nearly 55,000 metres of hedgerow were restored and 21,000 ha of margins/buffer strips planted between 2006 and 2014 in Oxfordshire

Settlements -66% of Oxfordshire’s population lives in an urban setting -The Green infrastructure within settlements benefit people and wildlife alike -Churchyards cover 198 ha of the county, and allotments 251 ha -Swifts have declined by 47% between 1994 and 2014 -Gardens hold 86% of all ponds

Oxfordshire – environmental pressures The trend for an increase in urban land cover has been mainly at the expense of arable and grassland habitats Key threats to habitats and species are overgrazing, habitat fragmentation and isolation, invasive species, lack of appropriate management, pollution, changes in farming practice and new pests and diseases Climate change has both negative and positive effects on plants and animals – and will impact flooding, water resources etc Lack of investment in and consideration of natural resources and services across sectors – lack of integrated approach

Make a difference projects At Otmoor RSPB reserve focused management has resulted in increases recorded for lapwings (66%), redshanks (70%) and snipe (100%) 2005-2015 and after an absence of about 200 years, bittern and marsh harrier have returned to breed in the reed beds During the period 2008 to 2016, against the backdrop of a national decline, the total water vole Local Key Areas in Oxfordshire increased more than three-fold as a result of the Water Vole Recovery Project The River of Life project has improved over 50 ha of Earth Trust land and once the habitats establish will have created over 35 ha of new priority habitat

State of nature in Oxfordshire – what next? “more, bigger, better and joined” ? How “become more dynamic and ambitious in what we seek to achieve”? “by changing the way in which people interact with the natural environment and the demands we place upon it”? By having a much more integrated approach across land-use planning, agricultural support and natural resource management? The Way Forward…..