List of species and habitats of principal importance in England
England is obliged by UK law to maintain lists of species and habitats of principal importance for biodiversity conservation; the other countries within the UK: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, have their own laws for this purpose. Public bodies, including local authorities now have a legal duty to have regard to conserving biodiversity in the exercise of their normal functions.[1] In England, this obligation derives from the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006.[2][3]
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Selection
The species that have been designated to be of "principal importance for the purpose of conserving biodiversity" are those that are most threatened, in greatest decline, or where the UK holds a significant proportion of the world's total population. They mainly derive from lists originally drawn up for the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). Similarly the list of habitats of principal importance in England also derive from the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. Both lists were reviewed in 2007, and the total number of UK BAP habitats increased from 45 to 65, and the number of UK BAP species increased from under 600 to 1,150.[4]
From these, the formal list just for England (and laid out below) finally contained 56 of those 65 habitats, and 943 of the original 1,150 UK species.[5][6][7][8][9]
Legal obligations
Section 40 of The Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 places a legal obligation on public bodies in England to have regard to particular living organisms and types of habitat which are of the greatest conservation importance whilst carrying out their functions, whilst also having a general regard for protecting all biodiversity. Section 41 of that same Act of Parliament requires the Secretary of State to maintain and publish statutory lists of these features[1] - a function carried out on his/her behalf by Defra and Natural England. The lists given here are sometimes known as the 'Section 41 lists', or 'priority habitats' and 'priority species' lists. They replace an earlier list which was required under Section 74 of the CRoW Act of 2000, and which was published by Defra two years later, though their contents were at that time identical to the UK BAP priority habitats and species lists.[10]
Significance
Awareness of the presence of any principal species or principal habitat identified on these lists is of great importance within the local authority planning process when land is considered for development. Along with legally protected species, statutory and non-statutory sites, knowledge of their presence is required if the impact of future development is to be avoided or mitigated. By fully considering all these features in the decision-making process, the planning authority will have demonstrated that it has discharged its duties to conserve biodiversity.[11][12]
Habitats of 'principal importance' in England
The latest update to the list of Section 41 habitats of principal importance (priority habitats) was published by Natural England in August 2010.[13][14]
The list shows the broad habitat group, followed by name of the habitat of principal importance (as used by original source).
- Arable and horticulture: Arable field margins
- Arable and horticulture: Traditional orchards
- Boundary: Hedgerows
- Coastal: Coastal saltmarsh
- Coastal: Coastal sand dunes
- Coastal: Coastal vegetated shingle
- Coastal: Intertidal mudflats
- Coastal: Maritime cliff and slopes
- Coastal: Saline lagoons
- Freshwater: Aquifer-fed naturally fluctuating water bodies
- Freshwater: Eutrophic standing waters
- Freshwater: Mesotrophic lakes
- Freshwater: Oligotrophic and dystrophic lakes
- Freshwater: Ponds
- Freshwater: Rivers
- Grassland: Lowland calcareous grassland
- Grassland: Lowland dry acid grassland
- Grassland: Lowland meadows
- Grassland: Purple moor-grass and rush pastures
- Grassland: Upland calcareous grassland
- Grassland: Upland hay meadows
- Heathland: Lowland heathland
- Heathland: Mountain heaths and willow scrub
- Heathland: Upland heathland
- Inland rock: Calaminarian grasslands
- Inland rock: Inland rock outcrop and scree habitats
- Inland rock: Limestone pavements
- Inland rock: Open mosaic habitats on previously developed land
- Marine: Blue mussel beds
- Marine: Estuarine rocky habitats
- Marine: Fragile sponge and anthozoan communities on subtidal rocky habitats
- Marine: Horse mussel beds
- Marine: Intertidal boulder communities
- Marine: Intertidal chalk
- Marine: Maërl beds
- Marine: Mud habitats in deep water
- Marine: Peat and clay exposures
- Marine: Sabellaria alveolata reefs
- Marine: Sabellaria spinulosa reefs
- Marine: Seagrass beds
- Marine: Sheltered muddy gravels
- Marine: Subtidal chalk
- Marine: Subtidal sands and gravels
- Marine: Tide-swept channels
- Wetland: Blanket bog
- Wetland: Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh
- Wetland: Lowland fens
- Wetland: Lowland raised bog
- Wetland: Reedbeds
- Wetland: Upland flushes, fens and swamps
- Woodland: Lowland beech and yew woodland
- Woodland: Lowland mixed deciduous woodland
- Woodland: Upland mixed ashwoods
- Woodland: Upland oakwood
- Woodland: Wet woodland
- Woodland: Wood-pasture and parkland
Species of 'principal importance' in England
The latest update to the Section 41 list of species of principal importance for the conservation of biodiversity in England (priority species) was published by Natural England in May 2014. It now includes 943 species.[15]
See also
References
- "Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 Part 3". legislation.gov.uk. H M Government. 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Primary Legislation: England". Biodiversity Planning Toolkit. The Biodiversity Toolkit Partnership. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "NERC Act 2006. Section 41: Species of Principal Importance in England". www.nhm.ac.uk. Natural History Museum. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "UK BAP priority species and habitats". jncc.defra.gov.uk. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Habitats and species of principal importance in England". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Natural England. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "UK Biodiversity Action Plan Species". Biodiversity Planning Toolkit. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Introduction to UK BAP Priority Habitats". Biodiversity Planning Toolkit. The Biodiversity Toolkit Partnership. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Hedgehogs' inky paw prints point to sparse distribution". BBC Nature News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Weird and wonderful plant and fungal discoveries of 2010". Science Daily. Science Daily. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
- "EXPLANATORY NOTE Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 - Habitats and Species of Principal Importance in England". Defra/Natural England. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "Development and wildlife". www.hertswildlifetrust.org.uk. Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- "Chapter 10: Priority habitats and species and development". www.thomsonecology.com. Thomson Ecology. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- "Habitats and species of principal importance in England". The National Archives. Natural England. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "List of Habitats and Species". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Natural England. August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - "Section 41 Species - Priority Actions Needed (B2020-008)". publications.naturalengland.org.uk. Natural England. October 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2017.