Monitoring Nature Conservation in Cultural Habitats: A Practical Guide and Case Studies

392 Pages·2006·12.409 MB·English

by  Clive Hurford (auth.), Clive Hurford, Michael Schneider (eds.)

MONITORING NATURE CONSERVATION IN CULTURAL
HABITATS: A PRACTICAL GUIDE AND CASE STUDIES
Monitoring Nature Conservation
in Cultural Habitats:
A Practical Guide and Case Studies
edited by
CLIVE HURFORD
Countryside Council for Wales,
Bangor, U.K.
and
MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Västerbotten County Administration,
Umeå, Sweden
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN-10 1-4020-3756-2 (HB)
ISBN-13 978-1-4020-3756-6 (HB)
ISBN-10 1-4020-3757-0 (e-book)
ISBN-13 978-1-4020-3757-3 (e-book)
Published by Springer,
P.O. Box 17, 3300 AADordrecht, The Netherlands.
www.springer.com
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 2006 Springer
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording
or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception
of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered
and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
Printed in the Netherlands.
CONTENTS
Foreword vii
List of Contributors ix
Acknowledgements xi
Part I - An introduction to conservation monitoring
Chapter 1 - Monitoring in cultural habitats 3
Chapter 2 - The relationship between monitoring and management 13
Part II - Traditional approaches to data collection
Chapter 3 - The roles of survey 25
Chapter 4 - Surveillance 35
Chapter 5 - Strategic sampling 43
Pat III - Developing projects for monitoring habitats
Chapter 6 - Developing a habitat monitoring project 57
Chapter 7 - Identifying the conservation priority 61
Chapter 8 - Incorporating knowledge from research 65
Chapter 9 - Developing a conservation strategy 73
Chapter 10 - Minimising observer error 79
Chapter 11 - Identifying site-specific condition indicators for habitats 93
Chapter 12 - Where to focus the monitoring effort 105
Chapter 13 - Collecting the monitoring data 119
Chapter 14 - The supporting roles of on-site photography 129
Chapter 15 - Integrating data in Geographical Information Systems 137
Part IV - The case studies
Chapter 16 - The monitoring case studies 149
Chapter 17 - Monitoring coastal heaths at St David’s 157
Chapter 18 - Monitoring arable weeds at Newton Farm 169
Chapter 19 - Monitoring neutral grassland at Somerton Farm 185
Chapter 20 - Monitoring the Brown Bear Ursus arctos in Västerbotten County 195
Chapter 21 - Monitoring the Wolverine Gulo gulo in Västerbotten County 215
Chapter 22 - Monitoring the Greater Mouse-eared Bat Myotis myotis on a landscape scale 231
Chapter 23 - Monitoring Choughs Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax on the Castlemartin Peninsula 247
Chapter 24 - Narrow-mouthed Whorl Snail Vertigo angustior at Whiteford Burrows 259
Chapter 25 - Monitoring the Heath Fritillary Mellicta athalia at Thornden and West Blean
Woods 271
Part V - Woodland monitoring
Chapter 26 - Woodland management 287
Chapter 27 - Issues specific to monitoring broad-leaved woodland 293
Chapter 28 - Monitoring issues specific to Western Taïga forests 301
Chapter 29 - Beech Fagus sylvatica forests at Biskopstorp 309
v
vi
Part VI - Using information from remote images
Chapter 30 - Using Earth Observation to monitor habitats 325
Chapter 31 - Planning a remote sensing project 333
Chapter 32 - Remote sensing of dune habitats at Kenfig NNR 341
Chapter 33 - Remote sensing of fen vegetation at Cors Crymlyn NNR 353
Chapter 34 - Coastal lagoons in Sweden and Finland 361
Part VII - Looking to the future
Chapter 35 - The challenges and opportunities that lie ahead 383
Appendices
Appendix I - Glossary and abbreviations 391
Index 395
FOREWORD
The European Union Natura 2000 initiative is an unprecedented opportunity, both
for nature conservation and biodiversity in general. However, the challenge facing
conservationists is enormous, and we will have to be resourceful if Europe is to secure
the future of its natural fauna and flora, or else risk failing to hand over the same
choice to future generations.
For a 10-year period now the member countries have focused their efforts on
implementing the Natura 2000 legislation and accomplishing the overarching
objectives of the Birds and Habitats directives. This has certainly been a demanding
exercise, and of unforeseen complexity for most of us. Now, as the implementation
phase nears completion, the focus has shifted to learning to live with the long-term
implications of the Natura 2000 legislation. The established network has become the
single most important tool for managing biodiversity resources in European countries,
while the Habitats Directive itself provides powerful conservation tools in the
monitoring and reporting obligations of Articles 11 and 17.
When Sweden joined the EU in 1995, the existing members were already deeply
involved in implementing the early phases of the Habitats Directive. Our understanding
of the long-term implications of the Natura 2000 exercise developed gradually during
this hectic phase of harmonising Swedish strategies and activities with those of the
European Union. In 2001 we started to develop a national programme for monitoring
the Natura network, in the context of complete integration into the national
conservation networks. When we were looking around for good examples of
monitoring practices, it was natural to start the search among the Life-Nature projects
that were concerned with biodiversity monitoring. Here we found the then recently
completed project “Integrating monitoring with management planning: A
demonstration of good practice on Natura 2000 sites in Wales” run by the Countryside
Council for Wales, and we were immediately attracted to the principles of using
objective-driven monitoring to integrate management and conservation activities.
Subsequently, in 2002 and 2003, we ran our own national project, with the aim of
establishing an integrated monitoring system to meet all Swedish nature conservation
demands, while at the same time providing for the full range of monitoring activities
necessary to comply with the obligations of the EU directives. After some initial
analyses within the project group, we came to the fundamental conclusion that the
basic principles of objectives-based monitoring could be applied to the full range of
natural habitats and species constituting the natural environment of Northern Europe.
I’m happy to be able to say now, on completion of the project, that we have found no
reason to go back on this decision.
Our initial project work was strengthenedconsiderablybythe participation of Clive
Hurford and Alan Brown, whose insights, as well as tutorial skills, produced pivotal
vii
viii
effects during importantproject events, ranging from strategic broad-focus seminars to
small expert group meetings on various specific topics. The fruits of this ongoing
collaboration are evident in many of thecontributions to this volume. Although we are
still in the process of developing this approach to monitoring, I dare to say with some
pride that the foundation has been laid in a work area that I trust will become a
cornerstone of nature conservation practice for many years to come!
Johan Abenius
Senior Administrative Officer at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and
Project Leader of the 2002-3 national project “Natura 2000 monitoring in Sweden”.
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
EDITORS
Clive Hurford
Monitoring Ecologist for International Sites, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor,
UK.
Dr Michael Schneider
Large Carnivore Specialist and Conservation Officer, Västerbotten County
Administration, Umeå, Sweden.
CHAPTER AUTHORS
Johan Abenius
Principal Administrative Officer, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency,
Stockholm, Sweden.
Dr David Allen
Environmental Monitoring Manager, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Dr Tom Brereton
Head of Conservation Monitoring, Butterfly Conservation, Wareham, UK.
Alan Brown
Remote Sensing Manager, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Stephen Evans
Botanical Society of the British Isles Recorder, Pembrokeshire, UK.
Adrian Fowles
Senior Invertebrate Ecologist, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Örjan Fritz
PhD-student, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.
Dan Guest
Monitoring Ecologist, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Anders Haglund
Ecological Consultant, Ekologigruppen, Stockholm, Sweden.
Matthias Hammer
Coordination Officer for Bat Conservation, Erlangen University, Germany. (cid:3)
ix
x
Bob Haycock
Senior Reserves Manager, Countryside Council for Wales, Pembroke, UK.
Juha Katajisto
Planning Officer, West Finland Regional Environmental Centre, Vaasa, Finland.
Dr Keith Kirby
Forestry and Woodland Officer, English Nature, Peterborough, UK.
Dylan Lloyd
Monitoring Ecologist, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Paul Pan
Principal Consultant, Custom GIS, Cardiff, UK.
Dr Terry Rowell
Head of Environmental Change Group, Countryside Council for Wales, Bangor, UK.
Dr Ann Salomonson
Research Consultant, Annova forskningskonsult, Umeå, Sweden.
Anneli Sedin
Environmental Protection Officer, Västerbotten County Administration, Umeå,
Sweden.
Dr Graham Thackrah
Earth Observation Data Specialist, Research Systems International, Crowthorne, UK.
.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book has been possible only because of the cooperation and support of very
many friends and colleagues over the past ten years.
Initially our thanks must go to those who have contributed text to the book,
namely (and in order of appearance); Johan Abenius, Terry Rowell, David Allen,
Alan Brown, Dan Guest, Dylan Lloyd, Paul Pan, Stephen Evans, Matthias Hammer,
Bob Haycock, Adrian Fowles, Tom Brereton, Keith Kirby, Anders Haglund, Örjan
Fritz, Graham Thackrah, Ann Salomonson, Juha Katajisto and Anneli Sedin. Thanks
also to Dan Guest and Alan Brown for preparing maps and illustrations. We are
grateful to Jane Powell, Dan Guest, Keith Kirby, Graham Thackrah and Chris
Millican for helping with the thankless task of copy-editing and providing invaluable
comments on the content. Our gratitude is also extended to the publishing editors and
technicians at Springer NL, particularly Helen Buitenkamp, Sandra Oomkes, Gerrit
Oomen and Ria Kanters, for their encouragement and support throughout the writing
and collation phases of the publication process.
In CCW, we would like to thank:
David Parker, Terry Rowell and Malcolm Smith for supporting the book and
giving their permission to use CCW data; to the members of Life Project Team,
namely Alan Brown, David Evans, Tom Hellawell, Helen Hughes, Menna Jones, Ken
Perry and Terry Rowell for their collective input into the development of the habitat
monitoring methods described in this book; and the more recent additions to the CCW
monitoring team, that is David Allen, Dan Guest, Dylan Lloyd, Karen Wilkinson,
Heather Lewis, Julie Creer, Tracey Lovering, Lesley Barton Allen and Ann Fells for
building on the foundations laid by the Life Project team and for contributing to the
data collection in sampling trials; the many NNR Wardens, Conservation Officers
and Science Directorate Specialists who have worked with us over the past 10 years;
Sam Bosanquet and Julian Woodman for their help during our preparatory work on
arable weeds and neutral grasslands; Helen Jones of Training Branch for supporting
the collaboration with our colleagues in Sweden; Paul Culyer and Bob Haycock for
the benefit of their experience and warm hospitality during the visits by colleagues
from Sweden.
In Sweden, we thank:
Johan Abenius and Björn Jonsson, of the Swedish Environmental Protection
Agency and Västerbotten County Administration respectively, for ensuring that the
collaboration with CCW was possible, and for their continuing support; both of the
above, Anders Haglund, Ann Salomonson, Kajsa Berggren, John Jeglum, Örjan Fritz,
xi