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Natural England has launched a range of new conservation guides which illustrate how careful land management can help create healthy habitats for wildlife.

Designed to support land managers with Environmental Stewardship agreements but of interest to anyone looking to discover how wildlife habitats can best be looked after, these illustrated guides provide a visual showcase of how different conservation techniques can support a wide variety of plants, animals and insects.

A range of habitats and landscapes are looked at – from woodlands to ponds and grasslands – with information on how to encourage plants and insects and the birds that depend upon them. Other guides look at hedgerow restoration and the management techniques to encourage particular species such as the black grouse, with guides for lapwing and snipe due to be published shortly.

All of the following guides are free and can be downloaded from Natural England’s website at: www.naturalengland.org.uk  or by clicking on the links below:

Illustrated guide to lowland chalk and limestone grassland
Chalk and limestone grassland comprises some of the most species-rich habitat in lowland England. It varies widely from the south-facing, shallow soils of the chalk Downs in the south, to the north-facing slopes of the limestone Dales. Whatever the location, if it is in the right condition, chalk and limestone grassland can support a huge number of plants and animals.

Illustrated guide to trees, woodlands and scrub
Woodlands and habitats that contain a variety of trees, shrubs and grassland generally support a great abundance of wildlife, including rare and declining species. They are a traditional feature of the English landscape and provide colourful displays of flowers, foliage and fruits. Some are ancient and have great historic and cultural value as well as biological and landscape importance. Their characters vary widely from ancient wood pasture to low input upland pastures; from small grass fields bounded by hedges to woodlands recently created under farm woodland and other grant schemes. This guide includes advice on managing old and ancient trees; decaying wood; and farm woodlands.

Illustrated guide to ponds and scrapes
Ponds are an important wildlife habitat and are listed under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.
Ponds of high wildlife value come in many different forms. This leaflet offers advice on existing ponds, temporary ponds (known as scrapes) and on creating new ponds.

Illustrated guide to rare plants on arable land
Some of the rarest plants in England are found on arable and mixed farms. Many species of arable plants are rare, declining or of conservation concern. These include grasses and mosses as well as wild flowers, traditional arable plant communities, as well as individual species are under threat.

Illustrated guide to purple moorgrass and rush pasture
Purple moorgrass and rush pasture is found on poorly drained, usually acid soils receiving high rainfall. It includes species rich fen meadows and pastures. These grasslands support a range of highly specialised plants and animals such as curlew, reed bunting and marsh fritillary butterfly, which have adapted to the specific conditions of this grass. The guide illustrates what this type of grassland should and shouldn’t look like at different times of the year.

Illustrated guide to upland limestone grassland
Upland limestone grassland supports some of the rarest plants in England. On some sites, there are species that are commonly found in the Alps. Species vary widely depending on where in the country the grassland is. However, there are a lot of flowers that are typical of this habitat, including salad burnet, common bird’s-foot trefoil, limestone bedstraw, selfheal, rough hawkbit, eyebrights, and the bobbing heads of quaking grass. In the uplands, limestone sites with rock outcrops and block scree, are important for molluscs, in particular snails, as the limestone provides the scarce calcium they need for their shells.

Illustrated guide to water courses beside grassland
Rivers, streams and ditches supply much of the water we consume. Those with high water quality are also valuable wildlife habitats. Water quality can be damaged by intensive grazing, poaching and other soil disturbance. These activities can contaminate water with sediment containing soil, nutrients and pesticides, affecting the quality of downstream water supplies and damaging fish spawning areas.

Illustrated guide to black grouse
Black Grouse are birds of the moorland edge. In the past their numbers declined drastically due to a range of factors. However, in recent years good habitat management has significantly increased black grouse numbers where it has been practiced. To benefit grouse this sympathetic habitat management needs be on a landscape scale rather than associated with any one particular habitat.

Illustrated guide to managing historic environment features
The historic environment is an important and non-renewable resource. It allows us to understand the cultural landscape in which we live. This guide looks at historic environment features on farmed land, in grassland, arable and moorland locations.

Illustrated guide to hedgerow network restoration
Hedgerows are important historic and cultural features that underpin many of our rich and varied rural landscapes. Most are hundreds of years old and some even prehistoric. They are a vital resource for wildlife, providing food and breeding sites for a host of creatures including birds, butterflies and small mammals. Good management is critical to the wildlife and landscape value of hedges; as well as to their ability to conserve soil, protect crop pollinators and predators of crop pests and to regulate water supply and flow.  All hedges require management to survive in the long term.

Notes to Editors:

About Natural England

Natural England is the government’s independent adviser on the natural environment. Established in 2006 our work is focused on enhancing England’s wildlife and landscapes and maximising the benefits they bring to the public.

• We establish and care for England’s main wildlife and geological sites, ensuring that over 4,000 National Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest are looked after and improved.

• We work to ensure that England’s landscapes are effectively protected, designating England’s National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Marine Conservation Zones, and advising widely on their conservation. 

• We run Environmental Stewardship and other green farming schemes that deliver over £400 million a year to farmers and landowners, enabling them to enhance the natural environment across two thirds of England’s farmland.

• We fund, manage, and provide scientific expertise for hundreds of conservation projects each year, improving the prospects for thousands of England’s species and habitats.

• We promote access to the wider countryside, helping establish National Trails and coastal trails and ensuring that the public can enjoy and benefit from them.
  

For further information contact: Graham Tibbetts (0300 060 2217/ 07810 636 344) or Nuala Murray (0300 060 2286/07900 608 35) in the Natural England Press Office (out of hours 07970 098005), or press@naturalengland.org.uk.

For further information about Natural England, please visit: www.naturalengland.org.uk