A New Champion for Wildlife in the North-East - July 2008

Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Darlington and County Durham have a new biodiversity champion.

Helen Ryde has joined the Durham Biodiversity Partnership as Implementation Officer, taking over from Andy Lees who held the post for four years and was responsible for leading on the recent review of the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan.

The Durham Biodiversity Partnership includes local authorities, conservation organisations, businesses and individuals who are helping to protect, conserve and enhance the most vulnerable or important wildlife in the Durham area.

FULL STORY

MAGical Meadows Fen and Woodland Reports - May 2008

In August 2007 ecological surveys of two DBAP priority habitats – lowland fen and woodland – commenced. This work was carried out on behalf of Durham Biodiversity Partnership by Clare O'Reilly of Ptyxis Ecology and ecologist John Durkin. Almost one hundred lowland fen sites and over ninety limestone woodland sites were surveyed and over 500 samples of vegetation were analysed.

Condition assessments for each of the fen and woodland sites were carried out during the survey period. The results of these assessments showed that 68% of the lowland fen sites surveyed across the DMLNA are in unfavourable condition, partially destroyed or destroyed. The majority of this decline is due to the improper management of these highly important DBAP priority habitat sites.

FULL STORY

Andy Lees Has Flown the Nest - March 2008

After nearly four years in his role as BAP Implementation Officer, Andy Lees has now flown the nest from the Durham Biodiversity Partnership. During his time as BAP Implementation Officer, Andy not only achieved a great deal for the Partnership but also had a huge impact on conservation projects in the North East. Andy's work for the Partnership over this time includes:

• Developing the MAGical Meadows project which brought in over £400,000 to support the conservation and restoration of magnesian limestone habitats.
• Establishing a new identity for the Partnership, including a new website and a regular newsletter for partners and the public.
• Developing funding for lowland grassland management work through the Coalfields and Lowlands Project, and was involved in the establishment and running of the North East Grazing Project.
• Running a number of schemes as part of the Mineral Valleys Project, which included work for juniper and the small pearl-bordered fritillary.
• Establishing and managing the Derwent Grass Snake project which is currently developing new habitat for grass snake along the Derwent corridor.
• Emphasising the importance of baseline data to support conservation work and establishing baseline surveys of fen and woodland and grassland habitats in the east of the area as well as continuing the work to survey and identify important road verges across the DBAP area.
• Running a number of public surveys with the Wildlife Trust which has added to our knowledge of species distribution, and starting the work to establish a biological record centre in Durham which eventually lead to the establishment of the Durham Biodiversity Data Service.
• Revising the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan and involved many more partners in the process.  Along the way Andy established the principle that BAP habitats needed to be defined clearly in order that they could be measured, work which has influenced the new criteria for selection of Local Wildlife Sites.
• Publishing the plan on the website and producing a summary document for easy reference.

Andy has moved to the North Pennines AONB Partnership and is now working as Conservation Officer for the Living North Pennines project. He can be contacted at andy@northpenninesaonb.org.uk

Durham Biodiversity Data Service Launched - February 2008

A new biodiversity data service has been launched for the Durham area. Covering the local authority areas of Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham , the Durham Biodiversity Data Service (DBDS) provides high quality, verified and current species and habitat data to ecological professionals.

Data is sourced from many different organisations and individuals with whom DBDS holds data sharing agreements, and from internally commissioned survey work and verified public survey data from work undertaken by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership. The aim of the service is to better protect biodiversity through the sharing of high quality biodiversity data, and on the basis of the principles established by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN). FULL STORY

Rare bugs on our soft cliffs? - September 2007  

A survey of the invertebrate life on some of our coastal cliffs has been taking place this summer. Because eroding soft cliffs are unstable they often have just the right amount of bare ground and a diversity of flowering plants to support a variety of insects and other invertebrates, but the cliffs from the Tyne estuary to the Durham coast have never been systematically surveyed before.

Bare ground offers nesting sites for burrowing bees and wasps, hunting grounds for visual predators such as ground beetles, warm basking areas allowing warmth-loving creatures to remain active in cooler conditions and germination sites for wildlflowers. Where cliffs are colonised by wildflowers, nectar and pollen sources are provided for bees and other insects. FULL STORY

River Derwent Grass Snakes - September 2007

A new project funded by SITA's Enriching Nature fund and Northumbrian Water Ltd aims to improve habitat along the river Derwent for grass snakes. New wetland scrapes will provide feeding grounds and log pile hibernacula will provide places to overwinter.

Volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers have helped Dewentside Council to create 5 hibernacula and Gateshead Council will be building several more alongside some new large ponds which will provide good amphibian hunting ground for the snakes. The Forestry Commission and Friends of Chopwell Woods will also be managing riverside land on the edge of Chopwell Wood to provide compost piles which are crucial for egg-laying success, as well as building their own hibernacula.

Survey work and a public information leaflet will also form part of the project.

New Action Plan - July 2007

July 2007 saw the launch of the revised Durham Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). Local BAPs like this one set the agenda for wildlife conservation across the country and are a local framework for action for all organisations and individuals.

The Durham BAP attempts to set out the priorities for biodiversity conservation as clearly as we can for as wide an audience as possible. New government guidance (NERC 2006) gives a responsibility to all public bodies, including local authorities, utility companies and so on, to take biodiversity into account in their decision making, and so local BAPs, which define priority habitats, species and local objectives for action, are increasingly important documents. FULL STORY

String of Pearls – May 2007

The small pearl-bordered fritillary was once widespread on the upland fringes in Durham . In recent decades we have watched as one by one its former strongholds have disappeared to drainage, ploughing, afforestation, and lack of management. Formerly recorded from fourteen 10km squares in the County, the ‘small pearl', as it is known in butterfly circles, is now restricted to a small network of four sites all within about a kilometre of each other.

However, the ‘small pearl' has recently been the focus of concerted effort by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership with help from the County Durham Environment Trust, and the work appears to be yielding some promising results. FULL STORY

Double Award Winning MAGical Meadows - July 2006

The recent success of Durham Wildlife Trust's MAGical Meadows project at the national Flora locale Go Native! Planting for Biodiversity Awards, was recognised at a celebration on Monday 17 July at 4:30pm at the Botanic Gardens in Durham .

The project saw off stiff competition from four other grassland projects and three Northern England projects to be the winner in the 'Grassland' and ' Northern England ' categories. David Bellamy joined representatives from the project's partners to present the awards. FULL STORY

A new hedgerow survey for Durham - July 2006.

The success of the Durham Hedgerow Partnership over the last few years in distributing its hedgerow grant, has meant that new hedgerows are popping up all over the place, and some old hedgerows are receiving traditional care and attention courtesy of our craftsmen hedgelayers. New agri-environment schemes administered by DEFRA should have the same effect.

Double Award Winning MAGical Meadows - June 2006

Durham Wildlife Trust's MAGical Meadows project has come top of the Go Native! Planting for Biodiversity awards, winning two categories. The MAGical Meadows project had been short-listed for both the Grassland and Northern England Projects categories. MAGical Meadows saw of stiff competition from four other grassland projects and three Northern England projects to be the only recipient of two awards.

MAGical Meadows Go Native! For Award - May 2006

Durham Wildlife Trust's MAGical Meadows project has been short-listed for the Go Native! Planting for Biodiversity awards. The Go Native! Planting for Biodiversity Awards is jointly promoted by Flora locale and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) and has attracted nearly 100 entries from all over the British Isles .

Watch out for Riverside Wildlife - March 2006

Wildlife organisations in the Durham are recruiting anglers to help them with wildlife surveys. The Durham Biodiversity Partnership, whose members include the Durham Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency, run a survey every year where the public helps them to build up a picture of the distribution of one or more species.

Last year the Durham public responded with records for adders, slow worms and grass snakes. This year the survey is being targeted at river users, particularly anglers, and the species being looked for are the grass snake and the kingfisher.

Summer Surveys - results so far - November 2005

The summer survey season has come to a close and the Durham Biodiversity Partnership is taking stock of results in so far.

A glow worm survey launched after a training event in June has yielded a few records for these elusive beetles, but none (so far) for completely new sites. However, coverage of likely sites wasn't complete and, because of a three-year cycle of abundance in glow worm populations, we will continue the survey for the next two years at least. Watch this space in spring 2006.

Hedgerow Grants - now available in Gateshead - November 2005

Grants to restore or to plant new hedgerows have now been made available to land-owners, tenants and voluntary groups in Gateshead , thanks to the work of the Durham Hedgerow Partnership.

The Hedgerow Partnership is worried that hedgerows across the region have disappeared from the landscape through destruction and neglect, and the grants aim to reverse this decline through restoration, re-planting and good management.

Motorway MAGic! - November 2005

The MAGical Meadows Project has been working in partnership with the Highways Agency and their Agents A-one to help preserve one of the UK 's rarest grassland. Works by the Highways Agency to widen the A1(M) in 2004, between junction 60 and 61, exposed cuttings through the rock Magnesian Limestone.

Now in 2005 the Highways Agency are sowing the exposed Magnesian Limestone rock with seed collected locally from Thrislington Plantation National Nature Reserve (NNR) - the regions best example of magnesian limestone grassland owned and managed by quarrying company Lafarge Aggregates Limited, in partnership with English Nature .

Waxcap grasslands - Biodiversity underground! - October 2005

The Durham Biodiversity Partnership is turning its attention this autumn to a forgotten and overlooked aspect of biodiversity - fungi-rich grasslands.

Most of us with an interest in wildlife spend our time either looking up at birds and flying insects or down at the plants and crawling animals. How many of us have stopped to consider that some of the biggest organisms and the greatest diversity of species may be right beneath our feet - underground.

MAGical Meadows Success - July 2005

A project to restore some of our most distinctive and wildlife-rich countryside in the east of Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland has scored a notable success with a £320,000 grant from the ALSF Partnership Grants Scheme through Defra's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (see Notes for Editors below).

Partners in the MAGical Meadows projects are putting on a series of 'MAGical Events' during July to celebrate their success and to explain the project more fully to the public.

Glow Worm Survey - June 2005

Get your thermos and head torches ready - nocturnal volunteers required for a glow worm hunt.

If you can spare a few late evenings in June and are willing to be trained in glow worm identification, then the Durham Biodiversity Partnership needs you to take part in the Durham glow worm 2005.

The glow worm is a Durham Biodiversity Action Plan (DBAP) species and is thought to be in serious decline in Durham and Tyne & Wear. The last widespread survey in 2003 turned up no records at all, although there have been some recent sightings from Castle Eden Denemouth and Thrislington National Nature Reserve (NNR).

Snakes Alive! - June 2005

The public is being asked to report all sightings of Snakes and Slow-worms to the Durham Biodiversity Partnership during the summer months in a bid to ensure the conservation of these reclusive creatures.

The postcard and web-based survey aims to gather as much information as possible about grass snakes, adders and slow-worms, as part of the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan, which safeguards our most threatened wildlife.

Grass snakes and adders are the only two native snakes found locally. Although slow-worms look like snakes they are actually legless lizards.

Hedgerow Grants Launched - June 2005

Grants to plant or to restore hedgerows are now available to land-owners and managers across the Durham region.

The Durham Hedgerow Partnership who co-ordinate the scheme are worried that hedgerows across the region have disappeared from the landscape through destruction and neglect, and the grants aim to reverse this decline through restoration and re-planting.

Hedgerows are an extremely important habitat for all kinds of wildlife including farmland birds, butterflies and moths, bats and small mammals like voles and shrews.

Beach Clean-up Challenge - March 2005

Over a mile of the Durham coastline is to be spring-cleaned thanks to volunteers from Northumbrian Water who are the first company to take up the Durham Business Biodiversity Challenge.

Last month the Durham Biodiversity Partnership posted a number of challenges on their website to encourage employee volunteers to come out and help with practical tasks for wildlife in the region.

North East Cares, a Business in the Community employee volunteering programme, has helped recruit companies to this cause and Northumbrian Water were the first to respond.

The Business Biodiversity Challenge - November 2004

The Durham Biodiversity Partnership is challenging businesses in the region to take action to help wildlife.

A series of challenges have been designed by organisations such as the Durham Wildlife Trust, Sunderland, Gateshead and South Tyneside Councils to help meet targets in the Durham Biodiversity Action Plan as well as providing opportunities for businesses and public bodies to design team building exercises around a real-life challenge.

Each challenge is posted by one of the organisations in the Durham Biodiversity Partnership who are working together to protect the most vulnerable wildlife in the region.

New Website Launched - September 2004

An action plan for the most important wildlife in the Durham area is now available on a new website launched by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership.

The partnership, which includes the local authorities of Gateshead, Darlington, South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham as well as the Durham Wildlife Trust and many regional environmental bodies, has created the website to allow more people to take action for wildlife.

The new site contains the information on how and where to volunteer on wildlife related projects and how you can help take part in local wildlife surveys. Information from previous wildlife surveys will also be available.

MAGical Meadows - New Officer Appointed - July 2004

A unique and nationally important wildlife habitat has just received a cash boost from English Nature's Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF).

The MAGical meadows project aims to protect the few remaining magnesian limestone grasslands in the area, to create new areas, and to raise the profile of this extremely rare and threatened habitat.

Over two-thirds of the UK's magnesian limestone grassland is in the Durham area, particularly South Tyneside, Sunderland, Easington and Sedgefield.

New Wildlife Champion for the North-East - July 2004

Wildlife in Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Darlington and County Durham has a new champion.

Andy Lees has been appointed by the Durham Biodiversity Partnership, which includes local authorities and environmental bodies in the region, to help protect the most vulnerable or important wildlife in the Durham area.

Andy previously worked in Leicester for environmental charity Environ where he co-ordinated work as diverse as nature reserve management, local food schemes, employment projects and a natural burial company.