Lincolnshire Biodiversity Partnership
News
A Local Nature Partnership for Lincolnshire
Local Nature Partnerships are a new initiative aimed at involving all sectors of society in the natural environment. The idea is that by working together we can improve the quality of the countryside and towns we live in, and enjoy them more into the bargain. The end result - things are better for wild plants and animals, and better for us, too.
Action plan to help threatened Lincolnshire wildlife launched at conference
The Biodiversity Action Plan for 2011 to 2020 was launched at the Lincolnshire Biodiversity Partnership's annual conference on Friday 21 October at Riseholme College, near Lincoln.
The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) identifies priority habitats and species in Lincolnshire and conservation action that can take place at a local level, which will also contribute to national and international conservation commitments. It brings together 45 partners to build on the success of previous editions and deliver coordinated action for wildlife across Lincolnshire, North and North East Lincolnshire; anyone can contribute and more partners are always welcome.
The 41 plans that make up the document have been written by experts and people with local knowledge, and endorsed through a six week public consultation. The efficiencies brought by the partnership working should ensure a better future for farmland birds, wildflowers, seals and all the places where wildlife lives - working towards the BAP vision for the future that "Lincolnshire and its neighbouring seas are much richer in biodiversity".
Chair of the Lincolnshire Biodiversity Partnership, Richard Chadd, commented: "Successive editions of Lincolnshire's Biodiversity Action Plan have delivered tangible gains for wildlife in the County. This new edition carries such action forwards in an even sharper, more efficient manner, concentrating the efforts of partners to improve biodiversity across a range of habitats."
Signing up to endorse the Action Plan on the day, Richard Wills, Executive Director for Communities at Lincolnshire County Council, said "We should be passionate about the place in which we live. Our biodiversity is an essential component of what makes Lincolnshire unique. We are stewards of our place and should keep it safe for future generations."
The 86 delegates also heard presentations from Wild Planet on the south Lincolnshire Fenlands; the Nettleham Woodland Trust on people and nature; and Cemex on waste-derived fuels. Each described the reasons for the environmental work they were undertaking, how this contributed to the Action Plan and the barriers they had overcome to achieve their goals.
The Lincolnshire Biodiversity Partnership brings together 45 partners consisting of local authorities, statutory agencies, and voluntary and not-for-profit organisations all working towards conserving wildlife and the environment in the historic county of Lincolnshire.
A Lincolnshire Records Centre has set the standard for recording wildlife
LERC is celebrating accreditation by the Association of Local Record Centres and is set to become a role model for other record centres in the country. It is one of the first to be accredited in Britain having taken part in a pilot project to improve data collation throughout the country. Funded by Natural England, this pilot project will be rolled out to the rest of the country.
LERC gathers and holds valuable information about the county's wildlife, habitats and designated wildlife and geological sites. Its database currently holds over 1 million records of plants and animals.
Charlie Barnes of LERC said "Data from LERC is used in everything from planning applications to personal research, achieving accreditation is brilliant as we are able to demonstrate to everyone that our service has been externally graded and passed".
This external accreditation of quality ensures that customers can be even more confident that the service provided is of the highest standard, and data providers can be sure their data is appropriately stored and used.
Accreditation also recognizes the huge amount of work put into LERC by staff and volunteers since its formal establishment in 2006; it is an excellent accomplishment for such a young operation.
Record Centres have to meet at least 16 criteria out of the 20 set out by the accreditation system, whilst showing a continuing commitment to fulfil the remainder. Of the 16 criteria met 10 are compulsory. These criteria include: working with wide range of partner organisations such as local authorities, statutory agencies and non-governmental organisations; and holding data on the diversity of wildlife that exists in the county from birds and butterflies to beetles and bryophytes.
Landmark for Lincolnshire's wildlife
The Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre is celebrating its latest landmark achievement of receiving its one millionth wildlife record.
Lincolnshire's records centre was founded in 2007 and is a not-for-profit service which gathers and distributes information about the wildlife and habitats found across the county.
Wildlife records are important as they allow changes in the populations of species to be monitored, which may occur due to climate change, pollution, disease or habitat change. Wildlife records are also needed to find and protect valuable habitats for wildlife - especially those supporting protected species.
The wildlife sighting which took the records centre over the one million mark was a white admiral butterfly (Limenitis camilla), spotted in Chambers Farm Wood in the Lincolnshire Limewoods in July 2009 (from 2009 because records from 2010 are currently being collated by the records centre).
White admiral butterfly by Dean Eades
This beguiling black and white butterfly is found widely across central and southern England, extending to the eastern counties of Wales and as far north as Mid-Lincolnshire. It is also present across central Europe, throughout Asia and as far east as Japan.
The white admiral resides in woodland glades and glides between bramble patches, where it feeds on the blossom's nectar, and honeysuckle upon which it lays its eggs.
This striking butterfly has suffered a steep population decline in the last 20 years for reasons that are not yet known, and is now classified as a UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species.
The white admiral isn't alone in its downfall - many butterfly species are rapidly declining, largely due to habitat loss and intensification of land management practices. Butterflies are very sensitive to subtle changes in the environment, making them valuable indicators of the health of the countryside. Without records centres, declines in the populations of our wildlife may not be detected until it is too late for species to be saved.
OS copyright No. AL100016739 Banovallum House, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF.
Map created in Jan 2011 based on records in the Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre to date. This data has been collated thanks to the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union, Butterfly Conservation and members of the public.
Charlie Barnes, of the Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre commented: "The wildlife and habitats of Lincolnshire can only be protected and conserved for the future if we know which species are in the county."
"The fact the records centre now has one million records is a fantastic achievement - especially at the beginning of the UN's International Decade of Biodiversity."
The records centre is actively seeking more wildlife records of both common and rare species, to build a picture of how wildlife is faring in the county. If you have any wildlife sightings you would like to share, the records centre would like to hear from you. To submit your wildlife sightings, please email info@lincsbiodiversity.org.uk or telephone 01507 528381.
- Download the photo of a White Admiral butterfly (8mb)
- Download the distribution of a White Admiral butterfly in Lincolnshire (0.5mb)
Please note: Any details submitted to the records centre will be held on a centralised database which is available to local authorities, ecological consultants and members of the public to access information on the county's wildlife. Your personal details form part of the "record", but will not be released to third parties, except to verify the information you provide.
