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Endangered Wildlife in Lincolnshire and South Humberside.

A Red Data Report (LWT, 1988)

Work on this first country Red Data book started 1985. The book basically consists of lists of species with a brief description of their status, and there was recognition that this only scratched the surface. The project was driven by Lincolshire Wildlife Trust (LWT), supported by a working group with members from Lincolshire Naturalists' Union (LNU) & the Environment Agency (EA).

Nature in Lincolnshire.

Towards a Biodiversity Strategy (LWT, 1996)

This was started in 1993 as an update to the Red Data book, but after the publication of Biodiversity: the UK Action Plan in 1994 it was developed to include habitats as well as species. It included a "fuller review of the changes which have taken place in habitats and in the status and distribution of endangered species", and proposed general "targets for habitat conservation and restoration, and recovery programmes for the species". It therefore became a proto-BAP. It was intended to be both an information and policy document for LWT, and a contribution to further planning and action, and included contributions from LWT staff, LNU recorders, EA, English Nature (EN).

The summary lists "the principal statutory and voluntary bodies whose purposes and activities affect and involve the conservation of biodiversity in Lincolnshire", and also recognises that "private landowners, farmers, industrialists and the ordinary citizen are equally vital to its success", and also allocates the general targets to specific organisations/groups

Proposals for further progress:

• Seek financial support and recognition for the development of its biological records centre
• Initiate discussions with local authorities and other official and voluntary organisations on the adoption of specific action plans and the appropriate partnerships to implement them
• Select priorities from among habitat targets and species recovery recommendations which it is particularly well equipped to undertake, and pursue its own costed action plans seeking support and co-operation from other bodies where appropriate
• Promote further studies of changes in habitat and species status and distribution with a view to reviewing this report at regular intervals
• Appoint a biodiversity action team to pursue these recommendations

Action for Wildlife in Lincolnshire (2000)

In 1997, representatives from Lincolnshire County Council (LCC), EN, RSPB and LWT met to discuss setting up the BAP project. In 1998, invitations sent out to a number of organisations to form a Steering Group, including:

• Local authorities
• Statutory bodies
• Nature conservation organisations
• Specialist groups
• Landowning and farming bodies
• Drainage authorities

Twenty-four organisations were represented on the Steering Group, with financial support from some, but not all. The Chairman was Don Wright from LWT and the Working Group, for day-to-day running of the project, was made up of representatives from:

• Environment Agency
• English Nature
• Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group
• Lincolnshire County Council
• Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union
• Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
• RSPB

In 1999, a co-ordinator was employed to produce awareness-raising material and start the process of producing action plans. A wide range of organisations and individuals was involved in drawing up draft action plans, which were then circulated widely to ensure that everyone interested in being involved had a chance to comment.

The BAP was launched May 2000, with an introductory leaflet plus the main folder of action plans. Six habitat groups were set up to co-ordinate action and monitoring, and serve as a forum for promoting the action. It recognised the importance of the establishment of a local records centre.

Lincolnshire BAP Partnership

A Partnership Agreement was drawn up in 2001, which aimed to "clarify roles and responsibilities; to increase commitment of members of the partnership and to ensure an equitable and transparent relationship between partners working to achieve the aims of the Lincolnshire Biodiversity Action Plan".

It stated that "each member of the partnership is expected to commit itself to the aims of the BAP and achieving its objectives. The Lincolnshire BAP will provide a common framework for action. The Partnership Agreement provides the complementary framework to determine how partners should operate to maximum effect."

Lincolnshire Environmental Records Centre

Discussions regarding the setting up of a Local Records Centre had been ongoing since at least 2001. In 2002 a report was commissioned by English Nature: Lincolnshire Biological and Geological Records: The Current Situation and the Future. Data providers, users and managers were interviewed, and the outcome was that all the participants in the survey favoured the setting up of a Lincolnshire Local Records Centre

In 2003, a report was commissioned by an advisory group representing the BAP Steering Group, English Nature, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union, and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, entitled Towards a Local Records Centre for Lincolnshire.

In 2004, funding was agreed for a 3 year development phase, and a Working Group was established with representatives from the funders. The project was to be developed as a BAP Partnership initiative, managed by the LNU with admin support from LWT. A Development Officer was appointed in January 2005

Local Wildlife Sites

Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCIs) were first identified by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, but not using any set criteria. Most sites were identified in the 1970s and 1980s, with many sites not having been properly surveyed since. Up-to-date information on the most important sites for wildlife was therefore not available.

A Review Group was established in 2005 as a working group of the BAP Partnership, and BAP partners with ecological expertise were invited to join. In February 2006 DEFRA published their Local Sites Guidance, which helped to inform the review, which was also informed by field testing. Local naturalists were consulted, and the document was released for public consultation. The Guidelines were published by the BAP Partnership in July 2006. The Review Group morphed into the LWS Panel, which recommends sites for selection, with Local Authority representatives invited to relevant meetings.s

You can find links to the documents mentioned by clicking the documents link in the About Us menu.