A Shared Vision
Lafarge and RSPB working together to enhance wildlife habitat at Sandy Heath Quarry
Few would argue that the environmental implications of minerals planning are potentially significant. Without appropriate safeguards mineral exploitation has the potential to cause adverse impacts, sometimes even irreversible damage to valuable habitats. However, it is equally clear that careful management of post-extraction mineral workings has the potential to contribute greatly to Britain’s wildlife and biodiversity.
Recent research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) shows that appropriate restoration of sites once mineral extraction has finished could play a major role in reinstating many of the country’s lost and threatened wildlife habitat by creating thousands of hectares of woodland, heathland, meadows and reed beds.
According to the study, funded by the Mineral Industry Research Organisation (MIRO), in 2005 there were approximately 1,300 active mineral sites in England alone covering more than 64,000ha. The RSPB believes that almost 56,000ha are suitable for restoring one or more of the 17 habitats listed as a priority under the Government’s Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs).
Thanks to increasing enthusiasm and commitment within the minerals industry and planning authorities, there are now several excellent examples of large-scale priority habitat creation that go far beyond the amenity ponds and tree planting that were typical of the past, however the actual amount of habitat creation on former mineral sites currently still falls far short of what could be achieved. By focusing effort on 412 sites within 1km of existing habitat, the RSPB says existing UK BAP targets for nine of the priority habitats could be met or exceeded, including lowland heath, wet reed beds and grazing marsh.
[img_assist|nid=12302|title=Nightjar|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=160|height=200]As a result, the Society is calling for a shake-up of the planning guidance given to local authorities to make large-scale habitat creation a recognized and priority end use for mineral sites. It wants to see more use made of agri-environment schemes and tax credits to make habitat creation an easier and more attractive option for landowners, many of whom are reluctant to see their land used for nature conservation due to a lack of obvious income.
The RSPB also wants to see more support from mineral operators, to help turn its vision of large-scale habitat creation on former mineral sites into a reality for the benefit of both people and wildlife. One example where this is already happening is at Sandy Heath in Bedfordshire, close to the RSPB’s UK headquarters. Here Lafarge Aggregates and the RSPB have this year signed a 50-year management agreement to ensure that ongoing creation of wildlife habitat at Sandy Heath Quarry is managed in the best possible way.
Under the terms of the new agreement Lafarge will retain ownership of the land but the RSPB will progressively take over the long-term management of restored parts of the quarry to ensure heathland wildlife becomes established in accordance with the management plan.
As its name suggests, the Sandy Heath area of Bedfordshire, which forms part of the Greensand ridge stretching from Dorset to Norfolk, has long been recognized for its golden sand and heathland habitat. The quality of the sand deposit lends itself to a range of applications in building and construction, hence the opening of Sandy Heath Quarry in 1968. Today the site employs three staff and produces around 180,000 tonnes a year, having reached a peak output in excess of 300,000 tonnes a year during the mid-1990s.
The importance of new heathland creation at this and other similar sites around the country cannot be overstated. Heathland plants such as heather and gorse sustain specialized and often rare wildlife, but around three-quarters of England’s indigenous heathland has been lost since the 1800s. Today only about 32,000ha remain and in the UK as a whole there is less than 60,000ha. Those areas that have survived are becoming increasingly fragmented and are threatened by scrub encroachment and inappropriate development.
Heathland restoration at Sandy Heath Quarry began in the early 1980s when the original entrance and weighbridge at the eastern end of the site were removed. This part of the quarry was carefully restored to replicate a typical Greensand ridge and valley landscape and became the first new heathland area to be returned back to nature in Bedfordshire, forming a crucial part of the county’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
In Bedfordshire today only 42ha remain of what were once extensive heathlands associated with the Greensand soils. However, the restoration taking place at Sandy Heath Quarry, which forms part of a much larger track of land between the towns of Potton and Sandy that is being developed as heathland habitat, including over 100 acres around the RSPB’s UK headquarters at The Lodge, will eventually provide the county with a further 200 acres of restored heathland.
[img_assist|nid=12303|title=Dartford warbler|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=165|height=200]Already, the current restored area at Sandy Heath Quarry is attracting many birds, such as the linnet and green woodpecker, and it is hoped that several rare species, including the nightjar and woodlark, will eventually inhabit the newly created heathland. Both of these birds feature in the Government’s BAP for species of the highest conservation concern. In the longer term the Dartford warbler, another rarity and one almost entirely dependent on heathland for its nesting sites, might also be encouraged to breed at Sandy Heath.
As well as rare birds, it is hoped the site will attract other endangered British species, such as the natterjack toad. This already breeds nearby and could potentially re-colonize the area. In addition to the restored heathland habitat, the bare sand faces being created at the quarry as extraction progresses are providing important habitat for sand martins as well as rare beetles, solitary burrowing wasps and other invertebrates.
In taking over the restored parts of the quarry, the RSPB plans to draw upon its wealth of expertise in heathland management to ensure that wildlife is able to thrive at the site. For their part, Lafarge will continue to support the RSPB in the management and development of the site through an annual financial contribution as well as one-off material donations and on-the-ground assistance where appropriate. Over time the site will be developed for public enjoyment, with the creation of nature trails and educational materials.
What is being learned at Sandy Heath will also be applied at other sites managed by Lafarge, the RSPB and other landowners along Bedfordshire’s Greensand ridge. Further opportunities for potential collaboration have already been identified, both in Bedfordshire and elsewhere across the UK.
To help deliver this potential contribution to habitat restoration, earlier this year the RSPB launched After Minerals.com, a new website that provides mineral operators, landowners and planners with the resources and information they need to plan appropriate habitat restoration as an end use. The website includes an interactive mapping tool that allows access to information on each of the 1,300 active minerals sites in England, shows the habitat(s) that can be created on them, provides advice on creating them, and highlights successful restoration case studies.
[img_assist|nid=12304|title=Woodlark|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=307|height=200]The RSPB would like the site to become an information hub for sharing information and networking, and is encouraging mineral operators in particular to volunteer additional information, case studies, hints and tips etc on successful restoration projects. Following on from appropriate restoration of existing sites, future development of the website will look at habitats possible on prospective mineral sites, to make sure the right habitat is created in the right place by incorporating the best possible restoration plans from the outset.
For further information contact Alice Davies, RSPB minerals restoration potential project officer, on tel: (01767) 680551; email: [email protected]
