Threats

• Lack of re-planting to replace trees which have fallen or become senescent, threatening the continuity of the habitat on which many animal and plant communities rely.
  
  
• Changes in agricultural practices, from the cessation of grazing to over-grazing and intensification, including ploughing and reseeding to improve pasture productivity, conversion to arable farmland, and inappropriate use of herbicides and fertilisers. In particular, where cultivation is close to the trees slurry spreading causes eutrophication on tree trunks and bark which changes the nature of the lichen flora to more nutrient tolerant species. Ploughing close to the tree roots may weaken the trees.
  
  
• Removal of old trees and dead wood for reasons of aesthetic appearance or public safety.
  
  
• Increased recreation pressures and the associated disturbance to stock and wildlife, erosion and vandalism.
  Increased number of deer, especially the spread of roe deer and its associated problem of damage to natural regeneration of trees.
  
  
• Invasion of native and non-native unwanted species, such as rhododendron and knotweed.
  
  
• Agricultural tenancy agreements, which do not provide adequate protection for pasture woodland, or which allows the spreading of slurry onto land (and associated problems of trunk eutrophication).
  
  
• Inappropriate woodland planting within parkland and wood pasture and inadequate management schemes tailored towards even-aged high forest.
  
  
• Conflicts between management objectives of nature conservation with those of landscape and historic feature conservation.
  
  
• Lack of knowledge and appreciation of the habitat leading to inappropriate management.

Action Plan Objectives

TARGET: Attain 15 historic landscape Countryside Stewardship agreements in parkland or wood pasture by 2005.

OBJECTIVE 2:

Extend and improve knowledge of the resource of parkland and wood pasture in Devon, its constituent communities and species, and management options for conservation and enhancement.

TARGET: An inventory of all surviving or part-surviving sites (which includes biological assessment and management prescription) to be produced by 2005.

TARGET: All sites by 2010

TARGET:Reinstate a regime of sympathetic management to 50% of existing degraded habitat by 2005.

OBJECTIVE 5

Foster improved public understanding and awareness of the value of dead and wood as a wildlife habitat, and of the conservation importance of parklands wood pastures in general.

TARGETS: Establish a Parklands Day by 1999.

Action Plan Targets

See above

Current Action

no information currently available

Proposed Action

Policy and legislation

Continue to fund, via the Countryside Stewardship scheme, survey and sympathetic management of major parkland and wood pasture sites in Devon.

LEAD: MAFF, FRCA,
PARTNERS: LAs, Unitary AuthÕties
[ TARGET 2010]

Ensure that Local planning Authorities make due consideration to PPG9 in their planning role, particularly in relation to parklands and wood pasture.

LEAD: LPAs
PARTNERS: DWT
[TARGET 2010]

Seek to ensure that appropriate incentive schemes (CS, ESA, WGS) are specifically designed, funded and implemented to include the positive management of parkland and wood pasture, and restoration of neglected/degraded sites.

LEAD: MAFF, FRCA, FA
[TARGET 2005]

Restore degraded areas of parkland and wood pasture on land currently under conservation management.

LEAD: Site Owners
PARTNERS: NT, WT, EN, DWT, NPAs, LAs, Unitary AuthÕties [TARGET 2010]

Ensure the recognition of areas of parkland and wood pasture as potential candidates for inclusion as County Wildlife Sites.
LEAD: DWT
[TARGET 1998]

Establish a Veteran Trees Initiative for Devon, by 1999.
LEAD: EN [TARGET 1999]

Identify priority sites for management and restoration via the compilation of an inventory of sites which includes biological assessment and management prescription of each site.

LEAD: EN, DWT
PARTNERS: NT, EH, LAs, Unitary AuthÕties, NPAs, BLS, DBG, DIF

Seek to conduct a biological survey at the end, as well as at the start, of each Countryside Stewardship agreement on parkland and wood pasture sites, from 1999.

LEAD: MAFF, FRCA [TARGET 1999]

Pass site and species records, including information gathered in the proposed Inventory, into the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre database.

LEAD: DWT, All
[TARGET 2010]

Establish procedure for monitoring the success of the CWS scheme in preventing development on sites of county importance for wildlife.

LEAD: DWT
PARTNERS:LAs, Unitary AuthÕties
[TARGET 1999]

Progress