As the Chair of Natural Devon

HEADLINES

Devon is important for many of England’s ‘natural treasures’ including Atlantic ferns, mosses and lichens (associated with old sessile oak woodlands), breeding sea birds, veteran trees and wintering and passage waterbirds. We are a stronghold for rare species such as the greater horseshoe bat and dormouse.

Green = over 75% of habitats within SSSI and CWS monitored are favourable and less than 5% are unfavourable

Red = More than 5% of habitats within SSSI and / or CWS monitored are unfavourable Amber = other habitats

Species (see Section 4)
The table below shows the status of UK priority species for which Devon wide action plans were produced in 1998.

Green	Amber	Red	Unknown
Otter Dormouse Nightjar	Greater horseshoe bat Barn Owl Cirl bunting Great crested newt Atlantic salmon Southern damselfly Pink sea fan Golden hair lichen	Water vole Curlew (breeding) Marsh fritillary Pearl bordered fritillary White clawed crayfish Fresh water pearl mussel	Brown hare

Green = favourable Amber = unfavourable inadequate Red = unfavourable bad

• 
  Woodlands have been given amber status. They remain broadly static in size but face challenges. Invasive species (especially rhododendron and cherry laurel),lack of management and large deer and grey squirrel populations threaten to undermine the health of native woods. Diseases such as ash die back are an increasing threat.
  
• 
  A number of Devon’s woodland bird species such as willow warbler have declined dramatically over the past 30 years. However Devon’s woods and hedges remain a stronghold for dormice. Dartmoor’s ancient woodland pastures support the most important populations of blue ground beetle in the UK.
  
• 
  The increasing interest in woodfuel offers new opportunities for sustainable management of woods.
  

• 
  Sea cliffs and sand dunes are threatened by scrub encroachment due to lack of appropriate grazing and invasive species. Coastal squeeze (loss of intertidal habitats through sea level rise) threatens sand dunes and saltmarsh. However scrub clearance on Torbay’s limestone grasslands has led to a spectacular increase in species such as white rock rose.
  
• 
  Soft cliffs in South Devon feature some of the country’s most important sites for solitary bees, including supporting the only remaining population of a nomad beetle. Wildlflower rich cliff top grasslands in South Devon support some of the only UK populations of the short necked and Mediterranean oil beetles.
  
• 
  We generally have poor knowledge of sub tidal marine habitats and species. Known issues include, bottom trawling and scallop dredging which can damage marine ecosystems, overfishing, pollution and climate change. The Balearic shearwater which feeds in Devon waters is globally threatened.
  
• 
  Pink sea fan (a coral) is also globally threatened but now protected from commercial fishing activities around Lundy and in Lyme Bay. Manx shearwaters are successfully breeding again on Lundy and their numbers have increased tenfold (300 to over 3000 pairs) since the eradication of rats in 2004.
  

• 
  32% of our rivers are in good condition. Improvements are being made but many of those failing to meet these standards are still affected by pollution, barriers to fish movement and poor aquatic habitat.
  

• 
  The freshwater pearl mussel and white clawed crayfish (both globally threatened species) are in danger of extinction on Devon’s rivers; pearl mussels due to poor water quality and crayfish due to disease from introduced signal crayfish.
  

• 
  Water voles became extinct in Devon in the early 2000s due to predation from mink and loss of suitable habitat. Re-introductions have taken place in Devon but their future here remains uncertain due to the continued presence of mink. However, control over pesticides and improved habitat has led to an increase in otters on all Devon’s rivers and Devon now has an internationally important otter population.
  

• 
  Catchment partnerships and projects are being set up across Devon to help us meet Water Framework Directive targets for our rivers.
  

• 
  Grazing levels and burning regimes are on the whole currently being well managed by farmers supported by agri-environment grants . However large areas are still species poor, and will take a long time to recover. Projects such as Mires on the Moors and Two Moors Threatened Butterfly Project are helping to restore upland habitats and species such as the dunlin and marsh fritillary.
  
• 
  The moors of Dartmoor and Exmoor support nationally important numbers of bird species, including the only breeding dunlin and the largest numbers of breeding snipe in southern England. Some species such as grasshopper warbler, stonechat and nightjar are faring well. However ring ouzel lapwing and red grouse are now extinct on Exmoor and there are only 5 – 8 pairs of breeding curlew left in Devon.
  
• 
  The populations of rare species found largely (or only) on Dartmoor such as southern damselfly, blue ground beetle, narrow bordered bee hawk moth and bog hoverfly (Eristalis cryptarum) are thought to be stable. Dartmoor supports the only remaining populations of Eristalis cryptarum in the UK.
  

• 
  Scrub encroachment, due to lack of grazing, is a big problem for species associated with our lowland grasslands and heathlands. However where habitats are managed these declines can be halted. The marsh fritillary butterfly is still rare in Devon but habitat management through projects such as Working Wetlands and Northern Devon Nature Improvement Area is helping to secure its future. Both the silver studded blue butterfly and southern damselfly are declining nationally but have shown a small increase in numbers on the East Devon heathlands where management is being undertaken.
  

• 
  Devon’s 53,000 kms of hedges remains the longest and most intact network in Britain and is of huge wildlife value. However a survey of 10 parishes found only 38% to be in favourable condition for wildlife. Issues include loss of hedgerow trees, lack of rejuvenation through management such as coppicing or laying, erosion of banks and intensive management of hedge margins.
  
• 
  The recovery of Devon’s cirl bunting and barn owl populations is a great example of Devon farmers and wildlife organisations working together for nature. In 1989 there were 118 cirl bunting territories. By 2009 there were 862. Whilst the population of Devon’s barn owls increased by 37% between 1993 and 2003 their future remains uncertain due to issues such as anticoagulant rodenticides, roads and potential changes to agri-environment schemes.
  

1. INTRODUCTION

Context

In 1992, at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the UK Government signed up to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This led to a global target to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010 and the development of a UK biodiversity programme, with a plethora of Biodiversity Action Plans aimed at conserving a UK list of priority species and habitats. An overview of the framework for nature conservation in England can be found in Appendix 1.

The Devon Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was published in 1998¹. This identified key habitats and species which were the priority for conservation action across the country. Action plans were produced for habitats and species requiring a county wide approach to their conservation.
An enormous amount of work has been undertaken across Devon in order to protect and enhance our key habitats and species as well to meet national targets for SSSIs and CWS, and to meet Water Framework Directive targets.
This seems like a good time to take stock. Recent national publications include the UK State of Nature report², the Natural Environment White Paper³ and a new England Biodiversity Strategy⁴. The Devon Biodiversity Partnership has evolved into Devon and Plymouth Local Nature Partnerships⁵, with a greater focus on the economic and social value of our natural environment. It is now fifteen years since the Devon BAP was published.
The report

This State of Nature report provides an overview of the current condition of Devon’s habitats and species (including Torbay and Plymouth).

It includes:

• 
  Section 2 – an overview of the condition of designated wildlife sites (SSSIs and CWS)
  
• 
  Section 3 – information on habitats listed in the 1998 Devon BAP. This includes a brief description, known area, known condition and headline issues and successes.
  
• 
  Section 4 – information on species identified in the 1998 Devon BAP. This includes a list of key species, a status assessment of species for which an action plan was produced, headline information on other species where this was readily available.
  

It does not include:

• 
  Trends in the area of habitats (although any known changes since 1998 are included). The huge habitat losses during the 20^th century are already well documented and not discussed further here. However a huge amount of work is underway to restore and re-create habitats and this information needs to be captured in future updates.
  
• 
  Geological issues. Further work needs to be done to provide an overview of the state of Devon’s geological sites.
  
• 
  Recommendations. This report is an evidence base only.
  

This State of Nature report will help the new Local Nature Partnerships identify priorities and actions required to rebuild Devon’s biodiversity.

Information has been pulled together from a wide range of sources including statutory bodies, NGOs, Local Authorities and the County Wildlife Site Monitoring Programme. The majority of the information on species would not exist without the commitment and hard work of voluntary recording groups and dedicated natural historians, please see Section 7.
A short update to this report will be produced each year, and a full update every five years. If you have comments / additional information please email nature@devon.gov.uk.

2. DESIGNATED SITES

This section provides an overview of the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and County Wildlife Sites (CWS).

2.1 SITES OF SPECIAL SCIENTIFIC INTEREST

SSSIs are designated by Natural England (NE) in order to protect a representative sample of the range of habitats and geological features found across England. In 2012 there were 212 SSSIs in Devon, covering 48,500 hectares.
The international importance of Devon’s habitats is shown through the number of sites given protection under European legislation. Devon has 19 Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), covering ~ 114,000 hectares and 3 Special Protection Areas (SPAs), covering ~ 5,420 hectares. A list of Devon’s SACs and SPAs, and a brief summary of why they were designated, is given in Appendix 2.
In 2002 a Public Service Agreement (PSA) target was set by government to bring 95% of the SSSI area into favourable or unfavourable recovering condition by December 2010. The condition of SSSIs is assessed by NE using Common Standards Monitoring¹. This assesses site condition using the criteria set out below.
Common Standards Criteria for SSSIs

• 
  Favourable condition means that the SSSI land is being adequately conserved and is meeting its 'conservation objectives'. However, there is scope for the enhancement of these sites.
  

• 
  Unfavourable recovering condition is often known simply as 'recovering'. SSSI units are not yet fully conserved but all the necessary management measures are in place. Provided that the recovery work is sustained, the SSSI will reach favourable condition in time.
  

• 
  Unfavourable no change condition means the special interest of the SSSI unit is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to the site management or external pressures.
  

• 
  Unfavourable declining condition means that the special interest of the SSSI unit is not being conserved and will not reach favourable condition unless there are changes to site management or external pressures. The site condition is becoming progressively worse.
  

• 
  Destroyed means that lasting damage has occurred to all the special conservation.
  

Monitoring results for Devon (source: NE website²)
March 2010 – 92.47% in favourable or recovering condition

March 2011 – 97.22% in favourable or recovering condition (target of 95% achieved)

October 2012

% Area meeting PSA target	% Area favourable	% Area unfavourable recovering	% Area unfavourable no change	% Area unfavourable declining	% Area destroyed / part destroyed
97.25%	36.44%	60.81%	1.44%	1.31%	0.01%

The SSSI target (to bring 95% of SSSIs into favourable or unfavourable recovering condition) has been met. However only 36% of Devon’s SSSIs are in favourable condition and significant effort needs to be made to meet the new Biodiversity 2020 goal which aims to bring 50% of the total area of SSSIs into ‘favourable condition’ by 2020.

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