"The national network of wildlife sites is important not only to ensure the
future of rare species but also more common ones like thrushes,
peacock butterflies and cowslips."
Sir David Attenborough
County Wildlife Sites (CWS) are areas of land rich in wildlife; they might be a tract of heath, a meadow, a copse or a village pond. The County Wildlife Sites notification is not statutory, but creates a partnership between landowners and conservation agencies by recognising the wildlife value of a site.
Many conservationists consider Norfolk to be England’s premier wildlife county, by virtue of its magnificent coastline, the Broads and Breckland, as well as its superb wetlands, grasslands and ancient woodlands. CWS can be found throughout Norfolk; outside of the protected areas (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves) they are the best areas for wildlife in the County.
As havens for wildlife, CWS have an intrinsic value in their own right and can support both locally and nationally threatened species or habitats. Many sites will contain habitats and species that are priorities under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), which sets out strategies for the conservation of much of our most vulnerable wildlife. BAP priorities for Norfolk include heathland, reedbed, otters and great crested newts.
Together with the statutory protected areas (see above), CWS represent the minimum habitat we need to protect in order to maintain the current levels of wildlife in Norfolk.
CWS complement SSSI’s and nature reserves by helping to maintain links between these sites. In recent years there has been a growing recognition of the importance of conserving such places, so that wildlife can survive in the wider countryside, outside of nature reserves.
Most counties in England now have a CWS scheme, although the names for the sites vary. At present, the Government is considering guidelines for the running of CWS systems. This will not affect landowners, but will ensure that information held on CWS is handled efficiently and that the importance of the sites is recognised by local authorities.
Threats to CWS can include:
The CWS system in Norfolk is managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust, in partnership with English Nature and Norfolk County Council. Managing the system involves:
The vast majority of County Wildlife Sites are privately owned. As the sites are not protected by law, their survival depends on owners and managers sympathetic to the needs of wildlife. In many cases, these owners work closely with conservationists to manage the land for the benefit of wildlife.
It should be stressed that notification does not confer any rights of access either for the general public or nature conservation organisations; it is simply recognition of a site’s nature conservation value.
By far the biggest threat to CWS is inappropriate management or neglect. The high wildlife value of a CWS is often a direct result of land management practices that have allowed wildlife to flourish. This management is often of a traditional nature, such as coppicing of woodlands, and grazing or cutting of fens and grasslands. The continuation of such management is often essential to prevent a decline in the wildlife value of the site.
The CWS partnership recognises the problems that site owners and managers often have in looking after the wildlife interest of CWS and are keen to provide advice on maintaining and enhancing the special value of these sites, as well as providing information on grants available to help. Other advisory bodies, such as FWAG and the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), can also provide assistance.
Why the site is valuable:
Information can be provided about the wildlife and nature conservation interest of the site and its significance in a Norfolk context.
A plan can be produced identifying objectives for management and priorities for action to maintain or improve the site’s value to wildlife. Measures may include grazing, mowing, planting and occasionally even doing nothing.
Names of contractors and volunteers able to carry out conservation work can be provided. Machinery and tools appropriate for conservation management can be identified. Advice can be given on the increasingly valuable and diverse grants available for conservation in the Norfolk countryside, including Countryside Stewardship, the Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme and the Woodland Grant Scheme.
Information is the key to protecting CWS through the development process; both planners and landowners need to know where a CWS is and why it is important.
The CWS notification is recognised and valued by local councils in Norfolk and the sites are listed in their local plans, which set out guidance on the location and scope of future developments in each district. All local councils in Norfolk have developed policies that give County Wildlife Sites some protection. If a CWS is, or appears to be, effected by a development, the views of NWT will normally be sought as part of the consultation process.
As of February 2002, a European Union directive requires an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be carried out when areas of uncultivated land are to undergo agricultural change. County Wildlife Sites, qualify as uncultivated land. Changes requiring an EIA include increases in stock density, cultivation, soil spreading and new drainage work. Further information on this directive is available from the Department of Food and Rural Affairs on 0800 0282140 and advice on how this affects CWS is available from Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
For further information on County Wildlife Sites in Norfolk contact:
Helen Baczkowska: Conservation Officer - general CWS information and management advice
Steve Henson: Conservation Officer - advice on CWS in river valleys
John Hiskett: Senior Conservation Officer - information on planning and development affecting or likely to affect a CWS.