Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Description
Semi-natural
Woodland
Ancient or old
woodlands, or
woodlands that
have not been
planted. Often
contains a broad
range of ages of
tree.
Planted woodlands.
Usually all trees of a
similar age.
Younger plantations
may be dense, with
limited development
of woodland ground
flora.
Woodland
Plantations
Woodland edges,
including edges of
woodland glades,
woodland paths
and rides, and
shelterbelts
Tree groups in
mown grass.
Avenue trees.
Mixture of shrubs
and small trees,
usually relatively
narrow and linear.
Can be a major
opportunity for
increasing wildlife
value around the
edges of small sites.
Groups and clumps
of trees in an opejn
parkland landscape.
Often non-native or
ornamental tree
species.
User perceptions
improved by:
Maintaining clear
sightlines from major paths
through woodland.
Encouraging colourful
woodland wildflowers
Enhancing Biodiversity
Encouraging woodland
wildflowers. Coppicing
and planting to maintain
diverse canopy structure.
Promoting and maintaining
a range of tree ages, and
incorporating standing and
lying dead wood.
Coppicing and planting to
diversify canopy and to
promote a greater variety
of tree ages. Leave logs
and prunings to decompose
in situ. Introduce
woodland wildflowers and
ground flora
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Specimen trees in
grass or hard
surfaces. Parkland
trees.
Predominantly
isolated or widely
spaced trees
Veteran Trees
Canopy prune as
appropriate to maintain
local support for long term
retention
Various invertebrates
Careful pruning to
eliminate danger.
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Description
Scrub
An open mix of
scattered clumps of
shrubs and isolated
small trees amongst
grassland. Large
bramble patches
frequently found.
Heathland and
Moorland
Hedges
Shrub plantings
Long-standing acceptance
as a boundary. Sometimes
seen as a nuisance because
of the requirment for
annual trimming.
Unmaintained hedges may
appear untidy and indicate
neglect.
Often dense
plantings of usually
ornamental shrubs
bounded on several
or all edges by
mown grass. A very
common landscape
type that may be
Widely accepted as a
traditional component of
designed landscapes and
seen as attactive,
particularly when
containing flowering or
colourful shrubs.
Insectivorous birds
Thrushes
Butterflies and Moths
Need to mention plants as
well!
Insectivorous birds
Thrushes
Butterflies and Moths,
Enhancing
Biodiversity
Relatively little
management required.
Succession to occur.
Shrubs can be
periodically coppiced to
maintain open scubby
character. Remove
Japanese Knotweed if
present
Periodic removal of
invading scrub and trees
Reducing frequency of
cutting where
appropriate to promote a
more open structure.
Introducing climbers
and increasing diversity
of single-species hedges.
Incorporate flowering
and fruiting species.
Introducing wildflowers
such as primroses at the
base.
Repalce intensive
cutting with less regular
pruning. Replace
mulched and cultivated
soils with woodland
wildflowers and
herbaceous
groundcover. Coppice
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Rose beds
composed of a small
number of different
species. Soil
beneath usually
mulched or kept
clean of weeds
A traditional
feature of more
formal landscapes.
The ground beneath
the roses is usually
kept clean of weeds
or mulched
Traditionally regarded as
highly attractive with a
multi-sensory appeal
Replace mulched or
cultivated soils under roses
with a flowering herbaceous
layer or ground cover
Various invertebrates
periodically to both
regenerate shrubs but
also to provide light for
herbaceous ground
cover. Use flowering
and fruiting shrubs that
provide food sources for
animals.
Replace mulched or
cultivated soils under
roses with a flowering
herbaceous layer-ground
cover. Use roses wth
abundant fruits.
Encourage use of
species roses and singleflowered roses.
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
1.3 Grassland
Building Block
Description
User perceptions
improved by:
Maintaining mown edges
alongside paths.
Interpretation. Adding
additional flowering
species (obtained from
local sources)
Enhancing Biodiversity
Semi-natural
grassland,
unimproved
grassland or
relic grassland
Remants of old
grassland that have
not been ploughed
up, fertlised or resown. Potential
may not be realised
because they are
part of a standard
mowing regime.
Regularly mown
short grass. The
most common
landscape type in
urban green space.
Rough grass or
tall grass
Unmown areas of
grassland. Usually
dominated by tall,
vigorous grasses,
with docks and
thistles.
A potentially valuable
habitat providing cover for
small mammals, frogs and
toads, and important for
some invertebrate groups
and seed feeding birds.
Wildflower
meadows
Diverse mixtures of
grasses and
wildflowers, often
purposefully sown
Interpretation, and
sensitive location away
from high use areas.
Maintain areas of close
mown grass along edges
and as wide paths through.
Introducing vigorous bulbs
and wildflowers along
edges.
Interpretation.
Adding additional
colourful spring flowering
bulbs and wildflowers. It
appears that public
acceptance of colourful
flowering meadows
increases the more familiar
they become with them.
Mown amenity
grass
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
1.4
Building Block
Description
User perceptions
improved by:
Increasing the range and
combinations of plants that
are used. Producing less
formal schemes.
Enhancing Biodiversity
Annual bedding
Often highly
maintained planted
mixtures of tender
plants to produce
colourful seasonal
displays
Hoverflies
Bees, butterflies and moths
Seed eating birds
Direct-sown
mixtures, commonly
containing old
weeds of cornfield,
such as field
poppies, that
provide rapid
colour.
Plantings of
herbaceous
perennials, often
mixed with
ornamental shrubs
Hoverflies
Bees, butterflies and moths
Seed eating birds, small
mammals, frogs and toads
Cornfield
annuals and
direct-sown
annuals
Perennial
planting
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Climbing plants
on buildings
Free standing
walls and
retaining walls
Paths, paving,
Stones.
Description
User perceptions
improved by:
Enhancing Biodiversity
Vegetated roof
surfaces of various
types. They offer
opportunities for
wildflower meadow
creation and other
habitat creation in
high density urban
development where
opportunities on the
ground are limited.
Use of climbers
(both self-clinging
and on trellises or
supports) to provide
vegetation cover on
otherwise bare
walls.
Old walls,
particularly if
constructed from
local stone and if
loosely mortared,
often become
colonised with
locallycharacteristic plant
communities.
Paths and paved
areas can take up
significant room in
green space. Piles
of stones, rubble
and paving slabs
can provide habitat
for a range of
invertebrates,
reptiles and
amphibians.
Interpretation and
education. Where roofs
are highly visible ensure
that visual elements are not
ignored, for example by
maintaining green growth
for a long as possible,
including flowering plants
and wildlflowers.
Ensuring seasonal
highlights are possible,
such as good autumn
colour, or sumer flowering.
Maintaining need borders
around windows and
entrances
Inspection to remove dead
vegetation and make safe
overly loose stones.
Vegetation in gaps
between paving stones can
be viewed as untidy
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
1.6
Building Block
Description
Rivers and
streams
Lakes, ponds
and canals
Margins of
lakes, ponds and
canals
The edges of
waterbodies, and
the wet ground
surrounding
waterbodies. Welldeveloped
vegetation around
the edges is usually
absent.
User perceptions
improved by:
Increasing access to, and
visibility of, waters edge.
Colourful marginal
vegetation is positively
appreciated. Large areas
of tall vegetation that
obscures views to open
water is less valued. There
may be conflict between
angling interests and the
development of marginal
vegetation
Enhancing Biodiversity
Reprofiling where
engineering has removed
the natural course and
banks of a stream.
Development of marginal
vegetation.
Education and
interpretation.
Aquatic invertebrates
Aquatic invertebrates
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Wetlands and
reedbeds
Seasonal
wetlands e.g
Sustainable
Urban Drainage
Schemes., flood
alleviation
schemes.
Swales,
retention basins.
Areas of wet or
saturated ground,
with some open
water, dominated
by reeds and other
grasses. Wet
meadows, marshes
and bogs.
An unfamiliar element as
yet, but can be muddy and
trap litter, and visually
unpleasant when areas that
fill with water over winter
dry out.
Interpretation.
Providing easy access via
board walks etc.
Encouraging attractive
flowering spp. Such as
marsh marigolds and
purple loostrife
Cutting in autumn to
restrict the dominance of
the most aggressive
species. Opening up areas
of shallow mud, or patches
that dry out in summer for
invertebrates and bird
feeding.
Planting or sowing
additional species
Replace mown amentity
grass with wildflower
meadow and wet grassland
where appropriate.
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
Description
Buddleia
scrub
Brownfield
grassland
Tall herb
Public Perceptions
and Use
May be associated
with dereliction and
neglect.
User perceptions
improved by:
Maintaining clear lines
of sight along paths.
Cutting back dense
growth along edges of
paths.
Enhancing Biodiversity
Self-maintaining. Allow
succession to mature woodland
Seen as attractive in
flower because of
butterflies, but may
also be associated
with perceptions of
dereliction and
neglect.
Discouraging tipping
and anti-social
behaviour.
Interpretation and
explanation of the
positive value of such
vegetation.
Discouraging tipping.
Interpretation.
Generally perceived
as a sign of neglect
but visually attractive
when in flower.
Density of growth
makes this an
innaccessible
landscape
Discouraging tipping.
Interpretation.
Mowing along edges of
paths to indicate this
landscape is intentional.
10
Alternatively coppice to
maintain open scrubby
character.
Early successional
plants/animals
Can be species-rich,
supporting rare plants
and invertebrates
particularly on alkaline
substrates. Lateflowering species are
valuable nectar sources
for butterflies and other
insects.
A diverse vegetation
that provides cover for
small mammals and
birds. Late flowering
plants provide valuable
nectar source for
insects, and seed heads
provide food for flocks
of seed eating birds
Allowing succession to
scrub/woodland to occur.
Alternatively, periodically
remove invading woody plants
such as birch to maintain open
grassland character
Extract from: Making contracts work for wildlife: how to encourage biodiversity in urban parks. CABE 2006
www.cabe.org.uk/publications/making-contracts-work-for-wildlife
11