Cambridge Ecology - Wicken Fen
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info@cambridgeecology.com Wicken Fen
Fen are a unique and once typical habitat of Cambridgeshire. Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s oldest nature reserve the first areas being acquired by the National Trust in May 1899. The nature of the Fen has been shaped by topography, hydrology, and in particular, by centuries of use by man. The wetland has played an important role in the social and economic life of the area. As a result 29 species of mammal, over 200 species of birds, 1000 species of moth and butterfly, 1000 species of beetle, approaching 2000 species of fly and 25 species of dragonfly have been recorded from the Fen. The Fen therefore is a refuge for a very large number of UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. As a consequence the Fen is a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation and a Ramsar site.

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Green Woodpecker
Green Woodpecker - Picus viridis
The green woodpecker is the largest of the three woodpeckers that breed in Britain and found throughout the UK in open deciduous woodland, parks, orchards and farmland. On the UK's Birds of Conservation Concern this species list amber listed.

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WHITE-CLAWED CRAYFISH

Legislation and Policy

The White-clawed Crayfish is protected through inclusion in Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010, which consolidates all the various amendments made to the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 in respect of England and Wales. The 1994 Regulations transposed Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (EC Habitats Directive) into national law. Taken together, these legislative instruments make it illegal to carry out the following activities:-
• intentionally kill, injure or take (capture etc.) a take (capture etc.) a White-clawed Crayfish from the wild;
• sell, offer for sale, possess or transport for the purpose of sale (live or dead animal, part or derivative) or advertise for buying or selling such things.

Outside of designated areas protected for their important crayfish populations the legislation does not provide strict protection of individual crayfish or their habitats specifically. However, their habitats are usually indirectly protected through other legislation such as the EC Water Framework Directive (Council Directive 2000/60/EC).

UK planning policy under the terms of Planning Policy Statement 9 (PPS 9) sets out the Government’s national policies on different aspects of planning in England that regional planning bodies and local planning authorities (LPAs) are expected to consider. Key components of this policy include:
• Planning decisions should be based on up-to-date information (e.g. surveys) about the environmental characteristics of their areas;
• Planning decisions should aim to maintain, enhance, restore or add to biodiversity interests. In taking decisions LPAs should ensure that appropriate emphasis is attached to designated sites, protected species, and to biodiversity interests within the wider environment;
• The aim of planning decisions should be to prevent harm to biodiversity interests.
• It also emphasis’s that development proposals provide many opportunities for building-in beneficial biodiversity features as part of good design and that when considering proposals, LPAs should maximise such opportunities in and around developments.

PPS 9 requires that LPA’s take steps to promote the conservation of habitats and species of ‘principal importance’ (i.e. BAP habitats and species) through their planning function. The white clawed crayfish is also a Priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and is a Species of Principal Importance in England under Section 41 of the NERC Act 2006 (section 42 in Wales) and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act in Scotland. It is government policy that local authorities consider the conservation status of such species when determining planning applications.

Therefore developments on sites where White-clawed Crayfish may be present need to be mindful of this legislation and policy.

Cambridge Ecology has extensive experience in surveying for White-clawed Crayfish using specific survey techniques to determine the presence or likely absence of White-clawed Crayfish, population sizes and identifying key habitats within the study area. The data collected is used to devise appropriate mitigation strategies.

Specialist Expertise

Cambridge Ecology has a wide range of skills required in this specialist area including possession of Natural England White-clawed Crayfish survey licence. The most efficient period for White-clawed Crayfish surveys is between late July and early September when animals are less likely to be carrying young.

The surveys include the use of various standard and specialised methods such as:
• Active Searches –involves manually searching potential crayfish refuges. It is only effective in clear, shallow water (<60cm deep). Used selectively in appropriate conditions the method can be used to register the presence of crayfish. It is recommended to carry out surveys of the site on at least two occasions usually with more than a week between each visit.
• Night -viewing Surveys – involves shining a high-powered torch into the water and observing the channel bed for potential crayfish activity. This method can be used to cover larger areas of water than is possible with active searching so is more reliable for detecting crayfish at moderate to low densities. It can be a good way to see crayfish whose refuges are inaccessible by day and provides a quick estimate of the density of active animals. This technique should be used to supplement other methods and should not be used in isolation.
• Trapping – trapping is the only way of finding crayfish in watercourses that are too deep or turbid for active or night-viewing searches. The traps are baited with scraps of fish or cat food and set in the early evening and inspected the following morning. Trapping efficiency is low as it only records the larger active animals. This means it will not detect crayfish populations at moderate to low densities unless many of traps are used. A density of one trap per 5m in favourable habitat will normally be sufficient to detect moderate to high crayfish populations especially if trapping is carried out over several nights.

Habitat Creation and Mitigation
• Mitigation strategies have been developed in order to protect White-clawed Crayfish from development impacts and ensure our clients remain complaint with the relevant legislation.
• Installation and management of temporary screens during construction to minimize silt smoothing and pollution
• Disinfection, cleaning and drying of construction equipment when moving from site to site to prevent the spread of crayfish plague.
• Creation, maintenance and management of new White-clawed Crayfish habitats.
• Identification and preparation of receptor sites in advance of future translocations.
• Installation of barrier/drift fencing to exclude White-clawed Crayfish from construction sites.
• White-clawed Crayfish translocations. A Natural England Crayfish Conservation Licence is required for the purpose of conserving white-clawed crayfish or introducing them to particular areas.
• Post-project monitoring of White-clawed Crayfish populations.
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