Recreational impacts on European Sites Durwyn Liley
Current levels of planned new growth • Solent (3 SPAs): 82,000 new properties • Cannock Chase SAC: 50,000 new dwellings within 20km of SAC. • Exe Estuary SPA: 29,000 new dwellings within 10km of SPA, a 29% increase • North Kent Marshes (3 SPAs): 63,000 new dwellings. Understanding and resolving these incombination effects a challenge !
Direct links between bird nos. & housing Stone Curlew, Brecks
Nightjar, Dorset Heaths
0.9
Mean nest density (km -2 )
0.8 0.7
2007-11
0.6
2002-06
0.5
1997-00
0.4
1993-96
0.3 0.2
1988-92
0.1 0.0
<500
500-1000 1000-1500 1500-2000 Distance to nearest settlement (m)
Direct relationship with birds and housing indicates impacts
>2000
Links between housing, access and nature conservation People visit the countryside for a wide range of reasons. Visitors at sites will often be a complex mix of local residents, day trippers and tourists. In order for development to take place without impact or with mitigation we need to understand the links in more detail......
• How does housing relate to visitor numbers? • What is the link between visitor numbers and an adverse effect on integrity? • What solutions are possible?
GPS Tracks: Kite Surfing NW
E
SSW
Windspeeds of at least 12-15 mph needed
SW
Beyond 6km visits per dwelling is low: 31 houses at 10km same as 1 house 0.5km
% change in access (from local housing) – 15% for N. Kent, Solent, Cannock. 35% Dawlish Warren
Impacts of Recreation • Damage – trampling, erosion, vegetation wear, vandalism • Fire • Contamination – eutrophication, alien species • Disturbance – habitat loss, energetic costs, stress • Management issues – hostility to tree felling, resources
Approximately 36ha (3.1% of site) is track or path
Nightjar density and habitat
Nightjar density (per ha)
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0 C le a rfe ll
C onife r
De ciduous
Dry he a th
Mix he a th
W e t he a th
Young conife r
Nightjar density in relation to predicted visitor numbers within sites
Responses by activity
Numbers next to activity give number of observations. Only observations where birds present and within 200m included. 1034 hours fieldwork across 7 SPAs.
Top ten activities: i.e. Which activities cause the most major flights Activity
No. of major flights
% of major flights
% of visitor volume
Dog walker, dog off lead
409
45
29
Walker (no dog)
167
18
35
Bait Digging
81
9
2
Dog walker, all dogs on lead
51
6
8
Motor vehicle
31
3
2
Birdwatcher
21
2
1
Rowing Boat
18
2
0
Jogger
13
1
5
Cyclist
13
1
8
Kitesurfer
11
1
1
Data from 10100 observations of different activities, across 51 vantage points.
Settlement pattern & access 25
Total people count for each section
400 20
350 300
15
250 200
10
150 100
5
50 0
0 S
Length of study site (11 km north to south)
No people at all: population increase of 85% Numbers of people doubled: decrease of 23%
N
Total number of nests found per section
450
Strategic Solutions Strategic mitigation strategies being considered/developed: •Thames Basin Heaths •Dorset Heaths •North Kent •Solent •South Devon •Cannock Chase •Ashdown Forest
• • • • • • • •
Wardening Dog projects Parking provision New green infrastructure (SANGs) On site management/ infrastructure Codes of conduct Awareness raising Zoning
Unpalatable to some, but give confidence and removes need for complex individual assessments
End thoughts • Range of impacts from recreation: difficult to understand “in-combination” • Complex balancing act between needs to promote access and site protection • Understanding access patterns is fundamental: where people come from, where they go, what they do, why? • Powerful if linked with ecological studies; • Studies now for a range of different European sites, a range of habitat types and interest features. Issues in particular for heathland and coastal sites. • Still gaps in our understanding and a need for a ‘national’ perspective