Biodiversity action plan

This section outlines what we've set out to achieve and how we're doing so far.

Land and habitat management

We're one of Yorkshire's largest landowners, with approximately 32,000 hectares, much of it within designated areas including the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks. In addition, 12,000 hectares are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and include 17 nature reserves and a number of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)

• Target for April 2011:
  We set out to maintain and manage our land designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) to ensure that it is in current or better condition.  In April 2010 98.5% of our land was in recovering or favourable status.
• Progress:
  Working in partnership with Natural England, the Environment Agency and DEFRA we've successfully moved 99.9% of our SSSIs to target condition (recovering or favourable status)
• Target for April 2012:
  Maintain and manage our land designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) to ensure that it is in current or better condition.

Biodiversity improvements on our tenanted land

• Target for April 2011:
  We set out to maintain 98.5% of our tenanted land within an agri-environmental scheme and to encourage tenants to introduce practices which benefit biodiversity.
• Progress:
  The target of 98.5% has been maintained.
• Target for April 2012:
  Continue to maintain the current % of tenanted land in agri-environment schemes

Forestry management

• Target for April 2011 :
  We set out to retain certification for our 4,273 acres of forested land under the highly-acclaimed Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation criteria.
• Progress:
  We've successfully maintained Forestry Stewardship Council accreditation for all 4,273 acres of our forested land. This means the trees we grow and the timber we provide meets sustainability criteria which creates major benefits for woodland habitats and species on our land.
• Target for April 2012:
  Retain certification for our 4,273 acres of forested land under the FSC accreditation criteria

Tophill Low Nature Reserve

Tophill Low is recognised as a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) and supports a rich variety of wildlife that flourishes in and around the reservoirs.

Our warden at the site, Richard Hampshire, has developed and is managing a programme of biodiversity enhancements on site.

Find out what you can see and do at Tophill Low

• Targets for April 2011:
  Creation of wetland/grazing marsh (MG4), delivery of further spit enhancements and development of more marsh gravel islands. 
• Progress: 
  All of these targets have been met and the marsh gravel islands and spits now provide an excellent habitat for wading birds. 
• Targets for April 2012:
  Further enhance the reserve with the creation of an artificial Sand Martin bank, Osprey nest site, and continued management of meadows, water bodies and woodlands

Integrating biodiversity into our business operations

Understanding what impact all of our activities could have on biodiversity in the region is essential to ensure that we identify the right measures to conserve it.

To help achieve this, we've developed a risk management tool as part of our in-house mapping system. By overlaying information on our assets with regional biodiversity data and other environmental information we'll ascertain how our activities and the link between water quality and ecological data may impact on Yorkshire's biodiversity.

This is an innovative way of integrating biodiversity into business decisions and will minimise any risks of having negative impacts as well as identifying areas where we can enhance biodiversity.

Environment and Biodiversity Risk tool (EBRt)

• Target for April 2011:
  Maximise use across the company through training programmes, raise awareness of biodiversity issues and continue to develop the tool to help minimise potential risk to biodiversity 
• Progress:
  EBRt has now been rolled out to all key users and over 100 employees have received detailed training and are using it on a daily basis to help them conserve and enhance biodiversity on all our sites. 
• Target for April 2012:
  As users identify opportunities for improvements we will continue to develop the system and embed biodievrsity into our business activities

Biodiversity data

 
The availability of good, reliable biodiversity data and being able to interpret that data is an essential part of managing biodiversity effectively.  We share and exchange our data where it is seen to be of benefit to others and work with a wide range of partners in order to promote the exchange of such biodiversity information at a regional level.

• Target for April 2011:  
  Continue to improve the biodiversity data available in the risk mapping tool (EBRt)
• Progress: 
  We are working with our stakeholders, service partners and regional data providers to continue populating our GIS system with available ecological data and environmental standards for key sites.
  
• We are working with Natural England and the Yorkshire and Humber Ecological Data Networ (YHEDN) to support the Regional Data Centre, which will bring all the ecological data from local data centres together and make it available from a central location.
• Target for April 2012:
  Work with stakeholders such as Natural England, the Environment Agency and YHEDN to ensure that we have a more comprehensive set of biodiversity data to help us conserve and enhance biodiversity as a routine part of all our operations.

Restoring ancient woodlands

Ancient woodlands are a very important habitat and support a huge range of wildlife, including more threatened species than any other UK habitat. Part of our forested land includes some types of ancient woodland habitat which we aim to restore over the next five years

• Target for April 2015:
  Working closely with the Forestry Commission, Natural England and Local Wildlife Groups we aim to restore and enhance Ancient woodland habitat restoration on 75 hectares of our land.
• Progress:
  Investigations on site have developed bespoke management plans for each site  which are now being implemented

Fish passage

The rivers of Yorkshire support many migratory fish such as salmon and trout which are priority BAP species and are beginning to return to our rivers following the improvements in water quality. However, barriers to migration such as weirs can prevent these and other species moving up and down the river and this can limit their populations. We're working with the Environment Agency to install a fish pass at Rodley Weir on the River Aire.

• Target for April 2015:
  To have installed a functioning fish pass at Rodley Weir.
• Progress:
  Investigations on site are underway and we are working closely with Rodley Nature Reserve and the Environment Agency to ensure this project benefits a wide range of species.

Other biodiversity actions

We're also taking the following actions to deliver our biodiversity strategy:

• Encouraging applications for Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) monies to support biodiversity projects across the region.
• Ensuring training is available and updated for all operational staff on key biodiversity issues on our sites through our Environmental Awareness training.
• Including questions relating to biodiversity within our internal environmental audits which are covered at every audit undertaken as part of our EMS system.