The management and creation of reedbeds - especially for rare birds

Selected abstracts 93Z/00014 The National Vegetation Classification in nature conservation surveys - a guide to the use of the w o o d l a n d section K . J . Kirby, G. R. Saunders & A. M. Whitbread, British Wildlife, 3(2), 1991, pp 70-80. Results from test surveys of the recently published system are used to provide an introduction to the ~dentification and mapping of UK National Vegetation Classification (NVC) types. The affinities of the 18 woodland and seven shrub are shown in a circle diagram and their occurrence is related to base status in diagrammatic representations of the main dry-ground and wet-ground woodland types. Examples of the layout of the NVC summary tables are presented for a type without and with sub-communities, as well as examples of regional and treatment-induced variants. There then follow instructions for producing a set of quadrat results, which must be taken from a homogeneous stand, and a further section on points which have caused difficulties when starting to learn the NVC system. Improvements to NVC mapping are suggested, and comparisons with the Stand Type classification are made. -J.W.Cooper 93Z/00015 Willows in the environment A. H. C. Sommerville, Proceedings - Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B, 98, 1991(1992), pp 215-224. The ecological role of native UK willows is described in terms of the diverse structure of the species involved, the wide range of plant communities they form and the large numbers of invertebrates associated with them. The conservation importance of the genus Salix is discussed along with comments on the necessary management to retain willow habitats. -Author 93Z/00016 Floodplain assessment for restoration a n d conservation: linking hydrogeomorphology and ecology G. E. Petts, A. R. G. Large, M. T. Greenwood & M. A. Bickerton, in: Lowland floodplain rivers, ed P.A. Carling & G.E. Petts, (Wiley), 1992, pp 217-234. Focuses on the influence of hydrogeomorphology on ecology, specifically on the structuring of the floodplain ecotone. An approach to the assessment of floodplains is summarized and application of the approach is illustrated by reference to the River Trent, UK. The approach incorporates fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, hydrobiology, ecology, palaeoecology and historical geography across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The focus is on the meso-scale: changes over one to a few hundred years and areas of el0-100 000 m 2. The approach involves description and classification, estabhshment of successional sequences, and assessment of conservation values. -from Authors 93Z/00017 Biotic score and prediction to assess the effects of water abstractions on river macroinvertebrates for conservation purposes P.D. Armitage & G. E. Petts, Aquatic Conservation, 2(1), 1992, pp 1-17. Examines the feasibility of using biotic scores and predictions from the computer-based RIVPACS system to assess the effects of abstractions on benthic fauna. Control and 'impacted' sites on 22 UK rivers which experienced abstractions for hydroelectric power generation, supply of drinking water (directly or through groundwater abstraction), spray irrigation and fish farming, were examined. The ratios of observed to predicted biotic scores and comparison of observed fauna with that predicted by RIVPACS were used to assess the biological quality of the sites. Only 11 of the 51 sites on the 22 rivers showed signs of reduced environmental quality. These included eight sites on a small lowland stream which receives ran-off from fertilized agricultural land and is subject to spray irrigation; two sites on upland streams which had experienced severe spates prior to survey and a small chalk stream. Discharge, baseflow, substrate and altitude were factors which explained most of the variation in faunal parameters such as biotic score, numbers of species, numbers of families and total abundance. Upland streams did not appear to suffer adverse effects as a result of abstraction whereas lowland streams appeared to be more degraded. Biotic scores with RIVPACS cannot be used to set 'minimum

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ecological flows' but can be used either directly, to assess site-quality and to identify areas of concern which may or may not be related to abstraction; or indirectly, by reference to the RIVPACS data-base to assess the conservation interest of invertebrate assemblages. -from Authors 93Z/00018

C h a n n e l l i n g scientific i n f o r m a t i o n for the

conservation a n d m a n a g e m e n t o f rivers P.J. Boon, Aquatic Conservation, 2(1), 1992, pp 115-123. Information should be appropriately focused, achieving a balance between the ideal and the achievable, recognizing the functioning of river basins and not merely river channels. Technical data need to be presented in a way that is readily understood by decislon-makers. This is discussed using examples such as river corridor mapping and the application of numerical indices of water quality and conservation value. River management policy and practice requires a scientific input that is both unequivocal and authoritative. The results of applied studies in freshwater science are not always as accessible as they should be to river managers. Once acquired there must be a genuine willingness by planners to incorporate the results of ecological research into project design. Operational flexibility in river management schemes is desirable, andpost-project appraisal essential. -from Author 93Z/00019 I n v e r t e b r a t e conservation - principles a n d their application to broad-leaved woodland J. Bratton & J. Andrews, British Wildlife, 2(6), 1991, pp 335-344. The general principle is that management for invertebrate habitats w i l l amost invariably benefit other forms of wildlife. The components of this management are stated and expanded on: sustained sustainability (unbroken management); reinstatement of traditional management (though only where there are clear advantages); ancient sites (which are the most valuable); site character (particularly physical features and vegetation types); site size (the largest practicable area); and quality versus quantity (rarity over numbers of species). The most important woodland invertebrate habitats are open sunlit areas and aged trees with heart-rot and decaying boughs, and therefore management measures are given for coppices, rides and glades, and for old trees and dead wood. Emphasis is placed on the second category, and particularly the specific state of decay and location of dead wood, as these sites may contain invertebrates of the saproxylic community, whose sustained dead-wood habitat is now rare throughout Europe. -J.W.Cooper 93Z/00020 The management and creation of reedbeds - especially for rare birds J. Andrews & D. Ward, British Wildlife, 3(2), 1991, pp 81-91. The general distribution of reedbeds in the British Isles, as well as the potential locations for new reedbeds, is outlined. Characteristics of the reedplant are described, mentioning the vegetation associated with reedbeds in their unmanaged state as well as some rare plants of the intermediate stages of succession, and some rare insects of reedbeds. The requirements of some breeding birds of reedbeds are then examined (bittern Botaurus stellaris, marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, Cetti's warbler Cettia cetti, bearded tit Panurus biarmica, Savi's warbler Locustella luscinioides, reea warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus and other warblers) with a table of habitat and management features required by these birds. Instructions are given for the key factor of hydrological management of reed beds as well as for winter cutting, burning, summer cutting, and management of scrub and carr, meres and estuarine reeds. Reedbed creation is also considered, with notes on reed establishment. -J.W.Cooper 93Z/00021 Urban soil in landscape design P. J. Craul, (Wiley), ISBN (hardback) 0 471 80598 X, price £53.00, 1992, 396 pp, indexes. Provides information on soil and its capabilities and limitations for landscape design and tree planting in urban environments, based strongly on soil science. The book introduces basic concepts and soil properties, as well as soil formation, relation to landscape, classification, map-