Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy species recovery supporting document

Introduction

Dorset local nature recovery strategy sets priorities and proposes activities to create or improve habitats and map locations where doing this can deliver the most benefits for nature and the wider environment.

In addition to supporting the overall enhancement of species abundance and species richness, the local nature recovery strategy also identifies priority species that need targeted and bespoke actions. This page sets out the process that was followed by local experts to create the priority species list.

Alternatively, download the species recovery supporting document as a pdf.

What's on this page:

• Local species experts
• Methodology
• Preparing the species longlist
• Creating the species priority list
• Identifying activities required for the recovery of priority species
• Reintroductions and other conservation translocations
• Species priority list

Local species experts

A species task and finish group was formed to complete this work and met regularly from January to August 2024.

The 15 group members were drawn from the organisations listed below, to contribute a range of expertise on the major taxonomic groups and species recovery. The group was chaired by an independent ecologist with authoritative knowledge of the county and national perspectives.

• Amphibians and Reptiles – Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC)
• Birds – Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
• Bryophytes – Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC)
• Butterflies – Butterfly Conservation
• Fish – Environment Agency
• Fungi – DERC
• Invertebrates – DERC and independent experts on individual taxa
• Lichens – DERC
• Mammals – Dorset Bat Group, National Trust
• Vascular plants – DERC
• Conservation translocations – Forestry England
• Ecology – Dorset Council, BCP Council, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Footprint Ecology.
• Intertidal and estuarine – Dorset Wildlife Trust

• Birds of Poole Harbour
• Dorset Bird Club
• Dorset Flora Group
• Dorset Mammal Group
• Dorset Moth Group
• Dorset Dragonfly Group
• Dorset Fungus Group
• Purbeck Recorder Group
• Freshwater fishing clubs
• Portland Bird Observatory
• Dorset Amphibian and Reptile Group

The groups also reviewed species advice notes for the local nature recovery strategy provided by several national organisations, such as Plantlife, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Buglife, Bat Conservation Trust, People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), The Species Recovery Trust and Natural England.

Methodology

The process for identifying the priority species for Dorset’s local nature recovery strategy followed the “Species Recovery within Local Nature Recovery Strategies Advice for Responsible Authorities” issued by Defra. The process is summarised below and each step is explained in more detail over the following sections.

1. Use local species data and local expertise to identify species that are geographically and ecologically relevant to Dorset (following Defra criteria)
2. Species longlist
3. Evaluate pressures influencing species
4. Identify the species the local nature recovery strategy can best support because they require targeted or bespoke activities (following Defra criteria)
5. Group species into habitat-based assemblages
6. Consider: urgency, feasibility, national species recovery, join-up opportunities, maximising benefits, climate change impacts, existing species initiatives
7. Species priority list
8. Describe potential activities needed for the recovery of each species priority

Preparing the species longlist

Species were selected according to their global, national and local rarity, and where known, their change in distribution and abundance in recent decades.

The criteria for inclusion on the longlist were, species that are:

• characteristic of habitats in Dorset
• at high risk of extinction
• not currently present in Dorset but could feasibly become established or be reintroduced
• other species of local significance

Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC) coordinated this process, bringing together local records, national and international data, and contributions from the group members. 

Species of local significance were identified by engaging with local species groups and experts and including the most frequently mentioned species at the LNP Annual Forum 2024 workshop.

In Dorset, this produced a longlist of 958 species (appendix A). This list helps describe the biodiversity of Dorset and is a useful tool for anyone wanting to understand local species and/or support species recovery.

The longlist can be used to inform projects that may be able to target species that do not feature on the priority list. You can also review the longlist to understand how the priority species were identified.

Creating the species priority list

From the longlist, the group followed the steps below to identify a smaller number of species which the Dorset local nature recovery strategy can best support, beyond the general habitat improvement and creation activities proposed in the strategy.

Species assemblages

Species of the same taxa on the longlist were grouped together according to their habitat requirements. For example:

• plants of short, open chalk and limestone grassland
• riparian dragonflies and damselflies
• ecto-mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi of ancient and long-established woodland

One-hundred and twenty-seven species assemblages were identified (appendix B).

Pressures

The key pressures that affect, or are likely to affect, species in each species assemblage were identified. Pressures were identified using this classification of pressures suggested by Defra, in combination with local expertise held in the group. Pressures were identified for species in each habitat-based assemblage and some individual species (appendix C).

Species the local nature recovery strategy can best support

Species were categorised by the relevant taxa experts according to a their current, or anticipated future needs, to rule out those species that either:

• will be supported by general habitat improvement or creation activities in the local nature recovery strategy
• require recovery actions that are beyond the scope of the local nature recovery strategy

Appendix D explains the categories set by Defra, and columns AN-AX on the longlist spreadsheet record the categories assigned to each species.

This categorisation reduced the longlist to those species identified as needing:

• targeted habitat management
• improvements in environmental quality
• bespoke conservation action(s)

Habitat assemblages

Where possible species were grouped into habitat-based assemblages, groups of species from multiple taxa that have similar habitat/ecological requirements. For example:

• species of open woodland, glades, rides and early-stage coppice
• species of ancient and unimproved grasslands
• species of saltmarsh and brackish-freshwater transitions

Twenty-nine habitat assemblages were identified, see a list in appendix B and guidance documents for each assemblage in appendix C.

Important considerations

For each remaining species, the following important considerations were made by the relevant taxa expert individually, and then the group reviewed these considerations together in a workshop session to guide the selection of the species on the priority list.

• urgency
• deliverability
• contributions to national species recovery
• cross-boundary considerations
• maximising benefits
• climate change impacts
• pre-existing initiatives

See appendix E for further detail. These considerations and discussions enabled the group to narrow down to 70 individual species. This was further reduced to 54 species priorities, by grouping some species requiring similar activities into 4 assemblages.

Identifying activities required for the recovery of priority species

For each priority species, or assemblage, the group identified the potential activities required to support their recovery and enhancement. These are the specific practical actions that these priority species require, above and beyond the habitat restoration and enhancement activities outlined to achieve the rest of Dorset’s local nature recovery strategy priorities.

Potential activities are mostly actions to create new habitat or enhance existing habitat but can also include addressing specific pressures or conservation translocation (explained further in section 3.4). The potential activities required to support each priority species can be seen in the species priority list.

Some of the potential activities require action across a wide area, but for those that can be targeted in specific locations, these were added to the potential activities map layer in the places where they can have the most impact.

Reintroductions and other conservation translocations

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and Environmental Improvement Plan envisaged that species reintroductions, when carefully planned and managed, can be a part of nature recovery and provide benefits to people and the economy.

The national code and guidance defines conservation translocations as the deliberate movement and release of plants, animals or fungi into the wild for conservation purposes. The guidance also outlines the four main types of conservation translocation.

Population restoration within the species’ natural geographical range (past or present)	Conservation introduction outside the species’ natural geographical range (past or present)
Reinforcement Movement of plant animal or fungi into an existing population of the same species, to improve population viability.	Assisted colonisation Movement of plant, animal or fungi into an     area where the current or future conditions are likely to be more suitable than where it has previously existed.
Reintroduction Movement of plant, animal or fungi into and area from which it has been lost, to re-establish a viable population.	Ecological replacement Movement of plant, animal or fungi to perform a specific ecological function that has been lost through another species becoming extinct.

Human activity has been shaping the natural environment for millions of years, sometimes our actions have been based on limited environmental understanding and therefore resulted in the extinction of species. The loss of any species undoubtedly changes the way the environment functions; for some species the changes are barely perceptible, but for others the consequences for ecosystems and the environment in which we live are much more profound.

Dorset’s local nature recovery strategy species priority list includes several species proposed for conservation translocation, or population enhancement for species already subject to translocation in England. A number of these are re-introductions where the species has become extinct in Dorset in recent decades and where conditions are now suitable and sustainable for re-establishment. An example might be an exceptionally rare insect, the greenweed piercer, which is now locally extinct because of habitat loss and inappropriate management but where habitat quantity and quality is now increasing in Dorset, and appropriate management is in place.

Other species in the species longlist and priority list are proposed that have more profound effects in their environment.  Ecologists often refer to them as keystone species, and ecosystem engineers. Their presence or absence sets the direction in which the habitat develops, and they have a critical role in altering the physical conditions of their environment, and in maintaining the structure of an ecological community. Sometimes we can simulate at least some of the ecological function of a lost ecosystem engineer with another species, for example cattle for auroch, ponies for tarpan, or pigs for wild boar. But sometimes there is no comparable domestic species that can restore the full functionality and biodiversity benefits. An example is the Eurasian beaver, which has the ability to create new wetlands, restore native woodland and improve conditions for a wide range of species including dragonflies, otters and fish. It is also an example of a nature-based solution that can help to address wider environmental issues, such as flooding, climate change and pollution. Another example is pine marten, which can help respond to the threat to native red squirrels from non-native grey squirrels.

The species task and finish group agreed that species reintroductions can and should be part of nature recovery, but recognise each requires careful planning, and the balancing of different viewpoints to deliver positive outcomes. Conservation translocations, or re-introductions, must adhere to the code and guidance for reintroductions and other conservation translocations in England, and be subject to scrutiny to ensure that proposals provide clear benefits, recognise any risks and avoid negative environmental, economic or social impacts.

Within the species priority list, activities attached to the priority species describe whether conservation translocation is under consideration, and the extent to which this might be achievable within the 10-year timescale of this local nature recovery strategy.

The species longlist considers some apex predators that have become extinct, such as bears, wolves and lynx, but these are not included in the species priority list. Apex predators were the animals at the top of a food chain and impact ecosystem structure by influencing the behaviour of their prey. This can benefit biodiversity, if for example the apex predator changes the behaviour of deer, this could mean the deer eat less plants, giving the plants chance to regrow. In a functioning system the numbers of apex predators are kept under control by the availability of prey. Without apex predators the system becomes unbalanced and may require other controls. The complexity of potential apex predator reintroduction is beyond the scope of this local nature recovery strategy and would require dedicated time for local people to be involved in discussions and reviews of potential proposals.

Species priority list

The priority species are those requiring bespoke and targeted activities within Dorset’s local nature recovery strategy. Abundance and diversity of a much wider range of local species will be boosted by the more general habitat enhancement and creation activities captured in the rest of the local nature recovery strategy.

The species priority list and their potential activities are provided in this section. There are 54 priority species and species assemblages. Species assemblages are groups of individual species with the same potential activities. The priority list includes a total of 73 species.

For the species in the first section of this list, the ambition is to reverse the huge decline seen in their numbers, by protecting current populations, enhancing their habitats and reducing the pressures they face. For species in the second section of the list, the ambition is to explore the potential for conservation translocation, where expertly informed projects actively intervene to restore populations. It may not be possible to recover or reintroduce some of the priority species within the lifetime of the local nature recovery strategy, instead the potential activities for those species focus on better understanding the evidence, risks, local views and deliverability.

Priority species

Priority species involving conservation translocation

Appendices

What's on this page:

Appendix A. Species longlist

Appendix B. Species and habitat assemblages

Appendix C. Pressures and species assemblages

Appendix D. Identifying the species the local nature recovery strategy can best support

Appendix E. Important considerations

Appendix A. Species longlist

Download the species longlist as an excel. 

Appendix B. Species and habitat assemblages

The tables in this appendix list the species assemblages and habitat assemblages identified for the species longlist and priority list. You can see the assemblage for each species in column BB and BC of the longlist spreadsheet.

Download appendix B.

Appendix C. Pressures and species assemblages

Pressures can be seen in columns AD-AK of the longlist spreadsheet for each species, or in the following habitat-based species assemblage guidance documents. Individual species from the longlist are included in each habitat-based assemblage, but the information could apply to other typical species of these habitats.

The codes used for each pressure come from this List of pressures and threats for reporting 2019-2024 v1.1.xlsx. Threats and pressures are described individually, but if combined they can have a bigger impact on species.

Guides to each habitat-based assemblage are available to download below:

• Species of acid grassland
• Species of ancient and long-established woodland
• Species of arable farmland
• Species of bare ground on dry and humid heath
• Species of brackish and freshwater reedbeds
• Species built environment and brownfield habitats
• Species of dry and humid heath
• Species of fen meadow and rush pasture
• Species of grazing marsh grasslands and ditches
• Species of heathland pools
• Species of hedges and hedge banks
• Species of longer calcareous grassland and scrub edges
• Species of maritime cliffs, undercliffs and coastal slopes
• Species of open Sphagnum valley mires
• Species of open woodland and early-stage coppice
• Species of ponds and lakes assemblage
• Species of rivers, streams and riparian habitats
• Species of saltmarsh and brackish freshwater transitions
• Species of sand dunes
• Species of short and open calcareous grassland
• Species of soft rocks and slumping cliffs
• Species of species rich scrub and scrub edges
• Species of stabilised shingle
• Species of unimproved grassland
• Species of veteran trees and deadwood woodland
• Species of wayside and pasture trees
• Species of wet heath
• Species of wet woodland

Appendix D. Identifying the species the local nature recovery strategy can best support

Owing to its specific features as a strategic spatial targeting tool, Dorset’s local nature recovery strategy will support the recovery of certain species more than others. Some species require actions for recovery that are beyond the scope of the local nature recovery strategy – e.g., research. Local nature recovery strategy species priorities should be focused on species for which the strategy can bring the greatest benefit.

The first step of refining the species longlist is to use the categories below to identify which species the local nature recovery strategy can best support, and those for which it is not appropriate. This categorisation should be done on the basis of species’ current or anticipated future needs and with a view to the specific local context, referring back to the evaluation of species pressures.

Note that it may be difficult to assign some species to just one category. In such cases, it may help to think about the overriding pressures on the species and aim to prioritise action on that basis.

Species assigned to category A can likely be ruled out of inclusion in the priority list as the potential activities for habitat creation/restoration in the rest of the local nature recovery strategy should meet their species needs.

Species assigned categories E-G require actions for recovery that are beyond the scope of the local nature recovery strategy and should not be included in the priority list. However, their localities should be considered in the rest of the local nature recovery strategy to avoid adverse impacts. Other projects and mechanisms may be able to support recovery of these species e.g. Species Recovery Projects or Species Conservation Strategies.

Appendix E. Important considerations

Important considerations suggested by Defra to guide the selection of the species on the priority list. See notes for each species in columns BE – BK of the longlist spreadsheet.

Urgency 

• do any species / assemblages stand out as having particularly urgent recovery requirements?

Deliverability

• how feasible will it be to deliver the recovery measures required by a species / assemblage?
• this may apply particularly to species requiring translocation or other highly targeted measures.
• if, for whatever reason, the required measures are not deliverable, or are highly unlikely to be delivered in the foreseeable future, the species / assemblage in question should not be included within the LNRS species priorities list.

Contributions to national species recovery

• is the strategy area of national (or international) significance for the conservation of any species / assemblages? may wish to prioritise such species / assemblages
• should prioritise species / assemblages which are only found within the strategy area

Cross-boundary considerations

• are there any particular opportunities to join up species recovery plans across LNRS boundaries?
• may wish to prioritise species / assemblages that could be recovered successfully at regional / catchment scales, working in collaboration with neighbouring LNRS
• the boundaries to LNRS areas are political, rather than ecological. Many species will move across these boundaries as they travel to and from, within and between feeding, roosting, breeding, and overwintering areas, or undertake regional or global migrations. Further, many important areas for species conservation will span these boundaries

Maximising benefits

• would the recovery of a species /assemblage be likely to bring about other biodiversity and environmental benefits (for instance, positively affecting other species, or providing nature-based solutions)?
• may wish to prioritise keystone species / ecosystem engineers or assemblages whose required recovery measures could contribute to wider environmental goals

Climate change impacts

• are any species / assemblages likely to be particularly affected by climate change?
• may wish to prioritise species / assemblages which are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts, as well as those which might be at the limits of their range in the strategy area
• climate change will directly or indirectly affect nearly all species. Impacts can be direct, such as warming impacting overwintering survival, or driven by changes to the ecosystems or habitats that species reside in – for example, the loss of coastal habitats due to sea-level rise. Impacts can also be indirect via human responses to climate change, such as changed cropping patterns or abstraction. The Natural England report Risks and Opportunities for Species as a result of climate change provides an assessment of this for over 3000 species
• in some cases, the goal will be to ensure species’ ongoing persistence within the landscape. Building the resilience of ecological networks in line with Lawton principles (more, bigger, better, better-connected) is a good first step, but increasingly specific action will be required, such as protecting climate change refugia areas buffered from climate change pressures relative to the surrounding areas, or addressing the specific causes of climate pressures
• in others, the focus will be on ensuring that species are able to track climate change. Interventions that promote directional (south-north, altitudinal) habitat connectivity should be considered. In exceptional circumstances, and with NE’s support, RAs might consider possibilities for translocations to assist colonisation of new sites
• the NE and RSPB Climate Adaptation Manual provides more detail on the variety of possible approaches and illustrates them for a range of climate-sensitive species

Pre-existing initiatives

• are there any particular opportunities to enhance species recovery gains made recently in the strategy area or beyond, or otherwise support species projects?
• may wish to prioritise species / assemblages which are the subject of, or which relate to pre-existing local, regional, or national initiatives