3Urban Ecosystems
Background Urban areas, from small villages to larger townsand cities provide invaluable space for wildlife.Across Tayside there are wildlife garden projectsand wildflower areas in communities within carehomes, school grounds, churchyards, andindustrial estates all providing valuablegreenspace. The surrounding golf courses includewildlife-rich ponds that host amphibians anddragonflies and rare insects, waxcap fungi andlichens find homes in a range of surprising urbansettings. Urban bluespaces - watercourses, ponds,sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) andrivers support biodiversity and there areopportunities to manage them with this in mind.
The built environment is as important as thegreenspace surrounding it - buildings can allsupport wildlife. In addition to safeguarding thewildlife utilizing older buildings, new developmentsare now including integral bird nestboxes and bat
roosts. Living roofs are becoming more common onpublic buildings, such as schools, as well as onarchitect-designed properties and mature trees areincreasingly being retained within newdevelopments and road-widening projects toimprove the visual aspect of the landscape as wellas safeguard biodiversity. Greenspace and privategardens create a buffer between the builtenvironment and surrounding countryside.
Well-managed urban greenspace greatly helpsmitigate against the effects of climate change:sustainable urban drainage ponds, swales and raingardens reduce the effect of flash floods andecosystem services provided by ‘living’, ‘green’ or‘brown’ roofs, helps reduce both the urban heatisland effect and the impact of summer storms.With the intensification of agricultural practicesurban species are all the more precious, especiallywhere pollinating insects are concerned. Grassland
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Wildflower roundabout, Perth © Beautiful Perth
Objectives1 Endeavour to reduce the direct pressures on urban
biodiversity by implementing projects to protectand restore ecosystem health
2 Safeguard urban ecosystems, species and geneticdiversity by enhancing their connectivity andwhere possible preventing decline
3 Mainstream actions for biodiversity conservationby raising awareness of the benefits of the naturalenvironment and the services it provides for theenjoyment of the local communities
and woodland alongside railways, roads andwatercourses provide important habitat for a rangeof species.
Importantly, urban greenspace directly contributesto physical and mental well-being by way ofrecreation and volunteering opportunities.Community orchards and allotments areimportant refugia for a variety of species and helpto safeguard genetic diversity, especially whereScottish fruit varieties are concerned. Everyone canhelp increase biodiversity in urban areas: leavinggaps under fences to allow hedgehogs to movebetween gardens, creating ponds, growing bee-friendly plants to encourage pollination, orplanting berried trees to help feed the birds andprovide spring blossom. There are some 23 milliongardens across the UK so they create a web ofwildlife corridors which enable many species tocolonise or forage across a huge area.
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Priority Habitats • Riparian corridors
• Open Mosaic habitats, including brownfield sites
• Urban woodland and community orchards
• Pollinator networks
• Green roofs
• Species rich verges
• Designed landscapes
Key SitesDesignatedTay (SAC) & catchmenttributaries
Kinnoull Hill, Perth
River South Esk (SAC)
Birks of Aberfeldy
Weem Meadow Aberfeldy
Loch Leven, Kinross
Comrie Woods, Comrie
Key Sites• Buildings, including openspaces, bridges and walls
• Urban corridors: waterways,railways, roads and paths
• Businesses with Land,including golf courses andindustrial estates
• Healthcare and Educationpremises, including carehomes
• Burial Grounds (Kirkyardsand Cemeteries)
Key Species• Mammals, including RedSquirrel, Bat and Hedgehog
• Birds, including Swift and House Sparrow
• Amphibians, includingCommon Toad
• Pollinators, including beesand butterflies
• Invasive non-native species,e.g. Japanese Knotweed, Grey Squirrel
Common frog © SNH
© CAG Lloyd
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Over 97% of wildflower
meadows have been lost in the
UK since the Second World War
and the loss of these habitats
has resulted in the decline in
many of our pollinating insects.
The site selected for the
creation of a wildflower
meadow for this project was in
an area with a stalled housing
development in Muirton in the
north of Perth. Habitat creation
involved planting a native
wildflower seed mix including
21 species of annuals, biennials
and perennials as well as the
creation of two bee banks.
Members of the local
community were involved
throughout the project. A talk
to a class from a local primary
school promoted the
importance of invertebrates,
especially pollinating insects
and what people can do in their
gardens to help bugs.
The class, along with members
of the local community, helped
plant wildflowers and later, on
site, the community groups
and council planners discussed
the importance of brownfields.
This pilot project involved
Buglife Scotland, Perth &
Kinross Council and the
Tayside Biodiversity
Partnership. The wildflower
meadow added colour and life
to the area, as well as providing
important foraging habitat for a
suite of pollinating insects
including solitary bees and
hoverflies and all six
bumblebee species. Together
with the surrounding
brownfield land, the meadow
also provided a home for a
wide number of other wildlife
species.
Brownfield Site ManagementMuirton’s Buzzing Project, Perth
Churchyards are sanctuariesfor the living as well as thedead. The Perth & KinrossHeritage Trust's project in EastPerthshire achieved a suite ofsustainable managementinitiatives with the support ofthe SITA Tayside BiodiversityAction Fund. Wildflowers wereestablished around headstonesto safeguard lichens fromherbicide usage, Red squirrelfeeding areas and bat and birdboxes were included at eachsite, and hedges planted to giverefuge to insects, birds andsmall mammals. Reptiles andamphibians were alsoconsidered when improvingstonework and boundary walls.The Scottish ChurchyardLichen Group's fieldwork in the
graveyards discovered 176lichen species, 30 of them veryrare. Astonishingly there weretwo new British records: a tinycrustose lichen Lecanorainvadens and a lichen parasite,Sclerococcum tephromelarum,found growing on the blackshields lichen Tephromela atra.
The Tayside Green GraveyardInitiative continues to workwith churches and Eco-Congregations across Tayside.The article 'Kirkyard Heritage:Graveyard Conservation inScotland', co-authored by DrSusan Buckham and theTayside Biodiversity Co-ordinator, featured in the 2013Historic Churches journal andis now available on the Building
Conservation website. ThePerth & Kinross Tree WardensNetwork hope to set up aChurch Yew project and TaysideBiodiversity partners areconsidering a Swifts & Bats inChurches project.
Green Graveyard Initiative
Muirton © Buglife Scotland
© CAG Lloyd
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32 EcosystemServices andEcosystem ScaleProjects Ecosystem Services• Flood management andnatural attenuation
• Climate regulation
• Food production and wastemanagement
• Recreation and leisure
• Health and wellbeing
• Tourism
Ecosystem Scale Projects • Swift Conservation Project –community-based projectsacross the area: safeguardingexisting natural nest sites andcreating new nest sites.
• Biodiversity Villages Project –local communities, groups,churches and schoolsenhancing local greenspacefor biodiversity.
• Green Graveyard Initiative –partnership working toenhance existing and newgraveyards.
• BeeWild projects forBusinesses, Care Homes andDay Care Centres.
• Going the Whole Hog –providing hedgehoghibernation boxes, wildflowerplants and wildlife gardeningadvice within Angus schools.
• Control of invasive non-native species – River SouthEsk and the Scottish WildlifeTrust’s Save Scotland’s RedSquirrels.
• Urban GrasslandManagement, e.g. Muirton’sBuzzing Project (Perth) andMonifieth WildflowerMeadow.
• Recreation and Well-being –including walking, cycling,sports, volunteering,gardening, visiting publicgreenspace.
Pressures Development Poor planning at the
masterplan stage of
development can lead to the
fragmentation of species
populations, loss of notable or
veteran trees and hedgerows,
together with destruction of
wildlife habitats.
Pollution, Pesticides andLitter Vehicle exhausts fumes;
industrial leakage, oil and salt
from the road surface all have a
direct impact on wildlife,
especially trees, amphibians,
invertebrates and birds. Over-
use of chemicals to control
insects and weeds seriously
impacts the diversity of urban
wildlife, including woodworm
treatment in attics which can
destroy bat colonies.
Wildlife CrimeTrees illegally felled, hedgestrimmed and scaffoldingerected during bird and batbreeding season, andwildflowers uprooted(especially the native bluebell)are all common occurrences ofurban wildlife crime.
Invasive Non-NativeSpeciesA range of plant and animalspecies impact on nativebiodiversity and have a seriousdetrimental effect. Plantspecies can outcompetenatives and cause erosion. TheNew Zealand FlatwormArtioposthia triangulata is well-established in Tayside and iscausing the eradication ofnative earthworms in farmlandand garden soils. This has adirect impact on soil fertilityand mammals such as moles.
Himalayan Balsam © Kelly Ann Dempsey
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Swift Conservation in Tayside Stanley Community Swift Project
The idea of a Stanley Swift Project came about
during an evening Wildlife Walk in Stanley in the
summer of 2014. The wildlife walkers were
delighted to hear that Stanley is a hot spot for
swifts in Perthshire and said that it would be great
to do whatever they could as a community to not
just protect them, but also ensure the birds
continue to have a safe place to return to and
breed each year after their 6,000 mile migration
back from Africa.
In July 2014, a small group of keen volunteers
undertook a survey of swift numbers and nest sites
in the village. They surveyed the area three times at
weekly intervals on beautiful summer evenings and
counted – as best they could – given the sweeping
and swirling of ever– changing group sizes in the
skies above them, the swift screaming parties. The
village residents also added information from
sightings in between times.
There were frequently groups of about 40 swifts,
and once or twice the numbers increased to around
70 to 80 birds, which at that time of year is likely to
have included late arriving nonbreeding juveniles.
Through their observations, the group began to
recognise when birds were gathering to roost, and
by standing and watching carefully 15 nest sites
were located as the birds whizzed in for the night,
which would mean 30 breeding adults. Most of the
nest sites were in eaves behind gutters or fascias,
but one excellent bit of news was that one of the
nest boxes recently installed on the Tayside Hotel
was found to be occupied by a pair of swifts. The
15 nest sites were recorded on street maps
provided by Perth and Kinross Council and the
information will contribute to the “dots on maps”
survey work that is going on throughout Tayside.
The group hopes more people will want to become
involved in Stanley so that a full picture of swift
activity in the village can be built up and the
information shared with Tayside Swifts. They will
continue to raise awareness about this special bird,
help to improve their protection, install nest boxes
and aim to at least maintain or ideally increase
swift numbers in the village over the coming years.
The Carse of Gowrie Swift Conservation Project
was the first of its kind in Tayside, working with the
local community in surveying nest sites and
helping to safeguard them in the future. The
Kirriemuir Swift Conservation Area Regeneration
Project followed and there are numerous ongoing
projects in Strathearn, as well as in Stanley.
Swift © Bev O'Lone
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Maintaining & Improving Habitats
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
1 Encourageutilisation andupgrading/creationof UrbanGreenspaces.
Urban Greenspace Project(incorporating community orchards,allotments and community gardens)Establish best practice projects with localcommunities.
Raise awareness of health and wellbeingbenefits.
Raise awareness of grassland maintenanceand creation for biodiversity.
Develop the Inch area at the Brechin FloodPrevention Scheme site and provide outdoorclassroom activities.
Distribute the Tayside BiodiversityPartnership's "Making Way for Nature"advisory booklet.
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Tay LandscapePartnership
Hillcrest HousingAssociation
Trellis
LandLife
NHS Scotland
Scottish Natural Heritage
Perth & Kinross HeritageTrust
River South EskCatchment Partnership
Sustrans
Medium
2 Promote thesustainabledevelopment of thePartnership urbanareas throughincreased policyintegration.
Ensure that TAYplan (Strategic DevelopmentPlan), Perth & Kinross and Angus LocalDevelopment Plans take into account thesustainable development of urban areas.
Encourage the integration of biodiversitymanagement and innovative projects inplace-based policies or communityinitiatives, including town and city plans,and development masterplans.
Annually produce updates for LocalAuthority Climate Change Declaration,reporting where appropriate.
Annually produce updates for LocalAuthority statutory biodiversity reportingagainst the 2020 Challenge.
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Scottish Natural Heritage
Tayside Biodiversity
Partnership
Chambers of Commerce
Urban RegenerationCompanies
Developers
Long
Urban Ecosystems Actions ScheduleKey for timescale Short: 1-3 yrs Medium: 4-6 yrs Long: 7-10 yrsActions will be input into the UK Biodiversity Action System (UKBARS)where Lead Partners will be outlined
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Maintaining & Improving Habitats
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
3 Increaseopportunities forcommunities toparticipate inexperiencing andenjoyment ofnature.
Urban Meadows Projects Manage urban grassland and plantedwildflower meadows with biodiversity inmind.
Roll out Buglife's "Buzzing" project acrossTayside and investigate new areas of stalledspace within cities, towns and villages.
Continue the management of MonifiethWildflower Meadow.
Encourage InBloom group contributions towildflower or pictorial meadow plantings atroundabouts, flower beds, etc.
Biodiversity Villages Initiative Investigate the potential to set up a suite ofvillage-based projects to encourage localcommunities to participate in a wide rangeof projects and events.
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Buglife Scotland
Local community groups
Long
4 Improve thebiodiversity qualityof greenspace andgreen networks.
Verge Champion Initiative Set up a Verge Champion Initiative to engagevolunteers and specialists to survey key sitesand to then nominate importantbiodiversity verges for future managementto safeguard species.
Encourage local authorities to manage roadverges for biodiversity taking intoconsideration the guidance given in thePlantlife 'Good Verge Guide: a differentapproach to managing our waysides andverges'.
Instigate the use of A5 laminated cab cardsor similar to provide site-specific vergemanagement advice to operatives.
B-Lines Encourage participation on all spatial scalesin habitat enhancement for pollinators inline with B-Lines guidance.
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Tay LandscapePartnership
Botanical Society Britainand Ireland
Buglife Scotland
Plantlife Scotland
Scottish Wildlife Trust
BEAR Scotland
Medium
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Maintaining & Improving Habitats
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
5 Raise awareness ofUrban issues to LocalAuthorities,Community PlanningPartners and the widerstakeholder network.
Report twice yearly to community planningthematic partnerships on project contributionsto local and national Single Outcome Agreementobjectives.
Regularly provide biodiversity seminars andworkshops to local authority staff on relevantlegislation and good practice.
Use social media and targeted websites topromote urban issues to as wide an audience aspossible.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Long
6 Improve thebiodiversity quality ofgreenspace and greennetworks ingraveyards.
Green Graveyard InitiativeExpand existing green graveyard projects(beyond the Carse of Gowrie and N E Perthshire)and undertake biodiversity management ofgraveyards, cemeteries and crematorium acrossTayside.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Perth & Kinross HeritageTrust
Tay Landscape Partnership
Eco-Congregation Scotland
Long
7 Improve thebiodiversity quality ofgreenspace and greennetworks on golfcourses.
Wildlife in the Rough - Tayside Golf Course Projects
Monitor all those Perth & Kinross golf coursesthat received Ryder Cup funding (£44,000)during 2014 and 2015 and raise awareness of allthat has been achieved.
Research funding options to expand theparticipation in projects across Tayside.
Encourage and support an increase in the widerange of biodiversity projects currentlyunderway on Tayside golf courses.
Scottish Golf
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Local golf clubs
Medium
8 Improve thebiodiversity quality ofgreenspace and greennetworks on buildings.
Living Roofs & Greening InfrastructureInitiative
Mainstream the use and increase the number ofgreen/living roofs, and rain gardens.
Raise awareness of biodiversity and sustainabledevelopment benefits from green/living roofs,SUDS and rain gardens.
Collate Tayside good practice examples for theScottish Green Roof Forum and Scottish GreenInfrastructure website.
Complete audit of Tayside’s SUDS and shortlistthose suitable for community pond projects.
Encourage installation of dropped kerbs, wildlifekerbs and amphibian ladders in new builddevelopments and encourage retrofit whereappropriate.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Scottish GreenInfrastructure Forum
Royal Institute of CharteredSurveyors
Tayside Amphibian &Reptile Group
Long
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Maintaining & Improving Habitats
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
9 Improve thebiodiversity quality ofgreenspace and greennetworks by workingwith local businessesand Local Authorities.
Raise awareness of the benefits of pollinatorplants within urban greenspace.
Mainstream wildlife gardening and managementtechniques in private and community gardens,allotments and greenspace.
Mainstream biodiversity management ofgreenspace in business parks and industrialestates.
Encourage active input into gardening from localcommunities to improve wellbeing and health.
Increase urban biodiversity across Tayside andits enjoyment by local people.
Tayside BeeWild Community Project Prepare a Site Biodiversity Action Plan templatefor businesses (including care homes) andschools to use to manage their greenspace andgardens for wildlife.
Support delivery and continue to raiseawareness of good practice examples withinhospitals, schools, care homes, shelteredhousing complexes, day care centres andbusinesses with land (industrial estates, businessparks, etc).
Set up a BeeWild project in Angus (x25 sites2016-18) and expand project across Tayside(2020-26).
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Voluntary Action Angus
Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency
Balhousie Care Group
Barchester Healthcare
Hillcrest HousingAssociation
Bumblebee ConservationTrust
Buglife Scotland
NHS Scotland
Business parks andindustrial estates
Medium
10 Work with publicorganisations andbusinesses to highlighttheir responsibilitiesto biodiversityprotection indevelopment andaction for biodiversityto make positivecontributions.
Tayside Swift Conservation Project
Work with communities across the region tosafeguard existing nest sites and to create newones.
Work with Planners and developers acrossTayside to install integral nestboxes in new-builds and to safeguard existing nest sites inproperties being restored, insulated orrenovated.
Use the Carse of Gowrie Pilot Project as a modeland expand the project across Tayside.
Support the Tay Landscape Partnership ininstalling external nestboxes across its region.
Use the Kirriemuir Swift Conservation Project asa model to work with other Conservation AreaRegeneration Schemes across Tayside.
Advise on Biodiversity Villages Initiativeincorporation of swift projects, using the StanleyCommunity Swift Group as a model of bestpractice.
Where appropriate, Hillcrest HousingAssociation to install integral and externalnestboxes in its programme of works throughoutTayside.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Hillcrest HousingAssociation
Tayside Swifts
Tay Landscape Partnership
The Carse of GowrieSustainability Group
Stanley Community Group
Concern for Swifts Scotland
Swift Conservation
Angus Council
Tayside Development Trusts
Perth & Kinross Council
Royal Society for theProtection of Birds
Perth and Kinross HeritageTrust
Historic EnvironmentScotland
National Trust for Scotland
Scottish Wildlife Trust
Short/Medium
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Surveying & Monitoring
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
11 Encourageparticipation inurban citizenscience surveys andprojects.
Scotland's Urban Flora ProjectEncourage collection of survey data onflowering plants, ferns, mosses, lichens andfungi within the city limits of Perth.
Hirundine Survey Prepare and circulate postcard and poster toraise awareness of swallows, house martinsand sand martins and to obtain ‘firstsightings’ data to share with NGOs.
Fixed point Photography Identify partners using fixed pointphotography to monitor changes in urbanhabitats and species distribution.
National Species SurveysEncourage local communities to partake in awide variety of surveys, including theNational Bat Monitoring Programme, RSBPBig Garden Birdwatch, BeeWalks, BigButterfly Count, National Moth Nights,Living with Mammals, National Insect Week,National Plant Monitoring Scheme, andOPAL Bugs Count surveys.
Tayside Swift SurveyContinue and widen the Tayside SwiftSurvey, reporting back data to appropriateorganisations.
Map Swift populations and nest sites to addto local authority planning GIS layers.
Understanding Our RiversPromote educational activities, includingsuitable surveys, on the River South Esk atBrechin and Montrose.
Local Patch SurveyInvestigate the repeating of the TaysideLocal Patch (Wildlife on your Doorstep)surveys to engage the public in urbanbiodiversity recording.
Wildlife WatchingEngage the tourism industry in participatingin biodiversity surveys, projects andawareness-raising for all their visitors,service providers, operatives and staff.
Work with eco-tourism organisations toraise awareness of key species in and nearTayside towns such as Red Squirrel, EurasianBeaver, Peregrines; encourage best practiceguidelines in wildlife watching.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Botanical Society ofBritain & Ireland
British Trust forOrnithology
Royal Society for theProtection of Birds
Bumblebee ConservationTrust
Buglife Scotland
Plantlife Scotland
Bat Conservation Trust
Mammal Society
Butterfly ConservationScotland
Wild Scotland
VisitScotland
Tourism and businesscommunity
River South EskCatchment Partnership
Medium
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Education & Awareness Raising
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
12 Raise publicawareness of theirconnections withurban biodiversity.
Connect people of all ages with the seasonsand their special places by encouragingthem to explore their local area.
Increase wellbeing through interaction withthe natural environment.
Support biodiversity awareness – raisingprojects and initiatives in local gardencentres, gardens open to the public andtheir visitors.
ZOOMIn2 ProjectEncourage participation in the time-lapsenature photography project with its ownwebsite – www.zoomin2.co.uk
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Schools, localcommunity groups,special interest groups(walkers, photographers,etc)
Business community
Scottish Natural Heritage
Royal Society for theProtection of Birds
Butterfly ConservationScotland
Short
13 Encourage schoolage participation inprojects relating tourban issues,working withschools to increaseaccess to nature.
Going the Whole Hog (Angus)Provide 70 schools in Angus with access tothe Hedgehog Street education packs and/orthe Hedgehog Preservation Society packs topromote their work.
Provide 70 schools in Angus with ahedgehog hibernation box, as well ashedgehog-friendly pack of hedging,wildflower seeds and bulbs.
Hold a series of biodiversity fairs at keyschools within each burgh to raiseawareness of wildlife gardening.
Expand the project into Perth & Kinross.
Contribute records to the People's Trust forEndangered Species' Big Hedgehog Map andpublicise the Hedgehog Street projects.
School Bats ProjectWork with schools to install bat roostingboxes where appropriate and to learn moreabout the ecology of bats.
Angus Alive RangerService
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Perth & Kinross Council
River South EskCatchment Partnership
Scottish Wildlife Trust
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Medium
14 Raise awarenessacross thecommunity of theimportance of urbanbats and theirprotection.
Urban Bats Increase the bat population by a variety ofconservation methods and surveys,expanding the original Perth-fectly BattyProject.
Tayside Bat Group
Bat Conservation Trust
Angus Alive RangerService
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Medium
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Education & Awareness Raising
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
15 Reduce littering andsafeguard wildlife.
Don’t Let Go Work with the local authorities toimplement policies relating to the ban ofmass balloon or sky lantern releases.
Raise awareness of alternatives to balloonreleases.
Raise awareness of alternatives tophosphate-rich household cleaningproducts – consider repeating the "Make theLink to your Sink" tea-towel campaign.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Marine ConservationSociety
National Farmers Unionof Scotland
Angus Council
Perth & Kinross Council
River South EskCatchment Partnership
16 Raise awareness invillages ofendangered species.
Tree Sparrows on the EdgeIncrease the population and distribution ofTree sparrows in Perth and Kinross andAngus by providing nestboxes and raisingawareness within local communities.
Biodiversity Villages Initiative - EncourageTayside village communities to audit theirlocal biodiversity by surveys and BioBlitzevents. Facilitate community participationin safeguarding common and endangeredspecies.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Volunteer Action Angus
Scottish Natural Heritage
Royal Society for theProtection of Birds
British Trust forOrnithology
Tay LandscapePartnership
Angus and Dundee BirdGroup
Perth & Kinross Council
Angus Council
Local communities
17 Promote localrecorders, clubs andbiodiversity opendays.
Maintain an up to date database of localrecorders and specialist clubs.
Utilise the skills of local recorders and clubsto target specific projects including localBioBlitzes.
Encourage local open days and promote tothe partnerships extended network.
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Tayside Recorders’Forum
Butterfly ConservationScotland
Scottish Natural Heritage
Medium
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Invasive Non-Native Species
Action Action breakdown Who takes the action Timescale
18 Raise awareness ofINNS and actionsthat can be taken tohalt their spread andtreat existingproblem areas.
Biosecurity InitiativeSupport agencies involved in the control ofthe spread of invasive non-native species,especially Japanese Knotweed, GiantHogweed, American Skunk Cabbage andHimalayan Balsam. Limit the spread of Greysquirrel.
Raise awareness of invasive non-nativespecies and demonstrate the impact thatcan be achieved by labour intensive(volunteer) control.
Facilitate the production of urban area mapshighlighting key areas threatened byinvasive non-native species.
Facilitate work party days with volunteerinput to carry out control.
Focus on urban areas and in particular thosewithin the following catchments:
River Tay and tributariesWestern CatchmentsRiver South EskRiver North EskLunan Water
Scottish EnvironmentalProtection Agency
Angus Council
River South EskCatchment Partnership
Perth & Kinross Council
Landowners and landmanagers
Rivers & Fisheries Trust ofScotland
Scottish Wildlife Trust
Scottish Natural Heritage
Tayside BiodiversityPartnership
Voluntary Action Angus
Long
19 Safeguard EUProtected Species.
Targeting INNS Assist in targeting INNS in Tayside asdirected by Scottish Biodiversity CommitteeINNS Forum, especially Grey Squirrelcontrol (SWT Red Squirrel Project).
Scottish EnvironmentalProtection Agency
River South EskCatchment Partnership
Angus Council
Scottish Wildlife Trust
Perth & Kinross Council
Landowners and landmanagers
Long
20 Raise awareness ofINNS garden pestssuch as NewZealand Flatwormand actions that canbe taken.
New Zealand Flatworm SightingsPublicise the James Hutton Institutecampaign to raise awareness of this majorthreat to biodiversity.
James Hutton Institute Medium