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You may know that the Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) holds records of wildlife which could be useful to the Alliance and other organizations concerned about the inevitable loss of wildlife should the ring road eventually go ahead.

BRERC may be approached by representatives of the developers at some point but can only give out what has been sent in to them.

The Alliance is keen to contribute to the database to keep it up to date and below you will find information to help you identify wildlife and features of the landscape that we can report. We need to know what was seen, who saw it, where and when the observation was made. We will gather the information and report it to BRERC so that if and when a full ecological assessment of the route is commissioned (when the planning application is submitted) the database will be as up-to-date as we can get it. In the meantime if certain types of wildlife, eg badgers are found we will report this to the Council’s Planning Department with a request that the relevant Planning Officer conducts a full survey.

So, when you are out and about along the route of the ring road please look out for anything you think will be of particular interest and let us know, but especially keep a look out for:

Features of the landscape which function as stepping stones between good wildlife areas, such as ponds and small woods (these are essential for animals and plants to move between sites)

Protected species (legally protected and must be taken into account before planning permission can be granted), eg great crested newt, water voles, the Daubenton’s bat, dormice. With a very few exceptions, most nesting birds are protected, but only whilst nesting (see www.rspb.org.uk for more info)

Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) species and habitats (must be taken into account when assessing planning applications), eg frogs and toads and the ponds themselves, the ruddy darter dragonfly, dormice, the black poplar tree, hedges, especially if old, may be important (see www.avon-biodiversity.org.uk )

Ponds – if only one pond in a group was lost this could jeopardize the whole population of great crested newts

Old Allotments, ‘wasteland’ and other open spaces – scrub is very valuable for nesting birds. Slow worms, lizards, adders and grass snakes are protected, but only against killing and injury. Look under suitable refuges, such as corrugated iron or wooden debris to see if they are present, also look for shed skins. Amphibians may use the area for feeding/hibernation, look out for the great crested newt. Badgers may also be present.

Trees and small copses – bats use trees for feeding around, for roosting and even for breeding. A site where bats just feed (rather than roost or breed) is harder to protect unless it is part of a Bat Feeding Zone (BFZs). These have been identified on Local Plan maps to show the potential feeding range (up to 5 miles) of the greater horseshoe bat, which is a threatened species. A feeding site would be hard to protect, roosts would have to be surveyed. (see www.bats.org.uk for more info)

How old are the trees? Some very old specimens are known as ‘veteran trees’ (those classified as being of interest biologically, aesthetically or culturally because of their age, location, history and many other features). We could request the Local Authority consider a tree for a Tree Preservation Order. A felling licence must be granted by the LA before felling any tree, not in a garden, that contains more than 5 cubic metres of wood.

If you are able to identify fungi, lichens, mosses then report these also.

Many thanks for your help

Animal & Plant Report