Task 10

Phase 1 habitat surveys

This task was to report on a Phase 1 habitat survey activity that was undertaken.

Phase 1 habitat surveys aim to produce a relatively quick record of vegetation and wildlife habitat (Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), 2016). It is based primarily on vegetation, with some reference to topographic and substrate features. A Phase 1 survey may then provide information that determines whether a site requires a Phase 2 survey, which provides a more precise definition of selected areas in terms of plant communities i.e. by using the National Vegetation Classification (NVC).

A surveyor will visit the site to complete a Phase 1 survey, which includes the following 4 main components:

Phase 1 habitat surveys

Habitat map

Vegetation is to be mapped on to an Ordnance Survey map and colour coded based on a standard list of habitat types provided by JNCC for Phase 1. Although this is completed by the surveyor on the ground, time may be saved by using technology e.g. satellite data, to pre-populate a habitat map that can then be ground-truthed (Lee, Aves and Pandey, 2020).

Target notes

Additional information concerning areas of interest, or where habitat may be difficult to classify, are added as target notes. A reference is added to the map, so the location is known. These target notes will allow others to make a preliminary assessment of the conservation value – and compare against other sites.

Habitat area data

A map record sheet contains area measurements of habitat (by type), location details, survey dates and general site comments/notes.

Survey report

This provides the results in a concise form to summarise the findings so that they can be used for conservation planning.

This practical session was led by Dr Deborah Pearce (Programme Lead for Biology and Environment, Oxford Brookes University) and Dr Andrew Lack (Senior Lecturer in Environmental Biology, Oxford Brookes University). The session comprised of 2 parts, Phase 1 surveying and Phase 2 surveying. I will outline the Phase 1 component here. We didn’t cover the whole site due to time constraints, but I was able to go to a number of different habitat types and classify them.

Activity: Phase 1 habitat survey practical

Location: Shotover Hill, Oxfordshire Date: 29 April 2024

Phase 1 habitat map of Shotover Hill, based on the areas visited as part of the practical exercise

Habitat map

I have generated a map of the surveyed area using ArcGIS Pro, with areas categorised and colour-coded as per the Phase 1 handbook (Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), 2016). There wasn’t an obvious place to import the symbology styles for these layers, so I had to create them myself! Note that I've only partially categorised/mapped habitat, based on the limited areas that I saw during the exercise.

1. Neutral grassland, heavily trafficked, closely locked to car park and at the top of the hill.

2. Neutral grassland, along the side of Old Road (now a track), the vegetation changes. Comprised here with cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris, white dead-nettle Lamium album, creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens and forget-me-nots Myostis sp.

3. On the north side of the track there is a row of trees/hedge, with ash Fraxinus excelsior, blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Scots pine Pinus sylvestris along with garlic mustard Alliaria petiolate and ground ivy Glechoma hederacea.

4. Towards the top of the hill the area still presents as neutral grassland, further downslope (at this target note), it becomes more acid grassland with species such as: yarrow Achillea millefolium, sweet-vernal grass Anthoxanthum odoratum, field woodrush/Good-Friday grass Luzula campestris, sheep’s sorrel Rumex acetosella, heath bedstraw Galium saxatile, germander speedwell Veronica chamaedrys and birdsfoot trefoil Lotus corniculatus (which is often found in calcareous grasslands but can be found in acidic soils too).

5. Further downslope there looks to be remnants of heathland. This area has some heather Calluna vulgaris and bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scriptus, forming a dry heath/acid grassland mosaic.

6. At the time of survey this area was covered by bluebells Hyacinthoides non-scriptus. From local knowledge this area is heath, but appears to have been scraped.

7. This is another area of heathland but has more patches of heather present at time of survey than at 6.

8. This area is a semi-natural broadleaved woodland. Species seen include: ash Fraxinus excelsior, hazel Corylus avellana, holly Ilex aquifolium, oak Quercus robur and hawthorn Crataegus monogyna. Herbaceous species of yellow archangel Lamium galeobdolon and lesser stitchwort Stellaria graminea also seen at the side of the path.

Photos of the habitats, which may be included with Phase 2 information, can be seen here (click to view full size):

Target Notes:

Photo's taken at each of the target note locations/habitats.

Habitat measurements can be made, with areas calculated, using the map in ArcGIS Pro. For example, for the areas that I have categorised*:

Habitat area data

*Measurements for the mapped areas only, not for the complete site.

Survey report

A report of the site would mention the different habitat types and features of the site and its designation as a SSSI. Its use as a recreational amenity area being close to Oxford, so that public footfall is relatively high. The fact that it contains some remnant heathland habitat, which is uncommon in Oxfordshire and may influence conservation management decisions (LDA Design, Oxford County Council and BSG ecology, 2022, p.19). Details of the current management practices could also be included.

Reflection

The visit to Shotover Hill was enjoyable and informative. It was interesting to see how prone to variation and individual interpretation a Phase 1 habitat survey may be. For example, determining the exact point where the neutral grassland becomes acid grassland may be interpreted differently. Also, after reviewing a previous Phase 1 and 2 report (from 2012), provided by Dr Deborah Pearce, I could see some differences in how areas were categorised. On this visit the area to the north of the track was categorised as hedge with trees, yet previously this area was categorised as Mixed semi-natural woodland (A1.3):

Additionally, I can see how the date of the survey can affect the outcome. For example, at the time of our visit the area that was heath looked to have been scraped, to encourage regrowth of the heath, so had lots of bluebells but very little heather. Without prior knowledge of the site, I can imagine the classification of this area being different.

References

Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) (2016) Handbook for Phase 1 habitat survey: A technique for environmental audit. Available at: https://hub.jncc.gov.uk/assets/9578d07b-e018-4c66-9c1b-47110f14df2a (Accessed: 17 May 2024).

LDA Design, Oxford County Council and BSG ecology (2022) Shotover Country Park. Available at: https://www.oxford.gov.uk/downloads/file/597/shotover-country-park-management-plan-2022-2032.

Lee, H. K., Aves, J. and Pandey, U. (2020) The use of remote sensing to identify habitats on a large-scale linear infrastructure project. Available at: https://learninglegacy.hs2.org.uk/document/the-use-of-remote-sensing-to-identify-habitats-on-a-large-scale-linear-infrastructure-project/ (Accessed: 22 May 2024).