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Boloria euphrosyne - Pearl-bordered Fritillary England and Wales to Southern Scotland, rarer in the north. |
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Found in open woodland and clearings, particularly with open Birch, Oak, relict Pine and scrub Hazel, or in well-drained grassland, Bracken and scrub mosaics. The larvae feed on Dog Violet (Viola canina) and Primrose (Primula vulgaris). The species has declined significantly this century and is now an endangered species. It is protected under schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is also a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. |
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Coeloglossum viride - Frog orchid |
The concept of Biodiversity Action Plans arose from the Rio 'Earth Summit' in 1992. The UK and 150 other countries signed the 'Convention on Biological Diversity', which recognised the threat to global biodiversity and committed signatories to protect their own biodiversity. The UK Biodiversity Action Plan was published in 1994 and lead to the establishment of the UK Biodiversity Steering Group. Its members were drawn from a range of different disciplines and backgrounds, from government and conservation agencies to farming and business. The group established a series of conservation measures required to protect British biodiversity as well as identifying 'priority' species and habitats, those that have undergone a serious decline and are urgently in need of remedial action. |
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However, in order to implement these action plans it was recognised that they would have to be brought down to a local level. Most areas have already produced, or are currently preparing, a plan, with most being co-ordinated by local authorities. Within Scotland the Dumfries and Galloway Local Biodiversity Action Plan was one of the first to be completed and was launched in summer 1999. The local plan was co-ordinated by a local steering group, whose membership reflects the UK group, which implemented a detailed audit of the region's biodiversity, identifying key habitats and species and then prioritised them. It identifies 22 priority habitats and 123 priority species. These include any national priority or UK conservation concern species that may occur within the area, e.g. the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, as well as locally significant species, e.g. Azure Hawker Dragonfly, Barnacle Geese and Holy Grass. An important point to note is that an LBAP is not just a document, but is a continuing process, involving all sections of the local community, with proposals for action, time scales and targets to ensure no net loss and hopefully the enhancement of a region's biodiversity. |
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Photos - Top: D. Heward, centre left: B. Soames |
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