Bangor Coastline Biodiversity Profile

In the following account of this LCA it should be noted that for consistency, the biodiversity section follows the standard order for all LCAs even though some of the communities discussed later may have more importance for biodiversity than those discussed earlier.

Key Characteristics

• dominated by urban development
• coastal location with both rocky shores and sandy bays
• woodland found mainly around estates and Crawfordsburn Country Park
• grassland mostly improved and located around Crawfordsburn and Craigavad

Woodlands

Just over 9% of this LCA is comprised of woodland, the majority of which is broadleaved and exists as wooded headlands, glens and parkland around estates such as that at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum and Cultra Manor (Lowland Woodland Pasture and Parkland). Crawfordsburn Country Park is an important feature of the landscape and comprises several areas of woodland including wooded headlands and river side woodlands such as "the glen" which was first planted in the early 19th century. Many of the older trees that make up this wooded area are not native, such as beech, larch, Monterey cypress or Californian redwood but more recent planting has concentrated on native trees such as oak, ash and hazel. Wood anemones, primroses, dog violets and wild garlic can also be found in the groundflora. This area is important for its fauna as well as flora. Birds such as the willow warbler, goldcrest, treecreeper and golden plover can be sighted as well as stoats, red squirrels and bats.

Edith of Lorne's Glen is another glen woodland in this LCA. This site comprises a mixture of semi-natural and planted, mature deciduous woodland as well as some regenerating shrubby woodland. The most natural area of woodland is located on the steep slopes in the western half of the valley where ash with downy birch, wych elm, beech and sycamore are to be found with an understorey of hawthorn, blackthorn and holly. Flowers such as bluebell, wood anemone occur in the woodland floor with ivy, soft shield fern and broad buckler fern.

There is also an area of new woodland in this LCA located next to the Clandeboye Estate. Kilcooley Wood is a suburban Woodland Trust site composed predominantly of oak and ash with some hazel and cherry also.

There are also many Nature in the City sites consisting of parkland, small plantations and semi-natural.

Grassland and Arable

Grassland comprises approx 21% of land cover in this LCA. The vast majority of this is improved grassland which is found predominantly in the centre of the LCA around Crawfordsburn and Craigavad. There are some small areas of rough and acid grassland found scattered throughout the LCA.

Crawfordsburn meadow, located in Crawfordsburn Country Park is an especially important area for its flora as it was sown with a wildflower mix. Ox-eye daisies, ragged robin, bird's-foot trefoil and common knapweed are common and butterflies like the common blue and meadow brown have been attracted to the area. Other areas of grassland in the meadow are managed as hay meadows. These were not resown but are just left to grow.

There are some pockets of arable land in this area mainly concentrated in the centre of the LCA. This habitat is important for many decreasing farmland birds.

Wetlands

There are no significant areas of wetland in this LCA.

Coastal

LCA 103 is also characterised by its coastal location. To the west of Grey Point towards Cultra, the coast is more exposed and is rocky and rugged and is generally of lower biodiversity interest due to the unstable nature of the substrata. On the eastern side are more sandy beaches such as Helen's Bay and Ballyholme Bay. These areas are largely dominated by lugworms, sand masons and other polychaetes. Swinley Point has good species diversity of flora and fauna with a range of habitats such as rock pools, and under boulder habitats. Many birds such as curlew, golden plover, cormorants, shags, eider ducks and red breasted mergansers are attracted to this area as well as other fauna such as the wall brown butterfly, common blue butterfly and the six-spot burnet moth.

Key Issues

General actions for UK and NI Priority Habitats and Priority Species are detailed in the Habitat Action Plans and Species Action Plans.

WOODLANDS

Issue: high woodland cover in NI Priority Habitat lowland woodland pasture and parkland; Crawfordsburn Country Park is important for the NI Priority Species red squirrels and golden plover

Actions:

• enhance the biodiversity value of demesne woodlands by discouraging any further felling or pollarding; by retention of fallen and veteran trees (particularly for bryophytes, ferns, fungi and fauna); ensure that hazel scrub is retained
• encourage control of grazing in broadleaved woodlands to foster herb layer and regeneration and if necessary, encourage replanting of canopy species; removal of invasive species could increase the diversity of ground flora, especially where the canopy species are not beech
• further study of the history and biodiversity of broadleaved woodlands within the LCA, particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management
• enhance biodiversity through measures to improve and extend woodland cover such as The Woodland Grant Scheme or The Farm Woodland Premium Scheme; management plans for demesne woodland should be directed toward their survival, through natural regrowth or planting of native broadleaf species; farmers and landowners could be encouraged to plant field corners or set-aside fields
• retain and develop Nature in the City sites containing woodland

GRASSLAND AND ARABLE

Issue: low grassland cover of poor biodiversity value, predominantly around Crawfordsburn and Craigavad; also small scattered areas of rough and acid grassland

Actions:

• encourage (through participation in Environmental Schemes) adoption/continuance of less intensive management of pastures to allow reversion to/continuance of more species-rich grassland such as Crawfordsburn meadow
• maintain and enhance rough damp grassland by where, possible, restricting field or arterial drainage
• maintain and improve field boundaries, especially hedgerows where they occur through adoption of correct cutting cycles; hedge laying and replanting where necessary; leave saplings uncut to develop into hedgerow trees; avoidance of good farming practice in relation to spraying with fertilisers, slurry or herbicides; provision of wildlife strips and conservation headlands around fields; and limitation of field amalgamation
• leave stubble over winter, rather than autumn ploughing to increase food resources for farmland birds; spring-sown cereals are beneficial to farmland birds
• ensure that further clearance of boulders does not occur on pastoral or arable land

COASTAL

Issue: the sandy beaches east of Grey Point are of relatively high biodiversity value, particularly for polychaetes, butterflies and birds, including the NI Priority Species curlew and golden plover

Actions:

• further research into the history and ecology of flora and fauna at Swinley Point, as a key to future management
• ensure that NI Priority Species, rare plants and RSPB Red List Species are protected from factors such as new development, erosion, waste tipping and pollution
• protect heath from becoming rank and invaded through controlled grazing; reduce the extent of sea buckhorn

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