Craigantlet Escarpment 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

• upland area forming escarpment to Holywood Hills
• contains some of the most important woodland areas for North Down
• dominated by improved pasture

Woodlands

Woodlands in this LCA account for approx. 12% of land cover. There are some examples of Upland Mixed Ashwoods a priority habitat for Northern Ireland. The vast majority of this habitat type is part of Craigantlet ASSI. This ASSI is composed of three separate valley-woods in close proximity and together form the largest block of semi-natural woodland remaining in north Down. The woods are inaccessible so that they remain relatively undisturbed. The woods are all base-rich occurring on steep valley sides and are composed of mature ash with frequent wild cherry and a well-developed understorey. The ground flora is typical of flushed, base-rich woodlands with a diversity of plant communities and species. Associated streams and rock faces enhance the variety by providing additional microhabitats. The woodland flora also includes rare plants such as wood millet, wood fescue and toothwort.

Carrowreagh wood also fits into the category of upland mixed ashwoods. This is a small and narrow wooded river valley - its canopy is predominantly ash with a few scattered sycamores. The understorey is dominated by hazel with blackthorn locally abundant along the top margin of the valley sides. The whole wood is open to livestock, which has resulted in a deterioration of the quality of some accessible woodland areas due to trampling.

Lowland woodland pasture and parkland is also represented in this LCA. Stormont Estate is dominant feature of the landscape containing ornamental and productive gardens, fields, woodland and parkland. The woodland mainly consists of Irish yew and an area of cedar grove. The Northern Ireland priority species red squirrel is found here and unusually exists in harmony with the introduced grey squirrel, only one of two areas in NI where this has been found to happen. The population of red squirrels at Stormont is approx. 40 and is one of the last remaining populations in Belfast. Stormont Estate is also an important site for old wood fauna characteristic of wood pasture.

Redburn Country Park is one of the largest remaining intact blocks of woodland in the North Down area. This woodland is predominantly of planted origin indicated by the presence of beech, sycamore and conifers. The canopy is composed of beech, sycamore and ash with downy birch being locally dominant in the more semi-natural areas. Hazel, hawthorn, holly and rowan are common in the understorey with areas of elder in the planted sections.

As well as the large areas of woodland already discussed there are many small areas of semi-natural woodland in the form of wooded glens along streams such as Ballyregan Glen and Belmont Glen. Although small these areas of woodland are important features to retain and add to the biodiversity of the LCA.

The total area of woodlands in this LCA is comparatively greater than in surrounding areas and includes examples of Northern Ireland Priority Habitats. It is essential for the landscape character of the LCA and for its biodiversity that these woodlands should be retained as some of the largest intact blocks of woodland in North Down are found here.

Grassland and Arable

Grassland is the dominant land cover in this LCA (approx. 59%). Improved grassland constitutes the majority of this (46%). There are scattered patches of rough grassland found around the edges of Redburn Country Park and to the north of Stormont Estate. Improved grasslands have little biodiversity but in this LCA hedgerows are a common feature and in many cases form a valuable network.

Arable fields are scattered throughout the LCA but more extensive areas exist around Ballymaghan and the eastern corner of the LCA. This habitat is important for decreasing farmland birds such as the yellowhammer.

Wetlands

The upper reaches of the Enler River are found in this LCA. The Enler River contains river water-crowfoot, a priority species for Northern Ireland.

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: some of the largest intact blocks of woodland in North Down, including the NI Priority Habitats upland mixed ashwoods and Lowland woodland pasture and parkland

Actions:

• enhance the biodiversity value of broadleaved 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 not cleared
• encourage control of grazing within upland mixed ashwoods such as Craigantlet ASSI and Carrowreagh 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

GRASSLAND AND ARABLE

Issue: high grassland cover in improved pastures and intensively managed arable land of low biodiversity value; also scattered areas of rough 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 and protect any unsown areas of
• 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 spraying with fertilisers, slurry, herbicides through a move to organic farming; 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

WETLANDS AND LAKES

Issue: the Enler River contains the NI Priority Species river water-crowfoot

Actions:

• promote and encourage adoption of Countryside Management guidelines so that rivers are not polluted by releases from silage effluent, herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers or sheep dip; ensure that eutrophication does not occur as a result of nutrient-rich surface waters from surrounding farmland
• monitor streams in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
• monitor effects of recreation, including fishing

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