Scrabo 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

• divided into a northern half predominantly under urban land use (Newtownards) and a southern half, predominantly horticulture.
• little woodland or treed hedgerows
• isolated inland sites of biodiversity interest, especially Scrabo HIll
• adjacent to internationally important coastal communities

Woodlands

Woodland occupies only 1% of the LCA and is limited to only one or two locations. Scrabo Country Park includes the woodlands of Killynether and the disused stone quarries. The quarries are surrounded by disturbed ground that is being colonised by thorns and scrub. This contrasts with the beech plantation at Killynether (some small areas of ash/birch are found in the eastern part of the wood) and the hazel wood on the western flank of Scrabo Hill. In spring, the hazel woodlands display a rich ground flora. A wide range of bird life can be observed in the woodlands and adjacent grasslands of the Park. Jackdaws nest in the quarry, together with kestrels and ravens. Other birds include dunnock, stonechat, white throat, chiff-chaff, spotted fly-catcher, linnet, barn owl, yellowhammer and red poll. The wall brown butterfly, also a priority species for Northern Ireland, has been recorded here. Other patches of woodland in the LCA are small and include some wet woodland trees around Kiltonga bird sanctuary, and plantings around some of the larger houses.

Grassland and Arable

Unusually for Northern Ireland, there is a relatively high percentage of the LCA in arable land (c. 34%) - in rotational horticulture; some cereal and pasture fields form part of this rotation. This land, lying between Comber and Newtownards, is intensively managed and many of the fields are bounded by ditches or poor, heavily trimmed hedgerows; biodiversity is low. In addition, the area, which has some of the best soils in Northern Ireland, is under threat from urban expansion of both towns.

Rough pasture is associated particularly with the urban fringe and represents 'blighted' land that may go into urban expansion; being a transient land cover, it has little biodiversity interest.

Heath and Scrub

Small areas of gorse heath and scrub are found on the old quarries and steep slopes of the southern and eastern flanks of Scrabo Hill.

Wetlands

The lakes at Kiltonga Nature Reserve are managed for wildfowl and attract a wide variety of duck species and are particularly noted for regular gadwell. Bullfinch and song thrush have also been recorded here.

Coastal

The dominant substrate along the shoreline of LCA 101 is muddy sand shores. These are largely dominated by polycheates such as, lugworms and catworms and bivalves such as the Baltic tellin and cockles. Eel grass is often present on the surface. These mudflats form part of an internationally important site for wintering wildfowl such as the pale-bellied brent goose.

Northern Ireland Priority Habitat: Coastal saltmarsh is included in this LCA. Saltmarsh occurs at the Comber Estuary and also a narrow coastal strip that extends for nearly 1.5km from Newtownards airport.. At the Comber estuary there is a sequence of saltmarsh communities; annual sea blite marsh colonises the mud, common saltmarsh grass occurs in the lower saltmarsh backed by a red fescue - saltmarsh rush community, with common couch in the upper saltmarsh vegetation. There are also small stands of common cord-grass marsh. Common reed beds are present in the zone between the arable land and the marsh. At Newtownards the saltmarsh is dominated by common saltmarsh grass, red fescue - saltmarsh rush, with common couch.

Saltmarshes are an important resource for wading birds and wildfowl. They act as high tide refuges for birds feeding on adjacent mudflats, as breeding sites for waders, gulls and terns and as a source of food for passerine birds particularly in autumn and winter.

Urban

Urban land occupies 34% of the LCA, principally in the northern half, and is extending. There are few sites of biological interest, but opportunities exist, especially with new estates, to leave small areas that can be managed as wildlife reserves.

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: woodland cover is limited to a beech plantation at Killynether Wood and hazel woodland on the western flank of Scrabo Hill; a number of NI Priority Species have been recorded in this LCA

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 in broadleaved woodlands to foster herb layer and regeneration and if necessary, encourage replanting of canopy species; monitor visitor pressure on woodlands to ensure that ground flora is not lost through trampling
• further study of the history and biodiversity of broadleaved woodlands within Scrabo Country Park, particularly any ancient and long-established, as a key to future management
• ensure conservation of patches of wet woodland around Kiltonga bird sanctuary by preventing trampling by stock and allowing succession to take place ; ensure that loss does not occur through drainage, reclamation, landfill or dumping/tipping
• 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: a relatively high proportion of this LCA is in arable land but is intensively managed and of low biodiversity value; the area between Comber and Newtownards is under threat from urban expansion

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 areas of rough pasture along the urban fringe
• 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

HEATHS AND BOGS

Issue: areas of gorse heath and scrub should be retained

Actions:

• promote membership of ESA or other environmental schemes through consultation with farmers and thereby
• control grazing intensity on existing heathland to encourage development of heathland and of heather of different ages
• discourage reclamation to pasture fields of heathland margins
• allow tree colonisation to take place

WETLANDS AND LAKES

Issue: the NI Priority Species bullfinch and song thrush have been recorded around the Kiltonga Nature Reserve lakes

Actions:

• promote and encourage adoption of Countryside Management guidelines so that rivers and lakes 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 rivers within the LCA in relation to expansion of rural/urban housing and associated septic tanks/sewage treatment plants
• monitor effects of visitors on shoreline communities at Kiltonga Nature Reserve

COASTAL

Issue: NI Priority Habitats coastal saltmarsh and mudflats are important resources for wading birds and wildfowl, but are under threat from disturbance, particularly at Island Hill

Action:

• protect rare coastal saltmarsh communities from sources of pollution and waste tipping, in addition to damaging activities such as land-fill, construction and disturbance (windsurfing, dogs, jet skis, horse riding)
• protect mudflats from potential impacts of nutrient enrichment, land claim, coastal defences, dredging and human disturbance
• 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
• an integrated coastal zone management policy is required to achieve a balance between public enjoyment of Strangford Lough and conservation

URBAN

Issue: potential for new nature reserves within urban areas

Action:

• leave small areas within new development to be managed as wildlife areas
• old quarries provide potential as ponds and wetlands where natural succession can take place

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