View Map Print

Survey Details for CRDGNLH058 - 2026-06-09

CRDGNLH058

Landscape Habitats

Cefn Croes upland mosaic

Ceredigion

2008-10-17

  • Level 1: Dry (Relatively) Terrestrial Habitats
  • Level 2: Grassland & Marsh
  • Level 3: Acid Grassland

Monitoring

Q1 - Date of monitoring?

  • 2016-03-10

Q1a - Monitoring undertaken by

  • Stages 1, 2 and 3 change detection, field verification and amendment completed by Environment Systems in conjunction with the local planning authority. Quality Assurance completed by TACP

Q1b - Has this record been updated following monitoring work?

  • This record has been updated following monitoring work, there was a real change in the aspect area

Q1c - Change indicated by

  • OS Data, Aerial Photographs
  • Phase 1 Habitat Survey & Seasonal Change Maps

Q1d - What has changed?

  • Classification
  • Description
  • Condition & Trend

Q1e - Has the information ever been verified in the field?

  • No

Q2 - Does this area have a special or functional link with an adjacent area?

  • No

Q3 - What is the total land area within the boundary (in hectares)?

  • 290 ha

Description

Q4 - What are the dominant soil types? (specify up to 3 types)

  • Podzolic
  • Peat soils

Q5 - What Phase 1 habitat types are present? Only select the five most dominant types and, for each of these, specify below what percentage of the Aspect Area is made up of these.

  • Improved Grassland
    • 21%
  • Dry Modified Bog
    • 51%
  • Unimproved Acid Grassland
    • 7%
  • Not Accessed Land
    • 8%
  • Dry Acid Heath
    • 4%

Q6 - Does the area contain habitats of international importance?

  • Not known

Q7 - If yes, which habitats of international importance?

  • No Answer

Q8 - Does the area contain BAP habitats?

  • Not known

Q9 - If yes, which BAP habitats?

  • No Answer

Q10 - Does the area contain protected sites?

  • Yes
    • SPA(0.01ha) SSSI(4.53ha)

Q11 - If yes, which ones?

  • SPA
  • SSSI

Q12 - Approximately what proportion of the Aspect Area is within the protected site?

  • 1-10%
    • 1.56%

Q13 - Does the area support important species?

  • Not known

Q14 - If yes, which species? (for each of the species, also note the source of information)

  • No specific species records exist for this area.

Q15 - Are there any significant threat species present in abundance? (Field visit required)

  • Not known

Q16 - What other features significantly influence the biodiversity in this area?

  • No Answer

Q17 - Are any of these features in a very good condition? (Field visit required)

  • Unknown

Q18 - Are any of these features in a poor condition? (Field visit required)

  • Unknown

Q19 - What are the main land management activities taking place in the area? (Field visit required)

  • Stock grazing

Q20 - Do any of the above appear to have an appreciable positive impact on biodiversity? (Field visit required)

  • None

Q21 - Do any of the above appear to have an appreciable negative impact on biodiversity? (Field visit required)

  • None

Q22 - Is the biodiversity in the area in any way threatened?

  • Not known

Q23 - Are there clear opportunities to improve the biodiversity aspect of this area?

  • Yes
    • Through positive management of the grassland area it may be possible to enhance the heathland species within sward.

Q24 - Summarise the key features that define this area's biodiversity character

  • An area of dry modified bog, and marshy grassland, dominated by semi-improved dry acid grassland. Area is highly disturbed by the felling of small forestry blocks and the building of a large wind farm.

Condition

Q25 - Value

  • Moderate
    • The habitats in this area have been highly disturbed by the building of a large wind-farm, although remnant habitats of blanket bog and marshy grassland and flush occur they lack the quality of the surrounding uplands and this area is graded as only having a moderate value in consequence.

Q26 - Condition

  • Unassessed

Q27 - Trend

  • Declining
    • Decrease in dry modified bog, now dominated by acid grassland.

Recommendations

Q28 - Existing management

  • Generally Appropriate

Q29 - Existing management remarks:

  • Area is sheep grazed.

Q30 - Principal management recommendations

  • Reduce grazing pressure to encourage return of native species on areas close to improved grasslands.

Q31 - Guideline

  • Immediate
    • Avoid further disruption of soil /water regime in peat areas
  • Medium Term
    • Manage grazing pattern to prevent areas of overgrazing.
  • Long Term
    • Active management to restore blanket bog

Aspect Area Boundary

Q32 - To what level was this information site-surveyed?

  • Level 3

Q33 - At 1:10,000, how much of the Aspect Area boundary is precise?

  • None

Q34 - What baseline information source was used for Aspect Area boundary mapping?

  • Aerial photographs

Q35 - If OS Data was used, what was the scale?

  • 1:10,000

Q36 - What is the justification for the Aspect Area boundaries?

  • The aspect area follows the outline of the area modified by agricultural improvement and the building of a large wind-farm. Forestry plantations form the boundary on the west and east.

Evaluation

Q37 - Evaluation Criteria: Priority Habitats

  • Moderate
    • The area has remnant areas of heath and bog habitats.

Q38 - Evaluation Criteria: Significance

  • Low
    • The significance of the habitats has been negated by the level of disturbance.

Q39 - Evaluation Criteria: Opportunity

  • Moderate
    • Further controlled grazing and careful management may restore some of the area.

Q40 - Evaluation Criteria: Expansion rates

  • Unassessed

Q41 - Evaluation Criteria: Sensitivity

  • Unassessed

Q42 - Evaluation Criteria: Connectivity/Cohesion

  • Moderate
    • The area does have connectivity with other surrounding upland blocks but it has the most modified vegetation of this whole upland block.

Q43 - Evaluation Criteria: Habitat Evaluation

  • Moderate
    • This area contains some remnant upland habitat types.

Q44 - Evaluation Criteria: Importance for key species

  • Unassessed

Q45 - Evaluation Criteria: Overall Evaluation Habitat and Species

  • Moderate
    • The habitats in this area have been highly disturbed by the building of a large wind-farm, although remnant habitats of blanket bog and marshy grassland and flush occur they lack the quality of the surrounding uplands there are no specific species records from this area.

Q45a - Justification of overall evaluation

  • The habitats in this area have been highly disturbed by the building of a large wind-farm, although remnant habitats of blanket bog and marshy grassland and flush occur they lack the quality of the surrounding uplands and this area is graded as only having a moderate value in consequence.

Bibliography

Q46 - Sources and additional assessments

  • Vexel 2006 aerial photography, Getmapping - Millenium Map digital aerial photography. CCW - Phase 1 Habitat vector GIS data set. Countryside Council for Wales Species Information Ceredigion BAP species, NBN species Information.

Assessment

Q47 - Additional Assessments

  • An area of remnant blanket bog, marshy grassland and flush which lacks the quality of the surrounding uplands due to large wind farm being built here.

Q48 - Additional Comments

  • Species records used in the study are not comprehensive and the absence of species in an area may well be an indication of incomplete records rather than a true lack. Land managers, developers, planners and other land users will need to satisfy themselves as to the occurrence of such species within the area if existing land management or management changes might affect these species in the future. A first step to procuring this data will be to consult with the local biodiversity records centre.