Agenda item

Strategic Access Management Monitoring Project Update

To receive an update on the progress of the Strategic Asset Management Monitoring Project.

Minutes:

The Board received a report providing an update on the work taking place as part of the Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) Project. The report summarised the project’s activities and achievements since Board’s September meeting and included updates on staffing and recruitment, warden activity, SANG visitor surveys, access to SPA land, educational work and monitoring activities.

 

Key highlights included:

 

·         The new Education and Engagement Officer was now in post and the creation of a new education programme was underway.

·         The Ground Nesting Bird Season had started on 1st March 2019

·         1,107 hours of wardening activity had been completed and 1,942 leaflets and guides had been distributed to visitors.

·         Details of the decline in visitor numbers recorded by the 2018 visitor survey would be circulated.

·         Development of the Thames Basin Heath Partnership website continued with the inclusion of a comprehensive directory of the SANG sites that could be visited, a Meet the Team section, links to partners’ websites and the regular publication of blogs on a variety of subjects including promotion of different sites across the area, habitat management, the flora and fauna that could be found on the heaths and publicising key messages and engagement activities.

·         The Greenspace on your Doorstep booklet had been rewritten to provide updated information, better photographs and information about new SANG sites.  It was agreed that copies would be circulated to members.

·         Following the success of Heath Week in 2018, work was underway to deliver Heath Week 2019 between 28th July and 3rd August 2019.  The week would include guided walks, arts and crafts, themed activities and historical sessions.  Partners had been asked to submit events for inclusion in the programme.

·         Bird surveys had found a decrease in the number of Dartford Warblers recorded compared to 2017, from 556 to 266.  A decrease that was attributed to the cold weather in March.  The migratory nature of Nightjars meant that they were protected from the cold weather and their numbers had remained steady, 351 in 2017 compared to 366 in 2018.  Woodlark numbers had fallen from 164 to 112 however, these were the least understood of the three species and the reasons for their fall in numbers was not fully understood.  It was agreed that information relating to the proportion of the total UK population for each bird species these figures related to would be circulated.

·         It was agreed that future reports would include more detailed survey results and a programme of work for the project team.

·         It was agreed that District Authorities would provide updates on the information relating to visitor numbers and observed impacts on wildlife that they held for the SANGS within their remits.

·         It was agreed that Hampshire Fire Service would be invited to the Board’s next meeting to give a presentation on the advice they gave on fire reduction on the heathlands.

 

 

It was noted that whilst the project had initially been set up as a result of EU directives, the regulations had been subsumed into the UK Habitat’s Directive and subsequently incorporated into UK law.  Consequently SANGS would be unaffected by the outcome of Brexit.

 

It was reported that the hosting agreement that contracted Natural England to run the SAMM project on behalf of the Partnership would come to an end in 2020.  The Partnership considered Natural England’s experience to have been pivotal to the success of the SAMM project to date.  It was agreed in principle that the hosting agreement with Natural England should be continued for an initial period of 5 years.

 

It was suggested that this would be an appropriate time to review the contract to ensure that it remained fit for purpose.  It was agreed that the legal requirements for renewing the hosting agreement would be clarified and a report reviewing the Hosting Agreement and setting out a way forward would be brought to the Partnership’s next meeting so that the matter could be progressed.

 

The Board noted the update.

 

 

Supporting documents: