ASSESSING NATURE CONSERVATION VALUES IN BRITISH WOODLAND—A REVIEW OF RECENT PRACTICE

Abstract

Summary The value of a wood for nature conservation depends on the objectives that are set for nature conservation. These may differ from one group of people to another. However, a general objective set by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1991 is taken as the starting point—that “wildlife communities characteristic of the various regions of Great Britain should remain viable and distributed across their traditional ranges”. This approach may then be focused on to three aspects: —how do we maintain/enhance the relatively natural elements within British woodland? —how do we maintain/enhance the populations of rare woodland species? —how do we promote populations of the common woodland species throughout their natural range? Different woods contribute to varying degrees to these different aspects in ways that are affected by both their regional and their historical contexts. The philosophy behind assessment of individual sites was explored in the Nature Conservation Review, and ten “criteria” were proposed—...