MakingSpaceforNAture_11_Freshwater_RufousGrasshopper Copy Scaled Aspect Ratio 1200 400

Species priorities and potential measures

The Strategy aims to deliver habitat management, restoration, extension and creation that is specifically targeted to halt the decline, and support the recovery, of the Strategy’s priority and threatened species and in doing so, reduces the risk of losing species through extinction from the county.

Spp Cut

Although the Strategy development process requires a focused list of priority species, identified as the species in most urgent need among other considerations, it is still important to take account of all the county’s rare, threatened and significant species in any habitat management, restoration, extension or creation work. The Strategy therefore identifies overarching approaches that ensure this wider suite of species, while not the focus of bespoke action, still benefits from action taken with the Strategy area.

1. During the design of works to deliver a Strategy potential measure, habitat assemblages of the species longlist should be consulted for the relevant habitat, and all action should consider and take account of the species that depend upon it, recognising and supporting the interdependencies that exist.

 Where works are taking place in locations where a longlist species for Kent and Medway is known to occur, the habitats, structures, host species or other features supporting the species concerned should be maintained in extent and quality, and, where possible, should be locally extended, improved and connected.

Where works are taking place in locations where a longlist species for Kent and Medway was previously known to occur and/or might naturally establish populations, planning and delivery of land-use planning, nature conservation activities or other land management work should take the needs of the relevant species into account. This should include avoiding action which would decrease the ecological connectivity between potential sites and those sites already supporting the relevant Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy longlist species.

2. During the design of works to deliver a Strategy potential measure, and where those works occur on or near the borders of the Strategy area, the neighbouring Local Nature Recovery Strategy’s priority species list should be consulted to ensure that action in the Kent and Medway Strategy area does not undermine efforts for that species in the neighbouring area. Opportunities to facilitate the spread of a local population within the works should be identified, particularly where that species is currently absent from the county.

3. Action design should also recognise the contribution that species may make to the habitat and utilise, where appropriate, species within its management to help deliver more dynamic, natural, intact and climate-resilient ecosystems.

Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy Priority Species

The Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy has identified 146 priority species – this is a large number of priority species but is a reflection of the large number of species in the original species longlist. These priority species represent 11% of the county’s rare, threatened and significant species – it is expected that targeted action for these 146 species will offer wider benefits to the other 1,210 species not identified as a priority.

The non-statutory guidance on priority species for a Local Nature Recovery Strategy recommends that only species that require bespoke measures are identified and that these bespoke measures are presented alongside the relevant species. However, acknowledging that many of the habitat measures designed for the benefit of a priority species offer wider benefits to other species of that habitat assemblage, it was determined that these should be embedded into the habitat potential measures.

Consequently, a number of the Kent and Medway priority species, while meeting the criteria as a priority, seemingly do not have dedicated potential measures. These are noted as priority species requiring broad habitat measures, and the relevant habitat priority is identified alongside them. Where a species requires a bespoke measure that will only benefit that particular species, this is noted as requiring bespoke measures – a link to the appendix with all bespoke measures for the priority species is provided.

Priority species documents of the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Appendix 3.1 – Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy priority species bespoke measures

Download PDF (456 KB) - Appendix 3.1 - Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy priority species bespoke measures

MakingSpaceforNAture_2_Farmland_4_Bees_ShrillCarderBee_2 Copy Aspect Ratio 480 320

Appendix 3.2a Rare, threatened and significant species of the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy area

Download PDF (933 KB) - Appendix 3.2a KMLNRS Rare, Threatened And Significant Species

MakingSpaceforNAture_2_Farmland_3_MarbledWhiteButterfly Copy Scaled Aspect Ratio 480 320

Appendix 3.2b – Priority habitats and associated rare, threatened and significant species of the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy area

Download PDF (784 KB) - Appendix 3.2b KMLNRS Rare, Threatened And Significant Species And Associated Habitats

MakingSpaceforNAture_4_Urban_1_animals_Beetle_4 Copy Scaled Aspect Ratio 480 320

Appendix 3.3 Rare, threatened and significant species of the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy area requiring further evidence

Download PDF (448 KB) - Appendix 3.3 - Rare, threatened and significant species of the Kent and Medway Local Nature Recovery Strategy area requiring further evidence

MakingSpaceforNAture_6_Freshwater_2_Watervole Copy Aspect Ratio 480 320