East Devon NL: State of Nature

The State of Nature for the East Devon National Landscape (NL) is part of a suite of projects that comprise the emerging Nature Recovery Plan that will address the extinction emergency for biodiversity in part-fulfilment of the  Colchester Declaration .

East Devon NL’s landscape supports a diverse range of habitats and has more woodland cover than many other NLs in the South West of England. The NL supports a predominantly pastoral landscape, interspersed with copses and wooded goyles, as well as extensive networks of steep-sided Devon hedge-banks, with occasional valley floor and valley side marshlands and unimproved grasslands.

The coastal strip supports a range of maritime cliff and clifftop habitats with extensive grasslands and woodlands. The hedgerows are an important landscape connectivity feature for wildlife, such as brown hairstreak butterfly and multiple rare and protected bat species.

Priority habitats and designated sites for nature conservation comprise a relatively good coverage within the East Devon NL:

• Priority habitat accounts for approximately 17% cover.
• Designated sites for nature conservation account for approximately 14% cover. 

Natural capital benefits of the East Devon NL include the carbon stored in woodland, peaty soils and other natural habitats, and catchment-scale approaches to fluvial processes and water quality management. There is substantial scope for further catchment-scale work to be incorporated within Nature Recovery Plans, including the use of the natural 'ecosystem engineers', such as the beavers on the River Otter. 

Understanding the current condition and extent of wildlife in an area is an important first step in developing any plan for nature conservation, and in helping to evaluate its future success. 

Building on the work completed by Geckoella in 2021, this updated report sets out and maps the current State of Nature for the East Devon NL (as of March 2024). In producing this report, the most up-to-date spatial datasets have been collated in addition to summarising recent legislative developments and what they mean for nature recovery in the East Devon NL.

The East Devon NL State of Nature report:

• Describes the strategic context for an East Devon NL Nature Recovery Plan in terms of biodiversity and natural capital, including how the effectiveness of the plan can be measured.
• Describes the current biodiversity and natural capital of the East Devon NL. 

Statutory protected sites are defined areas of the countryside or marine environment where important features of nature conservation are protected by legislation. Geological and geomorphological features of interest can also be protected by legislation.

Similarly to statutory protected sites, non-statutory sites are designated to protect and enhance important areas for wildlife conservation, in addition to geology or geomorphology features of interest. Non-statutory designated sites are not protected by legislation but still offer significant conservation value.

Designated sites In the East Devon NL include those recognised as of international significance, such as the Beer Quarry and Caves Special Area of Conservation (SAC) - designated for its populations of greater horseshoe, lesser horseshoe and Bechstein’s bats - to Knapp Copse Local Nature Reserve (LNR), which exemplifies how habitats such as ancient woodland, species-rich grassland and springline mire are often found in a rich and complex mosaic in East Devon, further adding to their value and the range of rare and important species they support.

Since the original State of Nature report, statutory protected site information has been updated. This has included incorporation of the official  Pebblebed Heaths National Nature Reserve  boundaries and a collation and comparison of 2020-2024  SSSI Condition data . Approximately 14% of the East Devon NL is covered by a combination of statutory and non-statutory designated sites for nature conservation.

Sites of Species Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are statutory protected sites, and preserve core areas of some of the best examples of wildlife and geodiversity features in England. These sites are subdivided into smaller 'units' based on habitat, tenure and management.

The government's 25 Year Environment Plan includes a major focus on the Nature Recovery Network. The National Association of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty committed in 2019 to developing Nature Recovery Plans to help contribute to this commitment, as set out in the Colchester Declaration - this includes improvements to the condition of SSSIs within National Landscapes ( HMSO 2018 ;  NAAONB 2019 ).

We pledge by 2030 that at least 200,000 ha of SSSIs in [National Landscapes] will be in favourable condition

In the release of the  Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 , new interim targets have been set for all SSSIs: to have an up-to-date condition assessment; and for 50% of the SSSIs to be on track to acheive favourable condition by 31 ^st  January 2028.

The East Devon NL has 16 SSSIs within or on the boundary of the NL covering approximately 1,800 ha (6.7% of the NL). Between 2021 and 2024, the condition of SSSIs with the East Devon NL have shown a very slight decline from 35% (2021) to 34% (2024) of sites in favourable condition, and 65% (2021) to 66% (2024) in unfavourable condition.

Map: Condition of SSSI units, from favourable condition (green) to unfavourable declining condition (red) in 2021 (left) and 2024 (right).

Map references:

[2] © Natural England, [3] © Ordnance Survey

Do not reprint, copy or use for commercial purposes. See references for more information

Priority habitats are some of the most threatened, semi-natural habitats in England and are listed under S41 of the  NERC     Act (2006)  as requiring additional conservation measures including protection from development and highlighting for action for support through agri-environment and other funding and scheme.

Several priority habitat types are represented in East Devon NL:

• Lowland heathland - A rare and threatened habitat that is characterised by flora that is adapted to the damp, acidic conditions and poor fertility of parts of the East Devon NL.

• Broad-leaved woodland - A broad description that encompasses a number of different woodland priority habitats found within the East Devon NL, including wet woodland and lowland mixed deciduous woodland.

• Wood pasture and parkland - A wood pasture is an area of grazing land with trees. Traditionally, the trees are cut periodically for fuel and/or for additional fodder for the livestock.

• Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh - Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh are periodically inundated pastures, or meadows with ditches with standing brackish or fresh water. The ditches are usually rich in plants and invertebrates. Almost all such habitats are grazed. Some are cut for hay or silage.

• Maritime cliff and slopes - Maritime cliff and slopes comprise the sloping to vertical faces on the coastline where a break in slope is formed by slippage and/or coastal erosion. The habitat includes the cliff-top, extending landward to at least the limit of maritime influence such as from salt spray and coastal structures such as the stacks at Ladram Bay.

• Lowland meadows - Lowland meadows include most forms of species-rich neutral grassland that are found across the enclosed lowland landscapes of the UK. They include pastures, hay meadows, flood pasture and flood meadows, and many road verges and sites such as churchyards.

• Lowland calcareous grassland - Strongly influenced by the alkaline soils found in parts of the East Devon NL, and often associated with escarpments or dry valley slopes. Lowland calcareous grassland is well recognised for its floral diversity including several orchid species.

• Purple moor-grass and rush pasture - Purple moor-grass and rush pasture habitat occurs on poorly drained, usually acidic soils in lowland areas of high rainfall. The habitat consists of various species-rich types of fen meadow and rush pasture. Purple moor-grass and rushes are usually abundant.

• Orchards - Orchards are structurally and ecologically similar to wood-pasture and parkland, with open-grown trees set in herbaceous vegetation. Traditional orchards are hotspots for biodiversity in the countryside, supporting a wide range of wildlife and notable species, and often associated with other priority habitats.

• Hedgerows - Hedgerows are an important nature conservation and heritage feature within the East Devon NL and are of value as wildlife in their own right, comprising important habitat for a range of notable and protected species including brown hairstreak butterfly and multiple rare and protected bat species. Within East Devon NL, the character of hedge banks reflects local soils and geology, tree and shrub species and historic land-use practices; they are an intrinsic element of the farmed landscape.

• Lowland dry acid grassland - Lowland dry acid grassland typically occurs on nutrient-poor, generally free-draining soils overlying acid rocks or superficial deposits such as sands and gravels. It occurs at a few sites in the East Devon NL on the high spurs of the Central Ridge and on the coast near Knowle. Dry acid grassland contains a significant number of rare and scarce vascular plant species many of which are annuals.

Special Species data has been categorised into '2010 to Present' and '2009 and Older' depending on the date of record collection.

Special Species data from 2010 to present was used to best represent the current 'State of Nature' within the East Devon NL, and as such was chosen for further analysis.

A map showing Special Species data within the East Devon NL.

Special Species include:

• Pearl bordered fritillary
• Small pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly
• Brown hairstreak butterfly
• Greater horseshoe bat 
• Bechstein's bat 
• Grey long-eared bat
• Devon whitebeam
• Heath lobelia

There are no records for Devon Whitebeam available, however, the species has been found within Sidmouth just outside the East Devon NL boundary, and there is the potential for reintroduction within suitable areas in East Devon NL.

Left: 2009 & older data Right: 2010 - Present data

Map references:

[1] © Devon Biodiversity Records Centre, [2] © Natural England, [3] © Ordnance Survey

Do not reprint, copy or use for commercial purposes. See references for more information