List of Local Nature Reserves in Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a county in south-east England. Its county town is Aylesbury, and it is surrounded by Greater London, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Under Buckinghamshire County Council there are four districts, Aylesbury Vale, Chiltern, South Bucks and Wycombe, and Milton Keynes has a separate unitary district council.

Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect LNRs.[1][2]

As of October 2015 there are sixteen Local Nature Reserves in Buckinghamshire.

Sites

Site Photograph Area[lower-alpha 1] Location[lower-alpha 2] Map[lower-alpha 3] Details[lower-alpha 4] Description
Bacombe Hill Bacombe Hill 24.6 hectares (61 acres) Upper Bacombe
51°45′22″N 0°45′25″W / 51.756°N 0.7569°W / 51.756; -0.7569 (Bacombe Hill)
SP859071
Map Details The site is chalk grassland which has a rich variety of species. including the entire British population of fringed gentian, and there are areas of juniper and mixed scrub. Invertebrates include scarce species, such as chalkhill blue and brown argus butterflies.[4] The site is also noted for its orchids.[5]
Black Park Black Park lake 65.8 hectares (163 acres) Wexham
51°32′45″N 0°32′42″W / 51.545866°N 0.54487446°W / 51.545866; -0.54487446 (Black Park)
TQ010840
Map Details This is heath, alder carr - both rare in the county - mixed and coniferous woodland and some areas of acid grassland. It has a varied fauna, and insects include the nationally rare Roesel's bush cricket. There are eighteen species of butterfly, birds including hobbies and nightjars, and snakes and lizards.[6]
Blue Lagoon Blue Lagoon 33.1 hectares (82 acres) Milton Keynes
51°59′06″N 0°44′15″W / 51.985°N 0.7375°W / 51.985; -0.7375 (Blue Lagoon)
SP868326
Map Details The lake is 18 metres deep with clean water and diverse wildlife. Spoil heaps around the lake have been naturally colonised to become grassland, scrub and woodland. The grassland has fauna and flora typical of chalk downland.[7]
Brush Hill Brush Hill 14.7 hectares (36 acres) Princes Risborough
51°43′27″N 0°48′51″W / 51.7242°N 0.8142°W / 51.7242; -0.8142 (Brush Hill)
SP820035
Map Details Habitats on the site are chalk grassland, woodland and scrub. Flora include wood anemone and wood sorrel, and there are birds such as nuthatches and treecreepers.[8] At the top of the hill there is ancient woodland with oak, Scots pine and larch. The grassland is grazed by sheep between October and March.[9]
Buckingham Sand Pit 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) Buckingham
52°00′13″N 0°58′59″W / 52.003647°N 0.98314473°W / 52.003647; -0.98314473 (Buckingham Sand Pit)
SP699344
Map Details
Captain's Wood Captain's Wood 13.9 hectares (34 acres) Chesham
51°43′17″N 0°37′34″W / 51.7213°N 0.6261°W / 51.7213; -0.6261 (Captain's Wood)
SP950034
Map Details The site is ancient beech woodland which has high ecological value. In spring it is carpeted with bluebells.[10]
Chairborough Road 3.9 hectares (9.6 acres) High Wycombe
51°37′26″N 0°46′35″W / 51.6240°N 0.7764°W / 51.6240; -0.7764 (Chairborough Road)
SU848924
Map Details
Coombs Quarry 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres) Buckingham
51°59′15″N 0°56′02″W / 51.9876°N 0.9339°W / 51.9876; -0.9339 (Coombs Quarry)
SP733326
Map Details
Gomm's Wood 18.1 hectares (45 acres) High Wycombe
51°38′03″N 0°42′30″W / 51.6341°N 0.70822°W / 51.6341; -0.70822 (Gomm's Wood)
SU895936
Map Details
Holtspur Bank 6.6 hectares (16 acres) Beaconsfield
51°36′11″N 0°40′33″W / 51.603167°N 0.67588927°W / 51.603167; -0.67588927 (Holtspur Bank)
SU918902
Map Details
Northmoor Hill Wood 8.7 hectares (21 acres) Denham
51°35′32″N 0°30′32″W / 51.5921°N 0.50875°W / 51.5921; -0.50875 (Northmoor Hill Wood)
TQ 034 892
Map Details
Prestwood (Picnic Site) 2.1 hectares (5.2 acres) Great Missenden
51°41′02″N 0°44′56″W / 51.6840°N 0.74875°W / 51.6840; -0.74875 (Prestwood)
SU866991
Map Details
Sands Bank Sands Bank 11.1 hectares (27 acres) High Wycombe
51°38′00″N 0°47′47″W / 51.633238°N 0.79638658°W / 51.633238; -0.79638658 (Sands Bank)
SU834934
Map Details The site is a mixture of woodland, scrub and grassland on a south facing chalk slope. Some of the beech woodland dates back 400 years, and there is younger cherry, holly, yew and ash. Ground plants include wood spurge and goldilocks buttercup, and there are mammals such as roe deer and hazel dormice. There is a wide variety of fungi.[11]
Snakemoor 1.8 hectares (4.4 acres) Haddenham
51°46′17″N 0°56′47″W / 51.7713°N 0.94634°W / 51.7713; -0.94634 (Snakemoor)
SP728086
Map Details
Warren Nature Reserve 2.3 hectares (5.7 acres) Wooburn
51°35′01″N 0°41′01″W / 51.5835°N 0.68368°W / 51.5835; -0.68368 (Warren Nature Reserve)
SU913880
Map Details
Whiteleaf Hill Whiteleaf Hill 11.0 hectares (27 acres) Princes Risborough
51°43′40″N 0°48′41″W / 51.7278°N 0.81125°W / 51.7278; -0.81125 (Whiteleaf Hill)
SP822039
Map Details The southern half of the site is semi-natural beech woodland which dates back to at least 1600. Most of the mature trees were lost during storms in the late twentieth century, but they have been replaced by scrub which is regenerating into forest. Birds include whitethroats, and there are butterflies such as the speckled wood and the peacock.[12]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Local Nature Reserves in Buckinghamshire.

Notes

  1. The area is taken from the Natural England map of each site. (Click on the identify icon (i) in the "Feature Tools" and then click on the site.)[3]
  2. The location is taken from the Natural England details page for the site.
  3. The maps are on the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.
  4. Details are on the pages on each site in the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.[3]

Coordinates: 51°50′N 0°50′W / 51.833°N 0.833°W / 51.833; -0.833

References

  1. "Protected or designated areas". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  2. "Local nature reserves: setting up and management". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Local Nature Reserves: Search Results for Buckinghamshire". Natural England. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  4. "Bacombe and Coombe Hills citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  5. "Bacombe Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
  6. "Black Park citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  7. "Blue Lagoon". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  8. "Brush Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. "Brush Hill Wildlife". Chiltern Society. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  10. "Six Special Places". Chiltern Society. 23 October 2014.
  11. "Sands Bank Local Nature Reserve" (PDF). Chiltern Rangers. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  12. "Wildlife" (PDF). Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.