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 | 24.6 hectares (61 acres) | Upper Bacombe 51°45′22″N 0°45′25″W / 51.756°N 0.7569°W 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 | 65.8 hectares (163 acres) | Wexham 51°32′45″N 0°32′42″W / 51.545866°N 0.54487446°W 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 | 33.1 hectares (82 acres) | Milton Keynes 51°59′06″N 0°44′15″W / 51.985°N 0.7375°W 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 | 14.7 hectares (36 acres) | Princes Risborough 51°43′27″N 0°48′51″W / 51.7242°N 0.8142°W 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 SP699344 |
Map | Details | ||
Captain's Wood | 13.9 hectares (34 acres) | Chesham 51°43′17″N 0°37′34″W / 51.7213°N 0.6261°W 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 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 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 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 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 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 SU866991 |
Map | Details | ||
Sands Bank | 11.1 hectares (27 acres) | High Wycombe 51°38′00″N 0°47′47″W / 51.633238°N 0.79638658°W 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 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 SU913880 |
Map | Details | ||
Whiteleaf Hill | 11.0 hectares (27 acres) | Princes Risborough 51°43′40″N 0°48′41″W / 51.7278°N 0.81125°W 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. |
- List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Buckinghamshire
- List of Local Nature Reserves in England
Notes
- ↑ 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]
- ↑ The location is taken from the Natural England details page for the site.
- ↑ The maps are on the Natural England database of Local Nature Reserves.
- ↑ 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
|
References
- ↑ "Protected or designated areas". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 9 April 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- ↑ "Local nature reserves: setting up and management". Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Local Nature Reserves: Search Results for Buckinghamshire". Natural England. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ↑ "Bacombe and Coombe Hills citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "Bacombe Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 8 August 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "Black Park citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ↑ "Blue Lagoon". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ "Brush Hill". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ↑ "Brush Hill Wildlife". Chiltern Society. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ↑ "Six Special Places". Chiltern Society. 23 October 2014.
- ↑ "Sands Bank Local Nature Reserve" (PDF). Chiltern Rangers. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- ↑ "Wildlife" (PDF). Buckinghamshire County Council. Retrieved 29 October 2015.