Local Nature Recovery Strategy: Species priorities list
Which species need specific conservation actions to help those at risk of disappearing.
'Species' are the types of animals, plants, fungi, and other living things that exist as part of nature. Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are designed to help to recover populations of species, especially those who are at risk of extinction from the local area.
Targeted support
We already support many species through general habitat improvements, such as creating ponds and enhancing woodlands. However, some species need more targeted help to survive and thrive.
This list shows which species in Oxfordshire need specific recovery actions. These actions go beyond general habitat improvements. They are designed to help species at risk of disappearing from our local area.
The LNRS aims to protect and restore nature across Oxfordshire. It includes a Statement of Biodiversity Priorities, which recommends general habitat actions. These actions benefit many species.
This species list adds to that by identifying those that need extra support. It helps make sure the LNRS works for all species, including those with special needs.
Updating the list
We expect to review and republish this list every 3 to 10 years. The Secretary of State decides the exact timing. Updates will happen alongside other LNRS documents.
About the species priorities list
The species priorities list is one of four parts of the LNRS. It is a species table that needs specific support and requires very specific actions to support them to survive, recover, or spread further in Oxfordshire.
These species may benefit from:
- specially managed habitats
- reintroductions or translocations
- actions to reduce threats or pressures
The list includes species that:
- are most likely to benefit from targeted actions
- have a national stronghold in Oxfordshire
How the list was made
We followed a method developed by Natural England and Defra. The full method can be read on the LNRS website. Steps we took:
- We asked Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) to identify threatened or near-threatened species with extinction in Oxfordshire. This gave us a list of 879 species
- We invited local experts to review and add any missing species. The list grew to 883 species
- We reviewed each species to understand what action it needs
- We grouped species based on the type of action required
This list includes species that require specific actions in addition to good management and the creation of diverse habitats.
Habitat improvements
Many species will benefit from general habitat improvements, such as:
- enhancing woodlands
- creating ponds
These actions are already recommended in our Statement of Biodiversity Priorities. However, some species need more tailored support.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Needs more / bigger / better / more connected habitats | Needs targeted habitat management | Needs improvements in environmental quality | Needs bespoke conservation action(s) | Needs better evidence base/ on-the-groun action isn’t the priority | Needs action outside of England | Vagrant species / occasional visitors / invasive species |
| These species are likely to benefit from the LNRS measures (actions) listed on the Statement of Biodiversity Priorities and do not need to be singled out for specific LNRS Species actions. | Yes, these species are likely to be suitable for LNRS species priorities | Yes, likely to be suitable for LNRS species priorities |
Yes, likely to be suitable for LNRS species priorities. (Species which have no/poor data about their locations should be assigned to Category E.) |
Not suitable for LNRS species priorities list | Not suitable for LNRS species priorities list | Not suitable for LNRS species priorities list |
Natural England created the categories (A - G) in the table to help LNRSs separate species. With support from Thames Valley Environmental Centre and local species experts, we grouped each of the 883 species into the categories A - G.
Experts helped to add and remove species from categories, sense-check the process, inform the LNRS about which species needed which actions, which locations are essential for which species, and the types of habitats that these species rely on for survival.
While separating species into categories and working out which actions they needed, many species were expected to benefit from widespread, broad, habitat-level actions (e.g., enhancing grasslands, leaving deadwood in woodlands, creating ponds).
These widespread habitat actions are already recommended in the Statement of Biodiversity Priorities, which means that the LNRS has already listed the actions that should support the recovery of those species. Therefore, they haven’t been listed again here. In comparison, some species need more specific actions, such as creating electric fencing around nests to prevent predators from getting to them.
Since the actions are quite specific, they would likely be overlooked in general habitat creation or management techniques, but listing them individually here allows the LNRS to focus effort on their more specific recovery needs.
List of documents
- Amphibians
- Birds
- Butterflies and moths
- Fish, crustaceans, and snails
- Fungi and lichens
- Insects and spiders
- Mammals
- Plants, flowers, and trees
- Reptiles
Reporting
Report any sightings of these (and other) species to TVERC to help inform future biodiversity recovery work.
Contributing towards the government’s species ambitions
The government has set legally binding targets to:
- Halt the decline in species abundance by the end of 2030
- Increase species abundance by the end of 2042 so that is greater than in 2022 and at least 10 per cent greater than in 2030
- Reduce the risk of species’ extinction by 2042, when compared to the risk of species’ extinction in 2022
LNRSs were advised by the government’s Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that the "LNRS is a critical new tool for driving the national ambition to increase species abundance and reduce risk of species extinctions… the LNRS system forms a coordinated spatial approach for planning a nationwide network of more, bigger, better, better-connected habitat to support species recovery and resilience.
Each strategy contributes to this national picture by planning coherent ecological networks at the local level to help local species populations thrive."
To support species, LNRSs are advised to follow particular processes to create a written list of local priority species and to propose specific measures (actions) which would help to recover and enhance local populations.
In some suitable cases, actions have been mapped onto the LNRSs ‘Local Habitat Map’ to show where those actions could produce the greatest benefits for the species. This may be particularly important where isolated populations of rare species remain.
A note on climate change
At the time of writing, the actions were expected to be the most suitable ways to support the recovery of these species.
However, there are expected changes to climate patterns with warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers predicted, as well as increasing extremes in weather events and storms, although these changing patterns may be unpredictable.
The LNRS recommends that the actions listed on the following pages should be adapted based on the latest understanding of changing climates in order to best support the recovery of these species