GCN - Strategic Opportunity Areas (England)

This dataset identifies areas where the addition of new ponds would benefit Great Crested Newt populations defined as strategic opportunity areas (SOAs). These England-wide dataset incorporates the SOAs for all regional areas.  The attribute “Strategy_Area_Name” defines these areas..The details below describe how the SOAs are scored for each region

The core areas contain a pond density of 2+ ponds and are located within a 25m square where great crested newt presence has been predicted.  Fringe areas contain a pond density of 1 and are located within a 25m square where great crested newt presence has been predicted or are within a 250m of a Core Area.  Typically urban areas greater than 2ha (+400m buffer), roads (7.5m buffer), and rivers (+7.5m) have been excluded unless otherwise stated..  

All scores are summed, scores ≤ 0 are not displayed. Higher scores are associated with darker colouration and represent a greater presence of suitable habitat features (density refers to the coverage of a habitat type with 250m of any 25m grid square):

Cambridgeshire  (Urban buffer reduced to 250m)
Density of arable land 0-50%			+1
Density of coniferous woodland 10-25%		+1
Density of deciduous woodland 10-100%	+1
Distance from deciduous woodland 0-100m	+1
Density of grassland 25-75%			+1
Nearest pond 0-125m				+1
pH 6.5-7.5					+1
Distance from rivers 150-1000m			+1

Cheshire
Soil pH 6.5 – 7.25				+1
Nearest Pond <100m				+1
River distance 100 – 1000m			+1
Density of grassland 10 – 70%			+1
Distance to deciduous woodland <100m		+1
Density of deciduous woodland 10 - 70%	+1
Soil Phosphorus 35 – 45			+1
Drainage Clay/Loamy				+1
Arable density 50 – 100%			-1

Cumbria
grassland density 10 - 66%			+1
distrance from woodland  < 100m		+1
Elevation 50 - 300m				+1
Nearest pond < 100m				+1
pH 6 – 7					+1
distance from arable >125m			+1
urban density 50 - 100%			-1

Derbyshire (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
Soil pH 6.5 – 7.5				+1
Elevation < 200m				+1
Grassland density 25 – 75%			+1
Distance to woodland < 100m			+1
Woodland density 10 -50%			+1
Distance to nearest pond < 100m		+1
Drainage classed as ‘Impeded’ or ‘Naturally Wet’		+1
Arable density 50 - 100%			-1

Dorset (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
pH 6-7						+1
Distance from grassland <100m			+1
Density of grassland 5-67%			+1
Distance from woodland <100m			+1
Density of woodland 5-67%			+1
Shannon-Weaver diversity -2 to -0.8		+1
Distance from arable land <250m		+1

Greater Manchester (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded; NO urban buffer)
grassland density 25 - 75%			+1
woodland density 5 - 75%			+1
Distance from rivers >1000m			+1
Soil pH 6.5 to 7.5  Phosphorus  30 to 40		+1
Arable land (density 50 - 100%)			-1 
Heather (density 33.33 - 100%).			-1

Hertfordshire (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 5 - 50%			+1
distrance from woodland  < 100m		+1
distance to nearest pond 0 - 150m		+1
distance from rivers 50 - 1500m			+1
pH 6.75 – 7.25					+1
arable density 50-100%				-1
urban density 40-100%				-1

Kent
Distance from rivers 100-1000m			+1
Soil pH  6.5 - 7.5				+1
Soil phosphorus <40 g kg-1			+1
Density of arable land 0-33.3% 			+1
Density of grassland 20-66.6%			+1
Distance to trees 0-100m			+1
Soil Drainage (Free draining/slightly impeded) 	-1
Density of urban s 33.3-100%	 	-2

Lancashire
Arable density 0 - 33%				+1
Grassland density (including fen) 10-75%	+1
Distance from grassland (including fen) 0-100m	+1
Woodland density 10-33%			+1
Distance from woodland 0-100m			+1
Distance from rivers 100-1000m			+1
Elevation 0-150m				+1
pH 6.75-7.5					+1

Leicestershire (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 25 - 75%			+1
distrance from woodland  < 100m		+1
woodland density 15 – 75%			+1
arable density 0 – 25%				+1
Distance from rivers <1500m			+1
pH 6.75 – 7.25					+1

Norfolk and Suffolk (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
Distance from a River 200 -2000m		+1
Soil pH 6.5 – 7.5				+1
Soil Phosphorus 35 -45 mg kg-1			+1
Arable Density < 33%				+1
Distance from Grassland <100m			+1
Grassland Density 10 -40%			+1
Distance from Woodland < 100m		+1

North East Yorkshire
Soil pH 6.75-7.25				+1
Density of grassland 10-80%			+1
Density of woodland 10-50%			+1
Nearest pond <125m				+1
Soil drainage is 'Impeded'			+1
Distance from rivers <100m			+1
Density of arable land 50 - 100%		+1

North West Yorkshire
Elevation 0 - 400m				+1
Density of woodland 10 - 60%			+1
Density of grassland 10 - 60%			+1
Soil pH 6.25 - 7.5				+1
Soil drainage 'Naturally wet' or ‘Impeded'	+1
Density of arable land 33 - 100%		-1
Presence of heather				-2

Northumberland
Distance from rivers 100 - 1250m		+1
Elevation 0 - 200m				+1
Distance from deciduous woodland 0 - 100m	+1
Density of arable 0 - 33%			+1
Distance from urban > 350m			+1
Density of grassland 10 - 60%			+1
Nearest pond 0 - 500m				+1
Presence of coniferous woodland		-2
Presence of heather				-2
Presence of acid grassland			-2

South and East Yorkshire
pH 6.75-7.5					+1
Density of grassland 10-66%			+1
Distance from woodland <100m			+1
Shannon-Weaver diversity -1.5 to -0.6		+1
Soil drainage Impeded, Naturally Wet or Water	+1
Density of arable 50-100%			-1
Land classification is Acid Grassland or Bog	-2

Shropshire (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 10% - 50%			+1
distance to deciduous woodland 0 - 200m	+1
coniferous woodland density 0% - 25%		+1
Within 500m - 2000m of a river			+1
arable density 33.33% - 100%			-1
heather density 33.33% - 100%			-1
distance to nearest pond > 750m		-1

Somerset (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 10 - 60%			+1
woodland density 5 - 60%			+1
arable density 0 - 50%				+1
Soil Type – Sand					-1

Swindon & Wiltshire (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 25% - 75%			+1
distance to woodland 0 - 100m			+1
arable density 0 - 50%				+1
within 100m - 1500m of a river			+1
soil pH 6.5 – 8					+1

West of England (Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded)
grassland density 10 - 60%			+1
woodland density 5 - 60%			+1
arable density 0 - 50%				+1
Soil Type – Sand					-1 Attribution statement: © Natural England, 2019
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Tags: Habitats and biotopes, environment
Organization: Natural England