GCN - Strategic Opportunity Areas (Essex)

This dataset identifies areas where the addition of new ponds would benefit Great Crested Newt populations.

The core areas contain a pond density of 2+ ponds and are located within a 1km square where great crested newt presence has been predicted.

Fringe areas contain a pond density of 1 and are located within a 1km square where great crested newt presence has been predicted or are within a 250m of a Core Area.

Higher scores are associated with darker colouration and represent a greater presence of suitable habitat features:

grassland density 10 - 50%
woodland density 10 - 60%
Distance from rivers <1500m
Shannon Weaver Diversity -1.5 to -0.6
These suitable habitat features have been given a score of ‘1’.

Arable land (density 50 - 100%) has been given a score of ‘-1’. 

Urban areas greater than 2ha (+400m buffer), roads (7.5m), rivers (7.5m) and Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 have been excluded. Attribution statement: © Natural England, 2022
Based upon LCM2015 © NERC (CEH) 2011. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright 2007.
Based upon LCM2015 © NERC (CEH) 2017. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright 2007, Licence number 100017572.
Soils Data © Cranfield University (NSRI) and for the Controller of HMSO 2019. Based upon LCM2007 © NERC (CEH) 2011. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright 2007. © third party licensors. Contains, or is derived from, information supplied by the Ordnance Survey and Rural Payments Agency. © Crown copyright and database rights 2019.
© Freshwater Habitats Trust, PondNet monitoring scheme, 2018
© Essex Recorders partnership, 2018
Contains data supplied by: Essex County Council © Essex County Council 2019 Ordnance Survey 100019602; Basildon Borough Council © Basildon Borough Council 2019 Ordnance Survey 100018871; Braintree District Council © Braintree District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018490; Brentwood Borough Council © Brentwood Borough council 2019; Castle Point Borough Council © Castle Point Borough Council 2019; Chelmsford City Council © Chelmsford City Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100023562; Colchester Borough Council © Colchester Borough Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100023706; Epping Forest District Council © Epping Forest District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018534; Harlow Council © Harlow Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100019627; Maldon District Council © Maldon District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018599; Rochford District Council © Rochford District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018109; Tendring District Council © Tendring District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018684; Thurrock Council © Thurrock Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100025457; Uttlesford District Council © Uttlesford District Council 2019, Ordnance Survey 100018688.
© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2018. All rights reserved. Some features of this map are based on digital spatial data from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, © NERC (CEH). © Crown copyright and database rights 2018 Ordnance Survey 100024198.
Contains, or is derived from, information supplied by Ordnance Survey. © Crown copyright and database rights 2020 Ordnance Survey 100022021.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right, 2020

Tags: Species distribution, environment
Organization: Natural England