GCN - Strategic Opportunity Areas (Cheshire)

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 (+250m buffer), woodland (+250m buffer), within 100m-2500m range of a river, with a pH >6.5 and Phospherous >40. These suitable habitat features have been given a score of ‘1’. Arable land and Suburban areas have been given a score of ‘-1’. Urban areas greater than 2ha (+400m buffer), roads (7.5m buffer), rivers (+7.5m), Special Protection Areas (+500m), Special Areas of Conservation (+100m) and Ramsars (+100m) have been excluded. Attribution statement: © Natural England [year], reproduced with the permission of Natural England, http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/copyright/. © Crown Copyright and database rights 2018. Based upon LCM2015 © NERC (CEH) 2017. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright 2007, Licence number 100017572. Contains data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council © NERC (Centre for Ecology & Hydrology). Contains, or is derived from, information supplied by Ordnance Survey. © Crown copyright and database rights 2018 Ordnance Survey 100022021.