The South West Regional Nature Map has recently been developed by Biodiversity South West in liaison with many regional and county experts.  This map highlights blocks of land that are important for both the conservation and, crucially, expansion of important habitat types.  These blocks of land are known as Strategic Nature Areas (SNAs).  They have been prepared for the following habitat types that are relevant to Devon:

• Woodland
• Limestone grassland*
• Neutral grassland
• Purple moor-grass and rush pasture
• Upland heath*
• Lowland heath
• Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh
• Coastal habitats

* habitats without action plans in the Devon BAP

The Nature Map is part of a new approach to wildlife conservation.  Whilst the conservation of individual sites of important wildlife habitat remains as vital as ever, there is an increasing recognition that this traditional approach to conservation is not enough on its own.

The SNAs present an opportunity for landscape-scale conservation.  They provide a framework for planning both the conservation and re-creation of semi-natural habitats, thus providing the connectivity within the landscape necessary to enable plants and animals to migrate and establish sustainable populations and communities.

Further details on the Regional Nature Map, including detailed GIS layers that can be downloaded for Devon, can be found on the web site of the South West Observatory.

As well as being a useful tool to land managers and conservationists, the Nature Map should prove to be highly valuable to Local Planning Authorities.  It provides a tool for helping to map those areas which might be prioritised for biodiversity enhancement through Local Development Frameworks (LDFs), in accordance with Planning Policy Statement 9.  

In order to help planners to visualise the Regional Nature Map within their patch, simple maps showing SNAs for Devon BAP habitats have been produced for all of Devon’s district, borough and unitary authorities.  They are listed below, along with similar information for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).  

The South West Observatory should be referred to for definitive boundaries, showing SNAs for the full suite of priority habitats covered by the Regional Nature Map.

Please note, however, that many areas of land not shown on the Nature Map also contain significant concentrations of wildlife habitat and opportunities for biodiversity enhancement.  These may still represent priority areas which should be recognised through the preparation of LDFs at a district scale.

Overview – all SNAs for all Nature Map habitats:

Regional Nature Map in Devon (371KB - pdf help)

Blackdown Hills AONB:

Lowland heath SNAs in Blackdown Hills AONB (706KB - pdf help)
Neutral grassland SNAs in Blackdown Hills AONB (734KB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in Blackdown Hills AONB (727KB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Blackdown Hills AONB (698KB - pdf help)

East Devon AONB:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in East Devon AONB (541KB - pdf help)
Lowland heathland SNAs in East Devon AONB (508KB - pdf help)
Neutral grassland SNAs in East Devon AONB (544KB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in East Devon AONB (544KB - pdf help)

East Devon District:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in East Devon District (1.17MB - pdf help)
Lowland heathland SNAs in East Devon District (1.17MB - pdf help)
Neutral grassland SNAs in East Devon District (1.16MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in East Devon District (1.19MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in East Devon District (1.19MB - pdf help)

Exeter City:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in Exeter City (2.17MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Exeter City (2.15MB - pdf help)

Mid Devon District:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in Mid Devon District (1.48MB - pdf help)
Lowland heath SNAs in Mid Devon District (1.48MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in Mid Devon District (1.48MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Mid Devon District (1.48MB - pdf help)

North Devon AONB:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in North Devon AONB (732KB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in North Devon AONB (764KB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in North Devon AONB (751KB - pdf help)

North Devon District:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in North Devon District (1.28MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in North Devon District (1.28MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in North Devon District (1.29MB - pdf help)

Plymouth City:

Neutral grassland SNAs in Plymouth City (2.33MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Plymouth City (2.37MB - pdf help)

South Devon AONB:

Neutral grassland SNAs in South Devon AONB (768KB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in South Devon AONB (728KB - pdf help)

South Hams District:

Neutral grassland SNAs in South Hams District (1.19MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in South Hams District (1.26MB - pdf help)

Tamar Valley AONB:

Woodland SNAs in Tamar Valley AONB (539KB - pdf help)

Teignbridge District:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in Teignbridge District (1.21MB - pdf help)
Lowland heath SNAs in Teignbridge District (1.19MB - pdf help)
Neutral grassland SNAs in Teignbridge District (1.19MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in Teignbridge District (1.19MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Teignbridge District (1.20MB - pdf help)

Torbay:

Woodland SNAs in Torbay (1.92MB - pdf help)

Torridge District:

Coastal & floodplain grazing marsh SNAs in Torridge District (1.22MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in Torridge District (1.23MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in Torridge District (1.21MB - pdf help)

West Devon Borough:

Neutral grassland SNAs in West Devon Borough (1.70MB - pdf help)
Purple moor grass & rush pasture SNAs in West Devon Borough (1.74MB - pdf help)
Woodland SNAs in West Devon Borough (1.71MB - pdf help)