Project aims/ background:
CEC were appointed to deliver a management plan to help enhance the ecology on these historic sites. Trethevy Quoit in St Cleer consists of a well-preserved Neolithic ‘dolmen’ burial chamber which dates back to between 3700 and 3500 BC. The structure stands approximately 3m high and consists of five standing stones topped by a large capstone, which would have originally been covered by a large earth mound. The management plan will make various recommendations to enhance the habitats on site.
What CEC did/ delivered:
CEC ecologists created a site management plan to suggest measures to enhance biodiversity value on this important site, such as:
- Grassland management to reduce the dominance of grass species, and planting wildflowers such as yellow rattle which hemi-parasitic grasses by latching onto their roosts to hamper their growth and allow less dominant wildflowers to flourish.
- Bracken management to prevent the over-dominance of more species-rich habitats.
- Cornish hedge management to plant additional native tree and shrub species with the hedge, and management to encourage a more dense and bushy structure to provide a stronger commuting route for a range of protected species
- Creation of brash and log piles to provide hibernacula for species such as reptiles and hedgehogs.
- Planting native tree and shrub species, as well as pollinator-friendly shrubs close to new solitary bee posts.
- Installation of bat and bird boxes.
Outcome for client:
Creation of site specific management plan informing the site managers of best practice and ecological opportunities to maximise biodiversity and connectivity.
The base line study establishes the current biodiversity of the site, this measure and can be used as a comparison point in the future on how and where implemented management techniques have increased the local biodiversity.
