What is being done

• ‘Greening’ of areas of former industrial land
• Set-aside and agri-environmental schemes in some areas
• Survey of Brown Hare in Barnsley
• Surveys if Mountain Hare in Barnsley

Proposed Actions

• Campaign to record sites with Brown Hare
• Surveys to record Mountain Hare
• Analysis of existing and historic records

Marking Progress

• Numbers of Brown Hare recorded
• Sites where Brown Hare recorded
• Numbers of Mountain Hare recorded
• Areas where Mountain Hare recorded

Brown and Mountain Hares: Action plan

What we want to achieve - Key Objectives

• Raise awareness of the need to support Brown and Mountain Hare populations and encourage participation in their conservation
• Carry out surveys*, record sightings of Brown and Mountain Hares, and submit records to the Barnsley Biological Record Centre.
• Determine Brown Hare and Mountain Hare populations and distribution in Barnsley, and continue to identify their best habitats.
• Restore, improve, maintain and create suitable Brown Hare and Mountain Hare habitats.
• Create links and corridors between appropriate sites with a view to reducing the distance between existing populations.

   * at known established sites and potential new sites

Roles:

Land owners and managers: follow best practice in managing grasslands and wetlands to support and extend existing Brown and Mountain Hare populations

Wildlife conservation bodies: give advice and provide practical support for habitat management for Brown and Mountain Hare .

Barnsley Council as planning authority:

• takes into consideration records of Brown Hare presence in the planning process
• sets conditions in relevant planning applications to ensure that relevant habitats for Brown Hare are maintained and enhanced
• The Peak District National Park Authority is similarly responsible for planning decisions in areas with Mountain Hare.

Voluntary groups and volunteers:

• help with surveys and provide records of sightings and signs of  Brown Hare and Mountain Hare
• help with information about the condition of sites that support Brown Hare and Mountain Hare  
• help with measures -for example habitat management- to support Brown Hare and Mountain Hare.

Brown and Mountain Hare Action Plan