What is being done
- ‘Greening’ of areas of former industrial land
- Set-aside and agri-environmental schemes in some areas
- Farm conservation day to promote ideal hare habitat
- Leaflet of habitat needs of Brown Hare
- Advice and support to landowners for creating hare habitats
- Survey of Brown Hare in Barnsley
- Surveys if Mountain Hare in Barnsley
Proposed Actions
- Publicity to promote conservation measures for Brown and Mountain Hares
- Campaign to record sites with Brown Hare
- Surveys to record Mountain Hare
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 responsible similarly 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.
