| Tayside Biodiversity - Tayside
Biodiversity Action Plan - Urban -
Golf Courses |
|
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DEFINITION
Golf courses in Tayside cover a wide range of landscape types that include:
Parkland
Heathland
Woodland
Links (Sand Dunes)
Designed Landscape |
These areas offer unique opportunities for habitat and species development, not
only in terms of their own natural features, but also to the wildlife corridors
that they can provide. Golf courses are unique in that they can provide a safe
haven for flora and fauna in recreational areas not commonly considered to be
conservation habitats.
Golf courses cover a variety of landscape designations. In many of these areas
golf courses act as invaluable ‘green lungs’ protecting
land from industrial or housing development and contributing greatly to the quality
of life to local residents and visitors alike. |
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CURRENT STATUS
AND EXTENT OF HABITAT
Nationally there are 460 golf courses. In Tayside there are 45 golf courses;
these fall within a number of habitat types each with the potential to contain
a very wide array of species.
Past management practices have rendered many golf courses void of any conservation
value. More and more golf courses are, however, being managed sustainably with
new techniques conserving water and lowering the need for pesticides. Many golfers
welcome the increasing variety of wildlife on their course. |
KEY
SPECIES
P = UK Priority species C = UK species of conservation concern
| Mammals |
Roe deer |
Capreolus capreolus |
C |
| Badger |
Meles meles |
C |
| Fox |
Vulpes vulpes |
|
| Otter |
Lutra lutra |
P |
| Red squirrel |
Sciurus vulgaris |
P |
| Pipistrelle bat |
Pipistrellus pipistrellus |
P |
| Brown long-eared bat |
Plecotus auritus |
C |
| Birds |
Buzzard |
Buteo buteo |
C |
| Barn owl |
Tyto alba |
C |
| Short-eared owl |
Asio flammeus |
C |
| Tawny owl |
Strix aluco |
C |
| Kestrel |
Falco tinnunculus |
C |
| Osprey |
Pandion haliaetus |
C |
| Sparrowhawk |
Accipiter nisus |
C |
| Capercaillie |
Tetrao urogallus |
P |
| Black grouse |
Tetrao tetrix |
P |
| Oystercatcher |
Haematopus ostralegus |
C |
| Curlew |
Numenius arquata |
C |
| Heron |
Ardea cinerea |
|
| Fieldfare |
Turdus pilaris |
C |
| Redwing |
Turdus iliacus |
C |
| Yellowhammer |
Emberiza citrinella |
C |
| Amphibians
and Reptiles |
Common frog |
Rana temporaria |
C |
| Common toad |
Bufo bufo |
C |
| Newt spp. |
|
C |
| Invertebrates |
Small tortoiseshell butterfly |
Aglais urticae |
|
| Ringlet butterfly |
Aphantopus hyperantus |
|
| Meadow brown butterfly |
Maniola jurtina |
|
| Bumble bee spp. |
|
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| Plants |
Oak spp. |
|
|
| Scots pine |
Pinus sylvestris |
|
| Juniper |
Juniperus communis |
P |
| Cowslip |
Primula veris |
|
| Ragged robin |
Lychnis flos-cuculi |
|
| Northern marsh orchid |
Dactylorhiza purpurella |
|
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