Quantock Hills. An Area of Outstanding Beauty

The Somerset Priority Species List has been produced by the Partnership to highlight those plants and animals most in danger of disappearing in Somerset. It will be used to protect wildlife as part of the planning process and guide conservation efforts across the county.

There are 840 species on the priority list including the brown hare, short haired bumble bee, hairy click beetle and long-eared owl. Pearl bordered fritillary butterflies are amongst the species already thought to have become extinct in Somerset in recent years.

More than 13,000 species have been recorded in the county by
Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC), part of Somerset Wildlife Trust. Based on this data, the Partnership has identified wildlife most at risk, and Action Plans have been developed to protect the main places these plants and animals can be found.

The Priority Species List is available from Alison Slade, the Somerset Biodiversity Partnership Officer, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or can be downloaded from http://www.somerc.com/downloads.php and the Action Plans can be downloaded by searching Somerset Biodiversity Partnership at http://www.somerset.gov.uk.

Photo taken by Chris Sperring MBE