A partner in conservation

Among its greatest strengths, he says, is the partnership style of operating that has evolved, with all established groups working together in a co-ordinated way.

When Mr Blackwell took up his appointment in January 1991, as Oxfordshire’s first ecologist, one of his specific tasks was to look at the restoration and after-use of mineral workings.

“One of the key things I was looking at was restoration to nature conservation, to include public access so that people could enjoy the areas that were being restored,” he said.

Examples include Standlake Common and Rushey Common, just south of Witney, which are both part of the Lower Windrush Valley Project. At Standlake Common, two bird-hides have been installed. They are well used by local birdwatchers.

For many of these excavation sites, a long-term 20-year management plan has been established as part of the original planning permission. In quite a few cases this includes the mineral operators covering the costs of implementing the management.

Another achievement for the county was the formation of the Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum, which was launched in 1993. “The whole ethos of partnership working is a real strength in Oxfordshire,” said Mr Blackwell. “We have lots of people who are part of the forum who work very well together in various combinations.

“The particularly unique aspect here is that ONCF is a registered charity and employs its own staff; most other such organisations have a less formal structure.”

The ONCF was involved in the introduction of the parish conservation plan programme. “The idea was to try to stimulate local communities to be involved in conservation work at parish level,” Mr Blackwell explains. “About one-third of the parishes in Oxfordshire became involved, in some sort of conservation work or other — from a simple hedgerow survey to practical projects on the ground.”

The Environmental Extravaganza in 1998 grew out of this. It was an opportunity for all the parishes which had been involved in various projects to get together. The event was held in Deddington.

Again this was the first of its kind and it led to further partnerships and the sharing of best practice.

“It worked very well and people still talk about it,” Mr Blackwell recalls. “It involved local communities, which we feel are a very important part of nature conservation in Oxfordshire. We were very pleased and with a lot of things that have followed from it since.”

There have been a number of community woodlands and community nature reserves developed, such as that at Crecy Hill, near Tackley, which is managed by Tackley Parish Council.

An early example of a community woodland was that at Leafield, which was established on land belonging to the county council. The Millennium celebrations also led to the planting of a number of woodlands.

Nine years on, these Millennium woodlands are flourishing. “They were nice community schemes which added to the biodiversity of the landscape,” said Mr Blackwell. “They were on quite a small scale but very valuable. They are now looking very well established and are well used by the local communities.”

As important as conserving biodiversity, is knowing what resources a county already has. To this end the Oxfordshire Wildlife and Landscape Study (OWLS) was set up and in another partnership the county council worked with the Countryside Agency, English Nature (now Natural England) and the Northmoor Trust on a three-year project to carry out a strategic landscape assessment and biodiversity appraisal.

From this, 24 different landscape types in the county were identified, each with its own landscape character and biodiversity interest.

Strategic biodiversity guidelines are now available for developers and planners for each landscape type. This information can be accessed via the county council website, with information available at individual parish level.

“I believe this system is unique, in making this information so easily available,” said Mr Blackwell.

He was also involved in the setting-up of the Thames Valley Environmental Record Centre, which now holds an immense amount of important information for both Oxfordshire and Berkshire.

He said: “That was a really important step for the county. For the first time it gave us a very clear picture of what the biodiversity resource is in Oxfordshire, particularly in relation to the most important habitats. It has given us a clear direction of where we are going from now.”

Following on from the OWLS project, the TVERC carried out work to identify conservation target areas for biodiversity in the county and went on to carry out similar work across the south-east region as part of the South-East Biodiversity Strategy. “We can now have a very accurate picture of our biodiversity resources,” said Mr Blackwell. “We know what resources we have and this gives us direction. With these conservation target areas we can have a focused approach. Time is always limited and we can decide where best to use it.”

Another important development in conservation work in Oxfordshire has been the Wychwood Project. Established in the late 1990s, it aims to raise awareness of the history and heritage of the Royal Hunting Forest of Wychwood and to encourage local people to take part in and benefit from restoration, conservation and enhancement of the rich mosaic of landscapes and habitats within the forest boundaries.

It was the after-use of a mineral working at Dean, near Chadlington, that led directly to the formation of the project, with which Mr Blackwell was involved at the outset.

The proposal had been that the excavation site should be restored to landfill use but there had been concerns at this and as a result the restoration scheme was changed and the site was re-designated for the creation of an area of woodland and grassland.

It is now well established and a home to the wildlife native to the area. The public benefits include a bridleway and part of the Oxfordshire Way passes through.

Nature conservation has flourished in many parts of the county, including at Otmoor, where the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has taken the lead and in projects led by the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust in the north and south of Oxfordshire, in the area of the Upper Ray and at Chimney Meadows.

One of the last projects on which Mr Blackwell has been working, together with he TVERC and BBOWT, has been biodiversity documentation and guidance for planners.

He said: “It provides guidance for the planners, to help both safeguard and enhance biodiversity.

“For me, it literally pulls together everything else that I have been working on.”

Mr Blackwell’s wealth of knowledge and experience will not be lost to Oxfordshire when he retires.

“I hope to carry on with some of the things which I have always been involved with and I will be teaching various courses for the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education,” he said.

In January he will be teaching weekly classes in a course on landscape and habitats in Oxfordshire. “I am really looking forward to that,” he said. “I have always enjoyed teaching.”

Mr Blackwell has worked with many people in Oxfordshire County Council and he paid tribute to the support he has always received from both staff colleagues and councillors.