Aim: The survey must provide an updated CSM condition assessment of the Vascular Plant Assemblage across Upper Teesdale SSSI
Objectives
• Confirm presence or absence across all units with historic records where no current (2023+) data exists.
• Professional judgement should be applied to interpret the relevant direct population attributes and provide an overall assessment of population viability within each unit.
• Assess the suitability of the supporting habitat for each population, using ecological judgement and relevant indirect attributes to evaluate how well current conditions meet the species’ requirements.
• Provide a unit level summary describing the status of each species and a judgement on its current trajectory (e.g., increasing, stable, declining, lost).
• Address evidence gaps to support maintaining the required VPA assemblage score (current score is 2500; target is 2700)
• Record details of any ‘pressures’ observed at the site which may impact on the condition of the designated species.
• Suggest where current management is working and, where it is not, why that might that be.
• Provide comments and recommendations for improving or updating the monitoring specification