Easthill Wood Pasture and Parkland Habitat - comment on behalf of The Friends of Easthill Wood Pasture & Parkland

It is good to see the draft document and all the excellent objectives Frome Town Council are trying to achieve in order to support the Somerset Local Nature Recovery Strategy and for the improved biodiversity all across Frome and beyond. The Omission of Wood Pasture and Parkland Habitat We (The Friends of Easthill Wood Pasture and Parkland) feel that between Grassland and Woodland there is a missing habitat type which is far greater than the two in terms of biodiversity. Frome is fortunate to have this habitat at Easthill Wood Pasture and Parkland. Easthill WPP is the same habitat type as Longleat, Orchardleigh and Windsor Great Park, a fact that needs to be recognised and celebrated in Frome. It is the last remnant of Easthill historic parkland and is identified as woodpasture in need of management in the Somerset LNRS document and map under Wo6. It is also clearly defined as a BAP Priority Habitat on the Defra/Natural England Magic Map, but has not found it's way onto the SERC map in the draft document. As it is not a readily understood habitat here is a very clear introductory video created by the Wood Pasture and Parkland Network (WPPN) https://ptes.org/wppn/ on the People's Trust for Endangered Species website. "The WPPN comprises a group of specialists and organisations keen to promote the benefits of this land management system for biodiversity, history, culture, landscape and people, that has existed for millennia." The photo attached was taken by Julian Hight. He describes Easthill Wood Pasture and Parkland as "British Savannah" Nature for Nature's own sake We acknowledge the need to involve and encourage the community in these actions. We would also like to suggest that there are some places where it is understood that human activity is not in the best interest of Nature. There are places where a 'hands off' or very lightest management will achieve the best biodiversity gains as at Easthill WPP or Rodden Wetland, Frome Care Village woodland. These places need recording and monitoring and safeguarded as they are too easily lost. The bigger picture within Frome We have been of the opinion ever since we started our campaign to safeguard Easthill WPP that there needs to be a clear printed map of the green spaces in Frome. Digital/online maps are not easy for some people to access or navigate. A simple graphic/colour representation could give a wider understanding of the current and potential biodiversity gains within Frome and would clearly show how they connect to each other. It could identify green spaces owned/managed by Frome TC and those that are in other ownership/management and indicate what their habitat type and biodiversity value is. Perhaps it could be divided into wards or different areas in Frome to make a paper map more manageable. The example of the Chippenham Green corridor map on page 37 expanded across the town could achieve this and maybe an outcome that FTC are hoping to achieve. Could you please include the Friends of Easthill Wood Pasture and Parkland in the list of community groups on page 33, a name we have now tweaked to reflect the importance of the Wood Pasture and Parkland BAP priority habitat designation by Defra/Natural England.