SAC Monitoring: Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) Populations at Halkyn Mountain / Mynydd Helygain Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (2005)
This dataset relates to the monitoring of great crested newts (GCNs) on Halkyn Mountain Special Area of Conservation (SAC), undertaken under contract.
The monitoring programme comprised:
a) Surveys of 45 ponds where great crested newts had previously been recorded, including searches for eggs, larvae, and juveniles, together with the collection of associated environmental data.
b) Mapping of terrestrial habitat within 250 m of each pond to assess its suitability for great crested newts, covering a total area of 183.9 ha.
c) Collation of existing great crested newt count data from 1985 to 2005 for known display ponds within the SAC.
d) Condition assessment of great crested newts as a qualifying SAC feature.
This dataset forms part of the Wales-wide Common Standards Monitoring programme. The aim of the data collection was to assess the condition of designated SAC features against site-specific performance indicators, and to record aspects of their management to support management decisions and reporting at a range of spatial scales.
- Identification
- Extent
- Distribution
- Quality
- Keywords
- Spatial Reference System
- Content
- Constraints
- Maintenance
- Metadata
Identification
- Identifier
- NRW_DS46955
- Alternative Title
-
- Great Crested Newt populations at Halkyn Mountain SAC
- Various - Historical Newt Surveys at Halkyn Mountain SAC CCW000480000000D.
- CCW - HQ Main Assessment of Great Crested Newts at Halkyn Mountain SAC CCW000480000000E
- Metadata Language
- English
- Lineage
-
A range of methodologies was employed during this survey.
Terrestrial habitat assessment
For the purposes of great crested newt monitoring, terrestrial habitat was defined by the Countryside Council for Wales as land within 250 m of each pond. Areas falling outside the SAC boundary were excluded from the assessment.
Maps showing a 250 m survey buffer around each pond were produced using MapInfo Professional v6.5 GIS software. A 10 m × 10 m grid was overlaid on the maps to enable terrestrial habitats to be classified at the required resolution.
Pond assessments
All 45 ponds were revisited on 23 August 2005 to undertake pond condition assessments. The following characteristics were estimated:
Percentage of the pond surface shaded by native macrophytes.
Percentage of the entire pond perimeter shaded to a distance of at least 1 m from the shoreline.
Percentage of the southern perimeter shaded.
Whether the pond was less than 10 cm deep at its deepest point.
Larval surveys
Torchlight surveys were undertaken on 23 August 2005 using a one-million candlepower Clulite torch at all ponds that still contained water. These surveys were carried out to determine the presence of great crested newt larvae and juveniles.
Egg searches
Natural and artificial egg-laying substrates within 1 m of the shoreline were inspected for the presence of Triturus cristatus eggs. At the same time, evidence of fish, waterfowl, invasive non-native species (such as Crassula helmsii), disturbance, or pollution was also recorded.
- Dataset Reference Date (Publication)
- 2005-12-31
Temporal Extent
- Begin date
- 2005-05-31
- End date
- 2005-08-31
- Topic category
-
- Biota
Extent
Extent
- Geographic Extent
- SIR Y FFLINT - FLINTSHIRE
))
Distribution
Distribution
- Format Type and Description
-
-
Documents
(
Unknown
)
- Specification
-
Final report in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF formats
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Binary
(
Unknown
)
- Specification
-
Raw data workbook in Excel format
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Geographic Information System
(
Unknown
)
- Specification
-
GIS layers showing pond locations and habitats
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Database
(
Unknown
)
- Specification
-
Recorder 6 species datasets
-
Documents
(
Unknown
)
Quality
Data quality
- Quality Scope
- Dataset
- Conformity
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 1089/2010 of 23 November 2010 implementing Directive 2007/2/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards interoperability of spatial data sets and services
- Explanation
-
This dataset has not been assessed for conformance to the referenced INSPIRE regulation.
- Degree
- false
- Lineage
-
A range of methodologies was employed during this survey.
Terrestrial habitat assessment
For the purposes of great crested newt monitoring, terrestrial habitat was defined by the Countryside Council for Wales as land within 250 m of each pond. Areas falling outside the SAC boundary were excluded from the assessment.
Maps showing a 250 m survey buffer around each pond were produced using MapInfo Professional v6.5 GIS software. A 10 m × 10 m grid was overlaid on the maps to enable terrestrial habitats to be classified at the required resolution.
Pond assessments
All 45 ponds were revisited on 23 August 2005 to undertake pond condition assessments. The following characteristics were estimated:
Percentage of the pond surface shaded by native macrophytes.
Percentage of the entire pond perimeter shaded to a distance of at least 1 m from the shoreline.
Percentage of the southern perimeter shaded.
Whether the pond was less than 10 cm deep at its deepest point.
Larval surveys
Torchlight surveys were undertaken on 23 August 2005 using a one-million candlepower Clulite torch at all ponds that still contained water. These surveys were carried out to determine the presence of great crested newt larvae and juveniles.
Egg searches
Natural and artificial egg-laying substrates within 1 m of the shoreline were inspected for the presence of Triturus cristatus eggs. At the same time, evidence of fish, waterfowl, invasive non-native species (such as Crassula helmsii), disturbance, or pollution was also recorded.
Keywords
Keywords
- Type
- Theme
Citation
- Date (Publication)
- 2008-06-01
Keywords
-
NRW Thesaurus
-
- rare species
- great crested newts
- triturus cristatus
- amphibians (amphibia) (see also specific species)
- freshwater fauna
- Common Standards Monitoring (CSM)
- newts (see also specific species)
- Halkyn Mountain /Mynydd Helygain SAC
- Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) - SAC monitoring
- Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) (see also Candidate Special Areas of Conservation cSAC)
- Type
- Theme
Citation
- Date (Publication)
- 2026-08-27
Spatial Reference System
Content
Content Information
NRW Profile
Custom Elements
- NRW Related Title
-
An appraisal of the condition of the great crested newt Triturus cristatus populations at Mynydd Helygain / Halkyn Mountain SAC
Constraints
Constraints
Limitations on Public Access and Use
- Restriction type
- Other restrictions
Access Constraints Directive
- Limitations
- no limitations
Access Constraints Text
- Other constraints
-
The following data is considered OS derived data and is therefore jointly owned by NRW and the Ordnance Survey. NRW may release, publish or disseminate this data freely; providing recipients are made aware of use restrictions (See general use restrictions).
Use Constraints
- Use constraints type
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
-
© CNC/NRW and © Crown copyright 2005. All rights reserved. Natural Resources Wales, AC0000849444 Third parties seeking to re-use this data require a Licence issued by NRW. It allows re-use, reproduction and dissemination in any format or medium but only for non-commercial purposes, according to the terms and conditions of the Licence. Those seeking commercial re-use require a commercial licence available from the OS. Restrictions on publishing this data apply to the following survey. Various - Historical Newt Surveys at Halkyn Mountain SAC CCW000480000000D.
Metadata
Metadata
- File Identifier
- 4f4c4942-4343-5764-6473-3436393535 XML
- Metadata Language
- English
- Parent Identifier
-
SAC Monitoring: Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) Populations at Halkyn Mountain / Mynydd Helygain Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (2005)
NRW_DS46955
- Resource type
- Dataset
- Metadata Date
- 2026-10-01T15:17:44.599Z
- Metadata Standard Name
- NRW
- Metadata Standard Version
-
1.0