ARCH Kent Habitat Survey
The Kent Habitat Survey aims to improve ways in which key species and natural habitats are
maintained, restored and expanded in Kent.
The survey is part of the ARCH Project (Assessing Regional Changes in natural Habitats) and
is covering Kent and Medway. It is also part of the larger European ARCH project examining
the natural habitats of both Kent and the Nord-Pas de Calais Region in France. The
programme is funded by the EU’s Interreg IVa Two Seas Programme with financial
contributions from both Regions.
The current survey aims to update the information obtained in the previous surveys as well as
conducting a habitat change analysis. It will:
 map habitats across the county
 record key plants found on selected sites
 identify areas for conservation and restoration projects to enhance Kent’s
countryside and biodiversity
 access important information for wildlife conservation and future land use
 enable planners and conservation professionals to target future development
strategies
In order to have an accurate record of new sites, sites that may have changed, and to check
the classification of habitats, we have a team of five field surveyors in Kent who will visit a
selection of sites between 1 April 2011 and 30 September 2011.
The main focus will be on the priority habitats such as chalk and neutral grasslands,
heathland, acid grasslands and wet woodland. For a particular site, the surveyor will
undertake a walk over the selected area and record a list of plant species in support of the
classification. If the area is significantly different from that already recorded, then they will
redraw it in the field to produce an accurate representation of the area. This data will then be
incorporated with the aerial photographic interpretation to produce an up-to-date map of
Kent’s semi-natural habitats, which will be stored in a sophisticated management system and
available in December 2012. This will allow individual locations or habitat records and trends
to be retrieved across the entire county.
It is also important to note that part of the project is to conduct a detailed investigation of how
land cover and land use has changed over the last 20 years. This will be presented in a
separate report.
Through ARCH we will also develop new tools to aid long term monitoring and conservation
of important areas for wildlife, enabling planners to make informed decisions on spatial
planning, and assisting the decision making process.
We also hope to be able to analyse and update natural habitats and biodiversity data in a
more systematic and cost effective way by using innovative techniques such as satellite
pictures.
If you wish to find out more about the Kent Wildlife Habitat Survey then visit our website
www.archnature.eu or send us an e-mail archproject@kent.gov.uk .
Contact:
Laurence Guedon
Project and Communications Coordinator
Tel 01622 221 563