Ecological data search

In 2019, Bentley Wildlife founder, Rob Simpson, requested an ecological data search for the Parish of Bentley with a 100 metre buffer zone from the Hampshire Biodiversity Information Centre.

The output forms the Bentley Parish Biodiversity “Bible”, a record of species found in and around the village, habitat and ‘Biodiversity Opportunity Areas’ at the time of the data search.

The Bentley Neighbourhood Plan steering group is using this resource to help determine its green policy for future revisions.

Notable species

The “Bible” includes a list of protected and notable species recorded in the parish in the last 15 years.

These include the population of Great Crested Newts in the Bentley Village Pond as well as slow worms and the common toad; several birds on the Birds of Conservation Concern red list including house sparrows and skylarks; beneficial flowering plants; purple emperor butterflies; bats, hedgehogs, hares, badgers and even a record of a European Otter.