Bristol Rock-cress (Arabis scabra)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Arabis scabra |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | All. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as VU in England (Stroh et al., 2014) due to its restriction to 1 site (Avon Gorge), where numbers fluctuate markedly from year to year |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Loss of open habitat through succession by coarse forbs & scrub (including non-natives) remains a serious threat in a site where agricultural management is difficult |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | This species would not benefit from untargeted management |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Confined as a native to both sides of the Avon Gorge, plus an outlying colony at Penpole Point (c. 3km to NW, last recorded in 1993). Many colonies known in Avon Gorge, but liable to marked fluctuations. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Maintain monitoring regime to assess impacts of slug predation & growth of coarse vegetation on population
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Avon Gorge SSSI, Penpole Point
Comments: Mollusc predation significant in some years
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake scrub & tree clearance at key locations within Avon Gorge, focussing on sites where reinvasion by coarse species unlikely
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Avon Gorse SSSI.
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Review status of small population at Penpole Point (Bristol), & explore options for management through negotiation and appropriate management
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Penpole Point (Kingsweston, Bristol)
Comments: Penpole Point (3 km NW of the Avon Gorge) regarded as second native site for A. scabra in Britain. Site in periurban location, & assessment accordingly needed to determine long-term sustainability of management here.
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.