Brown roofs for invertebrates Where proposed development will remove significant areas of brownfield habitat, it is the author's view is that brown roofs should be used in addition to other mitigation or as a last resort, where there are no other viable alternatives to conserve the habitat and its connectivity. It is recommended that planners ensure that long-term study is included when brown roofs are proposed in mitigation for the loss of high quality invertebrate habitat. The use of brown roofs for invertebrates should be planned to provide wildlife conidors or networks of habitat mosaic. It may well be that their use can also provide valuable habitat within a sterile modern agricultural Essex countryside. Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Dr Chris Gibson for valuable feedback on the draft paper and Gary Grant at EcoSchemes Ltd for permission to use figure 1. References BOWDREY, J.P. (1999) Stictopleurus punctatonervosus (Goeze, 1778) (Hem.: Rhopalidae) rediscovered in Britain and new to Essex. Entomologist's Record 111: 135-6. EDWARDS, M..E. (1998) U.K. B.A.P. Bumblebee Working Group Report, 1998. Midhurst. IIARVEY, P. (1999) A remarkable example of biodiversity: aculeate Hymenoptera in the East Thames Corridor. Essex Field Club Newsletter 29: 7-9. BALL, S.G. & MORRIS, R.K.A. (2000) Provisional atlas of British hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae). Biological Records Centre, Huntingdon. FALK, S. (1991)^4 review of the scarce and threatened bees, wasps and ants of Great Britain (part 1). Research & Survey in Nature Conservation, number 35. NCC. HARVEY, P. (2000a) The East Thames Corridor: a nationally important invertebrate fauna under threat. British Wildlife 12 (2): 91-98. HARVEY RR. (2000b). Shrill Carder Bee. Essex 2000. Report for English Nature. IIARVEY, P.R. (2001a). Shrill Carder Bee at Canvey Northwick. Essex 2001. Report for English Nature. HARVEY P.R. (2001b) Cerceris quinquesfaciata, Cerceris quadricincta and Odynerus simillimus project. Report for the Aculeate Conservation Group on behalf of English Nature. HARVEY P.R. (2002a) An appraisal of the status and ecology of Gymnosoma nitens (Meigen) (Diptera: Tachinidae) in Britain and its relationship with the fauna of the Thames terrace grasslands of the east Thames corridor. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 14 (4): 225-231. HARVEY P.R. (2002b) Cerceris quinquesfaciata, Cerceris quadricincta and Odynerus simillimus project. Report for the Aculeate Conservation Group on behalf of English Nature. HARVEY P.R., NE.LLIST, D.R. & TELFER, M.G. (eds) 2002. Provisional atlas of British spiders (Arachnida. Araneae.), Volumes 1 & 2. Huntingdon: Biological Records Centre. JONES, R.A. (2003) The 2001 Presidential Address - Part 2. A celebration of urban entomology. British Journal of Entomology and Natural History 16 (2): 109-121. KADAS, G. (2002) Study of invertebrates on green roofs - How roof design can maximize biodiversity in an urban environment. UCL thesis. KIRBY, P. (1997) Essex Heteroptera report for 1996. Essex Naturalist (New series) 14: 18-20. KEY, R. (2000) Bare ground and the conservation of invertebrates. British Wildlife 11 (3): 183-191. STUBBS, A.E. & FALK, S.J. (2002) British Hoverflies. British Entomological and Natural History & Society. TOYNTON, P. &ASH, D. (2002) Salisbury Plain Training Area - the British steppes? British Wildlife 13 (5): 335-343. 88 Essex Naturalist (New Series) 21 (2004)