Blanket Bog LBAP

Blanket Bog - Exmoor


LBAP Home	Habitats	Common themes

Similar SW LBAPs	Regional Plan	UK National Plan	Link to LBAP
none	none	Blanket Bog	none

Key factors

Extent/Distribution

Blanket bog is a globally rare habitat, for which Britain has international responsibilities. Though insignificant in comparison to the large areas that occur in Scotland, northern England and Wales, Exmoor’s blanket bogs are still of much interest by virtue of their occurrence at the southern range limit of the habitat.

There are only 480 hectares of high quality blanket bog remaining in the National Park. However, there are another 4,000 hectares of purple moor-grass vegetation, of which a significant proportion has potential for reversion to blanket bog given sensitive management. Further analysis of vegetation and soil data is required to assess those areas where such reversion would be most likely to succeed.

Key sites:

Exe Plain.
Deer Park.
Burcombe.
Squallacombe.
Challacombe Common / Woodbarrow Hangings.
Exford Common.
Brendon Common.
The Chains

Threats

Ecological mismanagement of blanket bog, primarily through frequent, uncontrolled burning, and more locally through overgrazing.
The presence of old ditches which drain and otherwise alter blanket bog hydrology.
Atmospheric pollution is known to have a detrimental effect on blanket bog
vegetation.

Action Plan Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1

Maintain all high quality blanket bog in favourable condition.

TARGET: Ongoing.

OBJECTIVE 2

Begin restoration of degraded, purple moor-grass dominated blanket bog.

TARGET: 200 ha by 2010.

OBJECTIVE 3

Restore soil hydrology and drainage patterns on degraded blanket bog.

TARGET: 50 ha by 2010.

OBJECTIVE 4

Evaluate the extent and quality of Exmoor’s blanket bog resource.

TARGET: By 2002.

OBJECTIVE 5

Maintain and enhance populations of key species of conservation concern.

TARGET: Ongoing.

Action Plan Targets

[ See above]

Current Action

All high quality and degraded blanket bog lies within the North Exmoor and South Exmoor SSSIs.
Approximately half of the high quality blanket bog is also part of the
Exmoor Heaths cSAC.
Approximately 400 ha of Exmoor’s high quality and degraded blanket bog is owned by the ENPA, and a further 25 ha of high quality blanket bog is owned by the National Trust.
75 ha of the high quality blanket bog resource has been entered into the Exmoor ESA scheme. A further 50 ha are in ENPA management agreements.
An experimental project to improve blanket bog by blocking ditches has begun on ENPA land on the southern edge of Exe Plain jointly funded by ENPA, EA and EN.

Proposed Action

Policy and legislation

Incorporate objectives and targets of this Plan into relevant LEAPs (by 2005).
PARTNER. EA

Management

Produce and implement management plans for all areas of high quality or degraded blanket bog on ENPA land that prevent burning and stipulate an appropriate level of grazing (by 2002).
PARTNER. ENPA

Produce management plans for all other areas of high quality or
degraded blanket bog which control burning and stipulate an appropriate level of grazing (review by 2002; 75% implemented by 2005; remainder by 2010).
PARTNERS: ENPA; EN; NT; MAFF.

Seek to ensure all areas of high quality and degraded blanket bog are in ELMS (by 2005).
PARTNERS: MAFF; EN; ENPA.

Seek to ensure all areas of high quality and degraded blanket bog are identified as non-burning areas in ELMS (ongoing). PARTNERS: MAFF; EN; ENPA.

Ensure compliance with environmental conditions attached to livestock subsidies (ongoing).
PARTNERS: MAFF; EN; ENPA.

Review impact of ESA prescriptions in maintaining and improving blanket bog and make improvements where appropriate (ongoing).
PARTNERS: MAFF; EN; ENPA.

Initiate restoration management on 200 ha. of degraded blanket bog
through ESA (by 2010).
PARTNERS: MAFF; EN; ENPA.

Begin experimental ditch-blocking on 50 ha of blanket bog (by 2010).
PARTNERS: EA; ENPA; EN; MAFF.

Research and monitoring

Produce an inventory of all high quality and degraded blanket bog
using GIS-database (by 2001).
PARTNERS: ENPA; EN; SERC; DWT/DBRC.

Continue ESA grazing monitoring until results unequivocally show that stocking levels are maintaining all areas of blanket bog in favourable condition (ongoing).
PARTNERS: EN.

Implement remaining actions in ENPA Moorland Research Strategy
(by 2002).
PARTNERS: ENPA; EN; EA; Universities

Education and awareness raising

[no information currently available]

Progress

[no information currently available]