Calcareous & Ney

Calcareous & neutral grassland- Purbeck


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Calcareous Grassland SW

Lowland Calcareous Grasslands UK

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Key factors

Extent/Distribution

This plan covers calcareous grassland and unimproved neutral grassland.

Calcareous grasslands ('downlands') have developed on chalk or limestone strata with free-draining, nutrient poor soils. In Purbeck extensive calcareous grasslands occur on the south cost and along the ridge of the Purbeck Hills. The 1,200 hectares within the district represent about 2.5% of the national resource and those along the coast are considered to be internationally important. In particular they support plants such as early spider orchid, and early gentian, and butterflies including the Adonis and chalkhill blue and Lulworth skipper. Neutral grasslands have developed on soils derived from clay or loam and may be cut as haymeadows. In Purbeck substantial areas of this habitat occur on the Lulworth Ranges but elsewhere sites are small and fragmented. Neutral grasslands have suffered the most severe decline of any habitat in Dorset, in terms of area lost, and in Purbeck only about 400 hectares remain, including sites which have suffered some loss of interest due to agricultural improvement

Threats

The key issues are: changes in modern farming practices (in particular ploughing, re-seeding, and use of artificial fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides); lack of appropriate management leading to scrub encroachment and loss of wildlife interest, and habitat loss leading to fragmentation. In addition, present agricultural policies and incentive schemes promoting management of grasslands for conservation benefit are not adequate to ensure the protection of neutral and calcareous grasslands.In places, recreational pressure be a problem.

Action Plan Objectives

OBJECTIVE 1

To enhance and increase the area of calcareous grassland by improving management and linking existing fragmented sites

TARGET: By 2002

OBJECTIVE 2

Substantially reduce area of common gorse on chalk ridge and Corfe Common
Initiate programme of re-establishment of calcareous grasslands to link fragmented sites into larger units

TARGET: By 2002

OBJECTIVE 3

Draw up management plans in consultation with landowners, looking at appropriate stock, stocking levels and scrub control.

TARGET: By 1998

Action Plan Targets

see above

Current Action