ACID GRASSLAND AND HEATHLAND
ACTION PLAN
The Dry
Grasslands Sub Group of the Northamptonshire Biodiversity Partnership Group has
developed this Plan. The group comprises representatives from, English Nature,
Forestry Commission, County Recorders, The Wildlife Trust for Northamptonshire
and interested individuals.
Lead Agencies: Public Sector English Nature
Voluntary
Sector The Wildlife Trust
There is very little
acid grassland remaining in Northamptonshire. Much is very isolated, existing
as fragments, making it almost impossible for species to move between these
patches. However, the acid grassland sites that do remain support a wide range
of rare and unusual species.
2 CURRENT
STATUS
|
Habitats included in this plan: U1 Festuca ovina - Agrostis capillaris -
Rumex acetosella (Sheep’s fescue - Common bent - Sheep’s sorrel)
Grassland U4 Fectuca ovina – Agrostis capillaris –
Galium saxatile (Sheep’s fescue - Common bent - Heath bedstraw) Grassland H1 Calluna
vulgaris – Festuca ovina (Heather
– Sheep’s fescue) Heath MG1 Arrhenatherum
elatius (False Oat-grass) Grassland |
Associated Plans:
Lowland Wood-Pasture and Parkland
Road Verges
Lowland acid
grassland nationally typically occurs on nutrient poor free-draining soils
overlying acid rocks or superficial deposits such as sands and gravels.
Heathland is limited to acid and impoverished soils, and generally develops from
sandy glacio-fluvial drift. Both habitat types are normally maintained by low
intensity grazing regimes.
Northamptonshire is
dominated by clays and limestones, but the Northampton Sand Formation,
widespread in central Northamptonshire, gives rise to localised brown sands.
There are also local deposits of glacial and river sands and gravels.
The majority of
acid grassland sites in Northamptonshire are within the south-western section
of the county. These occur mainly on the crests of hills in and around the
Daventry area.
This grassland type
is widespread in lowland Britain, and typically occurs on acid soils where
there is limited rainfall. In Northamptonshire it tends to be found on the
slopes of hillsides where Northamptonshire sandstone lies over clay – rainfall
filters through the sandstone leaving well-drained surface soil. Typical plants
include Sheep’s fescue (Festuca ovina)
and Sheep’s sorrel (Rumex acetosella).
It was once more widespread where land was grazed, but now often occurs under
scrub, on road verges, or on small patches of ground where rabbit grazing
causes some disturbance.
Example One: High Wood and
Meadow Nature Reserve. Grid Ref: SP 590548
A Site of Special Scientific Interest, the meadow at High Wood lies
on the slope of a hill where the soil crosses a layer of Northamptonshire
sandstone. On the drier sections U1 grassland has survived probably because of
a large rabbit warren – the rabbits’ grazing has prevented scrub from taking
over, and created the occasional disturbance required for this plant community.
This grassland
community tends to occur where the soil is slightly damper. In Northamptonshire
this is normally where rain water filtering through sandstone encounters a
layer of clay and flushes out to the surface.
Example Two: Coombe Hill Hollow
SSSI. Grid Ref: SP 679836
This site, near the Northamptonshire – Leicestershire border, is
unusual in Northamptonshire, being an acid grassland site on clay derived from
the Middle Lias Clay. It is probably the only site in Northamptonshire
supporting the moist U4 acid grassland community.
2.1.3 H1. Calluna
vulgaris – Festuca ovina Heath
Dominated by Common
heather (Calluna vulgaris), this is
probably the only heathland community remaining in Northamptonshire. Few plant
species occur in this type of habitat. However, a large number of insects are
associated with heathland and a range of bird species find this habitat ideal
for nesting.
Remnant heathland in Northamptonshire is limited to the Harlestone
/ Dallington Heaths, north-west of Northampton. Some areas of heathland have
not been planted over, mainly on the Northamptonshire County Golf Course, and
patches of heathland survive among the conifer plantation of Harlestone Firs,
both on the rides and emerging after blocks have been clear-felled. The
re-emergence of Dwarf gorse (Ulex minor)
and Dog violet (Viola canina),
unrecorded for over 100 years, at Harlestone Firs suggests that there is a rich
seed source still surviving under the plantation areas.
The MG1 grassland
type is typical of any community which has been unmanaged over a long period of
time. False oat grass (Arrhenatherum
elatius ) is one of the coarser
grasses, which thrives well in areas which are not cut or grazed regularly. However,
it does tend to occur on sites which have not been seeded or heavily
fertilised, and can therefore have a rich flora. Essentially, many sites which
have this community type have habitats which are easily recoverable with the
right management.
Example Four: Ramsden Corner
Nature Reserve. Grid Ref: SP 624564
This small nature reserve near Stowe Nine Churches, to the south of
Daventry, was notified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest partly because
of the acid grassland which survived because of rabbit grazing. Large areas of
the site, which had not been managed for many years, were covered by course
grasses and invading bracken (Pteridium
aquilinum). Regular cutting of the bracken and the re-instatement of
grazing have started to recover the plant communities which were once present
on the site, and the Sand spurrey (Spergularia
rubra), which is rare in Northamptonshire, has been rediscovered.
Current estimates
for the extent of acid grassland in England suggest that the total area is
within the range of 15,000 to 22,000 ha. Severe declines nationally in species
generally found in acid grassland are due to a combination of habitat loss and
lack of appropriate management.
Lowland heathland
in the UK is estimated to cover an area of 58,000ha (c. 32,000ha in England).
County Wildlife
Sites in Northamptonshire which include areas of acid grassland cover a total
area of 54.6 ha, but the acid grassland within them is much smaller than this
total. A conservative estimate of the extent of acid grassland on SSSIs and
Wildlife sites in Northamptonshire puts the figure at 10 ha.
The area of
heathland in Northamptonshire is virtually too small to estimate. Even within
Harlestone Firs and the adjacent golf course it only occurs in small areas in a
mosaic with acid grassland.
3.2 Local
Priority Species
Cross-leaved heath
(Erica tetralix ), Bog bush cricket (Metrioptera
brachyptera) and Petty whin (Genista anglica).
See Appendix 4 Dry
Grasslands and Heaths Priority Species for full lists.
4 Current factors affecting the habitat
·
Agricultural
intensification by use of fertilisers, herbicides and other pesticides,
reseeding, liming or ploughing for arable crops. Spray drift and enrichment
through fertiliser run-off may also be a problem.
·
Lack of appropriate
management resulting in the increasing dominance of coarse grasses and tall
herbs, particularly bracken (Pteridium
aquilinum) and invasion by scrub and woodland, leading to losses of acid
grassland flora and fauna. Ramsden Corner SSSI had suffered in this way for
many years, but is now recovering through active management. Similarly, many of
the small, marginal sites have been neglected and inappropriately managed for
long periods of time.
·
Loss of habitat due
to development activities such as road building and housing.
·
Changes in
management can also have a significant impact over time - such as alteration in
the grazing or cutting regime or the replacement of sheep grazing with horse
grazing.
·
The factors
currently affecting acid grassland and heathland reduce the quality and
quantity of the habitat, and its fragmentation brings increased risk of species
extinctions in the small remnant areas. Many of the county’s remaining areas of
these habitats are so small and isolated that chance extinctions due to
unfavourable conditions, even if temporary, mean that the sites’ diversity
becomes impoverished over time. The less mobile fauna species are particularly
at risk in this way.
·
Recreational
pressure bringing about floristic changes associated with soil compaction or
soil erosion.
·
Localised
afforestation, particularly with softwoods.
·
Atmospheric
pollution and climate change may be having an effect on acid grassland and
heathland; however, the influence of these factors is not fully assessed
nationally and very little is known locally.
5 CURRENT ACTION
·
Several plant,
invertebrate and bird species associated with acid grassland are protected
under the Schedules of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
·
Lowland acid
grassland features in the SSSI series in Northamptonshire, which affords a
degree of protection to those sites. A rough estimate suggests that
approximately 30% of the unimproved acid grassland resource has been
designated. Two sites, Ramsden Corner and High Wood and Meadow, are Nature
Reserves. No heathland sites are designated – one is under conifer plantation,
the other a golf course.
5.1.2 Local
·
The County Wildlife
Site designation covers virtually all the remaining unimproved acid grassland
in the county in addition to those sites containing a mosaic of unimproved and
semi-improved grassland or the better examples of semi-improved acid grassland.
Both heathland sites are designated as County Wildlife Sites and the CWS system
is constantly reviewed.
·
The County
Structure Plan and district Local Plans have a series of policies which help
protect Sites of Special Scientific Interest and County Wildlife Sites,
including acid grassland and heaths, from development to a greater or lesser
extent. Policies to protect archaeological features and parkland, among others,
can also protect important acid grasslands and heathland.
5.1.3 Grant Aid
·
The Countryside Stewardship
scheme provides grant aid for the sensitive management of grassland sites for
wildlife, and Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group give advice to farmers on
management for wildlife benefits.
5.2.1 National
·
Initiatives such as
Countryside Stewardship and the English Nature Wildlife Enhancement Scheme have
played a significant role in effective management of acid grassland and
heathland sites.
·
The condition of
acid grassland SSSIs is regularly monitored by English Nature.
5.2.2 Local
·
A significant
contribution has been made by various non-governmental organisations to the
conservation of acid grassland in the county through the establishment of
nature reserves. Of the Wildlife Trust for Northamptonshire’s nature reserves
in Northamptonshire 2 are SSSIs with acid grassland a significant feature of
their interest.
·
Sympathetic
management is undertaken by some landowners on acid grassland sites, including
SSSIs and some County Wildlife Sites.
·
Recent meetings in
Northamptonshire have enabled organisations and individuals to share experience
and raise awareness of grassland issues.
6. ACID GRASSLAND AND HEATHLAND
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS
|
|
OBJECTIVE
|
ACTION |
LEAD AGENCY |
PARTNERS |
TARGET |
|
6.1 |
Policy and Legislation |
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|
|
Objective One: Ensure that BAP
species and their habitats are given an appropriate level of protection in
local plans |
Include habitat
and species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance |
Local Authorities |
Wildlife Trust English Nature |
By 2003 |
|
|
Objective Two: Influence
agri-environment schemes to target land around remnant acid grassland /
heathland habitats and on other appropriate soil types |
Ensure Countryside
Stewardship, and other relevant grant schemes, targets are relevant |
Dept. for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
BAP Partners |
Throughout Action
Plan Period |
|
|
|
Identify appropriate
areas for habitat creation/restoration through such schemes. |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
Wildlife Trust |
Throughout Action
Plan Period |
|
|
Objective Three: Include acid
grassland and heathland protection policies in local plans as they are
reviewed |
Notify Local
Authorities of location of sites covered by relevant habitat types |
Wildlife Trust |
|
Throughout Action
Plan Period |
|
|
|
Incorporate
appropriate policies in local plans or supplementary planning guidance |
Local Authorities |
|
By 2005 |
|
6.2 |
Site Safeguard and Management |
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|
|
Objective Four: Promote the use
of local seed sources wherever possible on acid and heathland sites |
Undertake and
publish research to promote the use and availability of local seed |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
Wildlife Trust,
Local Authorities |
By 2002 |
|
|
Objective Five: Halt all further
loss throughout the county |
Identify all
unimproved acid grassland and heathland sites incorporating relevant habitat
types |
Wildlife Trust |
|
By 2002 |
|
|
|
Notify land
owners and advise on appropriate management |
Wildlife Trust Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
|
2004 |
|
|
Objective Six: Secure the uptake
of positive management with owners and occupiers of SSSIs where necessary to
achieve favourable conservation conditions |
Within SSSIs,
initiate rehabilitation management for all significant areas of unimproved lowland acid grassland
and heathland in unfavourable conservation status by 2005 and achieve
favourable conservation status by 2010 |
English Nature |
Landowners |
Initiate rehabilitation by 2005 Achieve
favourable conservation status by 2010 |
|
|
Objective Seven: Ensure appropriate
management is undertaken on sites managed by BAP Partners |
For stands at
other localities, secure favourable status for over 30% of the resource by
2005 |
The Landowners |
|
By 2005 |
|
|
|
Secure favourable
status for as near to 100% of the resource as practicable by 2010 |
The Landowners |
|
By 2010 |
|
|
Objective Eight: Encourage the
creation and management of acid grassland on appropriate sites |
Identify
appropriate sites for acid grassland recreation |
Wildlife Trust Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
English Nature,
Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Local Authorities |
By 2003 |
|
|
|
Establish a
minimum of 20ha of acid grassland of wildlife value, under appropriate long-term
management, at carefully targeted sites by 2010. These efforts should be
concentrated on areas adjacent to existing sites |
Wildlife Trust |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group Dept. for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
By 2010 |
|
|
Objective Nine: Encourage the
creation and management of heathland on appropriate sites |
Identify
appropriate sites |
Wildlife Trust Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
English Nature,
Dept. for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, private landowners |
By 2003 |
|
|
|
Establish a
minimum of 10 ha of heathland of wildlife value under appropriate long-term
management, at carefully targeted sites by 2010. These efforts should be
concentrated on areas adjacent to existing sites and on other appropriate sites |
Wildlife Trust |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group Dept. for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
By 2010 |
6.3
|
Advisory
|
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|
|
Objective Ten: Advise the owners
/ occupiers of acid grassland / heathland County Wildlife Sites |
Advise all owners |
Wildlife Trust |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group |
By 2005 |
|
|
|
Give advice on
management where requested |
Farming and
Wildlife Advisory Group Dept. for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
All |
Throughout Action
Plan Period |
6.4
|
Monitoring
and research
|
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|
|
Objective Eleven: Monitor the
management and quality of heath and acid grassland sites every 10 years |
Monitor the
management and quality of heath and acid grassland sites every 10 years |
Wildlife Trust |
All |
Throughout Action
Plan Period |
6.5
|
Communications
and publicity
|
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|
|
Objective Twelve: Hold at least one
event a year aimed at raising public awareness of acid grassland/heathland in
Northamptonshire and its importance |
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