Heathland Management
Lowland Heath is a very ancient habitat. It has been present in Britain for about 10,000 years which is when the last Ice Age ended. Lowland Heaths are very special places which support a whole range of different plants and animals which do not live elsewhere. At one time this type of habitat was much more common. Today over 80% of Lowland Heath has been lost to agriculture, forestry, roads and building.
This means that many of the species which live on heathland are under threat. When you visit a heathland you might think that there is little wildlife present, as you gaze over the open expanse of heather and gorse, intermingled with grasses, bracken and scattered trees such as Silver Birch. However it is actually teeming with life. At least 5,000 different species of invertebrate animals live on heathland. These invertebrates include wonderfully marked butterflies such as the Silver-studded Blue butterfly. You might also see Golden Ringed dragonflies acrobatically darting about as they catch insects on the wing. On the ground, bright green Tiger beetles rush about hunting even smaller insects. Birds such as the Dartford Warbler and the Nightjar also live on heaths, together with reptiles such as the adder and lizard. If you go out to a Lowland Heath in midsummer at dusk you might even hear the churring sound of the male nightjar and witness its territorial displays.
As you look around you might also see rounded hillocks of earth which are now overgrown with vegetation. These are ancient burial mounds dating back to as long ago as the Bronze age. Even before this, neolithic (stone age) people lived on heaths. Indeed it is thought that they created some of the first heaths, through clearing the original woodlands and then grazing their stock in the newly created open areas. Grazing stock, such as sheep and cattle, in these areas, favoured plants like heather because the animals didn't like to eat them! This meant that the animals would eat the grasses and young tree seedlings instead. Where the soils were poor, sandy, acidic and low in nutrients, this also encouraged heath-type plants and gradually the landscape which we now term Lowland Heath came about.
Of course, in modern Britain, you don't see so many animals grazing on heaths. This means that many of the few heaths that remain are being taken over by trees such as Silver Birch. Silver Birch trees are known as a pioneer species, because they are often the first trees to become established in an area.
This invasion by trees continues year after year and the habitat is altered. Eventually slower growing large trees such as pine and oak dominate. The area gradually becomes a dense woodland and all the plants and animals which can only live on a heathland are lost. This process of change is known as succession. The surroundings have been changed in such a way that conditions favour different plants and animals.
Today, heaths need management in order to prevent trees and other unwanted vegetation becoming dominant. Management may include the introduction of grazing animals. Where there are too many trees these will have to be reduced in number. This type of work is essential if more of this endangered habitat is not to be lost.
Heathland Management is Supported by
