Satellite Symposium 1: Optimisation
Description
Lowland heath is of high conservation value because of the specialised and rare assemblages of plants and animals that it supports. Combinations of agricultural and urban development, and lack of appropriate management have resulted in large-scale loss and fragmentation of this habitat throughout the UK. Current UK conservation policies seek to re-create 6,000 ha of this habitat on land previously in agricultural and forestry production. Previous research indicated that high soil pH and fertility, together with a lack of propagules of heathland species, made it difficult to achieve this objective. The aim was to evaluate techniques to establish grass-Calluna heathland on ex-arable land in the Brecklands Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) in Norfolk, in particular, to assess the need for soil acidification to reduce competition and aid the establishment of Calluna.
Included in
Changes in Nutrient Turnover and Supply During the Reversion of Arable Land to Acid Grassland/Calluna Heathland
Lowland heath is of high conservation value because of the specialised and rare assemblages of plants and animals that it supports. Combinations of agricultural and urban development, and lack of appropriate management have resulted in large-scale loss and fragmentation of this habitat throughout the UK. Current UK conservation policies seek to re-create 6,000 ha of this habitat on land previously in agricultural and forestry production. Previous research indicated that high soil pH and fertility, together with a lack of propagules of heathland species, made it difficult to achieve this objective. The aim was to evaluate techniques to establish grass-Calluna heathland on ex-arable land in the Brecklands Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) in Norfolk, in particular, to assess the need for soil acidification to reduce competition and aid the establishment of Calluna.
