Lowland Heathland Habitat Action Plan
Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Biodiversity Action Plan Lowland Heathland Habitat Action Plan Lowland Heathland Key associated species Adder Noctule Bilberry Round-leaved Sundew Bog Bush Cricket Serotine Bat Common Lizard Skylark Dartford Warbler Small Copper Green Ribbed Sedge Small Red Damselfly Heath Spotted Orchid Stonechat Hobby Tree Pipit Ling White Sedge Meadow Pipit Woodlark Nightjar Lowland heathland is characterised both by the presence of dwarf ericaceous species such as heather, gorse and cross-leaved heath and by the typical gently undulating landscape forms associated with it. It is generally found below 300 metres in altitude, on nutrient-poor mineral soils. Areas of high quality lowland heathland are not solely composed of vast tracts of heather. They have an ericaceous layer of varied height and structure, with areas of scattered trees and scrub, bare ground, gorse, wet heath, bogs and open water. Lowland heathland is generally considered to be anthropogenic in origin, a product of traditional pastoral activities and the exercising of commoners’ rights such as bracken collecting, turf cutting, grazing, and firewood collection. For the purposes of this document ‘heathland’ will refer to dry heath, wet heath and valley mires where they occur. 1 Current status in UK Biological status 1.1 The lowland heathland that occurs in the British Isles is of a type found (with regional variations) only along the western fringes of continental Europe. The oceanic climate, characterised by mild winters and relatively high rainfall throughout the year, favours the formation of heathland habitats if the required acidic and nutrient-poor substrates are present. The range of species found on these western European oceanic heathlands are unique and can often be very diverse.
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