Agriculture and Conservation in the Hills and Uplands
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AGRICULTUREAND CONSERVATION IN THEHILLS AND UPLANDS INSTITUTEof TERRESTRIALECOLOGY NATURALENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL á Natural Environment Research Council Agriculture and conservation in the hills and uplands ITE symposium no. 23 Edited by M BELL and R GH BUNCE ITE, Merlewood Research Station INSTITUTE OF TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY Printed in Great Britain by Galliard (Printers) Ltd, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NERC Copyright 1987 Published in 1987 by Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Merlewood Research Station GRANGE-OVER-SANDS Cumbria LA11 6JU BRITISHLIBRARY CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Agriculture and conservation in the hills and uplands (ITE symposium, ISSN 0263-8614: no. 23) 1. Nature conservation - Great Britain 3. Landscape conservation - Great Britain I. Bell, M II. Bunce, R G H III. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. V. Series 333. 76160941 OH77. G7 ISBN 1 870393 03 1 COVER ILLUSTRATION North Pennine Dales Environmentally Sensitive Area, a landscape created by farming, retaining semi-natural vegetation and hay meadows whereon traditional management practices are crucial to the maintenance of floral diversity. New national and European Commission grants can assist conservation and the small farm structure which underpins the area. It is no longer tenable to consider farm, conservation or rural social policies in isolation (Photograph R Scott) The Institute of Terrestrial Ecologywas established in 1973. from the former Nature Conservancy's research stations and staff, joined later by the Institute of the Tree Biology and Culture Centre of Algae and Protozoa. ITE contributes to. and draws upon, the collective knowledge of the 14 sister institutes which make up the Natural Environment Research Council, spanning all the environmental sciences. The Institute studies the factors determining the structure, composition and processes of land and freshwater systems, and of individual plant and animal species. It is developing a sounder scientific basis for predicting and modelling environmental trends arising from natural or man-made change. The results of this research are available to those responsible for the protection, management and wise use of our natural resources. One quarter of ITE'swork is research commissioned by customers, such as the Department of Environment. the European Economic Community, the Nature Conservancy Council and the Overseas Development Administration. The remainder is fundamental research supported by NERC. ITE'sexpertise is widely used by international organizations in overseas projects and programmes of research. Drs M Bell & R G H Bunce Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Merlewood Research Station GRANGE-OVER-SANDS Cumbria LA11 6JU 044 84 (Grange-over-Sands) 2264 3 CONTENTS Preface 6 Effectsof man on uplandvegetation 7 (J Miles, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Banchory Research Station, Banchory) The extent and compositionof uplandareas in Great Britain 19 (R G H Bunce, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Ecologyand resourcesof Britain'smountain plateaux: land use conflictsand impacts 22 (D B A Thompson, H Galbraith & D Horsfield, Nature Conservancy Council, Edinburgh) Ecologyand managementof improved,unimproved and revertedhill grasslandsin 32 mid-Wales (J B Dixon, Department of Applied Biology Field Centre, University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (Cardiff), Newbridge-on-Wye) The effectof fertilizerson the conservationinterest of traditionallymanaged upland 38 meadows (R S Smith, Department of Agricultural & Environmental Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) The nitrogencycle in uplandagriculture: its understanding,control and use 44 (P Ineson, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Phosphorusin grasslands:its understanding,control and use 50 (A F Harrison1& K Taylor2 llnstitute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands 2Department of Biology, University College London, London) Land use in the hillsand uplands:the work of the Hill FarmingResearch Organisation 56 (TJ Maxwell, J Eadie & J Hodgson, Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik) The manipulationof mat-grasspasture by grazingmanagement 62 (S A Grant, L Torvell, R H Armstrong & M M Beattie, Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik) Vegetationsurveys of uplandsites in Wales: researchnote 65 (Nature Conservancy Council (Welsh Field Unit), Bangor) Hill livestockcompensatory allowances and uplandmanagement 66 (S Evans & M Felton, Economics Advisory Unit, Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough) Recentchanges in sheepproduction systems in uplandBritain: research note 73 (K Atkins & I Bradbury, Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool) 4 Agroforestry research in the hills and uplands 74 (A R Sibbald1, T J Maxwell', J H Griffiths', N J Hutchings', C M A Taylor2, P M Tabbush2 & I M S White2) 'Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik 2Forestry Commission, Northern Research Station, Penicuik) Approaches to reinstatement of damaged footpaths in the Three Peaks area of the 78 Yorkshire Dales National Park (N G Bayfield, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Banchory Research Station, Banchory) Agriculture, forestry and integrated land use options in south-west England 88 (0 Brandon, Dartington Institute, Totnes) Prospects for people in the hills 94 (M M Whitby, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Hill weed compensatory allowances: very alternative crops for the uplands 99 (G J Lawson, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Heather moorland management - a model 107 (A R Sibbald, S A Grant, J A Milne & TJ Maxwell, Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik) Estimating acceptable stocking levels for heather moorland 109 (A N Lance, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy) The use of goats in hill pasture management 116 (M Lippert, A J F Russel & S A Grant, Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik) Nature conservation and rural development 120 (A Mowle, Nature Conservancy Council, Edinburgh) An assessment of amenity tree planting in England and Wales: research note 124 (J M Sykes & D R Briggs, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Grazing in broadleaved upland woods 125 (F J G Mitchell, Hill Farming Research Organisation, Penicuik) Section 43 maps of moor or heath: a tool for conservation 127 (C Swanwick, Land Use Consultants, South Kilworth) Environmental education in hills and uplands 135 (E Clark, Environmental Education Unit, Ambleside) Soil fertility and commercial forest felling: research note 137 (J K Adamson, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Soil fertility and nature conservation: research note 138 (R H Marrs, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Huntingdon) 5 Long-termstudies of vegetationchange at Moor HouseNNR 139 (R H Marrs, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Monks Wood Experimental Station, Huntingdon) The flow country: is there room for everyone? 140 (N Black, Highland Regional Council, Inverness) Changesin the hillsand uplands:research note 148 (C J Barr1 & G Deane2 1Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands 2Huntings Technical Services, Boreham Wood) Socio-economicsurvey in uplandareas: field work basedupon the Merlewoodland 150 classificationsystem: research note (M Bell, J Lancaster & J S Warnock, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Merlewood Research Station, Grange-over-Sands) Do they do thingsbetter in France? 152 (M E Smith, Nature Conservancy Council, Bangor) Uplandland use:the questfor the elusivebalance 156 (C Price, Department of Forestry and Wood Science, University College of North Wales, Bangor) Managementof changein the 'hillsand uplands:concluding comment 160 (0 W Heal, Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Edinburgh) Appendix:List of participants 161 6 Preface It has always seemed an axiom of environmental and inadvertent omission could give great offence. It would ecological study that the scholar needs to consider links, be cowardice to permit that to deter, and the starting overlaps and relationships with a wide range of point must be to thank the speakers who made a influences. Thus, it was a welcome move when the conference organizer's job easy. Indeed, it is equally Economic and Social Research Council, and their sister important to thank the odd speaker who did not, because organization the Natural Environment Research Council recalcitrance was no more than a reflection of their came together to sponsor their first joint Fellowship. This commitments. The adage stood about asking a busy volume is one output of that experiment. person if you want something doing. In no case was that more true than in regard to the Chairmen. To Messrs There has been a number of roles and themes within the Bowers, Dunning, Harwood and Gordon Duff-Pennington Fellowship. One has been the attempt to convey the go grateful thanks for their aplomb and efficiency. knowledge and insights of different disciplines to those outside who could use them in their own work. Related to On the evening of the conference, we were entertained, this attempt has been a broader aim of assisting different encouraged and occasionally admonished by Sir Derek interests in the countryside to understand each other's Barber. This means that all concerned are doubly in the viewpoint and concerns. As so often, Eric Carter of the debt of the