This report assesses the significance of British Lowland
Grasslands within a wider European perspective. There are five such
priority habitats in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP):
Lowland Calcareous Grassland, Lowland Dry Acid Grassland, Lowland
Meadows, Upland Hay Meadows and Purple
Moorgrass/Rush-pasture. The report also includes Metallophyte
(or Calaminarian) Vegetation.
The project was funded by English Nature and Natural
England.
The report describes the character and occurrence of the
constituent plant communities of these habitats in terms of the
National Vegetation Classification in Great Britain, with a review
of the situation for Northern Ireland. Using a
phytosociological approach, it then outlines the wider occurrence
of related vegetation types elsewhere in Europe, emphasising
similarities and contrasts to the UK and indicating the various
factors - climatic, edaphic, cultural or historical - that underlie
these patterns.
All the Lowland Grasslands include Habitats Directive Annex I
types and the report shows their relationships with other
classification schemes and describes how they have been defined in
the countries where equivalents of the Lowland Grasslands occur and
how well the habitats are covered within Natura 2000.
The report identifies gaps in coverage within the UK BAP.
Within Natura 2000, the UK definitions of which Lowland Grasslands
are included are somewhat narrower than in other EU member states,
particularly for the Lowland Acid Grasslands and drier Lowland
Meadows.
Important threats to Lowland Grasslands include continuing
eutrophication from agricultural improvement and atmospheric
deposition but neglect of management and abandonment are becoming
increasingly important. Failure to manage at landscape-scale
also threatens the sustainability of these habitats.
A European perspective will be vital in understanding and
sustaining these habitats and the report outlines ways in which the
UK could contribute to developing scientific networks and
partnerships for software development.
The publication includes a full bibliography. Appendices
summarise the sources and quality of data for distribution mapping
and list the Habitats Directive Interpretation Manuals used in the
report.