Our use of cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our site work. We’d also like to set analytics cookies to help us understand how our site is used.

For more information about the cookies we use, see our cookies page.

Cookie settings

To change cookie settings at anytime, see our cookie settings page.

Necessary cookies

We need to use some cookies to provide essential functionality, such as, security and accessibility. These are called necessary cookies. You can disable them by changing your browser preferences, but our site might not function correctly without them.

Skip to main content

SA 1 - Identify and highlight the presence of existing species-rich grasslands

Code
SA 1
Supporting action
Identify and highlight the presence of existing species-rich grasslands
Description
Species-rich grasslands, including acid, calcareous and neutral grasslands, are important reservoirs of biodiversity and focal points for restoration across the landscape. Understanding their locations will facilitate work to help restore and showcase these valuable habitats into the future. These grasslands can be identified through aerial mapping, Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, examining local records and targeted site surveys.
Priority
Herefordshire’s species-rich grasslands are enhanced, expanded and reconnected
Priority description
Species-rich grassland forms a key part of Herefordshire’s largely rural landscape. It is often defined by grassland which has more than 10 species per square metre. These grasslands are a valuable habitat with a unique biodiversity and support a variety of important species such as the Curlew and Great Burnet. Herefordshire contains several species-rich grassland types, and the type depends on location, underlying geology, soil pH, management and history. Acid grasslands occur in places such as the Malvern Hills and neutral grassland can be found across the county, with a particularly good example at Lugg Meadows Nature Reserve near Hereford. The rarest grassland in Herefordshire is calcareous grassland, which can be found in the Wye Valley on limestone rocks. Species-rich grasslands continue to be depleted and suffer from a myriad of pressures such as urbanisation, pollution, over and under-grazing and agricultural intensification. A significant additional risk is their anonymity: species-rich grasslands are frequently in suboptimal management, often appearing unexceptional to all but the specialist. This makes them vulnerable to unintended damage. They are also at risk from climate change and invasive plant species. Increasing the extent of species-rich grasslands and their interconnectivity improves their resilience to pressures, such as climate change, and helps to provide additional high-quality habitat for a variety of species.
Mapped
No