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Grassland, some quantification of loss
1932-1984, 92% loss
permanent pasture (this includes hay meadow) & rough grassland
7.2 million hectares to 0.6 million hectares (Fuller 1987)
1932-1984, 92% loss
permanent pasture (this includes hay meadow) & rough grassland
7.2 million hectares to 0.6 million hectares (Fuller 1987)
2 million acres of grassland lost since 1990
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/almost-2-million-acres-gb-grassland-lost-woodland-and-urban-areas-expand
https://www.ceh.ac.uk/press/almost-2-million-acres-gb-grassland-lost-woodland-and-urban-areas-expand
Calcareous grassland has undergone a significant decline over the last 50 years. no detailed figures available for the UK, local statistics demonstrate the overall decline eg 50% lost in Dorset between the mid-1950s and the early 1990s, 25% lost in Sussex between 1966 and 1980
Current estimates for lowland calcareous grassland in the UK are between 33,000 and 41,000 ha with less than 1,000 ha in Wales and none in Scotland. The majority of this is chalk (25,000 to 32,000 ha) with the key concentrations in Wiltshire, Dorset and the South Downs.
How do we get better figures?
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/methodologies/uknaturalcapitaldevelopingseminaturalgrasslandecosystemaccounts
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/methodologies/uknaturalcapitaldevelopingseminaturalgrasslandecosystemaccounts
Land Cover Map (LCM2015)
83,000 hectares of calcareous grassland is double actual figure
to me it is shocking we do not have this data, RPA can tell you that a metre or two of scrub is in your field so they will cut your payments if you do not remove it
83,000 hectares of calcareous grassland is double actual figure
to me it is shocking we do not have this data, RPA can tell you that a metre or two of scrub is in your field so they will cut your payments if you do not remove it
neutral grassland is mesotrophic grassland
