Page 12 - Conservation Impact Report 2016

Calcareous grasslands

Conservation Status Conservation Strategy

There is currently 30,687ha of chalk grassland in The vast majority of chalk grassland was traditionally
England26. Chalk grassland develops on shallow lime- managed as pasture and continuation of this traditional
rich (pH range between 6.5 and 8.5) soils overlying management is essential in maintaining a floristically
chalk. It is one of the richest habitats of Western Europe, diverse sward, in which coarse grasses are prevented
containing a great diversity of plants and animals, from dominating. This is primarily achieved through
many of which are nationally or internationally rare late summer and autumn grazing using sheep or cattle.
or endangered. Chalk grassland may support over 50 Other vegetation including scrub is kept in balance by
species of flowering plant per square metre27. hand control carried out by staff and volunteers.

Much of the flora found in these habitats are specially
adapted to the low nutrient, high pH conditions and
will simply not survive elsewhere. This specialism is
mirrored within the associated butterfly assemblage,
many species of which are dependent on key chalk
flowers and grasses as their caterpillars’ food plant, for
example small blue (Cupido minimus) and Adonis blue
(Polyommatus bellargus) butterflies.

Rare and threaten flora found on chalk grassland
include the Chiltern gentian (Gentianella germanica),
which grows only within the Chilterns in Great Britain
and monkey orchid (Orchis simia), both of which are
classified as Vulnerable28 in England. Between 1968 and
2006 pasque flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) had disappeared
from 16 of its 33 known sites, with the losses being

largely due to inappropriate grazing management29. BBOWT manages 130 hectares of calcareous grassland:
100% of which is classified as favourable or recovering.

Conservation Strategy

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