Volunteer training make an essential contribution to the running of our National Park, so last week our Ecology Team enjoyed a beautiful October day on Hatterrall Hill providing training in heathland condition monitoring for the Park’s HLF Trainee Wardens and Black Mountains and Eastern Central Beacons Volunteers. Habitat monitoring is an important tool for assessing the condition and health of a habitat; helping us determine changes in plant communities (good and bad) which then informs us how we manage the site. The Hatterall Ridge is part of the vast Black Mountains Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI); an extensive area of upland moorland and associated habitats. The moorland contains a mosaic of upland heathland plants dominated by heather, bilberry together with crowberry – these were the focus of yesterday’s monitoring efforts. The heather moorland is part of a special landscape, shaped by ongoing traditional management by generations of Commoners. Livestock grazing, together with practices such as heather burning, have helped sustain the mosaic of characteristic upland plants and support the species which depend upon them. The Red Grouse and The Silurian Moth are just two of the key upland species which rely on a mosaic of heather and bilberry, of different ages and structures, to provide food and shelter.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 11:00:01 +0000
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