Study

Changes in vegetation following reduction in grazing pressure on the National Trust's Kinder Estate, Peak District, Derbyshire, England

  • Published source details Anderson P. & Radford E. (1994) Changes in vegetation following reduction in grazing pressure on the National Trust's Kinder Estate, Peak District, Derbyshire, England. Biological Conservation, 69, 55-63.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Reduce number of livestock

Action Link
Shrubland and Heathland Conservation
  1. Reduce number of livestock

    A before-and-after trial in 1983–1990 at a moorland site in the UK (Anderson & Radford 1994) found that reducing sheep density increased the abundance of shrub and grass species. Cover was higher seven years after sheep removal for the shrubs common heather Calluna vulgaris (16%) and bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus (14%) than before removal (heather: 0%; bilberry: 1%). Cover and biomass of wavy-hair grass Deschampsia flexuosa were also higher seven years after sheep removal (cover: 83%; biomass: 56 g/plot) than before sheep removal (cover: 41%; biomass: 9 g/plot). Between 1982 and 1990 sheep numbers were reduced from 2.5 ewes/ha to 0.3 ewes/ha (with some fluctuations between). Vegetation cover was measured each spring at 1 m intervals along 10 permanent transects per plot.

    (Summarised by: Phil Martin)

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