Summary states - vegetation and grazing

The effect of grazing (or lack of it) is to change the nature of the vegetation and its associated animals. This influences the structure and species composition which in turn affects the nature conservation value of an individual site. The four states derived from this are:

• State 1 Close-cropped sward with little or no structural diversity;
• State 2 Moderate vegetation height and structural diversity;
• State 3 Good structural and species diversity;
• State 4 Matted dense vegetation, low species diversity.

The value of saltmarsh in relation to each state is described separately.

Comment: There is also a geographical relationship between vegetation and grazing pressure. Grazing by domestic stock has tended, at least over the last 50 years or so to be more prevalent in the north and west. This is particularly associated with areas where uplands are used to graze stock in the summer which then move to the coast for the winter.