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'Hard' rock cliff tops, summary of States and restoration
- State 2, Overgrown - State, 1 Open
There are two principle approaches to the restoration
of cliff slope and cliff top grassland and heathland:
1. Reintroduction of grazing
The loss of biodiversity on sea cliffs due to a reduction or abandonment of
grazing has affected a large number of sites. Restoration involves a combination
of control or removal of the overgrown material (especially scrub) and the reintroduction
of grazing. Reintroducing grazing to restore former habitat and associated species
has been undertaken at a number of sites, especially on National
Trust land.
Caption:
The route to restoration summarised in the Figure opposite indicates the
importance of grazing to the State of vegetation on accessible 'hard' rock sea
cliffs. [Blue arrows imply 'natural movement between states; red arrows
the direction and type of human induced adverse change and the green arrows
the route to restoration.]
Caveat: Although moving from State
2 to State
1 is an apparently simple process, the type of animal, grazing period
and stock density all influence the nature of the vegetation and associated
animals that reinvade the restored site. Thus deciding on the most suitable
regime must be closely linked to the aims of the restoration process in terms
of vegetation type and animal interests.
- Re-creation from arable land
It is possible, and desirable, in those areas where the cliff top has been
reduced to a narrow or non existent fringe above the cliff (by a 'coastal
squeeze'), to consider re-creating grassland and heath from former
arable cultivations. This has been attempted on an experimental basis for restoring
both chalk
grassland and heath.
Comment: Scrub removal is considered here largely from the perspective
of the requirements of wildlife. In some coastal cliff localities scrub can
make coastal cliff paths difficult to negotiate and in extreme circumstances
obscure the sea views associated with these paths.
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