Main Habitats Of The New Forest Environmental Sciences Essay

Introduction

The New Forest is a palimpseste slate land which has been rewritten clip and clip once more it has therefore created a mosaic like construction of different home grounds. It was constituted as a royal runing land in Hampshire by William the Conqueror in the eleventh century. It is the largest staying country of enclosed heath, grazing land and wood in South England. The Crown still today owns most of the land of the New Forest. William the Conqueror enforced many Torahs on how the land was to be used by the local dwellers. Timess were difficult for the common people they were independently restricted in what they could works and graze on the land. In 1698 the people of the land gained commoning rights by the Crown. When the Commoning rights were given a tribunal was set in topographic point the Verderers tribunal and it had many functions to play within the New Forest ; to pull off and protect agricultural patterns, to continue its alone landscape, zoology and vegetation and to prolong it for the future coevalss.

There are three chief rivers in the New Forest portion of the Hampshire basin which drain to the south the Avon, Lymington and the Beaulieu. All of which shape the land flower stalk. The geology besides plays a portion in the New forest which I will explicate in more depth subsequently. The New Forest covers 571 km2 with 118 km2 being heathland and grassland, 33 km2 wet heath and 84 km2 tree plantations planted in the 1700s. Many restrictions and regulations set by the Crown are still in topographic point today to pull off the land. The New Forest has been a site of involvement for a long clip and the wish to continue it. It has gone through many phases of categorization such as a SSSI, World Heritage, to eventually a National Park the highest degree of protection in 2005.

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It was awarded this position due to its alone home grounds and linked to this the zoology and vegetation. It has 75 % of Europe & A ; acirc ; ˆ™s low prevarication quags ( bogs ) and 40 % of western Europe & A ; acirc ; ˆ™s heathland in fact 50 % of the New Forest is woodland enclosures. Within the New Forest there is 46 works species which are international rare and many types of animate beings from lizards to the usual ponies, cervid, cowss and hogs. All of these factors shape the land in how it is managed and what they need to continue. During a recent field trip made by the Geography and Environmental Science pupils of the University of Greenwich, six chief home grounds were identified within the New Forest: Grassland/lawns, Heath, Woodland, Mires, Settlements/agricultural lands and a portion of the seashore. All of these home grounds are managed in some manner normally be an interested administration of the New Forest.

Grassland and Forest Lawns

Acidic Grassland in the New Forest is really common and is found along hill sides and at the patio. The key to this is through the geology of the land, the New Forest lies within the Hampshire Basin. Due to this most of the sedimentations of dirt have a sand like construction overlaid by acidic alimentary hapless dirt therefore any rainfall and foods are absorbed rapidly and lost through drainage, the land is really porous in these countries. The dominant workss of this home ground are thick Bracken gown, Bristle-bent grass and Heather.

Forest Lawns in the New Forest frequently occur near a H2O beginning e.g. a watercourse. These countries are really level and merely cover a little sum of land inside the New Forest. Yet this home ground is the most utile for croping therefore of import for the 500 practicing common mans today. Deluging in the winter provides the dirts with the of import foods to maintain the flora healthy and to be able to turn back rapidly. The flora can to an extent become immune to croping from animate beings such as cowss, ponies and cervid so over graze can assist this home ground remain managed and be utile. Vegetation in this home ground includes Herbs and Grasses of a broad scope.

Management

These home grounds are linked and both managed by the Forestry Commission. Bracken can turn rapidly and is really dominant over other species such as ling so every twelvemonth the Commission takes on controlled combustion of furze and ling. The foods from this combustion helps maintain the dirt healthy and therefore encourages growing on the acidic land. The Pteridium esculentum is harvested in the summer months to halt them smothering the workss beneath them when they wilt subsequently on in the twelvemonth. The Pteridium esculentum is so sold to local concerns in the country.

Heath

The New Forest has the largest country of Heathland in Europe. The dry countries along the tops of the hills are dominated by Heather and Gorse the diverseness of these workss is low. It is peculiarly of import to reptilians and many types of birds. In fact the rare Smooth serpent is found in good Numberss due to the heathland in the New Forest is being protected. The rich Lichen communities a type of flora has a big diverseness and is of import to the invertebrates in this home ground. On low lying depressions and valley side that incline gently wet heath workss can be found. The land in these countries is more concentrated and workss such as the Purple-moor grass are widespread.https: //encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images? q=tbn: ANd9GcT-z-sYPl6IXiz6TF5G4n2EovbqJVElYOkLVROzdvYrdvycUg1IpQ

Management

This home ground is managed by the Forestry Commission non merely does controlled combustion encourages the growing of flora it besides protects other home grounds from being endangered. Woodland enclosures sprout across this habitat portion of the mosaic form, yet if the heathland was left to go overgrown the hazard of wild fires would increase. Heathland flora is really dry and can catch fire easy and distribute. Many forest enclosures are really old dating back to the 1700 & A ; acirc ; ˆ™s and they are a portion of some delicate ecosystems which are rare.

Forest

The New wood has a few types of different forest home grounds largely determined by the trees either cone-bearing or deciduous or a mixture. Ancient grazing land forest is unenclosed countries where animate beings such as ponies, cowss and cervid can crop. The trees are allowed to turn, dice and disintegrate of course without human intercession ; the dominant species are Oak and Beech both of which are deciduous trees. ) Beech is normally found in the desiccant countries where dirt is non rich in foods plenty for Oak and other species to turn. In wetter countries with poorer drainage Oaks are the dominant coinage with a mix of Beech, Ash, Yew and Birch. Yew is a cone-bearing tree significance this type of forest has a broad assortment of tree species.

Management

The forest committee manages this home ground by cutting back holly when it becomes overgrown to halt it stamp downing other species. On a recent field trip made by the Geography and Environmental Science pupils of the University of Greenwich it was observed that some forest countries are manmade due to the trees holding been planted in lines with even spacing. It was besides noticed that similar species were all planted in the same country and that there was non a random fluctuation of species that would otherwise occur in a natural environment.

Management

These woodland countries are managed by the common mans and the Forestry committee, the Forestry committee cut the tree subdivisions so nil grows underneath the upper canopy. This has left a noticeable spread between the trees high subdivisions and the forest floor. The common mans have their animate beings graze in these countries the animate beings stop works species on the land growth and going excessively thick to pull off.

Birch and Oak mix forest are found in spots on the Heathland these are by and large the enclosed countries. They have been enclosed to halt the trees distributing farther into the grassland and it to protect the enclosed forest ecosystem from croping animate beings. Birds like the Wood Pecker, Nuthatch and Tree creeper are found in these grazing land forest.

Management

This Habitat is managed by the forestry committee the program is to increase these enclosures across the New Forest.

Mires

There are 120 Mires in Western Europe 90 of which are located in the New Forest. They are located at the underside of the vales and the inclines the dirt is for good saturated. When dirt is H2O logged organic affair does non interrupt down like it would if the dirt was dry. The organic affair amasses over clip and is eventually laid down as peat. As the peat construct up it creates an about solid surface drifting on top of H2O, workss can so turn on this top bed. The workss are mosses, white beaked sedge and asphodel these can turn rapidly due to alimentary rich dirt gained from H2O being drained from the environing stones and dirts.

The quags have somewhat different home grounds within its ain system, towards the border the dirts have a poorer make up of foods so workss such as daily dews grow here. Towards the Centre where the dirt is really rich bog Vinca minor and violet moor-grass grows. At some of the larger mires up to 150 different types of works species can be found.

Management

The forestry committee manages this home ground they are responsible for Restoration undertakings to profit the wildlife in this ecosystem.

Coast

The New Forest besides contains 26 stat mis of coastline a portion of this home ground includes shingle beaches these beaches and there spits support a big scope of Marine workss and animate beings. The shake beaches are of import for migratory birds as a genteelness country, such as the black-headed chump and tern.

Management

In the New Forest some of the low drops and shake beaches are being managed but non in the traditional sense where tongues and other sea defense mechanisms one time stood, they have been left to go out-of-date and overpowered by the sea and are now efficaciously useless. These countries have weak drops were changeless eroding is taking topographic point. The drops have now been left to gnaw of course and no defense mechanisms are to be put into topographic point.

Hazards

The New Forest was the last topographic point of specific involvement to go a National Park in the UK. It was granted this protection due to lifting hazards from many parts. The population denseness of the country is now 34 000 this is because during the 70s to 80s there was a rise in substructure development. The land the New Forest is on is really easy to construct upon, level land and soft dirts. Not merely has the population risen but the figure of tourers has increased on norm there are 13.5 million visitants yearly of which 96 % thrust to the New Forest to curtail figure of visitants and pollution from the autos the New Forest has merely 135 auto Parkss.

The figure of visitants to the New Forest has been good for local concerns and helped turn local towns such as Lyndhurst into a king protea site, conveying in more of a assortment in stores and increased the criterion of life. This knock on consequence has provided 2451 direct occupations to the New Forest. It is estimated that 110 million lbs is spent by visitants yearly and 72 million if you take into history escape. Yet with all these positive impacts they besides bring negatives issues such as traffic 2nd places have been bought intending belongings monetary values have increased. Stock in stores can go sold out really rapidly and due to the increasing disbursals to populate in the country merely 500 practising common mans still exist. This has created a clang between the local & A ; acirc ; ˆ™s civilization and history vs. tourers demands.

Tourism and an addition in population are non the lone hazards for the New Forest Climate alteration is a factor which will come into drama in the hereafter. With lifting sea degrees the coastal part of the New Forest will gnaw really rapidly altering the home ground. As the regional temperature changes the heathland home ground will go to dry attention deficit disorder in the hapless alimentary dirt the workss will shrivel and be more vulnerable to deceasing. All wonts will be affected in some manner due to climate alteration this is due to frequence and sum of rainfall. Some countries will go excessively afloat and other countries the foods in the dirt will be washed off excessively often for it to hold a positive consequence on a home ground.

Decision

In decision the New Forest is a really of import country for its assorted rare home grounds and to back up the significance of the New Forest it has been awarded National Park position. Yet like most rare home grounds they are besides the most vulnerable to alterations in clime and land usage. The direction of the New Forest comprises of many complex beds to suit the demand of many interested parties non merely does it necessitate to provide for tourers and administrations. The direction must besides recognize and integrate the of import cultural significance and patterns for the locals.

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