Upland dry acidic grassland

The drier acidic grasslands, dominated by mat-grass or fescues, are widespread throughout the park. These types of grassland are generally species poor. Wavy hair-grass occurs in other grassland types often in association with heather shoots or bilberry. Dry acidic grassland is of low biodiversity value.

Habitat Statement

Conservation objectives

• To restore at least 10% of upland dry acidic grassland to other comunities such as heath, scrub, woodland and wetland.

Conservation measures

• Encourage appropriate management of acid grassland to allow regeneration of dwarf shrub and scrub communities through targeting of agri-environment schemes.

• Restore or create new native woodland communities on acid grassland at the moorland edge through the appropriate targeting of woodland grant schemes

• Consider allowing one or two large areas of acidic grassland to develop into an essentially unmanaged naturalistic landscape, composed principally of mosaics of open woodland, heath, bog and wetland through the use of grant schemes or local nature reserves as appropriate.