Dry semi-natural grassland can be divided into four broad categories: acid grassland, neutral grassland, calcareous grassland and maritime grassland. All of these have been modified to a greater or lesser extent by agricultural practices and / or atmospheric depositions.
Dry Grassland
Acid grassland
Since the 1950s, most of the acid grassland in Wales has been subjected to extended periods of intensive sheep grazing, though exceptional examples of the habitat persist at Breidden Hill and Stanner Rocks. The years of intensive grazing pressure caused high levels of eutrophication that have since been exacerbated by increasing levels of atmospheric nitrogen…
Neutral grassland
Semi-natural neutral grasslands are found primarily on deep but well-drained soils and, although well distributed, are much less common than agriculturally improved grasslands. Most Welsh hay meadows are on neutral soils within enclosed land parcels in the lowlands: neutral grassland is much less common in the uplands. Welsh hay meadows are typically managed by mowing…
Calcareous grassland
The calcareous grassland habitat in Wales is restricted to the areas on the Carboniferous Limestone, which notably include the south facing cliffs of Gower and Pembrokeshire, and the Great Orme headland. These areas are all renowned for their rich limestone floras, which include several nationally rare species. The reference states and modified states for calcareous…
Maritime grassland
Maritime grassland typically forms a fairly narrow band of habitat, sometimes no more than a few metres wide, between the rocks and cliffs of rocky shorelines and the less exposed grasslands and heaths further inland. The extent of the habitat can vary from year to year, depending on the degree of salt deposition during winter…