After the foot and mouth pandemics in 1967 and 2001 and subsequent changes in CAP subsidies, many farmers removed their livestock from unenclosed coastal locations. An increase in the number of tourists using the coastal footpaths and dog walking contributed to this decision, as the risks of keeping stock in these locations began to outweigh the benefits. However, as the livestock disappeared from the coastal headlands, so too did the driver for cutting gorse (Ulex spp.) and blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) scrub. It is not unusual now to see stands of species-rich calcareous grassland on thin coastal soils being replaced by European gorse (Ulex europaeus) and blackthorn.
