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Heathland is a highly specialized and rapidly declining
habitat unique to north-west Europe. It is home to a specialised fauna
and flora, notably reptiles, dragonflies and damselflies, unusual plants
and birds - some of which are confined to this habitat.
The exposed areas of heathland scattered across the British Isles can be divided
into two main types: lowland and upland. Lowland heath is defined as below 300m
in altitude, while upland heath occurs at heights above 300m.
Between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago early farming communities cleared woodlands
and worked the land until the soil became exhausted. The sandy, acidic soils
left behind were quickly invaded by wild plants, and today characteristic stretches
of heather, gorse, and bracken dominate the lowland heath habitat. These low-growing
shrubs are interspersed with trees such as Scots pine and silver birch.
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