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This project began in 2003 and is being funded
and co-ordinated by numerous organisations to restore and enhance the
Coversands heathland - now rarer than tropical rain forest.
The Coversands lowland heathland is found in the northern half of historic
Lincolnshire and along the eastern edge of Nottinghamshire. The area is
an extraordinary mosaic of heather, acid and calcareous grasslands, mire
and inland sand dunes. Only the Brecklands of Norfolk and the Suffolk
Sandlings show such a comparable variety of heathland habitats in the
UK.
Two hundred years ago there was over 60,000 hectares of Coversands in
the region, but this has dwindled to a mere 700 hectares. Often referred
to as the ‘forgotten heathlands’, a significant heathland
restoration and re-creation project is currently taking place.
A Global Responsibility
In global terms, lowland heathland is more rare than tropical rainforest.
Despite losing almost a sixth of what it had 200 years ago, the UK still
possesses 20% of the world’s total of this extraordinary habitat.
The Coversands Tomorrow’s Heathland Heritage Project is one of 27
similar schemes across the UK, designed to restore and re-create vital
lowland heathland within local communities.
A Cultural Lands
cape
There is evidence of human activity in the north of Lincolnshire dating
back to 11,000 years BC. The Coversands, with it
s good drainage and sparse
vegetation, would have made an excellent location for prehistoric settlements.
In Scunthorpe, there have been large numbers of ancient artefacts found
on the local warrens and heath such as arrowheads and flint dating from
the Mesolithic through to the Neolithic period. Provided there was fresh
water available, these dry sandy areas were ideal settlements through
many centuries.
Artefacts from the Bronze Age demonstrate a significant influx of people
around that time, leading to the clearance of oak and birch woodlands
and the creation of the first Coversands heathland. The threat of war
and the Black Death was most likely to blame for the dramatic depopulation
that followed the Norman invasion. Since the Industrial Revolution, there
has been a further decline in the number of people working on the land.
Traditional heathland management techniques have been lost, as the use
of thatch, fuel and grazing dramatically reduced.
Recent Development
The landscape across the Coversands has changed dramatically over the
last 150 years. Large areas were lost through the extraction of ironstone
around Scunthorpe, urban encroachment, the excavation of sand and gravel,
and more recently by aforestation. Intensive farming since the Second
World War has exacerbated the declines in lowland heathland further.
A New Initiative
The Coversands Tomorrow’s Heathland Heritage Project is committed
to regenerating 700 hectares and re-creating 250 hectares of lowland heath.
Focusing on the main areas of existing Coversands around Scunthorpe, Gainsborough,
Market Rasen and Woodhall Spa, it aims to reverse the fragmentation of
remaining heathland and provide corridors to link the sites.
Selective scrub control, mainly of dwarf birch, will be undertaken on
endangered heathland, followed by a co-ordinated grazing regime using
hardy animals, such as Hebridean sheep and Dexter cattle. It is envisaged
that the project will also encourage public access opportunities through
the creation of new paths, bridleways and cycle routes. The project has
employed a Shepherd to manage the livestock and an Access and Interpretation
Officer to encourage greater community involvement.
Click
for next page - Project Aims
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