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<DIV STYLE="text-align:Left;"><DIV><DIV><P><SPAN>This is a spatial dataset that describes the location and extent of Wood Pasture and Parkland habitat across England. Wood Pasture and Parkland is a Priority Habitat as listed in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) 2008. Wood pastures and parkland are the products of historic land management systems and designed landscapes and represent a vegetation structure rather than a particular plant community. Typically, this structure consists of large, open-grown or high forest trees (often pollards) at various densities, in a matrix of grazed grassland, heathland and/or woodland floras. Wood Pasture and Parkland (England) is a priority habitat as identified in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) and listed as being of principal importance for the purposes of conserving or enhancing biodiversity under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) act. Wood-pasture and parkland are mosaic habitats valued for their trees, especially veteran and ancient trees and the plants and animals that they support. Specialised and varied habitats within woodpasture and parkland provide a home for a wide range of species, many of which occur only in these habitats, particularly insects, lichens and fungi which depend on dead and decaying wood.</SPAN></P><P><SPAN>This dataset is unique to but compliments the Priority Habitats Inventory (also produced by Natural England).</SPAN></P><P><SPAN /></P></DIV></DIV></DIV> |