Recent vegetation history of Drygarn Fawr (Elenydd SSSI), Cambrian Mountains,Wales: implications for conservation management of degraded blanket mires |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">F?M?ChambersEmail author D?Mauquoy E?W?Cloutman J?R?G?Daniell P?S?Jones |
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Institution: | (1) Centre for Environmental Change and Quaternary Research, University of Gloucestershire, Francis Close Hall, Swindon Road, Cheltenham, GL50 4AZ, UK;(2) Department of Geography & Environment, University of Aberdeen, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, AB24 3UF, UK;(3) Countryside Council for Wales, Maes-y-Ffynnon, Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2DW, UK |
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Abstract: | Many areas of blanket mire in Britain display apparently degraded vegetation, having a limited range of ericaceous and Sphagnum species. Data are presented here from Wales from the upland locality of Drygarn Fawr (Elenydd SSSI), which is dominated overwhelmingly
by Molinia caerulea. Palaeoecological techniques were used to chronicle vegetation history and to determine the nature and timing of vegetation
changes, as an aid to devising conservation management and restoration strategies. Although for the past 2000 years the pollen
and plant macrofossil data indicate some evidence for cyclic vegetation change, they demonstrate that here the major vegetation
change post-dated the start of the industrial revolution. The palaeoecological data show a greater proportion of Sphagnum than currently. Local extinction of some species (e.g., Myrica gale) apparently took place in Medieval times, but most of the degradation and floral impoverishment apparently occurred during
the 20th Century. The implications for conservation management are far-reaching. The overwhelming dominance of Molinia is clearly unprecedented. While it was locally present for hundreds of years, some factor(s)—possibly a change in grazer
and grazing regime—encouraged its recent ascendancy in the 20th Century. Consequently, any management attempts to reduce the
pre-eminence of Molinia would not be countering an ingrained, long-established dominance. It is suggested that investigation of degraded blanket
mires elsewhere by historical and multi-proxy palaeoecological techniques—through multiple, dated cores to track species extinctions
and directional vegetation changes—would help ascertain previous mire floras and so indicate a range of restoration targets
for mire vegetation. |
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Keywords: | Blanket mires Degraded mires Mire conservation Palaeoecological techniques Plant macrofossil analysis Pollen analysis Wales |
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