a) Ecology
The wildlife interest of species-rich grasslands is influenced by their underlying geology and topography and the hydrological and management regimes to which they are subjected. This plan deals with the main types found in Essex: neutral meadows and pastures, calcareous grasslands, Thames terrace grasslands and semi-improved grassland and scrub.
Neutral meadows are typically flower-rich grasslands which have escaped destruction. They are often still managed in a traditional way, producing a charismatic display of colourful meadow herbs such as knapweed, meadow buttercup and burnet saxifrage in summer. The rarer wet meadows of west Essex may support uncommon plants such as marsh marigold, southern marsh orchid and sneezewort.
Calcareous grasslands occur on the chalky boulder clays of Uttlesford District, northwest Essex, although sadly, most of the stands are now confined to road verges and the edges of chalk quarries. Typical flowers include field scabious, pyramidal orchid, common spotted orchid and greater knapweed. They also support some of the county’s rarest species such as crested cow-wheat and sulphur clover.
Thames terrace grassland is unique to the Thames Estuary, occurring on gravel deposits laid down in prehistoric times by the river. They support a specialist flora and fauna; for example, they are home to the nationally rare autumn squill and the UK BAP shrill carder Bee.
With so little species-rich grassland left in the county, the plan recognises the important role semi-improved grasslands play. Although lacking the inherent floristic value of unimproved swards, they can often be as important for invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, bats and birds.
For more detailed accounts of Essex grassland types and links to resources on their management, see full plan (PDF format).
b) National status
It is estimated that by 1984 in lowland England and Wales, semi-natural grassland had declined by 97% over the previous 50 years. They have been ploughed, drained and re-seeded as agriculture production has intensified since World War II, and are now a rare feature in the landscape. In recognition of their scarcity, the following lowland grassland habitats are identified as Priority Habitats in the UK BAP:
- Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh (see Coastal Grazing Marsh HAP)
- Lowland meadows
- Lowland calcareous grassland
- Lowland dry acid grassland (see Heathland HAP)
c) Status in Essex
There is very little information available describing the current extent or previous loss of grasslands in Essex. However, it is almost certain that the fate of old meadows and pastures has been the same across much of lowland England and Wales.
It seems likely that the landscape of Essex has been largely arable for several centuries, and, away from the coast, extensive areas of semi-natural grassland were probably restricted to the ‘London Clay’ region. None-the-less, up until widespread mechanization of farming after World War II, unimproved meadows and pastures would still have been a relatively frequent feature in the countryside. The remaining areas of species-rich grassland are now typically small and fragmented, confined to nature reserves, village greens, marginal agricultural land, and roadside verges
Significant areas of ‘Lowland meadows’ and ‘Lowland calcareous grassland’ are rare in Essex, with the majority designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Key county sites include Roding Valley Meadows SSSI, Hitchcock’s Meadow (part of the Danbury Common SSSI), Mill Meadows SSSI, Hadleigh and Benfleet Downs (part of Benfleet and Southend Marshes SSSI), Curtis Mill Green SSSI, Garrold’s Meadow SSSI, Basildon Meadows SSSI, Oxley Meadows Local Wildlife Site (LoWS), Langdon Hills Complex LoWS and Broom and Gun Hill LoWS.