Wr. Cullen et al., ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIES-RICH VEGETATION ON RECLAIMED LIMESTONE QUARRY FACES IN DERBYSHIRE, UK, Biological Conservation, 84(1), 1998, pp. 25-33
Landform replication attempts to create species-rich calcareous grassl
and ecosystems on disused limestone quarry faces. This is important be
cause: (i) similar semi-natural communities are often at risk from agr
iculture and other development: and (ii) although there are many aband
oned quarries of nature conservation importance, modern extraction pro
cesses increase the time required for natural colonisation. Quarry fac
es were blasted selectively to produce several landforms, including sc
ree slopes which were hydroseeded with an appropriate seed mix based o
n local daleside communities. The vegetation communities established a
fter 2 years on three such areas are compared with those of a natural
daleside and seven disused quarries (40-85 years since abandonment). I
t is encouraging for the restoration programme that the vegetation com
munities on the landform replications are more closely allied to the n
atural dalesides than to the disused quarries. However, rabbit grazing
appears to influence the species composition of the landform replicat
ions and the development of cover. The implications for the management
of these sites are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All righ
ts reserved.