ESTABLISHMENT OF SPECIES-RICH VEGETATION ON RECLAIMED LIMESTONE QUARRY FACES IN DERBYSHIRE, UK

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.