Dorset Heaths

General site character

• Inland water bodies (Standing water, Running water) (1%)
  
• Bogs, Marshes, Water fringed vegetation, Fens (8%)
  
• Heath, Scrub, Maquis and Garrigue, Phygrana (86%)
  
• Dry grassland, Steppes (1%)
  
• Humid grassland, Mesophile grassland (1%)
  
• Broad-leaved deciduous woodland (1%)
  
• Coniferous woodland (1%)
  
• Mixed woodland (1%)
  

Annex I habitats that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix

  This is a complex site which includes 37 SSSIs, most of which include fine transitions between 4030 European dry heaths and wet lowland heathland and mires, as well as other habitats such as woodland, grassland, pools, saltmarsh and reedswamp. The common characteristics of the M16 Erica tetralix – Sphagnum compactum wet heaths are the dominance of cross-leaved heath Erica tetralix, heather Calluna vulgaris and purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea, and the presence of a diverse group of rare species. These include Dorset heath Erica ciliaris (which readily hybridises with E. tetralix), white beak-sedge Rhynchospora alba, brown beak-sedge R. fusca, marsh gentian Gentiana pneumonanthe, great, round- and oblong-leaved sundews Drosera anglica, D. rotundifolia and D. intermedia, and marsh clubmoss Lycopodiella inundata. Typical mosses of the wet heath include Sphagnum compactum, S. pulchrum and S. tenellum. These sites are a stronghold for invertebrates, particularly dragonflies, damselflies, butterflies and spiders, including the Annex II species 1044 Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale. Within the UK, some of these invertebrates are restricted to the Dorset heaths.

• 4030 European dry heaths

  This site comprises 37 SSSIs with fine transitions between 4010 Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix, dry heaths and other habitats. Dry heath NVC types include H2 Calluna vulgaris – Ulex minor, H3 Ulex minor – Agrostis curtisii, H4 Ulex gallii – Agrostis curtisii and H8 Calluna vulgaris – Ulex gallii. The area of heathland has been reduced and fragmented, with about 86% lost since the mid-18^th century. However, the Dorset heaths represent some of the biggest and finest remaining areas of lowland heathland in the UK. The dry heath occurs on very infertile soils and is not very diverse botanically, but occasionally some nationally scarce plants occur, such as mossy stonecrop Crassula tillaea and yellow centaury Cicendia filiformis. In places, where heather Calluna vulgaris occurs in mature stands, lichens of the genus Cladonia are very abundant. Uncommon features of the south-eastern heathlands are the localised presence of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and the co-existence in some areas of western gorse Ulex gallii and dwarf gorse U. minor. The dry heaths support populations of European importance of several species, including rare butterflies (e.g. silver-studded blue Plebejus argus), grasshoppers and spiders. Among birds, the dry heath is very important for woodlark Lullula arborea, European nightjar Caprimulgus europaeus, Dartford warbler Sylvia undata and some migrants such as hen harrier Circus cyaneus and Eurasian hobby Falco subbuteo. All six species of native British reptiles, including the Annex IV species sand lizard Lacerta agilis and smooth snake Coronella austriaca, occur within the Dorset Heaths.

• 7150 Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion

  The two Dorset Heaths cSACs, together with the New Forest, support a large proportion of the resource of Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion within England. The habitat is widespread on the Dorset Heaths, both in bog pools of valley mires and in flushes. There are numerous valley mires within the Dorset Heaths, and the habitat type is most extensively represented here as part of a habitat mosaic. This location shows extensive representation of brown-beak sedge Rhynchospora fusca and is also important for great sundew Drosera anglica and bog orchid Hammarbya paludosa.

Annex I habitats present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for selection of this site

• 6410 Molinia meadows on calcareous, peaty or clayey-silt-laden soils (Molinion caeruleae)
• 7210 Calcareous fens with Cladium mariscus and species of the Caricion davallianae  * Priority feature
• 7230 Alkaline fens
• 9190 Old acidophilous oak woods with Quercus robur on sandy plains

Annex II species that are a primary reason for selection of this site

• 1044 Southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale

  This site in south-west England, along with Dorset Heaths (Purbeck and Wareham) and Studland Dunes, represents the Dorset stronghold of southern damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale. The large size of the two cSACs, and a long history of records indicating well-established populations, should ensure the future viability of the small populations that occur here.

Annex II species present as a qualifying feature, but not a primary reason for site selection

• 1166 Great crested newt Triturus cristatus