Abstract
British populations of Carex ericetorum Poll. (Rare Spring Sedge) were visited between 2008 and 2015 to assess size, habitats, associated vegetation, management, threats and changes in abundance since the 1970s. C. ericetorum was relocated at 40 of the 64 sites visited, mainly in northwest England (24 sites) and East Anglia (nine sites); most populations that couldn’t be relocated were in southern and eastern England. Population sizes were usually small (<100 individuals) and had remained relatively stable or had increased in size since the 1970s. In southern and eastern England, C. ericetorum was restricted to species-rich calcareous grassland overlying chalk or limestone dominated by Festuca ovina and Bromopsis erecta. In northwest England, it was confined to limestone grassland dominated by Sesleria caerulea. Ideal management for C. ericetorum comprised autumn and winter grazing to maintain a short sward (<6 cm), although it had persisted in the absence of grazing where the growth of dominants was restricted by exposure and/or soil infertility. The main threat to its survival is now a lack of grazing leading to increased competition with tall grasses, although agricultural intensification had caused losses in the lowlands. Nitrogen deposition is also likely to have compounded these threats on some sites. Its survival on many sites will require the maintenance or reinstatement of grazing.
Highlights
Carex ericetorum Poll. (Rare Spring Sedge) is a Boreo-temperate sedge that occurs throughout northern and central Europe from Scandinavia and northern Russia, as far south as northern Spain, central France, northern Italy, the Balkans, Bulgaria and the Caucasus
As the common name implies, it is a rare species in Britain, confined to East Anglia, the Midlands and northern England where it reaches its altitudinal limit at 545 m OD
In this paper we present the results of this survey; we summarise (1) the past and present distribution of C. ericetorum in Britain including changes in the number and size of populations since the 1970s, (2) its habitats and management, and (3) the threats to its survival or reasons for its loss on sites where it is no longer present
Summary
Carex ericetorum Poll. (Rare Spring Sedge) is a Boreo-temperate sedge that occurs throughout northern and central Europe from Scandinavia and northern Russia (to 68 °N), as far south as northern Spain, central France, northern Italy, the Balkans, Bulgaria and the Caucasus. 2005; Stroh et al, 2014) It has declined in Continental Europe and is assessed as ‘Critically Endangered’ in Belgium and the French regions of Burgundy, Centre-Val de Loire and Champagne-Ardenne. It is categorised as ‘Endangered’ in the Czech Republic, Germany and the Parisian region of Île de France, and, as in England, it is ‘Vulnerable’ in Hungary and the regions of Auvergne in Central France and Picardy in northern France (Stroh et al, 2014)
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