Page 28 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #04

DOGS BEING WALKED
HAD A BIGGER IMPACT
ON BREEDING STONE

CURLEWS THAN TANKS.

Well, while these activities might seem destructive, they
serve to increase the overall floristic diversity, by creating
pockmarked soil, craters and furrows with warmer
microclimates, helping seeds spread and showering the
ground with shattered fragments of chalk. In the churned
earth a different suite of wildflowers thrives, particularly
Top: flooded Even so, there must inevitably be a few losses: you try smaller, low-growing species such as betony and common
tank ruts create weaving in and out of sensitive areas while driving a rock-rose. There’s even a rare aquatic crustacean, the fairy
ideal habitat for 25-tonne Warrior tank at speed over bumpy terrain. shrimp, which finds flooded tank ruts just to its liking.
fairy shrimps.
Above: betony is But counterintuitively, it turns out that noisy, heavy For historical reasons there are plenty of rights of way
a classic chalk- military equipment probably doesn’t bother Salisbury across the MoD’s land on Salisbury Plain, especially in
loving wildflower Plain’s wildlife much. Ten years ago, zoology student Liz the east. So provided you stick to the paths and follow the
found in areas Taylor carried out a PhD to examine what effects various public guidance, you can experience a fair proportion of the
of short turf.
types of human disturbance have on the breeding magnificent wilderness in complete safety – even on live
success of stone curlews, which are vulnerable due to firing days. It’s yet another of the many surprising aspects of
their ground-nesting habits. Her findings were startling. this complex, often astonishing place.
Curiously, due to a legal technicality, the SPTA is actually
MILITARY MANOEUVRES a giant brownfield site. “It’s officially known as Previously
Dogs being walked by their owners proved to have by Developed Land, because it is subject to a former planning
far the most impact. Next worst was people walking application to be used as a training area,” says Matt
on their own. Tanks and other vehicles caused least Shardlow. “In fact, most of the UK’s defence estate is
disturbance. Later, the study was extended to include brownfield. Not many people know that.”
Apache attack helicopters. Goodness knows what the
stone curlews thought, but they didn’t appear overly BEN + FIND OUT MORE
concerned. This is backed up by observations near the HOARE is For details of public access to MoD
runway at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, where the birds features land, go to www.gov.uk/guidance/
public-access-to-military-areas
ignore aircraft taking off and landing. editor of BBC Wildlife
What about tank manoeuvres, trench digging and and writes our UK BBC Radio 4’s Open Country visits
Imber village: www.bbc.in/2CmeyBf
artillery shelling… don’t precious plants get trashed? Highlights (p8–9).
28 April 2018