OTHER AGRICULTURAL GRASSLAND

Other agricultural grassland: grassland dominated by bent-grasses, meadow foxtail, Yorkshire fog, rough meadow-grass or creeping buttercup. Rushes often occur. It is a less intensively managed grassland habitat often of less well-drained or peaty soils. It includes swards that were formerly more productive, grassland derived from the more intensive management of seminatural grasslands, and ungrazed swards.
Habitat examples: Click on an image to enlarge.
     
Other agricultural grassland: distribution in Northern Ireland.
Other agricultural grassland covers 15.9% of NI (215,841 ha), (Table below). It occurs in both lowland and upland landscapes, particularly in Fermanagh District (33.5%).
Other agricultural grassland: predicted distribution map (1998).
Other agricultural grassland: net change 1991 - 1998.
There was a significant 30% (-94,191 ha) decrease in the area of Other agricultural grassland, notably in the Wider Countryside (-39%, -87,283 ha). There was also a significant increase (81%, 3,286 ha) in the Antrim Coast & Glens AONB.
Other agricultural grassland: summary of losses and gains 1991 - 1998.

Other agricultural grassland: main losses and gains 1991 - 1998.
The main loss of Other agricultural grassland was by conversion to Perennial ryegrass. Habitats in the losses and gains table below are linked to their descriptors and NI data. Full details of all losses and gains are given in the technical report.
 
Losses
(1991 - 98)		 Habitats Gains
(1991 - 98)
ha  % ha  %
455 <1       Broadleaf plantation woodland 75 2  
261 <1 *     Scrub - scattered 233 3 *
1403 <1 *     Coniferous plantation 31 <1  
395 <1       Species-rich dry grassland 884 12 *
1401 <1 *     Species-rich wet grassland 4945 23 *
211 <1       Fen meadow 279 4 *
156 <1       Bent/fescue grassland 2052 17 *
0         Mat grass hill pasture 705 6  
1328 <1 *     Tall herb/ruderal 469 5 *
53 <1       Gorse heath - scattered 406 10 *
17 <1       Wet heath mosaic 320 1 *
124 <1       Dry bog 799 2 *
1062 <1 *     Poor fen 2417 8 *
4551 1 *     Cereals 2736 5 *
2085 <1       Other crops/vegetables 214 2  
12581 4 *     Italian/perennial ryegrass 1361 6  
1226 <1 *     Ploughed land 1794 15 *
124239 40 *     Perennial ryegrass 34900 9 *
5674 2 *     Mixed species grassland 12419 28 *
3826 1 *     Buildings/curtilage nc    
385 <1 *     Roads/tracks/verge nc    
422 <1 *     Bare ground/surfaces nc    
Note : % = percentage of 1991 habitat area.
           * = indicates significant transition (p = 0.05).
          nc = not calculated.
 
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