Dibden Purlieu, New Forest, Hampshire: The drain above the path has significantly changed the delicate hydrology of this hillside, making the isolated wetland habitat more vulnerableThe view towards Lyndhurst was reassuringly familiar after my long absence, with the heathland sloping gently away towards the ragged groups of trees that line the river, but I was unprepared for the abrupt change in the acoustic landscape as I reached the top of the ridge. Muted, but insistent, the background roar - apparently from the container port a few miles to the north - spilled out over the surrounding countryside. The path I followed, once just a braided pony trail between clumps of heather, has grown wider through its understandable popularity with walkers, runners and cyclists from the housing estates newly plaited between the old village centres. The increased pressure has eroded the fragile, peaty soil surface and cut down into the flinty gravel that forms the substrate. Continue reading...
Country diary: a boon to walkers, a threat to the wetland
23. červenece 2018 7:00
Příroda
Celý článek: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2018/jul/23/country-diary-boon-to-walkers-threat-to-wetland-new-forest
Zdroj: The Guardian