Heathlands and the Coast

Heathlands

Heathlands are areas dominated by drought and fire-tolerant shrub vegetation such as Heather, Gorse and Broom; they usually occur on sandy, low fertility acid soils. Much of Europe’s remaining heathland occurs in the British Isles, and the Jersey heaths are internationally important in ecological terms. Our main areas of heathland are concentrated along the north coast, stretching eastwards from Les Landes, and in the extreme south west of the island.

Although recent research indicates that some heathland areas may have had a largely natural origin, the majority of them probably developed after the original woodland cover was cleared to create farmland. The soils eventually proved to be too poor to support organised agriculture, and the land gradually turned into heathland. Despite this, heathland was definitely not regarded as useless wasteland; it was used for grazing (often by sheep), and as a valuable source of fuel. Gorse, for example, was traditionally used for firing baker’s ovens in Jersey, and Bracken was also harvested for fuel and bedding. Heather honey is highly prized, and bee hives are still put out on some of Jersey’s heathland areas.

Heathlands can sometimes appear bleak and uninspiring during the winter months, but in spring and summer they erupt into a glorious sea of colour, as first the gorse, then the heathers, come into bloom, and the air is alive with buzzing insects. Many of these insects are species dependent on warm, sunny conditions which are seldom found elsewhere; they include the large and spectacular Emperor Moth, whose caterpillars feed on heather, the striking Blue-winged Grasshopper, the Green Tiger Beetle and a variety of solitary bees and wasps which nest in dry sandy soils. Heathland warmth and sunshine is also favoured by reptiles, notably the Green Lizard here in Jersey, and breeding birds include the rare Dartford Warbler.

During the 20th Century, a great deal of heathland throughout Europe was lost to agricultural, forestry and building development. A large area of heathland at Le Don Paton was, for example, converted into farmland during the 1950s, prior to the land coming into the Trust’s ownership. We are now planning to return it to heathland. Today, however, the main threat to this habitat is lack of management. In the past, heathlands would have been managed by grazing, cutting or carefully controlled burning, but these practices have long since ceased in many areas. This had had several undesirable results; bracken is increasing at the expense of heather on some Jersey heathlands, and in some areas, such as on Portelet Common, invading self-sown Holm Oaks are a problem. Lack of management also leads to a build-up of dry, dead vegetation, resulting in very severe fires which may be locally disastrous for wildlife.

The Coast

Jersey has a varied and often spectacular coastline, ranging from the steep cliffs of the north coast to the lower cliffs of the south west, the extensive sand dunes of St. Ouens Bay in the far west and the wide sandy beaches of the south coast. Jersey has one of the greatest tidal ranges in the world, which has led to the development of some of Europe’s richest intertidal habitats.

Much of Jersey’s north coast was originally managed by a combination of grazing (usually with sheep), and bracken and gorse cutting for bedding and fuel respectively. This management led to the development of short, species-rich grassland, which is now threatened by bracken and scrub encroachment. Rabbit grazing helps keep some areas open for the benefit of wildflowers such as Bird’s foot Trefoil, Sheepsbit and Tormentil, although the bracken does provide shelter for typically woodland plants such as Bluebell and Wild Daffodil. In late summer, purple Foxgloves add further colour to the scene.

The cliffs themselves are equally colourful with wildflowers, including Thrift, Ox-eye Daisy and Sea Campion, as well as a good assortment of lichens. A variety of seabirds can be observed from the cliff tops, including Fulmars and Puffins, both of which have breeding colonies on the north coast. The rare and impressive Peregrine Falcon may also be glimpsed.

The coastal habitats of St. Ouens Bay are very different from those of the north coast, as it is here that Jersey’s last remaining large sand dune complex survives. Most of the island’s soils are acidic in character, but here the marine sands, formed largely of minute shell fragments, have created a calcareous environment. This is one of the richest and most important habitats in Jersey; there are 10 orchid species alone, and altogether a total of 446 flowering plants have been found here, many of them rarities.

Marram Grass, and to a lesser extent Sand Sedge, play a vital role in binding together loose sand and enabling other plants to colonise. In time, a rich community of plants may develop, many of which are small, ground-hugging species with special adaptations to survive hot, dry conditions, such as Wild Thyme, Dwarf Pansy and Small Hare’s-ear. Larger plants include the attractive, but prickly, Sea-Holly, and a local speciality, the Jersey Thrift, a much larger and later flowering (August) species than the Common Thrift, which also occurs here.

Much of Jersey’s sand dune habitat was damaged or destroyed by development including housing, quarrying, golf courses and playing fields during the last century. The remaining St. Ouens Bay dunes have been designated as a Site of Special Interest, but potentially damaging development continues to spread around the boundaries of the protected area.