Parley Common
Parley Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the edge of Ferndown in Dorset, England.[1] Most of the site is managed by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC); East Dorset Countryside Management Service manage the area owned by East Dorset District Council and Dorset Countryside manage the area owned by Dorset County Council.[2] The site was notified as an SSSI in 1984.[1]
The area of the site is 168.1 hectacres (415.3 acres), and comprises a significant amount of heath; the northern and western parts are primarily of the dry heath Calluna vulgaris and Erica cinerea, while the low-lying parts of the south-east are mostly the damp or humid heath Erica tetralix and Molinia caerulea.[1] Rare heathland species include the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis), Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca), Heath Grasshopper (Chorthippus vagansand) and the Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata).[1]
The site is one of many areas in which grazing by cattle has been reintroduced.[3] There have been several arson attacks on the site, although it is hoped that community projects have lessened their number.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d "Parley Common (SSSI citation)" (PDF). Natural England. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Parley Common". Dorset County Council. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ "Conservation Grazing on SE Dorset's Urban Nature Reserves". Dorset Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ Riley, Stephen. "From Trickett's Cross to Heatherlands". Dorset Life. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
External links
- Dorset Heathlands list published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).