Bryophyte Survey of the Poole Basin Mires - NBN South West Pilot Project Case Studies

The mires of the Dorset Heaths provide a refuge in southern England for many plants which have declined in other parts of the country due to drainage, peat-cutting and afforestation. The group of plants which dominate these peatlands are the Sphagna or Bog-mosses. Dorset retains population of 13 species and 6 subspecies of the 26 species and 9 subspecies found in Britain. The aim of this survey was to survey all sites in the Poole Basin with mire habitats. For each mire all Sphagnum species and associated mosses and liverworts were recorded.

The mires of the Dorset Heaths provide a refuge in southern England for many plants which have declined in other parts of the country due to drainage, peat-cutting and afforestation. The group of plants which dominate these peatlands are the Sphagna or Bog-mosses. Dorset retains population of 13 species and 6 subspecies of the 26 species and 9 subspecies found in Britain. The aim of this survey was to survey all sites in the Poole Basin with mire habitats. For each mire all Sphagnum species and associated mosses and liverworts were recorded.

These records are from the data holdings of Dorset Environmental Records Centre which covers both terrestrial and marine taxa, the majority dating from 1976 onwards but also including historical records. The database includes records from site and species surveys by staff and local naturalists, extractions of records from literature, records from other organisations which hold records for Dorset, and records sent in by the general public. The data quality is therefore variable but all records have been through a basic validation process by local experts before entry.

This dataset has been submitted to the NBN Gateway as part of the South West Pilot Project Case Studies work. For further information about this dataset, or other species and site data, contact us via our website www.derc.org.uk