More evidence gaps than grikes: how limestone pavements have fallen through the cracks of British conservation

Limestone pavements in Great Britain are a rare and internationally important habitat. They are highly protected for geological and ecological conservation. However, there are many knowledge gaps around conservation of this habitat as a consequence of a lack of research. The British National Vegetation Classification (NVC) scheme is difficult to apply to limestone pavements with no widely used alternative available, which contributes to the lack of available information. Together with the lack of research, this contributes to a lack of management advice targeted at the variety of British pavements. Habitat Directive reporting assessment criteria are out of date and at times, difficult to interpret or inappropriate. However, using existing criteria we can see that negative indicator species have increased over the last 50 years. These factors, combined with a lack of incentives for land owners, may be contributing to the poor condition of British limestone pavements.