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The Wild Soils of Hampshire
 
Paper prepared for the Hampshire Soils Conference, Winchester Guildhall on
27th February 2004


Firstly, congratulations to Hampshire County Council for so ably drawing our attention to the importance of soils and the need to investigate and care for them.

Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman:

80 per cent of Hampshire’s surface has been so cultivated, fertilised, eroded, contaminated, or otherwise degraded, that as soils they have been so tamed and domesticated as to hardly warrant the name.

But what of the remaining 20 per cent?

These are the wild, or semi-natural soils, that have survived the worst ravages of man.
These are the soils that (being underground and seldom seen) remain unknown, unloved and unappreciated.

How often have you seen a naturalist out with an auger and spade recording soils? And, have you ever seen anyone ticking their personal list of soil types? Bird lists yes, soil lists – never.

Below our feet lies a complex dynamic and sustainable ecosystem with a fauna and flora like no other. Hampshire soils support not only the roots of our ancient woodlands and open heathlands but also the burrows of natterjack toads and a whole new dark world of creatures seldom seen.

Wild soils are special
  • They support and sustain our wildlife.
  • They record the effects of changing conditions from the Ice Ages to the present day.
  • They were here before man started to seriously impact upon the land.
  • They record the changes that man has created and testify to the very processes that man has forced upon them.
75,000ha of Hampshire is occupied by semi-natural soils. This is a phenomenal area, probably greater than any other lowland county.

Not only that, we probably have a greater diversity of ‘wild soil types’ than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
  • Hampshire’s wildest soils occur below our ancient woodlands where soil processes have operated continuously since the end of the last ice age.
  • Hampshire’s most varied soils are found below our dry, humid and wet heathlands.
  • Hampshire’s most intricate soils are found on the edge of chalkland hills affected long ago by severely frozen conditions.
  • Hampshire’s most special soils occur below our fens, valley mires and river floodplains.
The wild soils of Hampshire, like our wild life, are something special and for which we have a key national and international responsibility to respect and conserve.

Ladies and Gentleman, even our wildest soils have the potential for further degradation. Major changes to wetland soils can occur with groundwater abstraction. Changes to the chemistry of wild soils occur every time bonfires are used to burn scrub during reserve management. Plants can re-grow, but disturb an area of wild soil and it is gone forever.

A knowledge of soils is especially important where habitats are to be created, or where translocation might be proposed to mitigate development.

It should be one role of the Hampshire soil policy to ensure that our wild soils are recognised for what they are; and that they are protected for future generations along with our archaeological sites and wildlife habitats.

Copyright Ron Allen February 2004
 
The Environmental Project Consulting Group
44A Winchester Road, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3PG
email: Ron Allen, tel: 01730 231019,
Copyright April 2005 Ron Allen
Geologist, Soil Scientist, Applied Ecologist, Hydro-ecologist, Chartered Environmentalist