Brit Valley BCA

Biodiversity Character Areas have been developed by DERC to sit alongside Landscape Character Areas. They describe the landscape type and land use, main semi-natural habitats present and highlight species, species assemblages and features of particular interest.

Click here for a list of Key Species

A gently rolling landscape either side of the River Brit between Beaminster and West Bay. Largely agricultural with pasture dominating plus a little arable, towards Beaminster there are several large commercial orchards. The fields vary in size and are irregular in shape and bordered by hedgerows with scattered hedgerow trees.  There is a network of small roads and lanes winding through the area which carry a rich flora on the steep road banks, especially in the spring.

Ancient woodland is confined to the northern part of the area, and are mainly narrow woods adjoining the numerous small streams. There are recent commercial and amenity plantings especially around Parnham House where the parkland has a number of veteran trees.

In the north of the area on the hill slopes around Beaminster springlines and small streams below the chalk support wet woodland and small stands of basic rush-pasture with plant species that are now scarce in West Dorset. On the driest steepest slopes unimproved grassland, ranging from acidic to mildly calcareous, support scarce plants and near Stoke Abbot are nationally important assemblages of grassland fungi, particularly waxcaps. The River Brit and adjacent habitats are used by Otter and Water Vole, with Dipper and Grey Wagtail also present locally, these species are indicative of clean water. At the southern end between Bridport and West Bay where the floodplain widens, there are areas of flat grazing marsh which is slightly brackish in places with scarce plants such as Bulbous Foxtail and Divided Sedge.

The Brit Valley BCA falls within the Brit Valley Landscape Character Area (undulating river valley) and covers 5,053 hectares.

Summary of Key Features

  • River Brit and small tributaries and associated habitats
  • Hill slopes with unimproved neutral to acid grassland
  • Linear woodlands along streams and on steep slopes 
  • Parkland and associated plantings around Parnham House

Issues:

  • Loss and fragmentation of semi-natural grasslands
  • Enrichment of watercourses
  • Loss and lack of replacement hedgerow and field trees
  • Enrichment of road verges with rank nutrient rich vegetation replacing semi-natural grassland vegetation

Species assemblages of importance within the BCA

  • Plants of ancient woodland
  • Plants of wet woodland
  • Invertebrates of wet woodland
  • Woodland birds
  • Woodland bats
  • Plants of ancient and unimproved grasslands
  • Plants of rush-pastures & fen-meadows
  • Fungi of ancient and unimproved grasslands
  • Plants of species-rich hedgerows & hedgebanks
  • Invertebrates of species-rich hedgerows & hedgebanks
  • Lichens, fungi & bryophytes of mature and veteran wayside & pasture trees
  • Lichens & bryophytes of churchyards