Plantwatch: Military training ground offers surprise haven
by Paul Simons from on (#6RGHT)
Unaffected by intensive agriculture, Salisbury Plain territory has one of Europe's richest ecosystems for plant diversity
A military training ground with tanks charging around, explosions and gunfire hardly seems a haven for wild plants, but the Ministry of Defence's Salisbury Plain site is exceptional.
The training ground is the largest remaining area of semi-natural chalk grassland left in north-west Europe, an area of 150 sq miles (380 sq km), the size of the Isle of Wight. It is home to rare plants unique to chalkland and one of the richest ecosystems for plant diversity in Europe.
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