Moorland or moor is a type of

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

found in upland areas in

temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in this biome consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from semi-arid to sem ...

and

montane grasslands and shrublands Montane grasslands and shrublands is a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than th ...

biome A biome () is a biogeographical unit consisting of a biological community that has formed in response to the physical environment in which they are found and a shared regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. Biome is a broader ...

s, characterised by low-growing vegetation on

acidic In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a ...

soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally means uncultivated

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

land (such as

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous P ...

in South West England), but also includes low-lying wetlands (such as Sedgemoor, also South West England). It is closely related to heath, although experts disagree on what precisely distinguishes these types of vegetation. Generally, moor refers to Highland (geography), highland and high rainfall zones, whereas heath refers to lowland zones which are more likely to be the result of human activity. Moorland habitats mostly occur in Tropics, tropical Africa, Northern Europe, northern and western Europe, and neotropics, neotropical South America. Most of the world's moorlands are diverse ecosystems. In the extensive moorlands of the tropics, biodiversity can be extremely high. Moorland also bears a relationship to tundra (where the subsoil is permafrost or permanently frozen soil), appearing as the tundra and the natural tree zone. The boundary between tundra and moorland constantly shifts with climate change (general concept), climatic change.

Heather moorland

heath, Heathland and moorland are the most extensive areas of semi-natural vegetation in the British Isles. The eastern British moorlands are similar to heaths but are differentiated by having a covering of peat. On western moors, the peat layer may be several metres thick. Scottish "muirs" are generally heather moors, but also have extensive covering of grass, cotton-grass, mosses, bracken and under-shrubs such as crowberry, with the wetter moorland having sphagnum moss merging into bog, bog-land. There is uncertainty about how many moors were created by human activity. Oliver Rackham writes that pollen analysis shows that some moorland, such as in the islands and extreme north of Scotland, are clearly natural, never having had trees, whereas much of the Pennines, Pennine moorland area was forested in Mesolithic times. How much the deforestation was caused by climatic changes and how much by human activity is uncertain.

Ecology

A variety of distinct habitat (ecology), habitat types are found in different world regions of moorland. The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of the severe soil and microclimate characteristics. An example of this is the Exmoor Pony, a rare horse breed which has adapted to the harsh conditions in England's Exmoor. In Europe, the associated fauna consists of bird species such as red grouse, hen harrier, Merlin (bird), merlin, Eurasian golden plover, golden plover, Eurasian curlew, curlew, skylark, meadow pipit, whinchat, ring ouzel, and twite. Other species dominate in moorlands elsewhere. Reptiles are few due to the cooler conditions. In Europe, only the Vipera berus, common viper is frequent, though in other regions moorlands are commonly home to dozens of reptile species. Amphibians such as frogs are well represented in moorlands. When moorland is overgrazing, overgrazed, woody vegetation is often lost, being replaced by coarse, unpalatable Poaceae, grasses and bracken, with a greatly reduced fauna. Shira moorlands on Kilimanjaro

Some hill sheep breeds, such as Scottish Blackface and the Lonk (sheep), Lonk, thrive on the austere conditions of Ericaceae, heather moors.

Management

Burning of moorland has been practised for a number of reasons, for example, when grazing is insufficient to control growth. This is recorded in Britain in the fourteenth century. Uncontrolled burning frequently caused (and causes) problems and was forbidden by statute in 1609. With the rise of sheep and grouse management in the nineteenth century, it again became common practice. Heather is burnt at about 10 or 12 years old when it will regenerate easily. Left longer, the woodier stems will burn more aggressively and will hinder regrowth. Burning of moorland vegetation needs to be very carefully controlled, as the peat itself can catch fire, and this can be difficult if not impossible to extinguish. In addition, uncontrolled burning of heather can promote alternative bracken and rough grass growth, which ultimately produces poorer grazing. As a result, burning is now a controversial practice; Rackham calls it "second-best land management". Mechanical cutting of the heather has been used in Europe, but it is important for the material to be removed to avoid smothering regrowth. If heather and other vegetation are left for too long, a large volume of dry and combustible material builds up. This may result in a wildfire burning out a large area, although it has been found that heather seeds germinate better if subject to the brief heat of controlled burning. In terms of managing moorlands for wildlife, in the UK, vegetation characteristics are important for passerine abundance, whilst predator control benefits red grouse, golden plover, and curlew abundances. To benefit multiple species, many management options are required. However, management needs to be carried out in locations that are also suitable for species in terms of physical characteristics such as topography, climate and soil.

Moorland in literature

The development of a sensitivity to nature and one's physical surroundings grew with the rise of interest in landscape painting, and particularly the works of artists that favoured wide and deep prospects, and rugged scenery. To the English Romanticism, Romantic imagination, moorlands fitted this image perfectly, enhancing the emotional impact of the story by placing it within a heightened and evocative landscape. Moorland forms the setting of various works of late Romantic English literature, ranging from the Yorkshire moorland in Emily Brontë's ''Wuthering Heights'' and ''The Secret Garden'' by Frances Hodgson Burnett to

in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Holmesian mystery ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''. They are also featured in Charlotte Bronte's ''Jane Eyre'' representing the heroine's desolation and loneliness after leaving Mr Rochester. Enid Blyton's The Famous Five (novel series), Famous Five series featured the young protagonists adventuring across various moorlands where they confronted criminals or other individuals of interest. Such a setting enhanced the plot as the drama unfolded away from the functioning world where the children could solve their own problems and face greater danger. Moorland in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire is the setting for Walter Bennett's ''The Pendle Witches'', the true story of some of England's most infamous witch trials. In Erin Hunter's Warriors (book series), ''Warriors'' series, one of the four Clans, WindClan, lives in the moorland alone. Michael Jecks, author of Knights Templar Mysteries, sets his books in and around

, England. Paul Kingsnorth’s ''Beast'' is also set on a western English moor, using the barren landscape and fields of heather to communicate themes of timelessness and distance from civilization.

Notable moorlands

Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

* Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands

Ethiopia

* Ethiopian montane moorlands

Kenya

* East African montane moorlands * Mount Kenya

Rwanda

* Ruwenzori-Virunga montane moorlands

Sudan

* East African montane moorlands * Ethiopian montane moorlands

Tanzania

* East African montane moorlands * Kilimanjaro * Mount Meru (Tanzania), Mount Meru

Uganda

* East African montane moorlands

Europe

Austria

* Tanner Moor * Längsee Moor * Moorbad Gmös

Belgium

* Weißer Stein (Eifel) * High Fens

Germany

* Großes Torfmoor * Hücker Moor * Oppenwehe Moor * Worringer Bruch * High Fens

The Netherlands

* Dwingelderveld * Bargerveen * Fochteloërveen * The Peel

Great Britain

Great Britain is home to an estimated 10–15% of the world's moors. Notable areas of upland moorland in Britain include the Lake District, the Pennines (including the Dark Peak and Forest of Bowland), Desert of Wales, Mid Wales, the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the Scottish Highlands, and a few pockets in the West Country. Oswaldtwistle Moor (by(Orphan Wiki)

* Bleaklow, Dark Peak * Bodmin Moor, Cornwall * Black Mountains, Wales * Brecon Beacons, Wales *

, Devon * Drumossie Moor, often called Culloden Moor, the site of the Battle of Culloden * Exmoor, West Somerset & North Devon * Forest of Bowland, Lancashire * Hexhamshire Moors, Northumberland and County Durham * North York Moors National Park, North York Moors, North Yorkshire * Migneint, Gwynedd * Mynydd Hiraethog, Denbighshire and Conwy County Borough, Conwy * Penwith, Cornwall * Rannoch Moor, Highlands, Scotland * Rombalds Moor (including Ilkley Moor), West Yorkshire * Rossendale Valley, Lancashire * Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester * Shropshire Hills, small pockets of moorland such as the Long Mynd * West Pennine Moors, including Oswaldtwistle#Oswaldtwistle Moor, Oswaldtwistle Moor, Haslingden#Beauty spots, Haslingden Moor, Rivington Moor and Darwen Moor in Lancashire * Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire * Ythan Estuary complex, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: largest coastal moorland in the British Isles, known for high biodiversity

Spain

Moorlands are called ''páramos'' in Spanish. They are particularly common in Northern Spain and the Meseta Central. * Páramo de Boedo, Boedo, Palencia, Castile * Hoces del Río Duratón Natural Park , Páramo del Duratón, Castile * Paramo de Masa, Burgos, Castile * Páramo del Sil, Galicia * Páramos (comarca), Las Loras, Castile

South America

Argentina

* Magellanic moorland

Chile