Minchinhampton and Rodborough Commons support three main types of wildlife habitat - limestone grassland, woodland and scrub. Each environment is home to a characteristic and unique selection of flora and fauna.

Unimproved limestone grassland
The Cotswolds are home to about 80% of the unimproved Jurassic limestone grassland in Britain and the Commons are the largest area of this important and increasingly rare habitat in the region.

The limestone grassland of the Commons is known as species-rich calcareous grassland. This means that it has a large number of plant species growing in it. The soil is rich in calcium and poor in nutrients, a combination that favours delicate plants over coarse and vigorous species. The plants that grow on calcium-rich soils such as limestone and chalk are more varied and colourful than those that grow on most other soils.

This habitat is dependent on grazing. If the Commons weren't carefully managed, they would be taken over by a succession of course grasses and scrub. This would eventually develop into dense deciduous woodland - the local 'climax community'.

Woodland & shrub
Much of the woodland on the steep slopes around the edges of the commons is the remnants of ancient semi-natural wood pasture. It has an open canopy of mature and young trees, mainly beech with some ash, sycamore and oak. The shrub layer is made up of hawthorn, elder, blackthorn and young trees that are self -seeded from the canopy. Saplings of ash, birch, oak and sycamore are very common, reflecting the effective seed dispersal of these trees.

The eastern part of Hyde Common is home to some large, old beech trees - an important habitat for birds and invertebrates.

Scrub
Scrub habitat is mainly found on the slopes around the edge of the commons, less accessible to grazing cattle, young trees, shrubs and course grasses find it easier to get established. Scrub is also developing on some parts of the plateau, usually where grazing pressures are low, which allows tree and shrub seedlings and saplings to grow rather than being grazed by cattle and horses. Although scrub is a valuable habitat in its own right, it is causing serious problems where it is invading and replacing the limestone grassland.