The Lizard heathlands are home to over 250 species of national or international importance and much of the Lizard is protected by Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest designations. The heathlands cover much of the Lizard National Nature Reserve's 2400 hectares and include prime habitats. Find out more about the recent extension to the NNR here.
The extraordinary flora found on the heathlands is attributed to the mild climate and the rocks on which they grow. The geology is unique to the area; over 400 million years ago there was a great eruption and the result was the series of multicoloured rock layers you can see on the Lizard. These rocks consist most famously of serpentine but schists, gabbro and gneiss are also present and all have an influence on what can grow above them.
There are four native species of heather that grow on the Lizard, these are ling, bell heather, cross-leaved heath and the nationally rare Cornish heath which is associated with the magnesium-rich serpentine rocks on which it grows in abundance.
Our rangers here on the Lizard work alongside Natural England and the Wildlife Trust as well as local landowners and farmers, part of this work involves maintaining the heathlands by seasonal conservation grazing and controlled burning. It's important work conserving and promoting the unique wildlife of the heaths and grasslands, and approximately 80% of the Lizard National Nature Reserve is now managed by conservation grazing.