THE FLORA AND VEGETATION OF BRITAIN: ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

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Abstract
A main aim of studies of the British flora in future must be ecological, with plant ecology developed as a multidisciplinary and experimental science which has as its primary purpose the understanding of vegetation. The response of species to environment is largely mediated through the response of vegetation. It is essential to have an accepted and widely understood classification of British vegetation. Destruction of the more natural types of vegetation, with accompanying loss of species, should be a matter of national concern as many communities are irreplaceable. Their loss represents irreversible damage to our cultural heritage and a deterioration of the quality of our environment. Ecological understanding of vegetation is necessary to ensure that conservation achieves its primary purpose.