Upland heathland is defined as vegetation dominated by dwarf shrubs such as heather, bell heather, whortleberry and gorses which is generally found above the 300 metre contour. The mixture of these species is distinct from that found on lowland heaths, though on Exmoor, the two grade imperceptibly into each other making the distinction somewhat arbitrary in places.
In addition to a distinctive plant community, there are also an important range of animals that are very characteristic of upland heath. This is an internationally rare community, for which Britain holds a major part of the world resource. Despite this, there have been major losses of upland heathland to agricultural improvement and afforestation, with approximately 30% of moorland in Britain having been lost between 1950 and 1980.
