Integration of Sheep Production and Nature Conservation: Experimental Management

摘要

This experiment studied the effects of sheep grazing a formerly fertilized lowland neutral grassland near Oxford in southern England at different intensities and times of year on sheep production, the flora and invertebrates. The aim was to identify regimes that enhanced species-richness while also supporting average levels of sheep production. Grazing in either winter or spring increased the number of plant species the following summer and autumn. However the soil seed bank largely consisted of species common in the sward or of weeds from adjacent arable crops, so diversification requires an external seed source. Sward heights were monitored weekly in summer and sheep numbers adjusted to achieve either high (6 cm) or low (3 cm) target sward heights.