Hay Time: A landscape-scale approach to upland hay meadow restoration using green hay - preliminary results

摘要

Upland hay meadows are one of the rarest grassland types in the UK. Restoration of a typical sward following agricultural improvement requires the deliberate reintroduction of plants as seed. The North Pennines AONB Partnership's Hay Time project began in 2006 to coordinate and monitor the reintroduction of seeds to multiple meadows across the North Pennines. In the first phase, seed was added to 94 ha of meadows. Interim analysis of monitoring data found an increase in species richness in 63% of sites, an increase in positive indicator species scores in 80% of sites and an increase in negative indicator species scores in 53% of sites. Seventeen species showed a statistically significant increase in frequency. The results demonstrate the start of ashift in sward composition towards that typical of MG3 upland hay meadow. It is anticipated that future monitoring will demonstrate further positive changes in the long process of meadow restoration.