Lowland Meadows- Dorset

Lowland meadows - Dorset


LBAP Home	Habitats	Common themes

Devon

S Somerset

none

Lowland Meadows

bap title

Key factors

Extent/Distribution

Neutral grasslands are characterised by grassland occurring on a range of soils usually with a pH of between 4.5 and 6.5. It includes enclosed dry hay meadows and pastures. These are confined to two main areas in Dorset, the Wessex Vales and clays around the periphery of the Dorset Heaths. Across the UK, 97% of this habitat has been lost between 1930 and 1984, making it one of the most endangered in Britain today.

In Dorset, many of these areas comprise a mosaic of dry grassland and rush-pasture, and are often small and isolated. The few larger examples such as Kingcombe Meadows are of national importance. Most are managed as grazed pasture, with a few still managed as traditional hay meadows.

Threats

Indirect effects e.g. lowering of water table
Shift from hay-making to silage production
Supplementary stock feeding, which can lead to nutrient enrichment and localised poaching by stock.
Inappropriate management
Drainage
Lack of information on the Dorset resource
Increasing community involvement in grassland conservation

Action Plan Objectives

1. Maintain the extent and quality of existing unimproved lowland meadows through appropriate management.

2. Restore semi-improved and degraded areas of neutral grassland, particularly where they abut, link or buffer existing areas of conservation value.

3. Re-create areas of neutral grassland, targeting areas with concentrations of this habitat.

4. Promote awareness amongst landowners and managers of the importance of this habitat to wildlife and the action needed to maintain and restore it.

5. Determine the current extent of all semi-improved and degraded neutral grassland in Dorset in order to implement a targeted programme of restoration.

Action Plan Targets

no information currently available

Current Action

Indirect effects e.g. lowering of water table CAMS process.

Environment Agency screen abstraction licences.

Shift from hay making to silage production

Agri-environment schemes.

Supplementary stock feeding

Agri-environment schemes
Advisory visits.

Inappropriate management

Agri-environment schemes & advisory visits.

Wildlife road verges scheme.

Drainage

Agri-environment schemes & advisory visits .

Water level management plans.

Proposed Action

Policy and legislation

Prioritise sites for monitoring effects of abstraction licences.
Management

PARTNERS:DERC, EA

Management

Enhance link between wildflower meadows and landscape tourism.
Investigate potential for marketing high quality meadow hay.
PARTNERS: LA’s

Investigate the use of unimproved grassland as a seed source.

PARTNERS: Flora Locale

Through GAP project, link stock managers with sites which are lacking grazing.

PARTNERS: EN, DWT, FWAG, Purbeck BAP

Investigate sharing of machinery/resources for hay cutting where owners lack equipment.

PARTNERS: As above

Raise awareness of best practice in horse-grazing neutral grasslands and facilitate lower-intensity grazing where possible.

PARTNERS:DWT, FWAG

Promote more tailored management for the highest quality road verges.
PARTNERS: DCC, DWT

Review/withdraw road verge cutting contracts.

PARTNERS: DCC

Target advisory visits to sites where drainage is an issue.

PARTNERS:DWT, FWAG, Purbeck BAP

Research and monitoring

Continue to gather information through SNCI process and community surveys.

PARTNERS: DERC, DWT, LA’s

Ongoing funding needed to ensure all sites monitored every 5 years.

PARTNERS:DWT, funding partners

Education and awareness raising

Incorporate neutral grasslands into community-based BAP implementation.

PARTNERS: Dorset Biodiversity Partners

Progress

no information currently available