The Peak District National Park Authority

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Hay Meadows are recognised as being the most threatened habitat within the Peak District. The Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) Hay Meadows Project showed that 75% of our species rich meadows had either been lost or had declined significantly in value between the mid 1980s and the mid 1990s (Meadows beyond the Millenium 1998). In order to redress this issue restoration of species poor sites to flower-rich meadows is necessary through the adoption of traditional hay meadow management and the implementation of appropriate capital works, most frequently the application of local provenance hay meadow seed. The use of, and payment for, seed from local sites increases the value of local species rich meadows encouraging their conservation. Increased awareness of the plight of hay meadows is also necessary so as to encourage their conservation and to stimulate the involvement of local people in hay meadow conservation and restoration.

• Contribution to the restoration or creation of 12 hay meadows (approximately 20ha) secured into appropriate management agreements, through the application of local provenance seed.
• Contribution to the conservation of 6 species-rich hay meadows through the harvesting of, and payment for, hay meadow seed
• Involvement of the local community in three seed spreading projects

Awareness raising through three articles/press releases, school visits and walks for the general public

The Project is one of the delivery mechanisms for the PDNPA's Vision for Wildlife Initiative which is a landscape based biodiversity project aimed at conserving, enhancing, extending and linking existing sites of high wildlife value. Hay meadow restoration sites have been chosen to ensure they meet these aims. The Vision for Wildlife project is a partnership project with Natural England and is part funded by their Regional Area-based Delivery Programme.

The Project will contribute to restoration (and maintenance) objectives and targets within the National Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) for Lowland Hay Meadows and within the Local (Peak District) Action Plan for Hay Meadows.

An initial list of receptor sites was produced based on their inclusion within an appropriate agri-environment scheme agreement. A regular cutting date after July 15th coupled with a 5 year restriction on the application of any sort of fertiliser was considered necessary in order to encourage the establishment of traditional hay meadow species.

In order to establish the suitability of the site in terms of its fertility, soil samples were taken and sent off for analysis. A phosphorus index of greater than 1 is generally recognised as unsuitable for the establishment of hay meadow herbs. The list was modified in the light of the analyses and in relation to the location of the hay meadows. Priority sites were taken to be those that would extend or link existing high quality habitat.

A baseline survey of each priority site was carried out in order to select only those sites which were very impoverished in hay meadow herbs and in order to have a record against which to measure the success of the seeding works. Hay meadow indicators were recorded in a ‘W’ walk across the field. Fields with greater than 2 of the indicator species used in the assessment of BAP habitat for Higher Level Stewardship were excluded from the list. Whilst these would fail the criteria for assessment as BAP quality they could be expected, over time, to increase in quality through appropriate management alone.

One further quarry restoration site was included as a seed receptor site. The future of the site is secured for a five year term through the planning and aftercare conditions.

Donor sites were selected (from the PDNPA Hay Meadows Register) which could provide local provenance seed (the same geology and natural area) for the selected receptor sites.  Seed was harvested from six of the sites using an appropriate contractor and the PDNPAs brush harvester. Seed was dried, sieved to remove the grass stalks and stored ready for use. Hay bales from a seventh donor site were collected for use as a source of seed.

Land managers were encouraged to graze the sites heavily following hay making in order to create small bare patches within the sward to act as germination sites for the seed. In the majority of cases the sites were also harrowed (with the same objective) primarily using a grass harrow bought by the Project. Seed was spread either by volunteers (four sites), by a contractor using a seed spreader owned by the PDNPA, or by the land manager (three sites). The hay bales were distributed over the receptor field by a contractor, whilst the baler twine was cut by a land manager and the hay roughly spread. Landowners were encouraged to re-introduce grazing animals to encourage incorporation of the seed into the soil.

Seed was spread directly onto a prepared seed bed at the quarry restoration site by the land manager.

In total seed was spread on 12 landholdings over 17 individual fields and approximately 25 ha.

The grass harrow has been advertised on the contak web-site (www.contak.org.uk) for hire for similar site preparation work under the terms of the SITA Trust. As such it could be expected to have a positive contribution to make to additional BAP habitat conservation/restoration projects.

In addition to the conventional agricultural hay meadows, seed was sown at three community sites where the hay meadow site will be managed solely for aesthetic and wildlife reasons. The PDNPA Ranger Team were involved together with school children and parents in the creation of hay meadow sites at Bradwell and Bakewell schools whilst Vision Project staff were involved in partnership with local allotment holders at Grindleford allotments.

In total the area where seed was spread at all three sites was less than 0.5ha.

Seven general Vision Project walks (six aimed at the general public and one at PDNPA colleagues) involved visits to hay meadow sites where the conservation importance of hay meadows was discussed in addition to the role of the Vision Project and the SITA Trust in hay meadow restoration projects. Two of the walks visited one of the donor sites. Two specific hay meadow walks targeted at local people were held in separate villages and visited donor sites. The people attending these walks were invited to be involved in seed spreading at local sites.

During the course of the project Stoney Middleton school visited a hay meadow which had had seed added to it by a previous group of children. Bradwell school children visited one of this projects receptor sites and were involved in seed sowing there. Both Bradwell and Bakewell schools were involved in the creation of a hay meadow on their own school grounds.

Volunteers from the local community were used to spread seed at four sites. Opportunities were taken at these events to highlight conservation and restoration issues in relation to hay meadows and the role of the Vision Project and the SITA Trust.

A press release was issued in relation to Bradwell school children spreading seed at a local receptor site.

An article focussing on hay meadows, their conservation and restoration is to be included in the Vision Project annual newsletter to be produced in late March 2007.

The project has successfully achieved its targets within the required time frame and budget. Success in terms of a measurable wildlife/habitat benefit will be evaluated through future monitoring of the sites as part of PDNPA’s and Natural England’s agri-environment scheme monitoring programme.

The success of the Project has led to an application to the SITA Trust for a further suite of restoration projects in 2007/08.

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