Making the most of meadows: growing and learning together
GI Benefit of the month #10: Green Infrastructure and biodiversity conservation
Each month we introduce a particular benefit of green nfrastructure including examples from the project’s case study areas and across Central Europe.
Man-made species-rich grasslands are an important part of the Central European cultural landscape. In addition to their productive function, they also provide services such as biodiversity, water retention and erosion control. Unfortunately, the conservation status of such grasslands continues to worsen, despite numerous actio plans, management requirements and agricultural subsidies the decline or loss of rare species, e.g. orchids continues.
It is against this background that the DiverGrass project aims to identify causes for this ongoing deterioration in the German-Czech border area around the cities of Zittau and Liberec. The project proposes measures to halt and/or reverse this negative situation. Promising examples of positive measures were carried out and monitored at several trial locations.
These measures focus on the influence of different management forms such as grazing or changing the mowing frequency, but also include forms of investment such as the transfer of hay from donor to recipient sites. Excursions, workshops and seminars provide opportunities for discussion between the nature conservationists,
landowners, farmers and public authorities. At the end of 2019 a guidebook will compile all project outputs and will be made available to all land users and interested parties in Eastern Saxony and the Liberec Region.
Fertilization experiment |
Excursions present results, share experiences and ensure networking |
Sheep grazing on late-cut meadows provide open soil for seed spreading |
Photos: IHI/Henning Haase
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