<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/03/national-trust-to-plant-1200-hectares-of-flower-filled-grassland-in-devon>
"A network of flower-filled grasslands sweeping from the fringes of sandy
beaches to moorland edges is being created by the National Trust in the
south-west of England.
Designed to boost flora and fauna – and be a balm for human visitors – the new
grassland is due to cover more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land in
north Devon by 2030.
The first of the sites have been sown by the trust this autumn and flowers
should begin popping up in the spring. These will later be used as “donor
sites” with seeds taken from them to plant up more spots over the years, a
cost-effective way of scaling up the scheme.
Ben McCarthy, the head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the
trust, said the loss of flower-rich grasslands had led to life and colour being
drained from the UK’s countryside.
He said: “Flower-rich hay meadows and pastures are a hugely important habitat
that remain under constant threat from pressures including agricultural
intensification and inappropriate management. These colourful and species rich
habitats are critical to conserving many of our threatened plants as well as
the wildlife that rely on them.”
The new habitats should draw in a wide range of wildlife including voles, bats,
birds of prey and butterflies and the trust says they are also a good way of
helping combat the climate emergency."
Via
Future Crunch issue 191:
https://futurecrunch.com/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
