Conservation. Species-rich Neutral Grassland sites in Barnsley are small in area, localised and fragmented; with many lost or declining in condition: Neutral Grassland is a priority for conservation.
Factors causing loss or decline
- Change of use of grassland by ploughing for arable crops, or shift to silage production with grass taken earlier in the year.
- Drainage, enrichment, herbicide and pesticide use, and re-seeding with nutrient-demanding rye-grass crops, poor in biodiversity.
- Over-grazing and compaction of grassland by livestock overstocking.
- Rush, bracken and scrub encroachment and rank overgrowth.
- Loss of grassland sites due to housing, industrial and recreational development or use for tree planting / woodland creation.
- Inappropriate management in urban areas, with grasslands being intensively mowed, planted with non-native plants, and ‘tidied up’.
- Loss of unimproved or semi-improved grassland and fragmentation of the remaining grassland habitat putting wildlife species at risk.
Legal protection
In Barnsley there are some neutral grassland sites given legal protection by designation as SSSIs.
Other grassland sites in Barnsley are in areas designated as Local Wildlife Sites and therefore there is a presumption against development or change of use when planning consent is required.
Specific wildlife species found in grassland habitats are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This includes intentionally or recklessly disturbing birds at, on or near an ‘active’ nest.
Defra Ecological Impact Assessments apply to species rich grasslands.
Any older grassland with a range of native flowers should be managed in traditional low-intensity ways.
Links for advice and information
Floralocale: grassland management and restoration
Magnificent meadows information+guidance
RSPB: Grazing grassland
RSPB: Hay meadows
RSPB: Grassland management for birds
Buglife: Grassland management
Buglife: Community meadows
NE: Assessing grassland priority habitat
Good management practice for biodiversity:
Maintaining or returning to traditional low-intensity farming of semi-natural unimproved or semi-improved grassland.
- Avoiding ploughing and reseeding of pastures and meadows, except for restoration to semi-natural grassland.
- Reducing or eliminating the use of artificial fertilisers and herbicides.
- Mowing meadows for hay or silage from late July (at the earliest) to September to allow wild flower seeds to fall.
- Maintaining diversity of structure by aftermath & seasonal grazing
- Leaving some areas unmown, untopped or with lighter grazing; maintaining longer grass in less productive fields or field margins.
In addition
- Maintaining damp pasture and flushes; controlling or clearing scrub.
- Maintaining natural or sown areas of wildflowers. Scarifying and wildflower seeding to get more species diversity.
- Avoiding muck spreading, rolling, topping and harrowing in fields with ground breeding birds from April to July.