With current concerns about loss of wildlife populations, High Weald meadow owners and managers in East Sussex are doing their bit to help wildlife. They’re involved in a project to survey wildflower meadows and have taken part in training to look after them.
Over fifty High Weald grassland sites in East Sussex have been surveyed for wildlife this summer by a partnership between the High Weald AONB team, Natural England and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.
There were some exciting finds, with some previously ‘undiscovered’, wildlife-rich meadows, and thousands of rare, green-winged orchids in just one field (pictured right).
The surveyed fields are within the Upper Rother and Dudwell Farm Cluster; an area where a group of land managers are working together to benefit the environment. The survey results will help the Farm Cluster members secure financial support for grassland management through the current Countryside Stewardship Scheme.
Wildflower grasslands need careful management and the land managers had a chance to pick the brains of a panel of local experts at a ‘Weald Meadow Managers’ Question Time’.
“I had a great afternoon at the Meadows Question Time. There was loads of useful information and I left full of inspiration.”
Tom Burns, Ranger at Sheffield Park
The event at Wakehurst Place was one of a series of grassland management training events run by the High Weald AONB Partnership this summer. The programme included 'Surveying your Meadows' and 'Enhancing your meadows with green hay'.
Pictured above: Land managers on a walk around Wakehurst's Coronation Meadow.
"We’ve lost 97% of our wildflower meadows in the UK in less than a century. So it's great news that the High Weald is still a refuge for these rare and precious grasslands, and it's fantastic that landowners are looking after them."
Jason Lavender, High Weald AONB Unit Co-Director
Many small High Weald fields are managed as hay pastures, and haven’t been ploughed and reseeded. This has left pockets of undisturbed grassland which are havens for colourful wild flowers and butterflies, bees and other insects.
The results of the grassland surveys will be shared with land managers and a summary will be published on our website next year.
If you're a land manager interested in looking after your grassland to help wildlife, contact us to register for relevant information and events: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01424 723011.
More information:
- High Weald Wildflower meadow management guidance
- Natural England's Field Unit on Twitter: @NEFieldUnit
- Wakehurst's Coronation Meadow
- Plantlife's work to save our vanishing meadows