Restoring Wild Meadows and other wildlife habitats: events for farmers and land managers
Farmers, advisers and land managers across Britain who are keen to restore or re-create Wild Meadows, woodland and wetlands, are invited to attend events run by Flora locale, the charity that encourages the wise use of native flora.
This year's programme of farm visits, demonstrations and training, includes seven inspirational events focusing restoring Wild Meadows of Wales, which are under threat from two extremes - intensive farming and abandonment of traditional management. Most of the events in Wales are free of charge to attend.
Training events across England, Wales and Scotland include topics which will appeal to farmers and land managers re-creating or establishing wildlife habitats and improving biodiversity. These include:
• Restoring threatened farmland species and wildflower habitats (Wiltshire/ West Berkshire)
• Creating wildflower-rich farm habitats (Wiltshire/ West Berkshire)
• Using wild seed to enhance biodiversity (King's Lynn)
• Wild flowers for new woods (Bedfordshire)
• Lowland wet grassland recreation and management (Lincolnshire)
• Techniques for diversifying species-poor grassland (Bath)
• Managing restoring wild meadows (Carmarthenshire)
• Monmouthshire Meadows Group Open Day
• Identifying plants of Wild Meadows (Carmarthenshire)
• Restoring and managing wild meadows (Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Anglesey and Powys
Sue Everett, Technical Adviser to Flora locale comments: "In spite of the current economic drive to maximise food and fuel crops, we know that many farmers understand the true value of environmental stewardship and are keen to manage or restore their Wild Meadows and other wildlife habitats on their land. This year's training programme is essential for anyone who has seen the benefits that biodiversity brings to farms and the landscape, or who wants to know more about improving their land for wild plants and other wildlife.
"The Flora locale training programme of 31 events from April to November offers plenty of opportunities to see projects on the ground, and because all the events are led by experienced practitioners, people get a good idea of what works and what doesn't," says Sue Everett.
"We hope that Welsh farmers and small-holders will be inspired by the seven Wild Meadows events to do what they can to restore these precious cultural and historic landscapes," says Sue. "Sites in Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Gwent, Monmouthshire and Powys have been chosen to demonstrate good practice in grazing for floristic diversity, grassland restoration and wild seed collecting."
On 21 April Flora locale and The Grasslands Trust are publishing a Manifesto for the Wild Meadows of Wales, which calls for long-term funding through the Wales Rural Development Plan for local projects that will support Wild Meadow restoration and the production of food from wildlife-rich habitats.
To find out more about the Flora locale 2008 training programme and make a booking, visit www.floralocale.org and download the booking form, email info@floralocale.org or call 01488 680457.
The Flora locale website includes Case Studies and a comprehensive Knowledge Zone of advisory and technical leaflets free to download, as well as a list of suppliers of native wild plants, seeds and trees. There are several advisory notes relevant to farmland biodiversity projects covering restoring and managing Wild Meadows, creating woodlands and introducing woodland flora into new woods.
