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| WHAT IS WOW DOING? |
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Project aims
The Wealth of Wildlife (WoW) hay meadows and lowland pastures project will improve the wildlife value of a minimum of 15 ha (37 acres) of land on a range of sites across Cumbria. A variety of restoration techniques will be used and a series of demonstration days held. Technical advice will be available to any landowners who would like to improve the wildlife value of their meadows.
Habitat Re-creation
Sites with low soil fertility offer the greatest potential for restoration. High nutrient levels tend to favour agricultural grasses, which outgrow many wild plants and lead to a site dominated by a small number of species. Such sites could be restored, but it does take longer as intensive management may be needed to reduce the fertility of the soil. WoW concentrates, therefore, on restoring meadows with relatively low soil fertility and some existing botanical interest. Stopping the application of fertilisers, including farmyard manure, can reduce the fertility of the soil, especially when followed by repeated cutting and removal of the grass. Introducing yellow rattle plants, which are partial parasites on agricultural grasses can reduce their dominance. Once the ground is prepared, fresh, green hay from a nearby donor site can be spread onto the grassland. Dry seed collected from local species-rich grassland, roadside verges or from specialist seed suppliers can also be used. 'Plug planting' individual plants grown from seed may be suitable for smaller areas. An important part of WoW is the identification of species-rich donor sites.
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