Temperature Data Loggers Help Restore the UK’s Rich Grasslands on Ex-arable Lands - Ian Gander

Restoration of species-rich grasslands, that are of high value because of the diverse flora and fauna that they support, is part of the UK’s strategy to preserve its native biodiversity. The NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) works in a project to test new methods to restore such types of grassland at sites where they have disappeared due to agricultural intensification. Understanding what goes on at grass roots level with regard to abiotic conditions such as temperature and humidity is an important part of the process. 192 Tinytag data loggers From Gemini Data Loggers (UK) have been used for this purpose at the Pegsdon Hills Nature Reserve in the Chilterns from the summer of 2008.

Intensive arable farming and intensified grassland management in the UK have resulted in the loss and fragmentation of high quality, species-rich grasslands. A small number of high yielding grasses that are better adapted to the conditions of high fertility generated by intensive agriculture arable farming, have displaced wild flowers and herbaceous flowering plants (known as ‘forbs’), such as rock rose, milk-wort and wild thyme.

The NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is looking at better ways to establish such species-rich grasslands at existing The NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology is looking at better ways to establish such species-rich grasslands at existing agriculturally improved restoration sites.

Such sites often experience seed regeneration difficulties, as many forb species are quite rare these days and restricted to a few remaining sites less affected by agricultural intensification, and thus generally do not naturally colonise restoration sites. Typically the sites are chalk grassland. A second focus of the project is to establish management regimes to prevent high yielding ‘scrub’ grasses out-competing wild flower species after they have been introduced from seed or via pre-grown ‘plug’ plants.