Context
Over 90% of meadow grasslands in the UK have been lost since the 1930s, and over 2500km2 has been lost since 1990. Development such as housing, roads and industry has resulted in direct loss of habitat, and changes in the way we manage grassland has also resulted in huge losses in the quality of wildlife-friendly grassland. The majority of grassland is lowland England has been improved: artificial fertilisers have been added for decades to create nutritious feed for livestock or to maintain lush green grassland for amenity purposes. Whilst these activities have brought many benefits, they have also been responsible for huge declines in once common plants and animals.
Many of our amenity grasslands such as sports pitches, parks and other green spaces need to be managed to suit the needs of residents. However, there are many opportunities for these areas to also provide valuable habitat for wildlife: these managed grasslands provide a huge potential resource for nature recovery. Havant Borough Council is investigating how managed grasslands in the borough can be used to boost biodiversity.
Most council-owned or managed amenity grasslands offer little value for wildlife. Regular cutting during the flowering season and increasing soil fertility from uncollected clippings reduces plant species diversity and wildlife value. Many grasslands in the borough have no or very little wildlife value.
What is the council doing?
There is a need to help nature recovery in the Havant borough: this is clear message from residents and the council is determined to play its part. Changing the way we manage some of our grassland areas will help to encourage biodiversity, providing valuable habitat for wildlife and helping the council to meet its legal obligations to protect and encourage biodiversity.
Following a trial in 2024, the council is continuing and expanding its relaxed mowing sites in 2025.
The concept
The purpose of the council’s relaxed mowing strategy is as follows:
- To encourage biodiversity
- To promote access to and the enjoyment of wildlife
- To foster community engagement and sense of place
- To reduce council expenditure on grassland maintenance
- To reduce carbon emissions
The science of grassland management for wildlife
Existing grassland management encourages luxuriant grass growth. Grass clippings are not collected, meaning that they rot down and add nutrients to the soil. This results in taller, coarser grassland that requires more frequent cutting: an endless cycle.
This management system reduces the diversity of plants and can actually encourage the growth of taller, less desirable vegetation including vigorous species such as Stinging Nettles.
Grasslands managed to promote biodiversity will include a greater number of flowering plant species. We would like our grasslands to contain beneficial and visually attractive flowering species such as Clovers, Dandelions, Knapweed, Buttercups, Primroses, Cowslips, Campions and Cuckooflower. A well-managed grassland will provide interest throughout the growing season as different species flower in sequence and provide opportunities for insects and other wildlife to thrive, as well as providing enjoyment for residents and visitors.
Most flowering plants require areas of bare soils for germination: the current mowing system rarely provides this. Our most attractive and beneficial wildflower species cannot compete with tall, vigorous grasses and soon disappear.
The current system of grassland management guarantees that more cutting is needed, meaning greater resources are required: money, staff and fuel.
Reducing soil fertility
The key aim of grassland management for biodiversity is to reduce soil fertility. This will ensure that grass growth is less vigorous and will require fewer cuts. It will also encourage greater diversity of plant species, resulting in more wildflowers and associated wildlife.
Cut and Collect
The path to reducing soil fertility is collecting grass clippings. In our relaxed mowing areas we will endeavour to collect and remove clippings and over time this will reduce soil fertility and reduce the growth of more vigorous, dominating species. These clippings will be deposited in a single location or removed off site. The removal of clippings will also mean that verges look more appealing, without piles of rotting vegetation left to smother grass and wildflowers or be blown onto paths and roads.
Cutting frequency
Verges are currently managed multiple times per year, particularly during the main growing season between April and September. This frequency of cutting is only required because grass growth is so vigorous due to increased soil fertility.
Our relaxed mowing areas will be cut in early spring (March/April) and then again in late summer (August/September). All clippings will be collected and removed wherever possible.
Monitoring
We will undertake monitoring of our relaxed mowing areas and publish evidence to show how well they are progressing. This will enable us to adapt management where necessary.
Our main indicator of success will be the number of plant species present over time. It may take several years to see a substantial increase in wildflower species, but we will monitor the areas in a consistent way each year to hopefully demonstrate that our proposed management works. Where the evidence shows that things are not working, we will adapt our approach.
Striking a balance
The proposed biodiversity mowing areas are a tiny fraction of the available amenity grassland in the borough. We believe there is a sensible balance to be struck between maintaining valuable community greenspace and providing opportunities for wildlife.
The chosen sites are generally at the edges of large expanses of managed grassland and where access to amenity areas is not prevented or compromised. None of the proposed areas would obstruct highway sightlines or compromise the safety of pedestrians, cyclists or road users.
The principle is that large, longer and connected areas are better for biodiversity than small, isolated areas. We have tried to target areas that will provide maximum benefit to wildlife.
Over time, and depending on how well these areas develop and how residents respond, we will seek to include new sites.
Sites
Plans for the 11 relaxed mowing sites can be found via the below links:
Perceptions
The purpose of these areas is to encourage biodiversity and to make some of our amenity green spaces more attractive. Grass will be taller than surrounding areas and may on occasion appear ‘untidy’. Maintaining neat edges to biodiversity grassland sites will help to show that they are purposeful and not simply unmanaged or neglected.
There may also be concerns around dog fouling, litter and biting insects. There is no evidence to suggest or infer that longer grassland will attract more dog fouling or litter: these are persistent antisocial problems across all existing mown grassland areas.
Biting insects such as ticks occur naturally in vegetation of all types and heights. The presence of slightly longer grassland in select areas of the borough is extremely unlikely to result in increased instances of biting insects. There is no evidence that grassland managed for wildlife is more likely to support ticks and other biting insects. Ticks in particular appear to be increasing due to a warming climate and a burgeoning deer population.
