Bramley Parish Council is running a Grasslands Restoration project at Bramley Green with of Sarah Plested, a local horticulturist, Wilder Bramley, and The Stratfield Saye estate. There was a presentation in April to let the village know about the plans. The project is still very much in a trial stage, but initial results have proved promising.
The project began in 2019, thanks to Sarah Plested. A delayed summer cut allowed some traditional grassland perennials to establish. This sparked local interest in the feasibility of improved land management to restore this area to a species rich grassland, enhancing our village open spaces. By 2020, with input from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Plantlife, it was agreed to run part of Bramley Green as a test site for the cut and collect method of grass management, with just 2 cuts a year. This has continued through 2021 and 2022. Other areas of the Green received the traditional three cuts a year, with the cuttings being left in place. It was shown that this had a detrimental effect on biodiversity. Leaving areas unmown during “No Mow May” has provided essential food for pollinators. You can see a visible difference in the first trial area with more wildflowers and biodiversity seen in surveys.
Due to the success of the first trial area, it has been agreed to widen the trial and just mow and collect the grass twice per year for all areas. A path will be mown more regularly for walkers, and the edges of the Green will be cut regularly to maintain sightlines coming out of road junctions. The early Spring cut planned for early April was delayed due to the rain so the first cut will now be in late July. This is an ongoing project which will be monitored. All residents are encouraged to take a stroll through Bramley Green and listen to the buzz of bees and observe the wildlife thriving.
A few facts and figures:
- Bramley Green is naturally suited to be a grassland meadow. There is evidence that around 50 years ago it was regularly grazed twice a year by cattle.
- We have lost 5million acres of wild meadows since the 1930’s, which is around 97% of our species-rich grasslands.
- Britain is one of the world’s most nature depleted countries being in the bottom 10% globally.
- Since the 1970s there has been on average a 70% decline in the biodiversity in Great Britain.
- Almost 1 million animal and plant species are currently threatened with extinction, about 25% of the global total. Intensive farming causes a loss of habitat; the use of pesticides, housing developments, a change in gardening, and climate change make it more challenging for species to survive in extreme weather.
- Meadows & grasslands support 700 species of wild plants and 1,400 invertebrate species.
- Importantly flower-rich grasslands and meadows can store 500% more carbon than monoculture fields of pure grass (Plantlife).
Nature is undoubtedly good for our mental health. Bramley Green offers a place nearby for people to learn about the natural world. Wilder Bramley has already run some open sessions for residents on surveying and identifying plant and animal species. By encouraging wildflowers, we can provide our pollinators, the bees, moths and butterflies with food throughout the year. These species are essential to our ecosystem as they pollinate our fruit and veg. Pollinators also help fight against crop pests so fewer pesticides are needed. For our whole community this is a beautiful natural spot to be proud of.
For more information please see www.facebook.com/groups/wilderbramley/