Restoration of Grasslands
What are semi-natural grasslands and why are they degraded?
Semi-natural grasslands are ecosystems that have developed and been maintained through a combination of natural processes and specific human management practices over centuries. They are considered "semi-natural" because their high biodiversity and ecological function are reliant on human activities like grazing, cutting, and controlled burning, rather than being solely driven by wild processes. These grasslands become degraded when human impacts like agricultural intensification, abandonment leading to woody plant encroachment, or pollution cause a loss of their characteristic biodiversity and ecological services.
No, the restoration of degraded semi-natural grasslands does not typically aim to return them to a hypothetical pre-human "natural" state maintained solely by wild processes. The high biodiversity and unique characteristics of semi-natural grasslands are a result of centuries of specific, often non-intensive, human-influenced management. Therefore, restoring them involves returning them to a healthy, biodiverse state within the semi-natural framework, which inherently relies on the continuation of appropriate management practices.
The primary aims of restoring degraded semi-natural grasslands are to combat degradation and recover the high biodiversity and ecosystem services that are characteristic of healthy semi-natural grasslands. This includes restoring them as valuable habitats for wildlife, such as pollinators, and ensuring their continued ecological function.
Restoration methods for degraded semi-natural grasslands include a variety of interventions. These can involve implementing prescribed fires, managing livestock and wild herbivores appropriately, cutting trees and removing shrubs to prevent woody encroachment, controlling invasive species, and reintroducing native grasses and forbs.
Many restoration methods aim to re-establish or mimic the historical human management practices, such as grazing, cutting, and fire, that originally created and maintained the biodiverse semi-natural state of these grasslands. These traditional practices are crucial for preventing habitat loss, such as shrub encroachment, which can occur rapidly without appropriate management.
Given that the high biodiversity of semi-natural grasslands is a direct result of centuries of specific human-influenced management, maintaining this restored biodiversity is contingent upon the continuation of appropriate management practices. Without ongoing management sympathetic to biodiversity, such as grazing or cutting, these restored areas can degrade again.
Yes, there are limitations to grassland restoration. For example, the loss of certain important fungal communities, like Waxcap fungi in the UK, is described as potentially complete and irreversible once they are gone. Additionally, understanding of the most effective restoration options can be limited, costs can vary significantly, and standardisation of practices is still needed across different situations.
In summary, the restoration process for degraded semi-natural grasslands is not typically about eliminating all human influence and returning them to a purely "natural" state. Instead, the focus is on restoring these degraded areas back to their biodiverse, healthy condition, which is a product of long-term, specific, often non-intensive human management like grazing and cutting. This restored state relies on the continuation of such appropriate management