Back to hay meadows

What is being done to save our hay meadows?

Protection Through Agreement

Hay meadows can be protected by law or through financial incentive schemes (Conservation Agreements). For example:

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs)
North Peak and South-west Peak Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs)
Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS)

Under these schemes farmers work to ensure the survival of their hay meadows by sympathetic management techniques. Financial incentives are often given to help offset the farmers losses for not improving the land.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Protection Through Ownership

Some sites are actually owned or managed by conservation organisations eg. The Peak District National Park Authority, The National Trust (NT), local Wildlife Trusts (WTs).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Protection Through Partnership

The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) has been compiled by a partnership of conservation organisations, government agencies and landowner/manager representatives, led by the Peak District National Park Authority.

It aims to highlight threatened habitats and species and to prescribe measures that will ensure their survival.

The section on hay meadows states:

The BAP hopes to achieve its vision for hay meadows by numerous actions including negotiating and securing new Conservation Agreements on hay meadows as yet unprotected.

Click here for more information (312kb PDF) on how organisations are working together through the Peak District Biodiversity Action Plan to look after hay meadows

If we are to have any hope of saving what is left of this precious habitat we need to raise awareness about the problem, not just to landowners and land managers, but to the general public.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back to top