NORTH MEADOWECOSYSTEM SERVICES ASSESSMENT

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© Mark Schofield

hello, my name is Fran Tattersall, and I’ll be assessing the ecosystem services provided by North Meadow, a national nature reserve southwest England. This presentation forms part of my Masters degree in Green Economy at Bournemouth University.

2© Mark Schofield

© Mark Schofield

North Meadow is a species-rich lowland hay meadow, famous for having 80% of the UK’s fritillary population, and in this picture you can see the plants in flower, and Cricklade church in the background.

NORTH MEADOWPRESENTATION OVERVIEW

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© David Slater

Description location, management

Biodiversity species, habitats

Ecosystem Services provisioning, cultural, regulating

Evaluation value, trade-offs

Green Economy

I'll start this presentation [TRANS] by describing the meadows location and management. [TRANS] Then its biodiversity – the important species and habitats present.[TRANS] Next, I’ll assess and describe the ecosystem services provided by North Meadow, categorising them into provisioning, cultural and regulating. [TRANS] Then I’ll evaluate the importance of these services and discuss conflicts of interest that lead to trade-offs between services and biodiversity. [TRANS] Finally, I’ll look at North Meadow’s place in the wider green economy and its future management

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LOCATIONDESCRIPTION

North Meadow is located in the Thames valley, [START TRANSITION] on the edge of the small Wiltshire town of Cricklade. The meadow’s covers 44.4 ha. To the south it is bound by the river Thames, and the Churn Pool stream bounds it to the north. North Meadow is owned by Natural England and as well as being a National Nature reserve. It is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Area of Conservation and is registered common land.

DESCRIPTIONMANAGEMENT

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© Drama St Marys

Plant growth 13 Feb - 30 June

I’ll move on now to describe how the meadow is managed as this is fundamental to its existence. North Meadow has been managed in more or less the same way for perhaps 800 years, and and this has created one of the most important remaining ancient hay meadows in Britain. No fertilisers of other chemicals are used at any time. During 4 months over spring and early summer the wild flowers and grasses grow freely.

DESCRIPTIONMANAGEMENT

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Hay cutting 1 July - 11 Aug

Plant growth 13 Feb - 30 June

© Drama St Marys

The hay is cut once the flowers have set seed after 1 July, but before grazing begins on 12 August.

DESCRIPTIONMANAGEMENT

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© Drama St Marys

Grazing 12 Aug - 12 Feb

Hay cutting 1 July - 11 Aug

Plant growth 13 Feb - 1 July

North Meadow’s grazing is legally administered by Cricklade’s historic Court Leet under a now rare form of land tenure going back to the 1814 Inclosure Act. This Act recognised the meadow as common land, and established the rights of the inhabitants of Cricklade to graze IT after 12 August (also known as Lammas day). The site often floods during winter, but if it is dry enough, they can graze stock until 12 February, when the meadow plants begin to emerge again.

BIODIVERSITYSNAKE’S HEAD FRITILLARY

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North Meadow holds 80% of the UK population of

Snake’s Head Fritillary

(Fritillaria meleagris)

© Ducklington PC

North Meadow was declared a National Nature Reserve in 1971 because of its important population of snakes head fritillary. This rare plant relies on flooding to create bare patches for germination and cannot tolerate grazing during the spring growing season. In Britain it survives on just a few sites, of which North Meadow is the largest, thought to hold some 500,000 plants, representing most of the UK population. Fritillary flowers have a unique checkered pattern, and flowers can be white or purple. Fritillaries are part of the Lily family and overwinter as dormant bulbs.

BIODIVERSITYOTHER SPECIES

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European Otter, Lutra Lutra

Skylark, Alauda arvensis

Reed bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus© Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Also notable are the various species of bumble bee, which play an important role in pollinating the meadow flowers (this picture shows a red-tailed bee). Bumble bees have declined catastrophically over the past 50 years, because of the loss of their semi-natural grassland habitat. And there are several Natural England Priority species including [TRANS] the Skylark, which nest on site, [TRANS] the european otter [TRANS] and reed bunting

BIODIVERSITYHAY MEADOW HABITAT

10© BBOWT

!meadow foxtail – great burnet

(Alopecurus pratensis-Sanguisorba officinalis)

The majority of North Meadow is lowland hay meadow, a UK Priority Habitat and one of the most threatened grassland habitats in Europe. The 2007 Countryside Survey found that just 10,521 ha of lowland hay meadow remain in the UK. Specifically, North Meadow is a meadow foxtail – great burnet community, an especially rare and diverse habitat on Annex 1 of the EU Habitat and Species Directive. Around 1500 ha is present in the UK, almost all of it in England. This picture shows the dark red burnet in the foreground, with yellow rattle, knapweed and buttercups in the background. [TRANS] There are over 250 plant species at North meadow. This picture shows characteristic oxeye daisies, clovers, and plantains, [TRANS] and this one the yellow ladies bedstraw, red campion, pepper saxifrage, daisies, and scabious

BIODIVERSITYRIVERS, DITCHES AND HEDGES

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© Jo Sayers

Other habitats at North Meadow are rivers, ditches and associated hedges. Here you can see children playing in one of the broad ditches that bound the reserve. In the background are some willow and poplar standards that are common in the hedges that run alongside the ditches and the River Thames.

BIODIVERSITYNORTH MEADOW HABITAT MAP

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river/ditch

meadow

hedgerow

This map shows where the different habitats are at the site, against the green of the reserve boundary. The stippled area is the hay meadow community, brown lines approximate where the hedgerow is on the reserve side of the boundary, and blue represents the rivers and ditches. The thicker blue line to the south of the reserve is the Thames. As you can see there are wet ditches and streams all around the reserve.

SERVICESOVERVIEW

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Soil formation Nutrient cycling Primary production

Flood control Pollination Climate regulation

Heritage Recreation and tourism Research and training

Meadow seed Hay crop Livestock grazing

Supporting Services UNDERPINNING ALL OTHER SERVICES

Regulating Services REGULATING ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES

Cultural Services NON-MATERIAL BENEFITS FROM NORTH MEADOW

Provisioning Services PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM NORTH MEADOW

I’ll move on now to identifying and listing the ecosystem services that North Meadow provides. [TRAN] I’ve divided these into the four service categories used by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005: [TRAN] Provisioning services (material products that the meadow provides); [TRAN] cultural services (non-material benefits); [TRAN] regulating services (benefits from regulating ecosystem processes); [TRAN] and supporting services - the fundamental services that underpin the provision of all the others. !For each category, I’ve identified the three main services that North Meadow provides. [TRAN] So, for provisioning - North meadow provides meadow seed mix, a hay crop, and livestock grazing. [TRAN] Cultural service can be listed as heritage, recreation and tourism, and research and training, while the main types of [TRAN] regulating services include flood control, pollination and climate regulation. [TRAN] Finally, there are the supporting services of soil formation, nutrient cycling and primary production. !I’ll look in a bit more detail now at the first three of these service types - provisioning, cultural and regulating. In particular, I’ll ask how people use North Meadow, what they do there and how they benefit from the site.

SERVICESPROVISIONING - SEED

14© Gloucestershire National Nature Reserves

in some years, at Natural England’s discretion, seed is harvested from North Meadow to help with restoration projects, and in the past it has been sold to companies such as Emorsgate Seeds. North Meadow’s rich mix of plant species makes the seed especially valuable. This picture was not taken at North Meadow, but shows the technique - the seed is first vacuumed up of the plants, and then spread to dry and allow any invertebrates [TRANSITION] to escape, before being bagged and removed. !In 2005 the restoration group Flora Locale reported that farmers were receiving between £ 50 and £ 150 per ha for seed harvesting - if all North Meadow’s 44 ha were harvested at the higher rate this would equate to an income of £ 6,600. The cost of seed to restoration projects on the other hand is much more. The floodplain meadows partnership reports a case study where seed costs for a 13.5ha area being restored to meadow foxtail – great burnet community cost £ 16,000, so over £1000 per ha, though these kinds of cost are going to be very variable.

SERVICESPROVISIONING - HAY

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© Their Voice

© John Barrett

The next thing to be taken from the meadow is the hay. Historically, the meadow was divided into allotments, and each allotment holder had rights to cut the first hay on their land. Nowadays, Natural England hold all but one allotment, and so can cut the hay with a tractor, bale it and sell it locally. The quality is particularly high because the meadow is so species rich. On average 3500 small bales are produced. !Hay prices vary greatly from year to year with availability and quality. Hay prices in the SouthWest are £ 97/ tonne according to Farming Online web site accessed April 2014. Hay weight also varies, but assuming 33-50 small bales per tonne, north Meadow could generate around £ 6790 -10,287

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SERVICESPROVISIONING - GRAZING

And finally, in late summer and winter North Meadow provides forage for commoner’s cattle and horses. !Grazing rights are legally administered by the Court Leet which is made up of a number of local inhabitants. The Court Leet appoints a Hayward to supervise the grazing on North Meadow, and to collect the grazing fees. The revenues received either go back into the management of the meadow or to the town. This brings us to the cultural significance of north meadow

SERVICESCULTURAL - HERITAGE

17© Swindon Advertiser

Cricklade's Court Leet has existed since the 14th century and is one of only 32 remaining in the UK. The Court Leet originally dealt with petty offences and collected fines and taxes, but today it just retains responsibility for managing North Meadow. Indeed, this ensured the survival of the Court, when most no longer served a legal purpose and were dissolved in the 1970s. !Although Cricklade's Court Leet is largely ceremonial, the chief officer of the Court is now the ‘High Bailiff’ who replaces the role of Town Mayor. and other officers include the Town Crier, Constable and lucky Ale Taster. !So, the meadow plays an important role in Cricklade, [TRAN] [TRAN] and in recognition, the Fritillary is still very much the symbol of the town - for example this mosaic was commissioned in 2012 for the Diamond Jubilee.

SERVICESCULTURAL - RECREATION AND TOURISM

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© John Barrett

Cricklade’s well preserved history, its links with the Frillary and of course the flowers themselves are a draw for tourists from across the UK, particularly in April when over 10,000 visitors come to see the flowers. During the fritillary season there is a well-established series of walks and talks. A small temporary visitors centre, and a temporary cafe spring up, and proceeds from the Cafe, averaging £ 2000, go to a local gardening group with links to the Meadow. !Throughout the year North Meadow is well used by hikers, dog-walkers, and runners

SERVICESCULTURAL - RESEARCH AND TRAINING

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Given its unique biodiversity, North Meadow is an important site for research and training. Fritillaries at North Meadow have been counted annually since the 1960s, and the site has been monitored by the Floodplain Meadows Partnership (hosted by the Open University) since 1998, making it one of the longest running monitoring projects in lowland hay meadow. The data generated help conservation managers understand the impacts of events such as summer flooding or lack of hay cutting, so they can better preserve and restore this habitat elsewhere. !!The Partnership is supported by various organisations including the RSPB, Open University, Field Studies Council, Natural England, Envionrment Agency and Esmee Fairburn. These organisations part-fund staff and other costs usually as part of wider research and education initiatives.

SERVICESREGULATING - WATER FLOW

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© Bob Parish

Moving on now to the regulating services, and water flow. North Meadow regularly floods in the winter, and occasionally in summer as well. The site provides space in which the Thames can overflow, protecting the town of Cricklade and adjacent agricultural land. Ditches from neighbouring fields also flow to the edge of the meadow, and overspill into it.

SERVICESREGULATING - WATER FLOW

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This map is taken from Cricklade’s draft emergency flood plan, and you can see that North Meadow [TRANS] here takes much of the flood water close to Cricklade. It is very difficult to estimate the financial value of the meadows role in regulating water flow, as it is part of a wider landscape, but a recently build flood protection scheme in nearby Haydon Wick in Swindon cost in the region of 6 million pounds.

SERVICESREGULATING - POLLINATION

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North Meadow provides valuable nesting and foraging habitat for pollinating insects, which will be a source of colonists for other sites, and will be providing their services to Cricklade’s residents. The bumble bees Bombus terrestris and Bombus lapidarius, for example can forage around 3km from their nest.

SERVICESREGULATING - CLIMATE CHANGE

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semi-natural grassland: 61.9g of CO2 per kg of soil

While they are growing, the hedgerows and mature trees bordering north Meadow are carbon sinks. The hay itself does not store carbon, but the soil beneath it does. Data from the 2007 Countryside Survey suggest that semi-natural grassland soils can hold 61.9g of CO2 per kg of soil, which is more than Improved Grassland or Arable and Horticultural land, but lower than other broad habitats. !

SERVICESNORTH MEADOW

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seed

carbon sequestration

hay

grazing, flood control,

pollinators

path

This map shows that most of the services provided by North Meadow are in the meadow itself - certainly all the provisioning services, and this is also the main focus of heritage, research and tourist interest, although most visitors will keep to the paths, marked here. Seed is only harvested from the most species rich patches. Pollinating insects use the whole site, and it could be argued that the whole site is also used for flood control and climate change, though the field boundary will be especially important for carbon sequestration.

EVALUATIONHOW VALUABLE ARE SERVICES AT NORTH MEADOW?

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Flood control Pollination Climate regulation

Heritage Recreation & tourism Research & training

Meadow seed Hay crop Livestock grazing

Regulating:

Cultural:

Provisioning:

SERVICE £ RANKVALUE:

8

27

6

13

9

4/5

4/5

??

?

£££££

£

£

££

Now I’m going to try to asses and rank the value of services provided by North Meadow. First to summarise [TRANS] financial values where possible, starting from the top - [TRANS] the provisioning services and tourism are likely to bring in relatively small amounts of money, in the few thousands. [TRANS] Research and training doesn’t bring in any money but something in the region of tens of thousands is spent supporting this activity. [TRANS] And finally, it seems that flood control is probably saving the town quite significant sums of money. ![TRANS] Next to rank the value of the services, taking into account non-financial benefits. This is obviously quite subjective. [TRANS] I’ve rated climate regulation as least important because of the small size of the meadow and relatively low sequestration opportunities. [TRANS] Next is livestock grazing, as this is done primarily for management and graziers have lots of alternative sites. [TRANS] At 7 is pollination because most surrounding areas are laid to grass and don’t require insect pollination. [TRANS] At 6 is the hay crop because again alternatives are available, and although the hay quality is particularly good there isn’t necessarily a corresponding high demand. [TRANS] Joint 4th and 5th are meadow seed and research and training. Both these activities relate to habitat restoration, and in both cases alternatives are not obviously available. [TRANS] Third is recreation and tourism - the site is much loved and well used by Cricklade’s inhabitants, and brings tourists to the town. [TRANS] Second is flood control - the meadow helps to protect Cricklade, and this might become more important with climate changes. [TRANS] But the most important ‘service’ provided by this small site is its unbroken history linking Cricklade’s inhabitants with Saxon times. In a sense this heritage service underlies many others - it brings in the tourists, is fundamental to providing seed, hay and grazing, and has ensured that this bit of flood plain remains a first line of defence for the town.

EVALUATIONTRADE-OFFS - PRODUCTION VS BIODIVERSITY

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© Graeme Nicholl

What trade-offs are there between these services and biodiversity? The main one relates to the site’s productivity. This photo shows silage making on essentially high productivity, low diversity grassland that requires annual fertilisation - this is the kind of thing that has happened to most of the UK’s meadows. North Meadow has survived in part because the restricted period of grazing together with the fact that common grazing occurred over each allotment holder meant that there was no individual incentive to improve haymaking by applying fertiliser, which would have destroyed the biodiversity. Nowadays ancient hay meadows are grazed and mown mainly as a habitat management tool for conservation, as their productivity is much lower than it would be if they were fertilised.

EVALUATIONTRADE-OFFS - PRODUCTION VS BIODIVERSITY

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!According to the Peak District National Park Authority’s Hay Meadows project, the profit foregone by managing a field as an unimproved hay meadow when it could be a grass silage ley was around £297 to £544 per hectare at 1997 prices and values. Agri-environment schemes are one way in which landowners are compensated for profit foregone, and encouraged to promote biodiversity, and as this map shows, North Meadow [THE PURPLE HATCHINGS] and some of the surrounding land, are under various countryside stewardship schemes. North Meadow is under Higher Level Stewardship, which pays £ 200 per hectare for maintaining species rich semi-natural grassland. This map was drawn online using Natural England’s Magic mapping system.

EVALUATIONTRADE-OFFS - FLOODING VS BIODIVERSITY

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© Puppet Lady

Another trade-off is between flooding and biodiversity. North Meadow is an important flood water holding area, but this can sometimes cause problems for the meadow plants. For example, in 2012 severe summer flooding meant that the meadow was too wet to cut a hay crop and the thick thatch that resulted suppressed the growth of fritillaries in 2013. Prolonged flooding, whether in summer or winter, can also result in a thick layer of silt being deposited on the meadow, potentially leading to unwanted nutrient enrichment. Deepening and clearing the ditches to encourage drainage of the site could help reduce the impact of flooding on the meadow, but this might conflict with flood prevention plans. !

GREEN ECONOMYNORTH MEADOW AS PART OF THE GREEN ECONOMY

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income for owners

reduce risk (flooding, climate) and scarcity (pollinators)

improve well being and are social equitable

Regulating Services REGULATING ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES

Cultural Services NON-MATERIAL BENEFITS FROM NORTH MEADOW

Provisioning Services PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM NORTH MEADOW

To end with now, I’ll consider how North Meadow’s services can best be managed within context of a green economy. The Wikkipedia definition of the green economy is one that “results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.”. We’ve seen how the cultural services provided by north meadow improve human wellbeing, and regulating services reduce environmental risks while provisioning services bring in some income to the owners, both locally through direct payment for goods provided, and nationally through payment schemes to maintain biodiversity.

GREEN ECONOMYPAYMENT FOR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

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© Juliet Bailey

So, to a large extent North Meadow is firmly positioned within the green economy and its owners receive payments for some ecosystem services. Are there any other ways in which payments can be made for ecosystem services? !The most obvious is to charge an entrance fee to see the flowering fritillaries, or for guided walks, which could bring in income for maintenance and reduce visitor numbers, relieving pressures such as widening and compacting paths. !However, this could be considered inequitable (meaning only the wealthy can access nature). Furthermore, North Meadow is a nationally owned site, bought and maintained through taxpayers money for the public good. In that sense every citizen is already paying for the services it provides and should be able to experience them freely. Quite rightly, in my opinion, Natural England have no plans to start charging to visit North Meadow.

GREEN ECONOMYNORTH MEADOW - THE FUTURE

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1. Plan for increases in flooding

2. Fill in gappy hedgerows

3. Improve public transport and parking

4. Encourage bee-friendly planting in Cricklade

What other steps could be taken to improve the way North Meadow delivers ecosystem services in the future? I have 4 suggestions [TRANS] Natural England, the Town Council, the Environment Agency and the Leet Court, need to work together to plan how to maintain north meadow’s diversity in the face of expected increases in flooding as a result of climate change [TRANS] Gappy hedgerows could be filled in, using locally sourced plants, to improve biodiversity and carbon sequestration [TRANS] Public transport to see the fritillaries, should be improved, and parking could be provided in nearby fields rather than on the road, perhaps funded with a voluntary donation from drivers. [TRANS] Cricklade’s influential gardening group should be encouraged to plant bee-friendly species in the town’s public and private spaces, and verge management should also take bees into account. !!

GREEN ECONOMYNORTH MEADOW - THE FUTURE

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1. Plan for increases in flooding

2. Fill in gappy hedgerows

3. Improve public transport and parking

4. Encourage bee-friendly planting in Cricklade

© Phillip Selby

In summary, North Meadow provides a variety of valuable ecosystem services, both locally and nationally. Its survival is best served by continuing its traditional management under Natural England and the Court Leet, but there are issues ahead, particularly relating to climate change, which should be addressed to ensure it continues to provide valuable ecosystem services for many hundreds of years more. !So that concludes my assessment of North Meadow’s ecosystem services. Throughout my presentation I’ve tried to attribute photos wherever possible, and I’ve also used a number of key references, which I’ve listed on the next slide. !Thank you very much for watching.

REFERENCES33

Bullock, J.M., Jefferson, R.G., Blackstock, T.H., Pakeman, R,J., Emmett, B.A., Pywell, R.J., Grime, J.P., Silvertown, J., 2011 Semi-natural grasslands. Cambridge, UK, UNEP-WCMC. (In: Technical Report: The UK National Ecosystem Assessment, pp162-195) !Cricklade In Bloom: http://www.crickladeinbloom.co.uk/north_meadow.html !Floodplain Meadows Partnership: http://www.floodplainmeadows.org.uk !Jefferson, R.G. and Pinches, C.E., 2011. The conservation of floodplain meadows in Great Britain: an overview. Fritillary 5, 11-24 !Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC. !Natural England: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ !Rouquette, J.R., Posthumus, H., Morris, J., Hess, T.M., Dawson, Q.L. and Gowing, D.J.G., 2011. Synergies and trade-offs in the management of lowland rural floodplains: an ecosystem services approach. Hydrological Sciences Journal 56 (8), 1566–1581. !Wolstenholme, R.S., 2011. The History of North Meadow, Cricklade. Fritillary 5, 35-40