Abstract
This study aims to develop and test reduced intensity grazing options for agricultural grassland that aim to deliver substantial benefits for biodiversity (particularly invertebrates for foraging farmland birds) that are simple, practical and low cost for farmers to implement and therefore suitable for inclusion NE / Defra's Entry Level and Higher Level Schemes. A lack of a suitable range of invertebrate prey has been shown to limit the breeding success of a range of priority farmland birds in Britain. The study will test two lenient cattle grazing treatments both of which should be widely applicable to livestock farmers across the UK. Grazing grassland more leniently leaves more vegetation in situ for longer and this allows a range of invertebrates to develop and reproduce. However, a tall dense sward can inhibit some invertebrate groups (that need warmth from sunlight or bare ground for laying eggs) and can prevent birds accessing invertebrate prey. A reduced density of livestock encourages cattle to graze selectively and thereby generate a sward with a fine-scale mixture of tall and short patches of vegetation that should maximise benefits for invertebrates and foraging birds. The aim of this project is to create structurally diverse swards that promote invertebrate prey abundance and provide access for birds to those prey. Previous work (BD1454) tested lenient grazing couple with early cessation of grazing. Although this had a large positive impact on invertebrate abundance, the swards were too tall and dense to promote bird foraging and costs to farmers were relatively high. The grazing treatments being tested in this study have been developed to meet the sward requirements of priority farmland birds (like yellowhammers and cirl buntings) while minimising costs and complexity for farmers. Grazing grassland less intensively should confer a range of wider environmental benefits including reduced fertilizer inputs, improved soil structure, reduced soil erosion and run-off, enhanced pollinator services and increased resilience of biodiversity to climate change impacts.
United Kingdom