The UK has lost 97 of its Wildflower Meadows in 75 years
Prince Charles came up with the idea after having read the report by the charity Plantlife which showed that the UK has lost 97% of its wildflower meadows in the last 75 years. Wildflower meadows support a far wider range of plants species, compared with agricultural meadows, and the loss has seriously affected the plant species and wildlife that rely on them.
Coronation Meadow: Mountain Meadows, Clarbeston Road
Each meadow will be a donor site to its own county, with hay and seed collected from it being used to create new meadows in the same area.
Nearly 80% of the meadows so far identified for the project, can trace an undisturbed history back to before the Coronaton, and in some cases for hundreds of years.
One of the benefits of using this method is that the local characteristics and rich diversity of the grasslands in each area will be maintained, an outcome that would not be possible to achieve by using generic seed mixes which are unable to reproduce that level of diversity.
The meadows range in size from the tiny Hayton meadow in Shropshire, which is three-quarter of an acre, to the 400 acre Therfield Heath in Hertfordshire home to the largest population of pasque flower in Britain,
Many of the meadows are grazed with native breeds of animals which helps wild flowers survive.
In a statement His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales said: ‘My Coronation Meadows idea came to me when I read Plantlife’s 2012 report and fully appreciated just how many wildflower meadows had been lost over the past 60 years. This year, we are celebrating my mother’s coronation so surely there is no better moment to end this destruction and to stimulate a new mood to protect our remaining meadows and to use them as springboards for the restoration of other sites and the creation of new meadows right across the UK.’
‘His Royal Highness has given us a challenge’ explains Plantlife Chief Executive, Victoria Chester ‘to conserve species and yet to maintain their essential wildness. In an age where we too often turn to the quick-fix of commercial ‘nectar mixes’, Coronation Meadows is both a celebration and a pledge to our children and grandchildren, using the floral riches of the past to create meadow gems for the future.’
‘Restoring meadows is painstaking, long-term stuff – it is about our landscape history and our cultural heritage. Many of the meadows have local significance. For example, Welsh farms often had a Cae Ysbyty or “Hospital Field”, a flower-rich pasture where sick animals would recover from illness or injury faster than on conventional pasture. This project is so resonant because it reminds us just how spectacular and wildlife-rich our countryside can look – and the results can be simply breathtaking.’
