Grassland Conservation Grassland Conservation
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1 Grassland Conservation Grassland Conservation Global evidence for the effects of selected interventions Philip A. Martin, Nancy Ockendon, Anna Berthinussen, Rebecca K. Smith & William J. Sutherland Conservation Evidence Series Synopses 2 Copyright © 2021 William J. Sutherland This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work; to adapt the work and to make commercial use of the work providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: Martin, P.A., Ockendon, N., Berthinussen, A, Smith, R.K. and Sutherland W.J. (2021) Grassland Conservation: Global evidence for the effects of selected interventions. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Further details about CC BY licenses are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Cover image: Meadow in Swindale, Cumbria, UK. Credit: David Morris Digital material and resources associated with this synopsis are available at https://www.conservationevidence.com/ 3 Contents Advisory Board .............................................................................................. 6 About the authors.......................................................................................... 7 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... 8 1. About this book ....................................................................................... 9 1.1 The Conservation Evidence project ............................................................................. 9 1.2 The purpose of Conservation Evidence synopses ...................................................... 10 1.3 Who this synopsis is for ............................................................................................. 10 1.4 Background ............................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Scope of the Grassland Conservation synopsis ......................................................... 12 1.6 Methods .................................................................................................................... 13 1.7 How you can help to change conservation practice ................................................. 25 2. Habitat restoration and creation: seeding and planting ......................... 26 2.1. Sow grass seeds ......................................................................................................... 26 2.2. Sow grassland forb species ....................................................................................... 30 2.3. Sow native grass and forbs ....................................................................................... 31 2.4. Plant grassland plants ............................................................................................... 48 2.5. Sow grassland seeds from a local source .................................................................. 50 2.6. Sow seeds of nurse plants ......................................................................................... 53 2.7. Sow or plant nurse plants (alongside seeding/planting of grassland species) ......... 54 2.8. Sow seeds of parasitic species (e.g. yellow rattle) .................................................... 56 2.9. Sow seeds of tree species in savanna ....................................................................... 59 2.10. Sow seeds at a higher density ................................................................................... 60 2.11. Increase number of species in seed mix ................................................................... 62 2.12. Sow seeds at start of growing season ....................................................................... 64 2.13. Sow seeds in part of site ........................................................................................... 66 2.14. Sow seeds in prepared gaps within vegetation ........................................................ 67 2.15. Drill seed rather than seeding by hand ..................................................................... 68 2.16. Use slot/strip seeding ................................................................................................ 71 2.17. Spray slurry of seed, mulch and water (‘hydroseeding’) .......................................... 72 2.18. Disturb soil before seeding/planting ......................................................................... 74 2.19. Remove leaf litter before seeding/planting .............................................................. 77 2.20. Remove topsoil or turf before seeding/planting ...................................................... 79 4 2.21. Remove vegetation before seeding/planting ........................................................... 82 2.22. Burn vegetation before seeding/planting ................................................................. 83 2.23. Apply herbicide before seeding/planting ................................................................. 83 2.24. Mow before or after seeding/planting ..................................................................... 85 2.25. Graze with livestock after seeding/planting ............................................................. 90 2.26. Add topsoil before seeding/planting ........................................................................ 93 2.27. Add mulch before or after seeding/planting ............................................................ 94 2.28. Add woody debris to protect seeds/plants ............................................................... 97 2.29. Transfer plant material from intact grassland alongside seeding/planting .............. 98 2.30. Add charcoal to soil before seeding/planting ......................................................... 100 2.31. Add carbon to soil before or after seeding/planting .............................................. 101 2.32. Add fertilizer to soil before or after seeding/planting ............................................ 102 2.33. Add sulphur to soil before seeding/planting .......................................................... 109 2.34. Inoculate soil with mycorrhiza before seeding/planting ........................................ 110 2.35. Irrigate before or after seeding/planting ................................................................ 113 2.36. Use erosion blanket after seeding/planting ........................................................... 115 3. References ........................................................................................... 117 Appendix 1: Threats to grassland ecosystems and potential interventions 125 Appendix 2: Glossary ................................................................................. 132 Appendix 3: Journals (and years) searched ................................................ 134 Appendix 4: Literature reviewed for the Grassland Conservation synopsis 140 5 Advisory Board We thank the following people for advising on the scope and content of this synopsis: Dr. Pat Doody, Ecological Consultant, UK Prof. Thierry Dutoit, University of Avignon, France Ms. Sue Everett, Ecological Consultant, UK Dr. Paulette Ford, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USA Dr. Elise Gornish, University of Arizona, USA Dr. Renaud Jaunatre, Grenoble Alpes University, France Prof. Anita Kirmer, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Germany Mr. Donald MacIntyre, Emorsgate Seeds, UK Dr. Jonathan Mitchley, University of Reading, UK Dr. Owen Mountford, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, UK Dr. Klára Řehounková, University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic Prof. Katharine Suding, University of Colorado Boulder, USA Dr. Corli Wigley-Coetsee, SANParks, South Africa 6 About the authors Dr. Philip Martin is a Research Associate in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK. Dr. Nancy Ockendon is the Science Coordinator for the Endangered Landscapes Programme, Cambridge, UK. Dr. Anna Berthinussen is an ecological consultant at Conservation First, UK. Dr. Rebecca K. Smith is a Senior Research Associate in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK. Prof. William J. Sutherland is the Miriam Rothschild Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Cambridge, UK 7 Acknowledgements This synopsis was made possible by funding from the MAVA Foundation, Arcadia, and the Endangered Landscape Programme. We would like to thank Nigel Taylor for advice and assistance during the writing of the synopsis. 8 1. About this book 1.1 The Conservation Evidence project The Conservation Evidence project has four main parts: 1. The synopses of the evidence captured for the conservation of particular species groups or habitats, such as this synopsis. Synopses bring together the evidence for each possible intervention. They are freely available online and, in some cases, available to purchase in printed book form. 2. An ever‐expanding database of summaries of previously published scientific papers, reports, reviews or systematic reviews that document the effects of interventions. This resource comprises over 7,650 pieces of evidence, all available in a searchable database on the website www.conservationevidence.com. 3. What Works in Conservation, which is an assessment of the effectiveness of interventions by expert panels,