Ten
years ago, the former Prince of Wales launched Coronation Meadows to honour the
60th year of the late Queen’s accession to the throne.
In
the face of the catastrophic loss of 97% of our wildflower meadows since the
1930s, the plan was to create new and restored meadows using donor seed from
remaining fragments of ancient and traditional meadows.
The
Wildlife Trusts and Plantlife – charities for whom the former Prince of Wales
was patron – worked together to identify 60 species-rich meadows which are
known as Coronation Meadows, one for every year of the Queen’s reign at that
time. These special places became donors to provide precious seed to increase
the amount of valuable and beautiful wildflower habitat elsewhere.
The
charities have done an audit of the success of the project which reveals that a
fantastic 101 new wildflower meadows have been created or restored since the
Coronation Meadows project began a decade ago.
Photo: Avon Wildlife Trust - Folly Farm nature reserve
The
charities are delighted that the Coronation Meadows project has increased the
number of wildflower meadows and benefitted a vast array of wildlife, from bees
and butterflies to bats and birds. The area is still expanding as the charities
continue to harvest and spread the wildflower seed in localities close to the
original sites so that the distinctive character of each area’s flora is
preserved.
Biffa
Award, through the Landfill Communities Fund, contributed £1million to fund the
equipment and training needed for meadow restorations. In the first three years
of the project alone, more than 700 volunteers gave their time to get the
project off the ground. Seed was harvested from Coronation Meadows donor sites
either as green hay, brush harvested seed or by hand, and this was used to seed
second sites in the same area.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife
Trusts, says: “The expansion of our beautiful wildflower meadows is a wonderful
legacy for communities everywhere to enjoy. The magnificent sight of wild
orchids shimmering in a field of delicate wild grasses in the afternoon sun to
the hum of bees is something that everyone deserves to experience and enjoy.
“As
the nature and climate crises deepen, we must be bold if we want to reverse
declines and help revive our meadow heritage. Ancient meadows have evolved
alongside traditional farming methods over hundreds of years. Many of these
have been selected as Local Wildlife Sites because of the rare and threatened
plants that are found there but they have limited protection in planning
policy. The next review of the National Planning Policy Framework later this
year must see their protection strengthened. We also need to see greater
support for wildflower meadows in the new farm environment schemes – it is
critical that farmers are rewarded for restoring locally distinctive natural
habitats where wild plants can thrive.”
Ian Dunn, CEO, Plantlife, says: “If you can, this
Coronation year, make the opportunity to sit within an area of meadow or uncut
grass. Look around at the colours and variety of plants. Then close your eyes
and sense your surroundings through sound and smell. You’ll be amazed, reconnected
with nature and feel just fantastic!
“We
know healthy habitats such as meadows form the foundations of all successful
conservation, as well as being at the roots of a healthy society and in
addressing the climate challenges we face. At Plantlife we aspire to create a
combined area equal to 20,000 new football fields of meadows before the end of
this decade to give everyone the chance of experiencing the beauty and
wildlife-rich meadows that were once commonplace. The exquisite Coronation meadows
started 10 years ago give us confidence we can do so.”
