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Abstract
Habitat restoration projects are often conducted when prior use or extraction of natural resources results in land degradation. The success of restoration programmes, however, is variable, and studies that provide evidence of long term outcomes are valuable for evaluation purposes. This study focused on the restoration of vegetation within a limestone quarry in Dorset, UK between 1997 and 2014. Using a randomised block design, the effect of seed mix and seed rate on the development of community assemblage was investigated in comparison to a nearby target calcareous grassland site. We hypothesised that seed mix composition and sowing rate would influence both the trajectory of the grassland assemblage and final community composition. We found that species composition (in relation to both richness and community assemblage) was strongly influenced by time and to some extent by seed rate and seed mix. However, no treatments achieved strong resemblance to the calcareous grassland target vegetation; rather they resembled mesotrophic communities. We conclude that (as with previous studies) there is no “quick fix” for the establishment of a grassland community; long-term monitoring provides useful information on the trajectory of community development; sowing gets you something (in our case mesotrophic grassland), but, it may not be the target vegetation (e.g., calcicolous grassland) you want that is difficult to establish and regenerate; it is important to sow a diverse mix as subsequent recruitment opportunities are probably limited; post-establishment management should be explored further and carefully considered as part of a restoration project.
Highlights
The use or extraction of natural resources often results in land degradation, where the ecological value of a site or area is compromised
The initial establishment of a plant community in a restoration programme is likely to strongly influence ecosystem function as it will influence the trajectory of plant community development
The reference site comprised a range of characteristic calcicolous forbs including Asperula cynanchica, Cirsium acuale, Campanula rotundiflora, Carlina vulgaris, Euphrasia nemorosa, Helianthemum nummularium, Ononis repens and Scabiosa columbaria
Summary
The use or extraction of natural resources often results in land degradation, where the ecological value of a site or area is compromised. The success of restoration programmes, is variable, and studies that provide evidence of long term outcomes from such schemes are valuable for evaluation purposes. How to cite this article Smith et al (2017), Grassland habitat restoration: lessons learnt from long term monitoring of Swanworth Quarry, UK, 1997–2014. Long-term monitoring is essential for identifying the time frames required for success (Block et al, 2001) and in order to determine changes in species composition. Meyer et al (2016), focusing on an 11 year grassland biodiversity study demonstrated that plant diversity effects ‘‘strenghtened over time’’, with increased ecosystem function evident with elevated biodiversity. The initial establishment of a plant community in a restoration programme is likely to strongly influence ecosystem function as it will influence the trajectory of plant community development
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