Silent meadows: The uncertain decline and conservation of hay meadows in the british landscape

Abstract

The environmental impacts of British agriculture have been a popular focus in recent years within Landscape Research. However, to date, little attention has been paid to the case of hay meadows, an important feature of the landscape in cultural, agricultural and ecological terms, and one which has been threatened with decline. The paper considers the factors which have marginalized hay meadows in the discussion of agri-environment relations, showing that the lack of definitive data on hay meadows, government funding for more intensive farming practices, and the ephemeral nature of hay meadows have contributed to their ‘silent’ decline. Drawing on a case study of the Peak District in the UK, the attempts of current agri-envrionment schemes to encourage ‘traditional’ management, and the problems associated with the use of this term and its connotations, are considered.