All About Meadows

We often hear that we have lost 97% of our species-rich grasslands. Is this true? If so, why has this happened? And why would we want to recreate Devon’s lost grasslands, especially if they don’t fit with modern agriculture? And even if we do, how and where should we do this?

Ed will take a brief look at the history of some of our grasslands and how they were managed and subsequently lost. He will then explore the current state of our environment, why our grasslands look like they do now and what we need them to do for us in the future. He will look at how to restore grasslands and how we decide where to restore them at a landscape-scale. Finally, Ed will give some advice on how people with smaller gardens can create meadowy areas.

Ed was born and raised in Dartmouth (apart from some time on a sheep farm in North Wales), and after learning some good things (and bad) at Seale Hayne Agricultural College, he worked as a countryside warden in Gloucestershire and Cornwall. His interest soon turned to landscape-scale conservation, working on a catchment project at Slapton, the Avon Valley Project and the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project. He is currently leading development of a Nature Recovery Network for Devon – alongside restoring his own meadow (very slowly).

Photo, Guy Edwardes/2020VISION

REGISTER at All About Meadows Tickets, Thu 3 Sep 2020 at 18:00 | Eventbrite