THEY are essential to the survival of our wildlife.
Yet 97% of our lowland meadows have disappeared since World War Two, the Grassland Trust has said.
Now The Blooming Meadows Project has been launched to reclaim some of Huddersfield’s grasslands.
The project, run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT), has been granted almost £100,000 by Sita to resurrect 10 sites in West Yorkshire, including at Stirley Community Farm, Newsome; Castle Hill; Healey Greave, Shelley, and three sites near Brighouse.
The sites have become overgrown limiting the range of plant and animal species which can live there.
Such animals include the field mouse and the yellowhammer, a small yellow bird.
Sita, which recycles and disposes of Kirklees’s household waste, raised the money through the Government’s Landfill Communities Fund, which allows landfill operators to donate 6.2% of their landfill tax to environment improvement projects.
The cash will be used to buy equipment to manage the sites, such as mowers and fertiliser spreaders.
Seeds from species which once lived on the sites will be planted.
YWT staff will be training council employees on how to best use the gear.
Project head Ian Smart said: “Grassland has been in decline over the last 50 years so this project will restore them to wild meadows.
“There are lots of species such as invertebrates, mammals and birds which are dependent on them.”
Brian Lavelle, West Yorkshire programme manager for YWT, said: “Meadows require specialist management for the wealth of plants and insects that use them.
“This funding will help us and our partners to bring back the flowers, bees and other wildlife to our meadows now and into the future as part of our Living Landscapes programme.
Jools Granville of SITA Trust said: “As we enter our 15th year as an environmental funder, we’re delighted to be able to join this very special project as a funding partner.”
For more about Yorkshire Wildlife Trust visit: www.ywt.org.uk
