Actions

Work will be conducted at different levels.

  • Many of the existing calcareous grassland and juniper areas are in a poor or very poor state. The aim here will be to improve the conservation status.
  • Many erstwhile calcareous grassland areas are now invaded by scrub or have been forested. The aim is to remove the bushes and the inappropriate trees to restore open-land sites suitable for low-nutrient grasslands.
  • In the long run, low-nutrient grasslands will only be sustainable if they are subject to an appropriate management regime. This will include low-impact grazing and other ‘extensivisation’ measures designed to return heavily fertilized fields to less intensive grassland.
  • As part of the sustainability drive, the intention is to buy up some of the areas and have others covered by long-term lease arrangements.

On the strength of these four strategies, the following specific conservation and/or remedial measures will be introduced:

Goal Actions surface
Improvement of the conservation status – Removal of litter (C1) 13 ha
Restoration – Scrub clearing (C2) 62 ha
– Removal of inappropriate forest-tree species  (C3) 5 ha
– Applying dressings of meadow flower seed (C4) 54 ha
– Removal and proper disposal of tipped material (C7) as needed
– Mowing to reduce scrub (C8) 84 ha
– Planting of young Juniperus communis bushes (C9) 2 ha
Longterm conservation – Land purchase (B1) 30 ha
Land use and management – Installation of fences (C5) 27 km
– Biodiversity agreements (C6) 45 ha