For the first time, research has demonstrated that British grazed grasslands with less intensive management had, on average, 50% more plant species and greater soil health. The new research could support farmers in improving soil health, biodiversity, and carbon levels in rural areas of Britain.
The British countryside is largely made up of grazed grassland, which is essential to farming and rural communities. This study provides fresh proof that this area, which is sometimes thought of as being exclusively used for food production, may actually be important for boosting biodiversity and soil health.
Studying 940 grassland plots, researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) compared randomly chosen plots that represented the range of grassland management in Great Britain, from intensively managed land with few sown species and high levels of soil phosphorus (indicating plowing, reseeding, and fertiliser and slurry application) to grassland with higher levels of species and lower levels of soil phosphorus. The plots were chosen as samples as part of the UKCEH Countryside Survey, a long-term dataset that is nationally representative.
The study tallied the number of plant species in the sample locations and examined soil samples from the same areas to count soil invertebrates and determine levels of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
Researchers discovered that grassland that was less intensively managed had a greater variety of plant species. Surprisingly, this diversity was correlated with better soil health, as evidenced by higher nitrogen and carbon levels as well as higher populations of soil invertebrates like springtails and mites.
The Pasture Fed Livestock Association (PFLA), a farmer organization that has set standards to manage and improve soil and pasture health, represents 56 primarily beef farms in the study. Using the same methodology, the researchers looked at the plant diversity and soil of the grasslands on these farms.
In comparison to intensively farmed plots from the Countryside Survey, the researchers discovered that PFLA farm plots had increased plant diversity—on average, six more plant species, including various kinds of grasses and herbaceous blooming plants. Additionally, the grassland plants on these farms were frequently taller, a characteristic that has been shown to be advantageous for butterflies and bees.
The research revealed that there may be a time lag between the expansion of plant species and changes in soil health, particularly on farms that have previously been intensively managed, which may explain why Pasture Fed Livestock Association grasslands have not yet demonstrated improved soil health.
“We’ve demonstrated for the first time, on land managed by farmers for production, that a larger diversity of plants in grasslands is connected with better soil health,” says lead author Dr. Lisa Norton, Senior Scientist at UKCEH. According to this research, the Pasture Fed Livestock Association’s members are on the correct route to promote biodiversity, even though it might take some time until the soil’s health improves.
According to research, “grassland with a variety of plant species that are able to bloom and grow tall is related to increased soil health measures and is advantageous for creepy crawlies above and below ground.” Small mammals and birds of prey can thrive in our grasslands’ richness of life, and farmers have reported seeing voles and mice in their fields for the first time.
Dr. Norton continues, “My hope for the future is that our grasslands can be managed less intensively while still being productive for farmers, with all the improvements in plant and animal biodiversity and soil health that brings.”
The study, which was supported by the UK Research and Innovation Global Food Security Programme, was published on November 25, 2022, in the journal Ecology Solutions and Evidence.
