Rewilding

Ards and North Down Borough Council is playing a leading role in taking action for our local biodiversity, making our Borough a place where pollinators can survive and thrive.

One action we are taking to help rewild our Borough, is changing the way we manage our amenity grassland. 

 Past Grassland Management  

Amenity grassland sites would have been mown every 7 to 14 days, leaving a green desert of short grass, void of any wildflowers. Grass cuttings would be left to naturally decompose across the site which feeds nutrients back into the soil. Grasses are nutrient loving.

Due to intensive management practices these sites experience high nutrient levels allowing grasses to outcompete any potential wildflowers. Amenity grassland is the Councils biggest landholding and yet the least biodiverse land that we own.

Changing the management of this land stands to make the biggest impact for our local wildlife.  

Future Grassland Management  

  Sites under this initiative are managed on a site-by-site basis in terms of frequency and timing of mowing. They are cut a minimum of once per year WITH grass cuttings removed.

Over time this will reduce nutrient content, reduce grass growth and give wildflowers an opportunity to compete and grow.

More wildflowers will attract more pollinators which will in turn increase biodiversity at the site.  

It takes time.......  

 Each time a site is cut, and grass cuttings removed, we reduce nutrients going back into the soil.

However, it may take a couple of seasons for any potential wildflowers in the seed bank to appear and for grass content to reduce.

It takes patience and a willingness to wait for change.  

 

Yellow Rattle  

 To help our rewilding sites along and reduce the vigorousness of the grass you might see us sowing yellow rattle in late autumn / early winter.

Often described as the 'meadow maker' yellow rattle is an annual that thrives in grasslands, living a semi-parasitic life by feeding off the nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses.  

Why the big change?  

Our pollinating insects are in trouble. Our wild bee species have undergone severe declines in recent decades with one third of our 97 species now at risk of extinction. This is because we have drastically reduced the amount of food (wildflowers) and safe nesting sites in our landscapes.

In NI we have lost up to 97% of our wildflower meadows in the last 50 years. Wildflowers meadows support a variety of pollinating insects including butterflies, bees, hoverflies and moths these in turn provide a food source for many birds and mammals. 

Read more about the All Ireland Pollinator Plan at All-Ireland Pollinator Plan » All-Ireland Pollinator Plan

 Did you know?  

 In the early days of Spring, it is estimated that a Queen Bumblebee may have to visit as many as 6000 flowers/day to get enough nectar to maintain the heat needed to brood her eggs! 

 By 'Rewilding' we are:  

• Encouraging the growth of native wildflowers  
• Providing refuge and resources for pollinators and other wildlife  
• Helping ANDBC to meet its Biodiversity Duty and actions within our Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP)  
• Helping meet actions in the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 
• Providing nature recovery networks 
• Helping reduce CO2 emissions  
• Promoting sustainable landscapes  

How can you help?  

This initiative will not succeed without your help! Could you be a rewilding champion? Please help biodiversity at this site by:  

• Taking your litter home  
• Picking up after your dog  
• 'Bee' on the lookout for any pollinators or wildflowers.

Take a picture and send through to andbiodiversity@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk

If you are interested in becoming a 'Rewilding Champion' and would like to help us monitor this site, please contact us at andbiodiversity@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk