New guidelines could save councils money and lead to 400bn more wildflowers
Patrick BarkhamFri 27 Sep 2019 07.00 BST
Britain could enjoy 400bn more flowers if road verges were cut later and less often according to guidelines drawn up by wildlife charities, highways authorities and contractors.The national guidance for managing roadside verges for wildflowers calls for just two cuts a year – instead of four or more – and only after flowers have set seed, to restore floral diversity and save councils money. It would also provide grassland habitat the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh combined.
The recommendations have been produced by the wildlife charity Plantlife, backed by national highways agencies, the industry bodies Skanska and Kier, as well as Natural England and other environmental groups.
With 97% of wildflower meadows in Britain having been destroyed in less than a century, roadside grassland has become a crucial wildlife habitat for more than 700 species of wildflowers – nearly 45% of our total flora – including 29 of 52 species of wild orchid such as the rare lizard orchid.
Roadside verges are increasingly important “wildlife corridors”, assisting the movement of plants, flowers and invertebrates across an increasingly fragmented countryside. But there has been a 20% decrease in floral diversity on road verges since 1990, in part because of overzealous cutting.
UK roadsides on verge of becoming wildlife corridors, say experts | Environment | The Guardian
New guidelines could save councils money and lead to 400bn more wildflowers Patrick BarkhamFri 27 Sep 2019 07.00 BST Britain could enjoy 400bn more flowers if road verges were cut later and less often according to guidelines drawn up by wildlife charities, highways authorities and contractors. The national guidance for managing roadside verges for wildflowers… [Read More]
