Conserving socio-ecological landscapes: An analysis of traditional and responsive management practices for floodplain meadows in England

Abstract

Contemporary practice in the conservation of socio-ecological landscapes draws on both a model of responsive management, and also on ideas about historic management. This study considered what evidence might exist for the exercise of these approaches to management in the conservation of floodplain meadows in England, in order to inform understanding and knowledge of conservation management and assessment practice.Evidence for a model of responsive management was limited, with managing stakeholders often alternating between this model and an alternative approach, called here the 'traditional management approach', based on ideas, narratives and prescriptions of long-established land management practices. Limited monitoring and assessment appeared to undermine the former model, whilst uncertainty over past long-standing management practices undermined the latter. As a result of the relative power of conservation actors over farmers delivering site management, and their framings of meadows as 'natural' spaces, management tended to oscillate between aspects of these two approaches in a sometimes inconsistent manner.Conservation managers should consider the past motivating drivers and management practices that created the landscapes they wish to conserve, and bear in mind that these are necessarily implicated in aspects of the contemporary landscape value that they wish to maintain. They should ensure that assessment activity captures a broad range of indicators of site value and condition, not only biological composition, and also record data on site management operations in order to ensure management effectiveness. Highlights management models for socio-ecological landscapes can be inconsistently applied  assessments can be too partial to assist responsive management decision-making  normative ideas about the value of nature influence interpretation of evidence  conservation management tends toward a historical-contemporary hybrid

Recovering lost hay meadows: An overview of floodplain-meadow restoration projects in England and Wales

“…Guerrin, 2015). The socioeconomic component of management is even more rarely considered because of the variability of management approaches, especially in the private sector, the lack of records of management activities, and the poor structure and ambiguity of questionnaires collecting management data (McGinlay et al 2016). Restoration projects are expected to be managed in accordance with restoration guidelines and advice (e.g., Natural England 2012).…”

“…These diverse communities established under long-term consistent management for hay balancing the nutrient input from floods. These meadows developed as sustainable ecosystems, highly valued for animal feed over many centuries (Schaich et al, 2011;McGinlay et al 2016). More than 97% of these habitats were lost from the floodplains of Europe during the period 1930-1990(e.g.…”

Floodplain meadow partnership: A working model of effective communication between practitioners, academics and policymakers

“…European floodplain meadows are semi‐natural ecosystems; some of which have been managed for more than a thousand years (McGinlay et al., 2016). They support increasingly scarce plant communities and are valued as breeding areas for ground‐nesting birds, such as the Eurasian curlew ( Numenius arquata ).…”

“…Such reports ensure that research outcomes are shared directly with stakeholders. Letters containing management recommendations, sent to practitioners after FMP visits to their sites, are another key mechanism for increasing effectiveness of researcher–practitioner communications (McGinlay et al., 2016). This site‐based approach to research has effectively removed two major factors that often create a gap between ecological research and its application: small‐scale plots verus large‐scale application and site‐specific results verus generalizations (Anderson, 2014).…”

Evolutionary Characteristics and Trade-Offs’ Development of Social–Ecological Production Landscapes in the Loess Plateau Region from a Resilience Point of View: A Case Study in Mizhi County, China

“…They can provide services to humans and maintain biodiversity [1,2]. Currently, SEPLs are affected by multiple disturbances, such as global environmental change and urbanization development under the background of land cover/land-use change (LUCC) [3][4][5]. Land-use change in the Loess Plateau region is significant [6].…”