Amongst the many habitats present in the South West which owe their existence largely to the way mankind has managed the land, few are more attractive than unimproved neutral grasslands. This rather unexciting term is used to describe the meadows and pastures which occur on soils which are neither markedly acid (ie in upland areas) or basic (ie chalk downland), and which have not been subject to any significant degree of agricultural `improvement’ (intensification). Though neutral in name, they are far from neutral in character, and their wealth of colourful flowers and host of insects makes them a joy to experience.

In the largely pastoral South West, most neutral grasslands are grazed in some way, though a number are managed for a hay crop in addition. Though dependent on 'traditional' management which avoids cultivation or use of artificial fertiliser and pesticide, some excellent examples of neutral grassland have arisen through the partial drainage or cultivation, many decades ago, of land which previously was much wetter. As such they sometimes occur in association with mire habitats, such as on the Culm Measures in Devon. Elsewhere they represent a type of pasture of great vintage, which once largely characterised swathes of Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

Being relatively dry and straightforward to farm, neutral grassland has succumbed very substantially to the modernisation of agriculture since the last war, and today occurs only infrequently, persisting on steep slopes and in remote, thickly-hedged landscapes like the Blackdown Hills. To survive at all, this type of grassland needs to be recognised and valued, and that value needs to be reflected in the support available to land managers to maintain this rich feature of the region, amidst modern pressures.

This is a scarce habitat which has suffered very large declines in recent decades. An estimated 9,000 ha remains in the region. Figures do not include a proportion of neutral grassland which is included within figures for seasonally-inundated grassland (such as in the Severn Valley and on the Somerset Levels), and a further proportion which occurs alongside the chalk grassland on Salisbury Plain. Conversely some figures will include an element of semi-improved grassland. Also not accounted for in available figures are road verges, which include many good examples of some neutral grassland types and may represent as big an area again. Overall, given the difficulty of locating all the small fragments of this grassland type, available data is likely to underestimate its true extent. However, it is likely that the South West contains a high proportion, possibly approaching 50%, of the total UK resource (around 15,000 ha). The table below lists examples of sites in the region.

The following are examples of species that depend on unimproved grassland, some of which are of conservation concern:

The problems that face our neutral grasslands are similar in many respects to the problems that face all other habitats that make up the farmed landscape, most notably chalk grasslands.

The pressure on farmers to produce more food with the incentives of regular payments as a result of the European Common Agricultural Policy has led to much of the permanent pasture (ie land that for centuries has only been used for grazing) being ploughed and converted to arable land for growing crops.

Where it has not been ploughed much of this grassland has been `improved’. In other words one or two species of grass have been encouraged through the application of fertilisers and pesticides. While producing better beef and more milk, these few grasses flourish at the expense of the traditional diversity in our meadows and pastures.

Traditional hay meadows have all but disappeared. Once grasses and wildflowers grew until cut in late summer producing hay bales for feeding livestock in winter. These were rich places for insects and ground-nesting birds, such as skylark and even the now scarce corncrake. Now these same fields are seeded with fast-growing grasses, heavily fertilised, cut two or three times per year from May to September and the resulting cut grass wrapped in black plastic. The end product? Silage. In these conditions there is little room for wildlife.

While these are perhaps the main problems, there are others including:

Change of generation and type of ownership, as old farmers die and holdings change hands, leading to improvement or neglect;

Over-grazing;

Abandonment and neglect;

Policy and attitude to roadside management within some local authorities, continuing excessively intensive management regimes;

Tree planting, sanctioned by woodland grants provided by the Forest Authority, and also through some local authority 'free tree' schemes;

Development – eg mineral extraction.

A small number of key sites are designated as National Nature Reserves. Designation of some additional sites as SSSIs provides some defence against damaging operations. Some SSSI sites are managed through English Nature management agreements.

The Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries, through its Countryside Stewardship scheme, is helping fund the proper management and protection of neutral grassland Wildlife Sites in an increasing number of areas in the region. Wildlife Sites projects operated by Wildlife Trusts in four of the seven counties (Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire) are succeeding in channelling advice and assistance to a large number of neutral grassland site owners.

The RSPB Cirl Bunting Project provides a similar advisory service to land managers with neutral grasslands supporting this bird in south Devon. The county FWAGs are providing general farm advice which will include coverage of some neutral grasslands.

The declaration of Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) has helped land owners secure payments for managing neutral grasslands, especially those still rich in wildlife in the Blackdown Hills, Dartmoor, Exmoor, the Somerset Levels and the Upper Thames Tributaries and Cotswold Hills.

Sites have been and are being acquired by Wildlife Trusts and others as nature reserves, eg through the Somerset Trust Meadows appeal.

Local Authority schemes are in operation in some counties, advised by Wildlife Trusts, to identify high quality road verges and manage them appropriately.