WILDFLOWERS experts and farmers from Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria played host to a Baltic study tour group, showcasing some of the pioneering work taking place locally to help protect and restore wildflower habitats.

The study group comprised representatives from local councils and protected areas together with farmers and scientists from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who are working together on a four-year project called LIFE Viva Grass.

Project officer Anda Ruskule, from Latvia, said: “Grassland biodiversity in the Baltic States is threatened by the diverse issues of intensive land management and also the abandonment of land. The LIFE Viva Grass project aims to develop nature-friendly, sustainable and economically viable management solutions to address these issues.”

Sarah Robinson, hay time and Networks for Nectar project officer at the Forest of Bowland AONB, organised a series of five field trips for the study group during their UK visit.

Sarah said: “I am delighted to have had this opportunity to share knowledge and experiences with our counterparts in the Baltic States.

"It has been fascinating to compare notes on the different grassland management issues and techniques between the UK and the Baltic States. Whereas here species rich grassland has been lost to intensification, in the Baltic States abandonment of land is the biggest threat.

"All the farmers we have visited on this tour have added a great deal in terms of insight and different management approaches."

The LIFE Viva Grass group heard from experts at Forest of Bowland AONB, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT), Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the Coronation Meadows project and the Lancaster Bee Keepers, to learn about some of the different approaches to land management.

The UK study tour concluded with a visit to the species-rich wildflower hay meadows at Colt Park on the Ingleborough National Nature Reserve, under the guidance of Natural England’s senior reserve manager Colin Newlands.

Colin explained about the highly successful restoration work that has taken place at Colt Park and the ongoing scientific research. Experimental test plots were established here in partnership with Lancaster University over 20 years ago, producing valuable data into carbon sequestration, pollinators, and the effect of different land management technique.

The high nutritional value of the fodder produced from traditionally managed meadows was also discussed.

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust’s hay time project officer Tanya St. Pierre said: “Anecdotal evidence suggests that the herbs found in a wildflower hay meadow will pull minerals from different soil depths, providing a fodder that is rich in different micro nutrients, bringing valuable health benefits for livestock. Future research to validate these theories would be really useful."