Project funded
by theEU–DGEnvironment
L
and
surfacerelevant
forapplication
Artificial surface
Agriculture land
Forest and semi-natural areas
Wetlands
F
inancialcosts
(C
apital
,
operation
&
maintenance
)
Meadows and pastures operational costs (under intensive management) lie between
€159 and €420/ha/year for grazed grassland and between €189 and €358/ha/
year for hayed grassland.
Conversion
from arable land to permanent grassland
costs about €200/ha (€14/ha/yr) and the loss of revenue can reach €140/ha/
year (over 20 years), though conversion from arable is more likely on the most
marginal arable land.
D
esign
Meadows and pastures can be implemented and combined with other measures
such as
controlled traffic farming
and
reduced stocking density
; the latter
may be particularly important to ensure the benefits of meadows and pastures
restoration are effective.
S
cale
This measure operates at field and farm
scale.
Meadows are areas or fields whose main vegetation is
grass or non-woody plants,
used for
mowing
and
haying
. Pastures are grassed or wooded areas,
moorland or heathland, generally used for
grazing
. Due to their rooted soils and their permanent cover, meadows and pastures provide runoff attenuation and
greater infiltration, thus good conditions for the uptake and storage of water during temporary floods. They also protect water quality by trapping sediments
and assimilating nutrients.
Casestudies:Floodmeadows in theMaraisPoitevin,France;Horstergrubsedimentmanagement,Belgium
AGRICULTURE
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