Low and medium altitude hay meadow
Quick facts
Red List habitat type | code RLE2.2 |
---|---|
Threat status | |
Europe | Vulnerable |
EU | Vulnerable |
Relation to |
|
Source | European Red List habitat factsheet |
European Red List of habitats reports | |
European Red List of habitats (Excel table) |
Summary
This habitat includes grasslands mown for hay occurring on deep, well-drained, mesic soils throughout much of Europe, especially in the nemoral and boreo-nemoral zones where they are found from low to medium altitudes. In southern Europe they are confined to precipitation-rich areas at higher altitudes, occurring in the mountains of the northern half of the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennines and the supra-Mediterranean zone of the Balkan Peninsula. These meadows are typically fertilized by dung, only lightly by chemical fertilisers, and mown once or twice a year for hay, rather than silage, with light spring and/or aftermath grazing in some places.
They are dominated by productive grasses such as Arrhenatherum elatius, Briza media, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca pratensis, F. rubra, Poa pratensis and Trisetum flavescens, dicotyledonous herbs, particular rosette plants with taller flowering stems, including Crepis biennis, Heracleum sphondylium, Knautia arvensis agg., Leucanthemum vulgare agg., Pimpinella major, Plantago lanceolata and Rumex acetosa, and clonal geophytes such as Geranium pratense and Sanguisorba officinalis. Species-richness can be high, especially in types where low-input management has been consistent over long periods of time. Such grasslands also better reflect regional differences in climate and local variations in soil, whether to more base-rich or acidic substrates, or to moister or drought-prone situations. Transitions to E2.1a Mesic permanent pastures are widespread in the lowlands, especially where there is a shift from mowing to more consistent grazing which favours a lower structure, the elimination of more palatable grasses and the prevention of flowering among taller rosette hemicryptophytes.
Although the meadows of this type are still widespread through the nemoral and boreo-nemoral zones, they have been declining for many decades either because of such conversion to intensively grazed pastures or through heavy fertilizing and reseeding for crops of silage which can be cut three or more times a year. In landscapes dominated by intensive agriculture, this habitat often survives best on road verges that are cut annually for amenity reasons but, where coarse perennials or weeds invade such situations, the vegetation does not belong to this habitat. Abandonment and subsequent encroachment of shrubs and trees is also widespread.
Indicators of good quality:
Continuation of traditional management with one or two hay cuts per year
Light or no spring and/or aftermath grazing
High species richness
Absence of patches dominated by nutrient-demanding, tall-growing competitive dicotyldeonous herbs
Absence of alien plant species
No encroachment of trees and shrubs
Absence of heavy grazing
No increase of fertility with addition of chemical fertilisers
Threat status
Synthesis of Red List assessment
EU | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Vulnerable | A1, A3, C/D1 |
Europe | |
Red List Category | Red List Criteria |
Vulnerable | A1, A3, C/D1 |
Confidence in the assessment
Pressures and threats
- Agriculture
- Modification of cultivation practices
- Agricultural intensification
- Grassland removal for arable land
- Mowing / Cutting of grassland
- Abandonment / Lack of  mowing
- Sylviculture, forestry
- Forest planting on open ground
- Pollution
- Air pollution, air-borne pollutants
- Nitrogen-input
Habitat restoration potential
Trends in extent |
|
Average current trend in quantity |
|
Decreasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Trends in quality |
|
Average current trend in quality |
|
Decreasing ![]() |
Decreasing ![]() |
EU28 | EU28+ |
Conservation and management needs
List of conservation and management needs
- Measures related to agriculture and open habitats
- Maintaining grasslands and other open habitats
Distribution
Geographic occurrence and trends
EU28 | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Austria | Present | 175 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Belgium | Present | 153 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Bulgaria | Present | 48 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Czech Republic | Present | 1907 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Estonia | Present | 33 | Unknown | Decreasing |
France mainland | Present | 7500 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Germany | Present | 1640 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Crete | Present | 10 | Decreasing | Unknown |
Hungary | Present | 200-250 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Ireland | Present | 1.4-2.9 | Decreasing | Unknown |
Sardinia | Present | 2410 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Latvia | Present | 53 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Lithuania | Present | 190-200 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Netherlands | Present | 6 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Poland | Present | 6375 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Portugal mainland | Present | 84 | Unknown | Decreasing |
Romania | Present | 105 | Stable | Stable |
Slovakia | Present | 3000 | Decreasing | Stable |
Slovenia | Present | 327 | Stable | Decreasing |
Spain mainland | Present | 625 | Unknown | Decreasing |
Sweden | Uncertain | unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
United Kingdom | Present | <100 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Finland mainland | Present | 1 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
EU28 + | Present or presence uncertain | Current area of habitat (Km2) | Recent trend in quantity (last 50 years) | Recent trend in quality (last 50 years) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Present | 200 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Kaliningrad | Uncertain | - | - | |
Kosovo | Present | unknown | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) | Present | 250 | Unknown | Decreasing |
Montenegro | Uncertain | - | - | |
Norway Mainland | Uncertain | - | - | |
Serbia | Uncertain | - | - | |
Switzerland | Present | 1000-1500 | Decreasing | Decreasing |
Extent of Occurrence, Area of Occupancy and habitat area
Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (Km2) | Area of Occupancy (AOO) | Current estimated Total Area | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|
EU28 | 7203550 | 14420 | 27373 | Data missing from Luxembourg and Sweden within the EU, from Norway, Serbia & Russia outside the EU. |
EU28+ | 14641 | 28823 |
EOO = the area (km2) of the envelope around all occurrences of a habitat (calculated by a minimum convex polygon).
Characteristic species
Species scientific name | English common name | Species group |
---|---|---|
Achillea millefolium | Flowering Plants | |
Agrostis capillaris | Flowering Plants | |
Arrhenatherum elatius | Flowering Plants | |
Avenula pubescens | Flowering Plants | |
Briza media | Flowering Plants | |
Centaurea jacea | Flowering Plants | |
Cerastium holosteoides | Flowering Plants | |
Crepis biennis | Flowering Plants | |
Cynosurus cristatus | Flowering Plants | |
Dactylis glomerata | Flowering Plants | |
Daucus carota | Flowering Plants | |
Festuca pratensis | Flowering Plants | |
Galium album | Flowering Plants | |
Geranium pratense | Flowering Plants | |
Heracleum sphondylium | Flowering Plants | |
Holcus lanatus | Flowering Plants | |
Leucanthemum vulgare | Flowering Plants | |
Lotus corniculatus | Flowering Plants | |
Luzula campestris | Flowering Plants | |
Pimpinella major | Flowering Plants | |
Plantago lanceolata | Flowering Plants | |
Poa pratensis | Flowering Plants | |
Prunella vulgaris | Flowering Plants | |
Ranunculus acris | Flowering Plants | |
Rumex acetosa | Flowering Plants | |
Salvia pratensis | Flowering Plants | |
Sanguisorba officinalis | Flowering Plants | |
Trifolium dubium | Flowering Plants | |
Trisetum flavescens | Flowering Plants | |
Veronica chamaedrys | Flowering Plants | |
Vicia cracca | Flowering Plants | |
Brachythecium rutabulum | Mosses & Liverworts | |
Plagiomnium affine | Mosses & Liverworts |
Legal status
Relation to other habitat types mentioned in legal instruments
Vegetation types
Relation to vegetation types (syntaxa)
Not availableOther classifications
Classification | Code | Habitat type name | Relationship type |
---|---|---|---|
EUNIS Habitat Classification 200711 | E2.2 | Low and medium altitude hay meadows | same |