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Developing natural grasslands

Developing natural grasslands

Natural grassland captures surface and groundwater. It also provides resistance to flowing water. It can be developed on former farmland or former production grasslands.

The impact

Why does natural grassland work well?

Natural grassland is rough, species-rich and structurally diverse. It is not fertilized with artificial fertilizer or slurry. In addition to grass and herbs, natural grassland usually also features shrubs and a few trees. The varied vegetation captures rainwater effectively. The water then penetrates deep into the soil, as shrubs, trees and many herbs have deeper roots than grass. Moreover, the soil is rich in soil life and acts like a sponge.

Due to its rugged terrain, natural grassland on a slope offers resistance to runoff rainwater. Natural grassland also provides resistance in a floodplain.

Natural grassland versus production grassland

A production grassland consists of one or a few grass species. It is heavily fertilized (injected) and mown approximately once a month during the growing season. It is less effective at capturing and slowing down rainwater, because the vegetation has less stratification and is often mown, making it shorter than grass in a natural grassland. Beneath the surface, the soil is less porous because the root system is more superficial and soil life is less diverse.

Grazing versus mowing

By nature, grasslands are grazed extensively all year round by large (and small) grazers, such as roe deer, red deer, wild boar, hares, rabbits, geese, bison, primitive horses and primitive cattle. Grazers pull at the vegetation, causing the plants to develop an extra-strong root system for firm anchoring in the ground. A strong root system makes the soil more porous. The natural manure from natural grazers ensures a rich soil life. Moreover, manure is dead organic material. This material has a water-absorbing effect.

The vegetation of naturally grazed grasslands is rough and coarse for much of the year (except in the tail end of winter). The ground is not level; there are mounds (e.g. anthills or molehills) and hollows (footprints). On (steep) slopes, these unevennesses and rough patches slow down the runoff of rainwater. This gives it more time to penetrate the soil. As a result, the water flows less quickly to lower-lying areas.

By no means all grasslands in nature reserves are grazed naturally. There are also hay meadows or grasslands that are first mown and then grazed. The aim of mowing is to remove nutrients, thereby increasing the abundance of herbs (flowers); herbs thrive in nutrient-poor conditions. These grasslands are flatter and less rugged in structure than extensively grazed grasslands. They slow the flow less.