Maintenance of the Salt meadows habitat requires an adequate water supply
with temporary inundation, usually between autumn and early summer (at least
May). The optimal time for mowing would be the second half of May in order to
gain quality hay and pasture for the summer. However, this may destroy bird’s
nests. Therefore, mowing is advised to be done in late June. Intensive grazing and
trampling are harmful. Livestock hooves may harm the soil surface among the
sedges as they graze on top of soils filled with water during early spring, thus
creating optimal surface for other species to appear (Mann and Tischew 2010).
However, usually weed species (from the edges and adjacent arable lands) settle
onto these harmed surfaces. Hence, mowing in late June may be advised. This also
helps the grassland to close which allows the grass species to thrive, and the
grazing livestock can be lead onto the area after drying up. Pyka ¨la ¨ (2005) draws
attention to the fact that species benefitting from mowing may appear on pastures
as well. Slight grazing creates more mosaics (open water patches) and limits
the invasive species, reed and Typha spp., and prevents scrub encroachment.
Decreasing rainfall, as a probable effect of climate change, leads to early drying
out, while excess summer rainfall may result in soil leaching and a reduction of
salt content which causes soil degradation. Another aspect to consider is to
abolish the effects of historical water management initiatives (construction of
canals and ditches). No invasive species have had an effect on the habitat, except
for Eleagnus angustifolia. Occasional burning (in sections) may help to control
the weed expansion. To cut back Typha stands, the habitat needs to dry up for the
late summer. If the conservation aims at protecting the nesting birds, the area
should be mowed annually after the 15th of June, leaving un-mown strips (changing their exact place every year), and use wildlife alarming chain. Grazing should
be avoided during nesting periods. Milder winters and warmer springs caused by
changing climate may lead to earlier blooming of vegetation. This requires earlier
mowing, which is harmful for nesting birds. High water levels can also be harmful
for birds. However, draining may threaten privately owned arable lands and
lowers the groundwater table below adjacent loess steppes. In favour of conserving amphibians and reptiles, alternating scythe should be used instead of bung
scythe during mowing.
Tall herb salt meadow steppes require regular spring inundation and drying up in
summer. In order to preserve environmental conditions of the habitat, mowing
should be done after the 15th of June. Decreasing rainfall leads to early dry-up
(a regular trend of drying was already observed in historical times (Sala ´ta 2011)).
No invasive species were recorded within our study habitat area. Temporal scrub
encroachment does not underpin the degradation of this habitat; however, this
process needs to be monitored. Sheep grazing degrades the habitat if they graze
too much, or they do not manage to graze tall herb vegetation because of its height.
If the conservation aim is to preserve Peucedanum officinale – the foodplant of the
Natura 2000 butterfly species Gortyna borelii lunata – mowing is necessary, but
only needs to be done every second year. In favour of preserving this invertebrate, it
is imperative to conserve the landscape mosaic. This can be done by leaving
un-mown strips of land and switching around the areas that are mowed from year
13 Suggested Management Measures for Natura 2000 Habitats. . .
203
with temporary inundation, usually between autumn and early summer (at least
May). The optimal time for mowing would be the second half of May in order to
gain quality hay and pasture for the summer. However, this may destroy bird’s
nests. Therefore, mowing is advised to be done in late June. Intensive grazing and
trampling are harmful. Livestock hooves may harm the soil surface among the
sedges as they graze on top of soils filled with water during early spring, thus
creating optimal surface for other species to appear (Mann and Tischew 2010).
However, usually weed species (from the edges and adjacent arable lands) settle
onto these harmed surfaces. Hence, mowing in late June may be advised. This also
helps the grassland to close which allows the grass species to thrive, and the
grazing livestock can be lead onto the area after drying up. Pyka ¨la ¨ (2005) draws
attention to the fact that species benefitting from mowing may appear on pastures
as well. Slight grazing creates more mosaics (open water patches) and limits
the invasive species, reed and Typha spp., and prevents scrub encroachment.
Decreasing rainfall, as a probable effect of climate change, leads to early drying
out, while excess summer rainfall may result in soil leaching and a reduction of
salt content which causes soil degradation. Another aspect to consider is to
abolish the effects of historical water management initiatives (construction of
canals and ditches). No invasive species have had an effect on the habitat, except
for Eleagnus angustifolia. Occasional burning (in sections) may help to control
the weed expansion. To cut back Typha stands, the habitat needs to dry up for the
late summer. If the conservation aims at protecting the nesting birds, the area
should be mowed annually after the 15th of June, leaving un-mown strips (changing their exact place every year), and use wildlife alarming chain. Grazing should
be avoided during nesting periods. Milder winters and warmer springs caused by
changing climate may lead to earlier blooming of vegetation. This requires earlier
mowing, which is harmful for nesting birds. High water levels can also be harmful
for birds. However, draining may threaten privately owned arable lands and
lowers the groundwater table below adjacent loess steppes. In favour of conserving amphibians and reptiles, alternating scythe should be used instead of bung
scythe during mowing.
Tall herb salt meadow steppes require regular spring inundation and drying up in
summer. In order to preserve environmental conditions of the habitat, mowing
should be done after the 15th of June. Decreasing rainfall leads to early dry-up
(a regular trend of drying was already observed in historical times (Sala ´ta 2011)).
No invasive species were recorded within our study habitat area. Temporal scrub
encroachment does not underpin the degradation of this habitat; however, this
process needs to be monitored. Sheep grazing degrades the habitat if they graze
too much, or they do not manage to graze tall herb vegetation because of its height.
If the conservation aim is to preserve Peucedanum officinale – the foodplant of the
Natura 2000 butterfly species Gortyna borelii lunata – mowing is necessary, but
only needs to be done every second year. In favour of preserving this invertebrate, it
is imperative to conserve the landscape mosaic. This can be done by leaving
un-mown strips of land and switching around the areas that are mowed from year
13 Suggested Management Measures for Natura 2000 Habitats. . .
203