Make Lancashire and Sefton Council manage verges better for wildlife!
The Issue
The facts
British wildflower meadows have declined by over 97% since the time of the second world war, following the excessive intensification of agriculture, employing artificial fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides on a large scale. The enormity of this intensification has left many of our plant species and other wildlife imperilled. In point of fact, the State of Nature Report (2019) found that around 20% of our native plant species are threatened with extinction in Great Britain, and a similar proportion of our invertebrate species.
The motivation to care about declines in plants and invertebrates are numerous. A great deal of modern-day medication is developed from chemicals that plants produce. Wildflower areas act as reservoirs for pollinators and organisms that act as a biocontrol for many agricultural pests. We rely on plants for our food, building materials and improvements to mental health amongst many other things. Declines in our plant species are crucially important to take heed of for obvious reasons.
In spite of the significant declines that plants and their habitats have undergone over the past century, Sefton and Lancashire County Council continue to mow road verges [without visual constraints] incessantly and needlessly in both urban and rural settings. Contrary to their actions, both Sefton and Lancashire Council’s have adopted Local Biodiversity Action Plans, taking on obligations to maintain and improve local biodiversity, including a series of priority habitats and species; many of these species occupy healthy wildflower grasslands. Both councils have also adopted local planning policies relative to biodiversity.
In one study conducted by Plantlife, road verges were found to cover an astonishing 313,500 miles, representing a significant area of land equivalent to the remaining 3% of meadowland we have left; in rural Lancashire alone, there are circa 1100 hectares of grass verge.
Public cost
Additional to the pronounced adverse environmental impact that unnecessary mowing of verges has on wildlife, the public cost of regular mowing across such extensive areas is large (a freedom of information request has been submitted to both councils to ascertain exact costs associated with mowing regimes, which will be published shortly).
Proposal
Where grass verges and vegetation on roundabouts causes no safety concern and / or visual impediment, we want to see verges cut once or twice annually, in line with existing guidance laid out by Plantlife (see link: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/road-verge-management-guide and in accordance with Lancashire and Sefton Council’s obligations to biodiversity.
A number of local authorities across England have begun to implement relaxed mowing regimes to encourage biodiversity with great success in encouraging biodiversity, and significantly reducing costs. Relaxed mowing across parts of Burnley during 2011 found reduced expenditure of over £70,000, whilst other local authorities across Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey and Denbighshire have also instated relaxed mowing with incredible success (see link: https://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk/roadvergecampaign/inspiring-stories).
The Issue
The facts
British wildflower meadows have declined by over 97% since the time of the second world war, following the excessive intensification of agriculture, employing artificial fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides on a large scale. The enormity of this intensification has left many of our plant species and other wildlife imperilled. In point of fact, the State of Nature Report (2019) found that around 20% of our native plant species are threatened with extinction in Great Britain, and a similar proportion of our invertebrate species.
The motivation to care about declines in plants and invertebrates are numerous. A great deal of modern-day medication is developed from chemicals that plants produce. Wildflower areas act as reservoirs for pollinators and organisms that act as a biocontrol for many agricultural pests. We rely on plants for our food, building materials and improvements to mental health amongst many other things. Declines in our plant species are crucially important to take heed of for obvious reasons.
In spite of the significant declines that plants and their habitats have undergone over the past century, Sefton and Lancashire County Council continue to mow road verges [without visual constraints] incessantly and needlessly in both urban and rural settings. Contrary to their actions, both Sefton and Lancashire Council’s have adopted Local Biodiversity Action Plans, taking on obligations to maintain and improve local biodiversity, including a series of priority habitats and species; many of these species occupy healthy wildflower grasslands. Both councils have also adopted local planning policies relative to biodiversity.
In one study conducted by Plantlife, road verges were found to cover an astonishing 313,500 miles, representing a significant area of land equivalent to the remaining 3% of meadowland we have left; in rural Lancashire alone, there are circa 1100 hectares of grass verge.
Public cost
Additional to the pronounced adverse environmental impact that unnecessary mowing of verges has on wildlife, the public cost of regular mowing across such extensive areas is large (a freedom of information request has been submitted to both councils to ascertain exact costs associated with mowing regimes, which will be published shortly).
Proposal
Where grass verges and vegetation on roundabouts causes no safety concern and / or visual impediment, we want to see verges cut once or twice annually, in line with existing guidance laid out by Plantlife (see link: https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/our-work/publications/road-verge-management-guide and in accordance with Lancashire and Sefton Council’s obligations to biodiversity.
A number of local authorities across England have begun to implement relaxed mowing regimes to encourage biodiversity with great success in encouraging biodiversity, and significantly reducing costs. Relaxed mowing across parts of Burnley during 2011 found reduced expenditure of over £70,000, whilst other local authorities across Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Surrey and Denbighshire have also instated relaxed mowing with incredible success (see link: https://plantlife.love-wildflowers.org.uk/roadvergecampaign/inspiring-stories).
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Petition created on 13 June 2020