Actions to conserve biodiversity
We have summarised evidence from the scientific literature about the effects of actions to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.
Review the evidence from the studies
Not sure what Actions are? Read a brief description.
25 Actions found
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25 Actions found
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Action | Effectiveness | Studies | Category | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Restore/create species-rich, semi-natural grassland Action Link | Beneficial | 71 | ![]() | |
Reduce management intensity on permanent grasslands (several interventions at once) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 38 | ![]() | |
Reduce grazing intensity on grassland (including seasonal removal of livestock) Action Link | Likely to be ineffective or harmful | 30 | ![]() | |
Restore or create traditional water meadows Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 22 | ![]() | |
Maintain species-rich, semi-natural grassland Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 22 | ![]() | |
Maintain upland heath/moorland Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 17 | ![]() | |
Delay mowing or first grazing date on pasture or grassland Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 15 | ![]() | |
Exclude livestock from semi-natural habitat (including woodland) Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 8 | ![]() | |
Maintain traditional water meadows (includes management for breeding and/or wintering waders/waterfowl) Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 8 | ![]() | |
Employ areas of semi-natural habitat for rough grazing (includes salt marsh, lowland heath, bog, fen) Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 8 | ![]() | |
Use mowing techniques to reduce mortality Action Link | Beneficial | 8 | ![]() | |
Raise mowing height on grasslands to benefit farmland wildlife Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 7 | ![]() | |
Leave uncut strips of rye grass on silage fields Action Link | Likely to be beneficial | 6 | ![]() | |
Use traditional breeds of livestock Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 5 | ![]() | |
Plant cereals for whole crop silage Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 3 | ![]() | |
Add yellow rattle seed Rhinanthus minor to hay meadows Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 2 | ![]() | |
Create open patches or strips in permanent grassland Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 2 | ![]() | |
Restore or create wood pasture Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 2 | ![]() | |
Restore or create upland heath/moorland Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 2 | ![]() | |
Use mixed stocking Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 1 | ![]() | |
Provide short grass for birds Action Link | Evidence not assessed | 1 | ![]() | |
Maintain wood pasture and parkland Action Link | Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence) | 1 | ![]() | |
Maintain rush pastures Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Plant brassica fodder crops (grazed in situ) Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() | |
Mark fencing to avoid bird mortality Action Link | No evidence found (no assessment) | 0 | ![]() |
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What are 'Individual studies' and 'Actions'?
Individual studies
An individual study is a summary of a specific scientific study, usually taken from a scientific journal, but also from other resources such as reports. It tells you the background context, the action(s) taken and their consequences.
If you want more detail please look at the original reference.
Actions
Each action page focuses on a particular action you could take to benefit wildlife or ecosystems.
It contains brief (150-200 word) descriptions of relevant studies (context, action(s) taken and their consequences) and one or more key messages.
Key messages show the extent and main conclusions of the available evidence. Using links within key messages, you can look at the paragraphs describing each study to get more detail. Each paragraph allows you to assess the quality of the evidence and how relevant it is to your situation.
Where we found no evidence, we have been unable to assess whether or not an intervention is effective or has any harmful impacts.