Field officers and volunteer botanists from the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust have officially launched an extensive ecological rescue campaign targeting rare, ice-age-formed drumlin hay meadows located in the rolling landscape between Skipton and Malham. These specific, species-rich upland habitats have faced near-total extinction across the UK due to intensive modern agricultural practices, re-seeding, and chemical fertiliser application. The trust's summer initiative involves mobilising teams of volunteers to meticulously hand-harvest native wildflower seeds—including rare yellow rattle, cranesbill, and pignut—from surviving ancient margins. Conservationists are partnering directly with local tenant farmers, providing financial grants and technical machinery support to help them adjust their summer cutting schedules and introduce the harvested seeds back into traditional meadows, ensuring these fragile ecosystems can survive to support native bumblebees and nesting birds.
Source: Craven Herald