What is a floodplain meadow? 

Nestled along rivers and streams, floodplain meadows are a type of grassland that play a vital role in our landscape. Each meadow can support a complex ecosystem, home to rare plant communities where you can find 40 plant species per square metre.  

Connecting our past, present and future 

Floodplain meadows have evolved over hundreds of years. This unique habitat highlights the extraordinary engineering of nature, whilst preserving a legacy of traditional land management, providing a living example of how nature and farming can join forces. 

Traditional land management 

How? 

For centuries, floodplain meadows have been managed using a traditional system of allowing vegetation to thrive in the spring to summer, then cut from June (weather dependent!) for hay, with livestock then grazing the re-growth, known as ‘aftermath’ grazing.  

During the flower flourishing period of spring and summer, plants such as yellow rattle and cowslip provide an array of benefits to biodiversity, including:

• Being a haven for pollinators 

• Providing a range of food sources; tall grasses benefit both insects, nesting birds, and small mammals 

• Offering food and shelter for wildlife.

Floodplain meadows support species such as great burnet, meadowsweet and other distinct floodplain meadow plants, which lay the foundations for a unique ecosystem, supporting a rich range of life. 

Mid-summer, a hay crop is taken, which is used by farmers in the winter to feed their livestock. This method benefits both farmers and the land in a variety of ways: 

• For farmers, hay is a rich source of essential nutrients for livestock, filled with fibre, proteins, vitamins and minerals, which boost animal health in the winter when food is scarce. Hay making is also cost-effective, reducing feed costs and providing year-round availability of food. 
• For the land, a hay cut prevents the dominant, taller and coarser plant species from out-competing wildflowers, maintaining diverse, flower-rich meadows.

After a hay cut has been taken, the ground is rested, followed by grazing animals which graze the re-growth, maintaining a short grass height. Grazing down the more dominant plants allows for the less competitive flowering plants to re-grow again and flourish in the spring, maintaining a rich plant diversity in the meadow.

Why? 

Britain lost 97% of its flower-rich meadows in the 20th century, and floodplains were hit hard by agricultural intensification, mineral extraction and urban development. Less than 3,000 hectares of floodplain meadows are left in the UK*. Floodplain meadows remain at risk from a lack of appropriate management and climate change as weather patterns become more unpredictable. 

However, floodplain meadows are recognised for their range of benefits, and conservation efforts are underway to protect and restore their value and role in flood management, carbon storage, the biodiversity they support, and their role in farming. 

The natural engineering of floodplain meadows sets them apart from any other habitat. They have deep alluvial soils, which means they have a high capacity to store carbon. During periods of heavy rainfall, floodplain meadows act as part of nature’s drainage system. Beneath the surface, their resilient root systems stabilise the soil and prevent erosion. These well-structured soils hold and absorb excess water.  

They also mitigate flood risk by providing space for surface water during flooding, hence their name! The nutrient-rich sediment that is deposited onto the land during flooding is also absorbed, then removed during the hay cut, helping to improve the water quality of neighbouring streams and rivers.  

Despite the damage and chaos that ensues during flooding, there is a surprising positive impact on our floodplain meadows. The flood water replenishes the soil with nutrients, creating a rich, fertile environment, creating excellent hay and pasture without any artificial inputs being required. 

By protecting these landscapes, we’re not just honouring our history, we’re safeguarding the future of habitats that sustain wildlife and support the delicate balance of our ecosystems. 

Appreciating floodplain meadows 

Next time you take a walk along a riverbank, take a closer look at the meadows nearby, there’s more to them than meets the eye. They’re a vital part of our natural world, quietly working away to take care of our wildlife, environment, and us, through our past, present and future. 

If you’d like to learn more about floodplain meadows, and how you could get involved in helping this unique habitat, find out more on the Floodplain Meadows Partnership webpage at: Floodplain Meadow Partnership: Valuing, conserving and exploring our heritage | Floodplain Meadows Partnership 

References and further reading

The conservation of floodplain meadows in Great Britain: an overview *
Floodplain Meadows - Farm Wildlife 
Discover | Floodplain Meadows Partnership