16.4.24

Nature friendly ‘one cut' mowing regimes, where the grass is not cut until September, are due to be introduced at 33 new sites in Cardiff this year.

Covering approximately 8 hectares of parkland and highway verges, the new sites mean that in total 122.24 hectares of land - the equivalent to 272 football pitches - across 144 different sites will be managed for the benefit of nature, including important pollinators such as bees, butterflies that our food chains rely on.

Silver Birch Close open space - one of Cardiff's ‘no mow' areas, in summer 2023.

Switching to ‘one cut' per year has resulted in significant gains for biodiversity when compared to other areas of Cardiff where the grass is cut more frequently.

Biodiversity monitoring work carried out in Cardiff, with help of volunteers from Cardiff Local Nature Partnership, showed that 89% of ‘no mow' sites surveyed were home to more than 11 different species, compared to just 11% of more frequently mown areas.

A council spokesperson said: "The positive impact these ‘one cut' sites have on nature is clear, which is why the amount of council-owned land managed in this way has increased every year since a nature emergency was declared in Cardiff in late 2021."

The biodiversity surveys highlighted that frequently mown areas, that were  once only home to perennial rye grass, buttercups, daisies and dandelions, have flourished since moving to ‘one cut' per year mowing regimes. A wide range of species can now be found across these sites, including red clover, cuckoo flower, goatsbeard, pignut, common birds-foot trefoil, as well as waxcap fungi.