TRADITIONAL HAY FIELDS PROTECT WATERSHEDS FROM EXCESSIVE NITROGEN

 

Research by European scientists finds that traditional hay meadows support biodiversity and prevent water pollution better than those fields that are intensively farmed.

The researchers found these types of grassy meadows lose five times less nitrogen from the soil. Nitrogen is commonly needed by plants for growth, but the substance can become a pollutant when it leaches into rivers. It can contaminate and endanger water supplies.

Franciska de Vries of the Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University and the project’s lead researcher, explained:

Nitrogen that leaches from the soil with drainage water forms a threat for water quality and high levels in drinking water can threaten human health. It can also reduce species diversity in rivers and grasslands.

 

 

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