Biodiversity benefits of grassland management on St Helena

Grassland is a key habitat on St Helena, South Atlantic for many native species including the endemic St Helena Plover (also known as the Wirebird). However, it is under increased pressure from threats such as encroachment by invasive plants, changes in agricultural practices and climate. To tackle these threats, we need to identify land management practices that will provide the greatest benefits for native biodiversity.

This project will use data from a three-year trial run by the St Helena National Trust. This involved applying land management techniques to 1 hectare plots with no management applied to paired control plots. Pre- and post-management data was collected on the vegetation and invertebrate communities on trial and control plots, and on the Wirebird nesting distribution and success on and around these plots. This project will analyse these data to assess which management techniques delivered the greatest biodiversity benefits and so inform future land management policy and practice.