11-Year UK Study Finds Abandoned Farmland Can Recover Into Orchid-Rich Meadow on Its Own

Research led by Professor Carl Sayer at UCL Geography, published in the journal Restoration Ecology, followed plant life over 11 years (2011-2022) in a two-hectare field in North Norfolk, England. Farming at the site ended after a final crop in 2005, and aside from a traditional annual hay cut, the field was largely left alone.

Within 10 to 15 years, the former arable field had developed into a species-rich wildflower meadow, with the number and variety of plants increasing over time, including locally rare species such as southern marsh orchid, greater tussock-sedge, yellow rattle and common centaury. The average number of plant species found in each survey plot roughly doubled, rising from about 10 in 2011 to nearly 20 by 2022, and thousands of orchids became established naturally.

The results question the common assumption that restoring species-rich grassland requires commercial seed mixes or other costly measures. "Our study shows that resisting seeding and allowing nature to lead may be worth trying a lot more in wildflower meadow restoration," said Sayer, professor of limnology and freshwater ecology. "Natural plant recovery better safeguards genetic diversity than seeding and ensures that local species thrive, making meadows less generic."

The researchers think some of the site's more unusual plants may have arrived without human help, possibly carried by wildlife such as deer. Long-term studies tracking natural grassland restoration are uncommon because they require consistent monitoring over many years; this one relied on vegetation surveys conducted every two to three years by Sayer and collaborator Pete Robinson.