3 Meadows and climate change adaptation and resilience
Floodplain meadows are one of the most diverse habitats in the UK. Diversity confers resilience. If a particular species disappears (for example due to high temperatures), other species are able to take its place. High diversity creates an insurance strategy. Meadows with similar plant communities occur across Europe from Western Ireland to the Urals, demonstrating their adaptability across a wide range of climates.
Moreover, meadows are adaptable to the unpredictable hydrology of the floodplain landscape in which they have developed. Compared to intensive systems of production, meadows are better adapted to stresses, absorbing floodwater and sediment while providing food, whereas other land-uses suffer with increasing unpredictability.
Activity 2
In the table, look carefully at the benefits of floodplain meadows for climate change and identify whether they are mitigation or adaptation. In the right-hand column add your answers.
| Benefit | Mitigation or adaptation? |
|---|---|
| Meadows are highly productive without artificial inputs. | |
| Meadow soils have good structure allowing them to absorb floodwaters. | |
| Floodplain meadow soils have high carbon content. | |
| Floodplain meadows can produce food reliably despite flooding and droughts. | |
| Floodplain meadows trap sediment deposited in flood events. | |
| Floodplain meadows store water during flood events, some of which percolates to aquifers and rivers, supporting water resources at times of drought. |
Comment
| Benefit | Mitigation or adaptation? |
|---|---|
| Meadows are highly productive without artificial inputs. | Mitigation |
| Meadow soils have good structure allowing them to absorb floodwaters. | Adaptation |
| Floodplain meadow soils have high carbon content. | Mitigation |
| Floodplain meadows can produce food reliably despite flooding and droughts. | Adaptation |
| Floodplain meadows trap sediment deposited in flood events. | Adaptation |
| Floodplain meadows store water during flood events, some of which percolates to aquifers and rivers, supporting water resources at times of drought. | Adaptation |