TRADITIONAL HUSBANDRY

Haymeadows are the result of a land use practice carried out over a long period of time. They display, from a cultural history point of view, the last remaining evidence of an economic system whose origins date back many hundred years.

Due to the clearing of the forests at the foot of the slopes and the regular use of the land, large areas of marshy meadows developed. Traditionally, the grass was mown in late summer or autumn after the aerial parts of the grasses were more or less dead and dried (better hay!). Mowing prevented the reforestation and provided the countless sun-hungry species with sustainable conditions to thrive.

With the advent of liquid manure systems in the mid-1900s, these haymeadows lost their importance. The difficulty of mowing very wet meadows made the process no longer profitable. They are now, in many cases, either no longer used at all or have been drained and turned into mown pastures.

With the diesappearance of traditional husbandry on the marshy meadows, not only has a cultural asset of the agricultural landscape been lost, but also the characteristic flora and fauna of the haymeadows with it.