TEESDALE farmers have been praised for their work in helping to preserve the area's flower-rich hay meadows.

The upland hay meadows are a national rarity; their numbers fell rapidly in the twentieth century as a result of agricultural intensification and recent estimates indicate there are fewer than 1,000 hectares left in Northern England.

In Teesdale, however, many farmers and landowners have signed up to Defra's Environmentally Sensitive Area scheme, which offers incentives to encourage the adoption of agricultural practices to safeguard and enhance parts of the country which are of particularly high landscape, wildlife or historic value.

Teesdale forms part of the Pennine Dales ESA, which more than 1,000 farmers and landowners have joined since its launch in 1987.

Last summer staff from Defra's Rural Development Service in the North-East surveyed 60 hay meadows in Teesdale. They recorded plant species in the fields, took details of the management in use and took soil samples to analyse the pH (acidity and alkalinity) and nutrient status. The information enabled the identification of potential sites for upgrades and enhancements.

Richard MacDonald, project officer for the Dale at the North-East Rural Development Service, said that, in recent years, many farmers had stopped applying lime to their hay meadows. "In some circumstances, the application of lime may not be desirable from a conservation point of view as it encourages the more productive grasses to grow and out-compete some of the desirable plant species we're trying to preserve," he said.

"However, if meadows become too acidic this can eventually result in a loss of plant species diversity. Our results showed the pH levels of some fields were down to pH 5.5, which is quite low, and in these cases we've advised the application of lime outside the bird-breeding season.

"We also identified several fields suitable for upgrades or enhancement work and, by working closely with the farmers, we've been able to ensure the right action and land management, such as light spring grazing with a late hay cut and aftermath grazing, to preserve this wonderful feature of our landscape."

Among the farmers involved in the scheme are Reuben Atkinson of Rose Tree Farm, Forest in Teesdale, and Elaine Nixon and Chris Dent of Peghorn Lodge, Harwood.

Mr Atkinson, who runs the 140-acre cattle and sheep farm with his wife, Hilary, and their two children, said the farm was already in the ESA when they took it over three years ago. "We renewed the agreement for another ten years, as we believe it's important to preserve features such as the hay meadows. They're really unique," he said.

"They would not survive under more intensive methods of farming as the flowers and other plant species cannot compete with the more rampant grasses but, with Defra's support, we can afford to adapt our farming methods to ensure their survival."

Miss Nixon and Mr Dent, who have a young daughter, farm about 1,500 acres with suckler cows, Swaledale sheep and pure-bred Galloway cattle. Miss Nixon said they, too, renewed the existing ESA agreement when they took the farm over two years ago.

"The hay meadows are an important feature of the landscape and by preserving them we also help the local wildlife, while the financial incentives offered by the scheme make it worthwhile," she said.

Since 1996 Defra has supported research from Newcastle University on the optimum management for upland hay meadows and ways of reinstating the habitat on meadows that have become species-poor through the use of mineral fertiliser.

The 14-year-old meadow experiment on English Nature's Ingleborough National Nature Reserve has provided key insights for conservation management.

Dr Roger Smith, from the School of Biology at Newcastle, said suitable management of species rich meadows was essential for their conservation. "It takes a very long time to reinstate plant diversity once species are lost through intensive agricultural management," he said. "Current research with the Universities of Lancaster, Reading and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research is investigating the role of key species such as red clover and hay rattle on soil microbes.

"Future successful conservation management will need to take a long-term view and probably involve the sowing of key species to facilitate grassland diversification.