Flower meadows and wildflower islands

Initiative: "Flower meadows and wildflower islands".
Originator: "Meadow" Foundation
Location: Szczęśliwiecki Park, Warsaw-Ochota
Implementation date: 04/2016-09/2016

Description of the problem encountered: With an area of 34 hectares, Szczęśliwicki Park is the largest of the green spaces administered by the Ochota District, enjoying a consistently high attendance among Warsaw residents. A significant area of the park is occupied by grassy areas, which requires financial outlays, related to mowing, which leads to a decrease in the biodiversity of the area.

Activities:

• creation of 10 plant islands with a total area of 2,500m2 and sowing seed mixes with wild native plant species on them;
• ecological picnic;
• workshops with botanists and entomologists aimed at local residents and students from nearby schools, who will be able to take care of the meadows after they have been planted.

Planned results: The conversion of part of the park area into flower meadows and areas with wild vegetation will contribute to reducing mowing operations to 1-2 per growing season (instead of 4-5) and will further increase the biodiversity of the targeted area. The project is an opportunity to raise the issue of wildlife habitat conservation and increase the environmental awareness of local residents. The flower meadows and islands of wild vegetation in the Szczęśliwicki Park will be an initiative to influence the city authorities and lead to a change of perspective on the care of green spaces. Low-mowed lawns are a biological desert unfriendly to native animals and plants. The initiative will bring environmental improvements to the area.

The initiative "Flower meadows and islands with wild vegetation" of the Meadow Foundation is realised within the project "Local ecological civic initiatives - together for the environment" of the Foundation for the Development of Polish Agriculture and financed by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.

RESULTS OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

On 9 April 2016. The Meadow Foundation together with the residents of Ochota (a group of about 40 people) sowed a drawing of a bee, made using the land art technique, on the slope of the Szczęsliwicka Hill with the seeds of a flower meadow. During the event, participants were introduced to the subject of urban flower meadows.

Everyone was then invited to mow the resulting meadow. The event was open and attracted around 50 people, adults and children from Ochota.

As part of the 'MOWING THE MEadow' picnic, a number of themed workshops were held for both children and adults.