Historic Floodplain Meadows in the Landscape: Investigating Anthropogenic Habitats Important for Nature Conservation, Carbon Sequestration and Flood Attenuation

In contemporary river valley floors, floodplain meadows are associated with rare grassland plant communities that are important for their conservation value. This article outlines a desk-based method to identify, map and record floodplain meadows as historic features in the landscape, based on physical forms embodying agricultural practices dating back to the medieval period. Mapping the former location, extent and distribution of floodplain meadows independently of the survival of habitat provides transparent, place-based evidence of the decline of floodplain meadow habitats. It also supports restoration of floodplain meadows based on former locations that date back many centuries. The article summarises catchment-based studies carried out across England and Wales between 2017 and 2024. The methodology is GIS-based and uses a variety of base layers, historic landscape sources such as maps and lidar, and non-mappable documentary and published sources, all of which are readily accessible to users. In total, 373 historic floodplain meadows in seven catchments were identified, recorded, and added to a freely available online map. The results show that floodplain meadows were present in the historic landscape in many parts of England and Wales and suggest that even where meadows were situated on the riverine peripheries of manors or parishes, they were central to the structure of agricultural societies and the landscapes to which they gave rise. The approach that has been developed is relevant throughout the geographic range of floodplain meadows, reflecting at least the extent of medieval open field agriculture in Europe. However, the methodology may also be relevant to the restoration of anthropogenic habitats across the globe that are of high importance for nature conservation, climate mitigation and adaptation, where traces interpretable from the historic landscape are more extensive than the survival of the habitat itself.