The Scotsman reports a “rush to rewild” the UK’s landscapes could put the rich array of wildflowers found in already-rare meadows at risk, plant experts have warned. While rewilding, which aims to return land to a more “natural” state, can provide opportunities for the UK’s wild plants, many will still need grazing or other kinds of disturbance such as ploughing or cultivating to thrive. 

Wildflower meadows are some of the UK’s most species-rich habitats, but are found on less than 1 per cent of the country’s land area, wildlife charity Plantlife said ahead of National Meadows Day on Saturday. More than 97 per cent of meadows have been lost since the 1930s and the remaining fragments have poor legal protection, the charity warned.