Change mowing regime

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

50%
Certainty

30%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Many amphibians require damp terrestrial habitat once they move out of water. If vegetation surrounding water bodies is mown very short, it will not retain sufficient humidity or provide cover for amphibians during their terrestrial stages. Cutting can also disturb amphibians.

Study locations

Key messages

One before-and-after study in Australia found that restoration that included reduced mowing increased numbers of frog species.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A before-and-after study in 1996–2004 of a golf course with degraded woodland and grassland in Sydney, Australia (Burgin & Wotherspoon 2009) found that restoration that included changing the mowing regime resulted in an increase in frog species over two years. Frogs increased from seven to 10 species in the first year and then remained stable for the following six years. A total of 18 species of frogs were predicted in the area of which 56% were present following restoration. The golf course was developed in 1993 and restoration undertaken in 1997–2001. The mowing regime was changed to maintain taller areas of rough grass. In addition, during mowing a narrow band of herb vegetation was retained around ponds as a buffer zone for amphibians. Endemic shrubs and trees were planted, non-native weeds were removed and coarse woody debris was reintroduced onto the woodland floor. Pond perimeters were walked to record frog calls in 1996–2004.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Burgin S. & Wotherspoon D. (2009) The potential for golf courses to support restoration of biodiversity for biobanking offsets. Urban Ecosystems, 12, 145-155.

Please cite as:

Smith, R.K., Meredith, H. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Amphibian Conservation. Pages 9-64 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Amphibian Conservation

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Manage grazing regime Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	7	Synopsis Link
Manage cutting regime Action Link	Evidence not assessed	0	Synopsis Link
Change mowing regime Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link