Traditionally our natural landscape would have been shaped by large herbivores such as elk, aurochs and wild ponies. These animals would have grazed on vegetation, churned up the earth, transported seeds in their fur and left behind vital nutrients within their dung. Today, many of those species are extinct or absent from our landscapes and to maintain habitats, their vital roles must be undertaken by humans or machines.

At Northumberland Wildlife Trust we attempt to replicate this behaviour with conservation grazing to maintain habitats. At East Chevington a small herd of goats spend the late summer and early autumn grazing an area of land which is known for its Lesser butterfly orchids. At Hauxley, Exmoor ponies and highland cows have been employed to help in the creation of a wildflower meadow. In the future, our West Chevington reserve’s grassland and woodland will become home to a free ranging herd of cattle. Watch our video below to find out more about how and why we use conservation grazing:-

Our goats and cattle wear sophisticated GPS ‘NoFence’ Collars. Through the NoFence app we are able to draw GPS boundaries on our reserves to create invisible fences the livestock cannot cross. If an animal gets close to these boundaries, the collars give off an increasingly high pitched audible warning followed by a small electric shock. The animals learn quickly to turn back when they hear the collars and rarely push the boundaries past the audible warning. Through the use of these invisible fences we can exclude the livestock from areas to  protect sensitive habitats, direct them to graze specific areas and minimise interactions with members of the public. The software also allows us to track the livestock and analyse their grazing habits and behaviour.

Through the use of conservation grazing, we hope to continue to maintain and improve habitats on our Druridge Bay reserves, in a more natural way with far less human intervention.

Find out more about our Biodiversity Boost Project here:- Biodiversity Boost | Northumberland Wildlife Trust 

Made possible by funding from DEFRA and the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Species Survival Fund.