Latest news with #grazing
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
How native breeds 'restore and protect' landscapes
Reintroducing native grazing breeds to landscapes can have multiple benefits, including reducing the risk of wildfires, according to Derbyshire Wildlife Highland cattle and eight Exmoor ponies are being introduced to the Trent Valley in Derbyshire as part of a rewilding project intended to restore habitats and increase hope is their behaviour will mimic that of their ancestors, such as aurochs, elk and wild horses, creating so-called "mosaic landscapes" where wildlife can the area has not been affected by recent wildfires, the trust says the animals' grazing habits can help create natural fire breaks in places more at risk. The project has been kickstarted with almost £330,000 in funding from the National Highways "Network for Nature" programme. Wilder grazing assistant Alex Fisher works alongside 11 trained volunteers to acclimatise the new additions to their handlers before they are allowed to roam free. It has taken almost a year for the Exmoor ponies to become comfortable with approaching Fisher says he has to tread a fine line between getting the animals accustomed to being handled, while making sure they remain self-sufficient."These are the perfect lawnmowers," he says. "They know exactly which type of vegetation to eat and graze from."As an example, he points out that their current field is still covered in buttercups, which the ponies domesticated cattle, they nibble the grass short while leaving the roots and soil intact. And they benefit nature from both ends."We don't give them any medication or supplementary feed," Mr Fisher says. "That would come through in their faeces and kill small insects like the dung beetle, which can help heal nature."The ponies had no problem coping with snow on the ground last winter."They used the hooves to pull back the snow and graze the vegetation. We were really happy with how they were over winter." Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Living Landscape Officer Katie Last watched this year's record-breaking wildfires with agrees with Met Office scientists who say the changing climate is increasing the risk of fires, and says restoring landscapes with the aid of native breeds can help."Large grazing herbivores can help create a resilient landscape to wildfires," she says."The trampling and the grazing of vegetation will remove the existing fuel for the fires, and also [it] creates those open gaps and areas of bare ground that will stop the spread of wildfires."But she says that is just one of the many benefits we gain from introducing large herbivores as part of rewilding projects."The way that they manage our grasslands, they're much better at capturing carbon in the ground. They don't overgraze, which gives the soil time to regenerate."Ms Last says because the cattle and ponies graze at different levels, they also remove vegetation and encourage regrowth, which in turn keeps more carbon in the soil. Ecosystem engineers In the past the cattle and ponies would have moved naturally through landscapes as they were hunted by predators such as lynx and the Trust uses GPS collars and geo-fencing to train the Highland cattle and keep them moving."We'd like to see our grazing expanded across the whole of Derbyshire," says Ms Last. "[These breeds] are ecosystem engineers. They create fantastic, diverse mosaic habitat which boosts wildlife and creates a resilient eco-system overall."The project is part of wider moves by Wildlife Trusts to reintroduce missing species to benefit nature.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Sheep brought in to maintain ancient Bristol Downs grazing rights
A flock of sheep has been enjoying one of Bristol's popular open spaces for the day to help keep an historic grazing law ewes and three lambs joined primary school children and residents on Durdham Down so that local groups and householders could exercise their rights to graze their sheep on the to the Downs Act of 1861, commoners must tether at least one sheep for one day every five years to keep the privileges Stevens, from Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project, said: "There's always been a bit of mystery about exactly how often it has to be done - however we go with every five years because it's easy to remember." Nearly 450 acres of open grassland was bought by the Society of Merchant Venturers (SMV) and the city council between 1700 and 1860, according to Robert Bournes from the SMV."The Merchant Venturers bought what was called the Manor of Clifton and the city council bought the Manor of Henbury and they're alongside each other here on the Downs," he said."In 1861 [they] decided to put their resources together under the Downs Act - to look after the Downs for the benefit of the people of Bristol." Under the act, 13 groups or individuals who have property bordering the Downs have the right to let loose up to 1,885 sheep on the include the University of Bristol Botanic Gardens, Badminton School, Trinity College, St Monica Trust as well as individual hundreds of sheep were grazed on the Downs and up until 1925 a full-time shepherd was employed to look after as the volume of motor traffic increased it started putting livestock at risk and the flocks were removed. Shepherdess Melinda Baker, who travelled up to Bristol from Somerset with her small flock of sheep, said it was a "historical right of commoners"."The sheep look very fitting here," she said."Unfortunately in modern-day life, we can't have them here free ranging, but in a pen for today it's just perfect." 'Stepping in poo' In a bid to keep the medieval rights of pasturage alive, the flock of of black Welsh mountain sheep were joined by more than 80 children from local Ted, said the school trip to the Downs had been "very cool"."We've been exploring the place and some people have been feeding the lambs and sheep," he said."[The sheep] are very clumsy and we keep stepping in their poo and everyone finds it very disgusting."
CTV News
16-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
B.C. hunter fined thousands for poaching bighorn sheep
In this Dec. 28, 2004 file photo, a bighorn sheep ram grazes along the North Fork of the Shoshone River, just off Wyoming Highway between Cody, Wyo. and Yellowstone National Park. (Ap Photo/ Billings Gazette, Allison Batdorff )
