Conservation Grazing

Livestock are not machines. They don’t create a uniform and monotonous habitat but, through their selective feeding and behaviour, they enable a patchwork of microhabitats to occur that benefit a wider range of animals, from fungi to plants, insects to reptiles, birds to mammals.

Creating microhabitats

Different breeds of livestock have different diets and ways of feeding that create favourable conditions for wildlife. Cows feed by wrapping their tongues around the plants and pulling them up, leaving behind patches of vegetation of uneven heights. Sheep meanwhile tend to nibble the vegetation shorter creating cropped areas. It is this variety that enables many different types of plants and insects to establish themselves. It also benefits ground-nesting birds, like skylarks, that need this mix of conditions to raise their young.

Creating space

Livestock often feed on the more vigorously growing plants, shrubs and tree saplings that, if left unchecked, can overwhelm the more delicate wildflowers and reduce the diversity of the plant community. Livestock grazing makes it easier for more plant species to coexist. As they move around, they also create space by pushing through the vegetation, tramping wildflower seeds into the soil as they go, ready to germinate next year.

 Creating food

The manure from grazing livestock, especially cows, is a great source of nutrients for plants and insects. More than 250 species of insects have been found on cattle dung in the UK. An added benefit of low intensity grazing is that the smaller numbers of animals are less likely to need treatment for internal parasites and so no chemicals go into the soil or food chain.

In addition to working with local farmers who graze their animals on our land, we started with our own flock of sheep in 2009. Choosing the right grazer for the right habitat is very important as the way they feed and how they behave will determine the benefits they can bring. At GWT, we choose rare and traditional breeds as they are best suited to the terrain and vegetation on our reserves.