Latest news with #ExmoorPonies
The Guardian
12-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Saving Britain's precious habitats from invasive grasses
Regarding George Monbiot's article (There's an invader turning huge swathes of Britain into deserts – and these dead zones are spreading, 9 June), yes, molinia (purple moor-grass) is a serious scourge of many of the UK's acidic upland landscapes. In 1999, while still residing in my home county of East Sussex, I began a conservation grazing initiative using Exmoor ponies to combat the growing threat to the South Downs' chalk grasslands from a very similar grass, Brachypodium (tor grass), which back then I estimated was affecting well in excess of 200 hectares. This grass is of little use to farmers and also seriously depletes biodiversity. In 2004, we began to get increasingly involved with the extensive acid grasslands in the high, acid heath and grasslands of the Ashdown Forest area, involving four different landowners – Sussex Wildlife Trust, Sussex Police Authority, the Ministry of Defence and the Conservators of Ashdown. Here, pony grazing was mainly to combat the rampant spread of molinia. The most spectacular result was on the MoD's 200-hectare training area, which had not been grazed within living memory. This was transformed from mainly thick molinia to open swards within several years of grazing 32 Exmoors year-round. It also minimised the previous extensive fires caused by army pyrotechnics. I too consider the rampant spread of these two grass species as being due to nitrogen pollution, aided to a lesser extent by less grazing. I retired in 2017, then running 85 ponies. Today in East Sussex, there are in the region of 150 Exmoors carrying on what I initiated a quarter of a century LarkinSt Dogmaels, Pembrokeshire Having been an upland farmer for half a century, I share George Monbiot's concerns about the growing domination of molinia in some regions. However, a century ago, Robert Wallace, professor of agriculture and rural economy at Edinburgh University, explained in his book, Heather and Moor Burning for Grouse and Sheep, that control of this plant can be ensured through the time-honoured combination of rotational winter-burning and active shepherding. These ancient skills ensured that the growth of molinia was checked by managing the flock to graze off its early-spring shoots. After the animals had been moved to their in-bye lambing fields, the moor's later-emerging, more fragile plants were able to thrive. To prevent neglected moors from turning into lifeless deserts of overgrown molinia and tick-infested bracken, perhaps we should be paying more attention to the wisdom of our Harrison Snitter, Northumberland Far from crowding out other plants and wildlife, purple moor-grass is in fact a key indicator of an increasingly rare habitat – known in Devon as culm grassland and in Wales as rhôs pasture – that is home to rare plants like devil's-bit scabious and butterflies such as the marsh fritillary, which depends on it for food and reproduction. On our former farm in north-west Devon, we now manage the land precisely to protect this highly threatened ecosystem. George Monbiot is right to point out that walking over such land is far from easy, owing to the plant's tussocky nature, but I suggest he takes a leaf out of Devon Wildlife Trust's excellent short film about the culm, Never Mind the Tussocks (Here's the Wildlife). He might learn something NeweyPancrasweek, Devon Re molinia grass sucking the life out of biodiversity, the solution is hiding in plain sight: England's last semi-wild pony population – the iconic Dartmoor hill ponies. Studies, tests and surveys published in prestigious scientific journals confirm that Dartmoor semi-wild ponies not only eat molinia, but are also perfectly adapted over millennia of roaming Dartmoor to thrive in the highest and harshest parts where that job is needed most. George Monbiot and the campaigner Tony Whitehead should not despair for Dartmoor biodiversity. Instead, they should focus their efforts on asking Defra to ensure its policies nurture and sustain the number of Dartmoor hill ponies, and biodiversity will be burgeoning here once FaulknerDartmoor Hill Pony Association
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
17-05-2025
- BBC News
Nature festival launched on Exmoor National Park
People are being urged to "connect with nature" at the launch of a two-week festival to celebrate Exmoor National Exmoor Nature Festival runs from 17 May to 1 June and features activities including nature walks, art sessions and organisers said they hoped participants word be "inspired to help us look after this very special landscape".Experts are also offering talks on topics such as fungi and bird life, while children have the chance to meet one of the park's famous Exmoor ponies. Festival organiser, Julie Colman, rural enterprise co-ordinator at Exmoor National Park, said: "National Parks were created to help support the Nations' health and wellbeing and this is a real opportunity for everyone to connect with nature."Not only are people learning about Exmoor flora and fauna but hopefully being inspired to help us look after this very special landscape."Information about the different events and activities are available on the Exmoor Nation Park website, and at its visitors' centres in Dulverton, Dunster and Lynmouth.
