The Purbeck Heaths are nationally and internationally important for rare and threatened wildlife. To ensure that the amazing diversity of wildlife that inhabits the heaths can not only survive but thrive, a partnership of the RSPB, National Trust, Natural England and Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty are expanding the naturalised grazing system at National Trust’s Hartland Moor and Natural England’s Stoborough Heath to encompass RSPB Arne. The project will create a “mini New Forest” in the area between Stoborough, Corfe Castle and Arne near Wareham, with cattle, ponies and pigs roaming across an area of 1370 ha at the heart of the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve.
Different breeds of cattle, ponies and pigs will be used to create the greatest possible variety of grazing and trampling across the area. By allowing animals to range freely across a large area, they will both be able to restore natural patterns of habitat and help to spread different species across the landscape. This type of grazing system used to be much more common and examples still exist today, including nearby in the New Forest. In Purbeck, the partnership will be more than doubling the area currently under such a grazing system and also introducing pigs, for their unique ability to assist this natural process.
David Brown, Ecologist with the National Trust, said “It’s incredibly exciting to see plans that we have worked on for very many years come to fruition. Cattle, ponies and pigs have a unique impact on their environment and by giving them free range across a large landscape we will be unleashing their power to create a dynamic mosaic of habitats as they trample, root, wallow and graze.”
The project secured funding last year from the Wytch Farm Landscape and Access Enhancement Fund and from the Government’s Green Recovery Fund. After lots of planning and preparation, the project has now reached the exciting milestone of installing the cattle grids that are essential to the functioning of the naturalised grazing system. Seven new cattle grids will be installed and one existing cattle grid will be removed. Work will start at the end of August and will continue through to December with teams from Dorset Highways working through a programme to install each grid. There will be some diversions and the possibility of minor delays but the team will be working hard to keep these to a minimum.
Councillor Ray Bryan, Dorset Council Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment commented “It’s testament to the quality of our natural environment and the collaboration between organisations that this project was chosen for significant Government investment against stiff competition from across England. In the face of a nature and climate crisis, this project provides a win:win:win for nature, climate and people.”
Peter Robertson, Senior Sites Manager at RSPB Arne, said “To be working so closely with our neighbours, literally taking down the fences between our land and land owned by the National Trust and Natural England, is the culmination of lots of partnership working over many years. Nature doesn’t respect boundaries and we’re excited about the opportunity to create such a significant, joined up landscape for wildlife. It will also be an incredible landscape for people to visit and enjoy and to be able to see how it changes and evolves over time.”
