Conservation grazing

Conservation grazing means using livestock to help manage land for wildlife. Different animals eat different plants. By choosing the right livestock we can help control vegetation and support biodiversity.

This approach works in many habitats, including:

• grasslands
• woodlands
• wetlands
• scrub

Almost a third of the land we manage is open ground. From coastal sand dunes and lowland bog to upland moorland and mountain tops. Around 67,000 hectares of this land is designated for conservation. Grazing isnt always harmful. In fact, it often plays a vital role in improving, maintaining or enhancing important habitats and historic sites.

Habitats such as species rich grasslands, heathlands, sand dunes and some wetlands are early successional habitats.

If they aren't grazed, they can change into less diverse grasslands, scrub, or even woodland depending on nearby seed sources and soil type. These are often more common and don’t support the same species of plants and insects.

Grazing helps maintain the conditions that rare species need to thrive.

Grazing animals do two things:

1. They tend to eat lusher plant species. This gives the finer plants and flowers a better chance to grow.
   
   
2. They uptake nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. This prevents them from being put back into the soil again. In turn the more aggressive plants cannot displace the rare plants which thrive in low nutrient conditions.

There are a variety of animals used in conservation grazing. We like using:

• cattle which tear mouthfuls of vegetation, great when we want to reduce heavy vegetation
• sheep which nibble and select specific plants. Sheep are great for reducing the vegetation around vulnerable archaeological sites
• ponies can also be effective conservation grazers

We do not own our own domestic animals, but work with local graziers. While they’re doing their bit for biodiversity, cattle and sheep are also growing in size and value. Income from the livestock market eventually contributes to the cost of their upkeep. Grazing animals provide work for stockpersons, contractors and agricultural industries. By using native and rare breeds, we’re helping to protect domestic animals, not just wild ones.

Lochaber case study

Native breeds of cattle are helping to improve habitats for butterflies. Two species that are benefitting from grazing are the rare, chequered skipper and pearl-bordered fritillary. The cattle graze the hillside and trample the bracken encouraging the plants the butterflies are reliant on  to grow.

Careful management of grazing is also benefiting the black grouse. Cattle grazing is:

• creating areas of short grass, perfect for males to display in the breeding season
• encouraging a wider variety of vegetation for the grouse and their chicks to feed on

The revival of wildflower meadows case study

Wildflower meadows are some of the most iconic symbols of the British countryside. 97% of them have been lost over the last 75 years.

That’s bad news for many scarce and declining species of flowers and plants, and for the insects and animals that live there.

To reverse the trend, King Charles called for the creation of new wildflower meadows. In 2012 to celebrate the upcoming 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, one meadow was created in every county.

One of our meadows is recognised as a Coronation Meadow. These sites are outstanding (and rare) examples of species-rich lowland grassland. 

• Samhairidh, Morvern: the name is Gaelic for sorrel-pasture but you won’t only find sorrel there. We’ve identified 89 species of flowering plant. We’ve got typical meadow species such as northern marsh orchid, ox-eye daisy and yellow rattle, and rarer species such as the stunning Greater Butterfly Orchid.

That’s where conservation grazing comes in.

You might be surprised to see cattle or ponies grazing near rare wildflowers. But they’re doing an important job. Grazing removes some of the plant material and helps take nutrients out of the system. This keeps the soil lean and the meadow diverse. 

At Samhairidh, we also mow the meadow in late summer and remove the cuttings. This helps reduce nutrients even further and weakens the more dominant grasses.  

The local graziers we work with use:

• Highland cattle or ponies at Samhairidh
• Aberdeen Angus cattle at Yair Haugh 

These animals are hardy, low-impact grazers -perfect for sensitive habitats like these.