What’s new?
21 October 2008
Sheep and volunteers improve habitats for biodiversity
Northamptonshire reserves get some tender loving care
Local volunteers and native sheep have been hard at work at two rare acid grassland sites near Daventry - High Wood and Meadow and Ramsden Corner Nature Reserve - thanks to a grant of £18,000 from The Veolia Environmental Trust.
Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers have been busy at High Wood, replacing fencing and removing overhanging branches from the fence lines. At Ramsden corner, invasive bracken has been cut, raked and removed for the second time this year, helping to prevent its spread and allow the acid grassland species to flourish.
The grazing programme using native-breed sheep is continuing on both sites. The sheep selectively graze the sensitive grasslands, keeping coarse weeds and scrub in check. The North Ronaldsay flock kept at High Wood is also a nucleus flock for the original flock in the Scottish Isles, kept as a backup gene pool in case of disaster on the native island. Local volunteers act as shepherds for the Trust, counting and checking the animals daily.
The two reserves are situated in the rolling south-Northamptonshire countryside, at the start of the Cotswolds hills, and are the only acid grassland nature reserves in the county, supporting species such as harebells, cat’s-ear, sweet vernal grass and tormentil. Acid grassland is a rare and declining habitat in Northamptonshire with an area equivalent to around 10 football pitches (10 hectares) protected in the county.
As well as practical work to protect these sites the Wildlife Trust’s conservation team has been hard at work behind the scenes giving ecological advice to three developers in the area to ensure there is no harm to protected species or important habitats.
The Veolia Environmental Trust awarded the grant through the Landfill Communities Fund.