The Forest of Dean has the best examples of scarce open heathland habitats in Gloucestershire but they are also one of the hardest habitats to maintain. Working to deliver bigger better and more connected spaces for nature requires natural solutions such as grazing to deliver more with less mechanical intervention. The Park Nature reserve has suffered a decline in grazing over the last decade, but GWT are now leading on restoring heathland habitats here which need grazing to prevent loss of efforts, much of which has been gifted practically by volunteers.
Whilst we have the Highland cattle, Exmoor ponies and Hebridean sheep ready to graze, the fence situation across this 30ha nature reserve is close to collapse. Supporting the costs of replacement ensures we can safely manage these native breeds throughout the year ensuring their welfare and attracting new audiences to the role of conservation grazing in managing important local habitats and the species, such as nightjar and adder, that rely on them.
