Naturalistic grazing and re-wilding

How do we do conservation?

• Nature conservation often ‘gardening’– Inevitable with small sites

– Cultural landscapes

– Hostile socio-political environment

– Specific habitat/species

• Driven by target-focused conservation approach

• Many strengths to this

Agencies have looked at re-wilding

• Total freedom not possible, but the limits can be stretched• Science-base must be sound

The past as a template – pre-Neolithic landscape?

• The traditional view – closed forest• Vera’s view

– ‘Half-open park-like landscape’

– Driven by large herbivores

• Research by CEH, Paul Buckland

• ENRR 648

– www.english-nature.org.uk

Vera’s arguments considered• Pollen analysis over-emphasised trees • Regular abundance of light-demanding trees • Failure of oak to thrive in non-intervention reserves• Ignored of role of large grazers (Serengeti model)• Misinterpretation of medieval references to forest• Comparison with US ‘old-growth’stands• Abundance of ‘open’ species in current landscapes • Plus subsequent publications/debate

Hypothesis, not Fact

• Half open landscape – no strong evidence

• Herbivores were main driver of change – assumption

• Herbivores always give half-open landscape - wrong

Naturalistic grazing regimes• Re-wilding• Landscape scale, mosaics of

habitats• Natural(-istic) processes such

as grazing

• Land abandonment under CAP reform

• Forestry renaissance• Rewilding initiatives

Conservation issues?

• Are we prepared to allow change?

• Re-wilding is unpredictable• Wood may go to heath, but

heath may go to woodland quicker!

• Re-wilding may mean losses of abundance of species, even extinctions

Keep some targets…?

Regulation issues• Welfare legislation exists

• Feral animals are not wild

• Deer within fenced areas may fall into the category of ‘kept’ animals.

• Disease issues

Legal constraints

Public support issues

• Much likely land has public access– Footpaths

– Right to roam

• Domestic stock kill people – Extra problems of dogs

– Stallions and horse riders

• Jurassic Park planning– Dealing with escapes

Ways forward• Need large areas• Likely to be staged process

– Bring stakeholders on board

• Public

• Regulators

• Conservationists

– Opportunity to stop at each stage

• Likely to be more very extensive farming than fully wild• Not recreation of past, but new cultural landscape

Thank you!