Grazing for Conservation

Grazing animals are used for the purposes of nature conservation management in many places, by a number of individuals and organisations. The Grazing Animals Project is an organisation which exists to 'help land managers get the desired level of grazing on wildlife sites'.

Cattle graze in a different manner to other grazing animals such as sheep or horses which are also used for conservation grazing. Cattle use their tongue to grab tufts of vegetation, rather than nibbling the tips, as sheep tend to do.  Cattle are also less selective grazers, particularly the native breeds, and will browse the vegetation across an area, rather than selecting particular species or areas of a site.

Traditional cattle are particularly good for the purposes of conservation grazing and are increasingly being recognised for their ability to graze rough grasslands and for their value for conservation management. Traditional cattle tend to be less selective than continental breeds. They better convert the rough vegetation into liveweight gain for beef production. This makes traditional breeds widely thought to be better able to maintain the nature conservation value of key habitats of the uplands. The more selective grazing habits of continental breeds, coupled with the lower stocking rates promoted through agri-environment schemes, has often resulted in an increase in rank grasses such as purple moor grass molinia caerulea.

Native hill breeds of cattle such as the Galloway and Blue Grey have a vital role in helping to maintain the diversity of the uplands, particularly key habitats such as mires and areas of heather regeneration. The relatively smaller size of many native breeds of cattle, in comparison with the continental breeds, is an added advantage when dealing with sensitive habitats, as they tend to cause less damage in terms of poaching and erosion.