Conservation Grazing

What is Conservation Grazing? 

Conservation grazing relies on a variety of livestock to help manage habitats naturally, including Longhorn cattle, Highland cattle, Exmoor ponies and Hebridean sheep.

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How Grazing Supports Biodiversity

Through their grazing, trampling and movement across the landscape, these animals play an important role in maintaining healthy and diverse habitats. Their activity contributes to soil enrichment, encourages biodiversity and helps create a varied structure within grasslands, heathlands and coastal environments.

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Different Grazers, Different Roles

Different breeds contribute in different ways. Cattle graze coarse vegetation, helping maintain a varied mosaic of plant life. Ponies target tougher grasses and create open patches as they move, allowing space for new seedlings and wildflowers to establish. Hebridean sheep are more selective grazers, often helping control invasive or unwanted plant species.

The movement and behaviour of grazing livestock also support wider ecological processes, helping disperse seeds, create habitat variation and encourage new life to flourish across the landscape.

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Ultimately, conservation grazing mirrors natural and historical processes that once shaped many of our landscapes, helping restore balance and support thriving ecosystems for wildlife and people alike.

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Through photography, I aim to document the relationship between grazing animals, habitat restoration and the changing character of protected landscapes.