Cows
Highlands, angus cross, dexter, longhorns, and Sussex cattle.
As part of our multi-year KWT Nature Restoration Fund designed to power recovery through a series of targeted fundraising sprints, we are shining the light on our Wilder Grazing programme. Amazing Grazing animals munch, chomp, and stomp their way across our reserves, keeping scrub at bay and opening space for wildflowers, insects, and birds to thrive.
We know grazers can be better than power tools when it comes to helping nature thrive. Their natural behaviours help bring life to our landscapes – and now, we must support them so they can continue supporting us.
With their help, we envision a county where our landscapes are more climate-resilient and begin to regenerate for generations to come. Funds raised during this sprint contribute to our overall target to raise £3m for nature by 2030.
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£5
could buy a bale of hay to feed grazing animals.
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£20
could train and equip a livestock checker, ensuring our animals are monitored daily.
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£50
could fund 2 metres of fencing, securing habitat ready for grazing.
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£750
could support one grazing animal for an entire year.
By donating, you’ll be contributing to the vital costs of the Wilder Grazing programme this year, including tools, equipment and transportation, as well as feed, bedding, and welfare costs - ensuring our animals are safe, healthy and happy. But your support will do more than sustain our existing work.
You’ll also be helping to extend Wilder Grazing to several new sites across Kent, including recently acquired reserves and also external partner sites that are ready for restoration. To do this, we need to ensure the sites are ready for our animals. By donating today you’ll be helping to:
Install fencing and a water supply to new sites.
Introduce a no-fence grazing system for some areas managed by our goat herd (providing security without physical boundaries).
Deliver engagement activities which raise awareness of our grazing animals and the invaluable work they do – supporting people and animals to co-exist safely in public areas.
Why conservation grazing – and why now?
Traditional conservation methods can be costly and time intensive; it’s one of our biggest challenges, relying on machinery and huge amounts of staff and volunteer time. Meanwhile, biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate. We simply must restore more land, more quickly, if we are to turn the tide.
That’s where our incredible grazing herds come in.
With new reserves and partner sites ready for restoration, we now have an opportunity to expand the herd’s reach. To do this, we need to install vital infrastructure and improve grazing systems.
The importance of conservation grazing
Our ground-breaking Wilder Grazing Strategy supports the nature-positive management of our estates, encouraging wildlife recovery and adaptation to the changing climate. Read more about conservation grazing below.
The species grazing supports
Conservation grazing helps to create ideal conditions to support and protect a wide range of species, like nightingales, purple emperor butterflies, dormice, devil's-bit scabious, turtle doves, dung beetles, kentish milkwort, red-billed chough, and bee orchids.
Meet the herd
We have the largest and most diverse grazing herd in the county. Nearly 900 animals, including longhorn cattle, konik ponies, Hebridean sheep, goats, pigs, and European bison, are restoring habitats across 52 sites.
Each breed brings a unique set of natural behaviours which positively impacts the land. Some browse dense scrub like hawthorns and brambles, letting light reach the ground so delicate wildflowers can bloom. Pigs churn the soil and bison create bare patches by dust bathing, encouraging seeds to germinate and insects and reptiles to return. Even dung can boost biodiversity – within weeks of bison arriving at the Blean, dung beetle larvae were discovered in their droppings.
Together, our grazers are recreating dynamic, living processes that once shaped Kent’s landscapes – creating a rich mosaic of habitats that support countless species.
Each breed brings a unique set of natural behaviours which positively impacts the land. Some browse dense scrub like hawthorns and brambles, letting light reach the ground so delicate wildflowers can bloom. Pigs churn the soil and bison create bare patches by dust bathing, encouraging seeds to germinate and insects and reptiles to return. Even dung can boost biodiversity – within weeks of bison arriving at the Blean, dung beetle larvae were discovered in their droppings.
Together, our grazers are recreating dynamic, living processes that once shaped Kent’s landscapes – creating a rich mosaic of habitats that support countless species.
Goats
A mix of feral goats.
Ponies
Exmoor, fell, and konik ponies.
Sheep
Hebridean, herdwick, Manx, Shetland-cross, and white-faced woodland sheep.
Pigs
Iron-age and large black pigs.
A success story in Dover
At Nemo Down in Dover, the impact is clear. Neglected and abandoned for years, the site was overgrown with scrub. It was forgotten, bleak, silent.
But thanks to generous supporters, just like you, we were able to purchase this reserve and introduce konik ponies and longhorn cattle to graze and keep scrub in check. Now, orchids have returned to the downland slopes, and yellowhammers and lesser whitethroats sing once more. Grazing animals are amazing conservationists – helping us manage land more efficiently, more sustainably and on a far larger scale than traditional methods ever could. You can help grow this work, so that more wild spaces can thrive. But this work takes investment. Can you help us expand the Wilder Grazing programme this year?
Thanks to your support for local community-based projects, we’re working with neighbours and local authorities to reverse the scrubbing over of Dover’s precious chalk slopes. We’ve reintroduced grazing animals and, whilst there’s still a lot to do, these areas are slowly coming back to life.Ian, Area Manager for Kent Wildlife Trust
Over at Heather Corrie Vale, a herd of longhorn cows have been making a world of difference. This site in Sevenoaks was previously an intensely managed golf course, with a matt of course grass as a result of years of mechanical mowing.
The land has slowly been transformed back to a wilder state, supporting a range of wildlife from ivy mining bees utilising the abandoned sand pits to palmate news taking up residence in the reclaimed ephemeral ponds. Since the cattle went on in early 2024 the site has changed considerably, with the cows allowing the woodland edge habitat to encroach, increasing scrub whilst keeping sections of the pasture open.
FAQs about the Amazing Grazing appeal
We know Wilder Grazing works; we’ve seen the impact across our own reserves and now have reached a critical juncture. Managing our conservation grazers, looking after their welfare, and monitoring the impact of their work all takes funding. Without investing in the programme now, we won’t be able to continue investing in the growth and development of conservation grazing across Kent. Biodiversity continues to decline at an alarming rate, and we must restore more land, more quickly, if we are to turn the tide. We know conservation grazing is key to this, and we can’t afford to wait.
If we don’t raise the funds needed from this appeal, the Wilder Grazing programme will continue. However, it will mean that our impact will be limited. Instead of investing time to grow the programme among third parties and across our own reserves, we will simply continue to graze existing sites until opportunities for investment arise.
The Nature Restoration Fund is Kent Wildlife Trust’s biggest ever appeal aiming to raise £3m by 2030. This ambitious target represents the urgency we now face to tackle the concurrent nature and climate crises.
To shine the spotlight on our wonderful habitats and vibrant species, we’ll be breaking down the appeal into three focused sprints each year. This means that the funding target for each sprint contributes to the overall £3m goal – but it gives everyone the opportunity to support the work they connect with.
As a charity we rely on the generosity of our supporters, members, corporate partners and trusts and foundations. We run a maximum of four appeals per year, which always ask for funding to support the work we deem most at risk. Sometimes this is to save a piece of precious habitat that is at risk of being developed, and sometimes this is to ensure a project that needs funding can continue to run.
As we launch the Amazing Grazing appeal, there are no active opportunities for match funding, however we’re always on the lookout and will let you know if this changes. If you are interested in offering a match fund, it’s never too late to get involved.
If you are fundraising to support this appeal, many companies offer match funding to their employees. Just ask your manager or HR representative, and we’ll be happy to provide any documentation they require.
Get in touch with us at [email protected] to discuss match funding.
Yes, if you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donation to make it go even further. At no cost to you, Kent Wildlife Trust will be able to claim an extra 25% on top of your donated amount. Just complete our Gift Aid declaration found here or get in touch with us at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Did you know that Gift Aid rules have changed? All it means is that we now need your full first name to submit a claim. So, if you haven’t completed a Gift Aid declaration for us recently, but want to ensure we can claim 25% extra on your donation, fill out another one today!
Conservation grazers are livestock used to manage land for nature. These natural behaviours, which can include foraging, grazing, and dust bathing, help promote biodiversity by giving new shoots the chance to grow and attracting insects which ultimately provide food sources for other native species. Even their dung becomes part of a thriving ecosystem.
Our Wilder Grazers can often be found at Blean, Hothfield, Darland Banks, and many more reserves. They often rotate to ensure the animals are getting a rich diet and contributing to the strategic management of many precious habitats.
We often post updates on our social media channels.
Reserves with Wilder Grazing animals on, that are usually open to the public, remain accessible. While the public can visit, we advise caution as with any animal.
We ask that you do not approach the animals or try to touch them. Even when animals appear relaxed, they can become startled, feel threatened, or want to protect their young. For our cattle we advise a minimum of 10 meters distance, that of a bus, or 20 during calving seasons.
Please do not allow pets to run up to, chase, or otherwise intimidate the grazing animals as this can cause distress, ultimately resulting in heart failure and death of the animal.
Remember, you're in their home!
Kent Wildlife Trust relies on philanthropic donations from individuals, major donors, companies and trusts and foundations to fund our work. And, like everyone else, this money is not guaranteed.
While there are some payments that are available due to the land we manage, these only go a short way to funding the work that must be done.
Read more about conservation grazing
The role livestock play in seed dispersal
Blog
One of the main methods that seeds use to disperse themselves is through animals. Read more about the importance of this & how it happens.
Grazing animal dung & its role in the ecosystem
Blog
One of the many benefits of using grazing livestock in conservation management is that they produce dung. Their dung acts in various ways to enhance the landscape and provides benefits for a range of organisms that would otherwise be excluded in a…
Konik ponies in conservation
Blog
Koniks (sometimes referred to as Konik Polski) are a non-native primitive breed that originate from Poland. They are a descendant of the tarpan, a type of European wild horse that went extinct in the 19th century. They have been bred for almost 80 years…
Seasonal weight changes in grazing animals
Blog
Wilder Grazing Ranger Volunteer Trainee, Ellie Edmondson, explores why grazing animals shed and gain weight throughout the year as part of a natural cycle.
All about the fell ponies on our reserves
Blog
Wilder Grazing Ranger Volunteer Trainee, Ellie Edmondson, talks about the fell ponies on our reserves and what makes them great conservation grazers.
Poisonous plants & grazing animals' natural instincts
Blog
In Kent, our grazing animals roam the reserves using their instincts and experience to guide them towards delicious nutritious vegetation and away from potentially toxic plants. This deep-rooted wisdom is a product of evolution and survival instincts…