Kent Wildlife Trust has partnered with Leybourne Grange Management CIC to enhance biodiversity at a meadow on the outskirts of West Malling.
The charity will collaborate with the Leybourne Grange Community Interest Company to further restore the four-hectare meadow, utilising sheep.
Kent Wildlife Trust have adopted a prescriptive approach to the meadow's restoration, removing the Dexter cows from the site and replacing them with sheep to implement a grazing programme. The site will be monitored and the cattle may return to help the sheep if conditions allow.
Local residents are invited to apply for volunteer roles as Livestock Checkers to keep a watchful eye on the new graziers. They will receive training on conducting welfare screenings for the animals and will take a daily interest in their wellbeing.
Alison Ruyter, who manages the Wilder Grazing Programme at Kent Wildlife Trust, says: “This site has immense potential to be an oasis for wildlife with the right management. By taking a careful approach and managing the site for nature, we can boost biodiversity while ensuring that grazing animals continue to be a part of the landscape, which the locals enjoy.
“We are looking forward to working with the residents in the area who have been taking an active interest in the welfare of the animals previously on site. We would like to invite them to learn more about our Wilder Grazing Programme and perhaps even consider continuing their good work by having their role formalised and becoming a volunteer Livestock Checker.”
A spokesperson for LGM CIC added: “LGM CIC are delighted to announce a partnership with Kent Wildlife Trust who have significant experience of conservation grazing and livestock management across the county. KWT will be taking on the ownership and responsibility for the livestock on site which are our two cows and five sheep.
“This partnership will be a positive boost to our community offer, with KWT offering community sessions and training for those who want to get involved, working alongside their experienced livestock handlers.”
Wilder Grazing Programme
Kent Wildlife Trust has been developing its Wilder Grazing Programme for decades and currently manages about 800 animals across many of its 90 reserves. The programme supports nature-positive management of the Trust’s and its partners' estates, fostering wildlife recovery and adaptation to climate change.
The Trust employs a mix of traditional grazing, browsing, and rootling animals across various habitats to mimic natural processes. These grazing species act similarly to the large grazers that once roamed Kent but are now extinct, such as aurochs, elk, and bison.
When low densities of cattle graze coarse vegetation, it creates space for a wider variety of plants to flourish. This, in turn, provides the cattle with a greater choice of food, promoting their health while making the habitat more stable and resilient to climate change.