Work and Money

The animals will act as natural ‘lawn mowers’ to help maintain one of the most diverse habitats for wildlife in Britain.

“One of the most important aspects of the site is what’s called chalk grassland which is grassland where the chalk bedrock is very close to the surface.  Because of that it’s very rich in plant life and wildflowers and it’s the richest habitat for wildflowers we have in Britain,” explains Dominic North, the park warden.

"It’s been the saviour of much wildlife and many wildflowers", says Dominic.

our rainforest

The initiative is being run jointly with one of the largest conservation grazing projects in Surrey and South London, the Old Surrey Downs project.

Sheep manager Peter Otley says:  “A lot of plants live on chalk grassland and will only live in areas of chalk. …. On a world scale when you look at that, this is like our own Amazon rainforest.  This is a rare habitat that people have on their doorstep”.

Although the Old Surrey Downs project is fortunate not to be struggling financially to carry out its work, Peter says they are desperate for volunteers to help with grazing around the region.

To hear the full interview with Dominic and Peter, click onto the link below.

If you are interested in finding out more, log onto their website top right.

Do you have any views on using sheep, cattle or goats to graze our parks?  Do you think this is the most environmentally friendly way of maintaining our wildlife? 

Email me your views.  evadney.campbell@bbc.co.uk