National Trust calls on its 100-strong mowing team to help boost nature in landscape scale project

National Trust calls on its 100-strong mowing team to help boost nature in landscape scale project - National Trust

Charlie, the new Belted Galloway bull, grazing along female cows on the pasture overlooked by the Crickly Hill escarpment | © National Trust Images / James Dobson

Spanning more than 21,000 hectares, the Stroud Landscape Project in Gloucestershire is making more space for nature through a network of wild places that are bigger, better joined up and more resilient to climate change.

With the aim of making the landscape richer for nature, while also producing good quality food, the National Trust’s secret grass roots weapon is a 100-strong herd of Belted Galloway cattle that are helping to make this vision a reality through conservation grazing.

The conservation charity is working closely with landowners, environmental bodies, local councils and communities to create a dynamic and thriving landscape of connected habitats throughout the Stroud Valleys and along the Cotswold escarpment, supporting nature’s recovery and confronting the climate emergency.

The project which started in 2017 has already seen wildflower grasslands flourishing, ancient woodlands being restored, wildlife corridors established and lost species reintroduced such as the large blue butterfly.

Over the next three years more havens for wildlife will be created and restored across 320 hectares, and this autumn 1,140 metres of new hedgerows will be planted at Boundary Court and on the Ebworth estate.

Restoring the grasslands in the Cotswolds is at the heart of the work here. Grazing and cutting are crucial for the maintenance of this important habitat, as is recreating traditional hay meadows that support native flower species.