Needs: Ecological vision and nature restoration strategy; baseline surveys and monitoring; oversight management
Landscape Characteristics: Upland; grassland, woodland and riverine
Impact: Beaver ponds are now alive with amphibians, whilst otters and kingfishers more regularly visit these complex, ever-changing worlds of light, fallen wood and newly coppiced vegetation. Low-intensity, wormer-free cattle and Exmoor ponies move across the whole landscape largely unhindered, and their dung is once again recruiting dung beetles. A family of Cornish black pigs have been allowed to turn over compacted soils.
Cuckoos have, contrary to the national trend, moved back from the very margins of the site to what were, till recently, overgrazed fields. We have begun planting small tree-banks, to reseed the open areas with willow, hawthorn, blackthorn, spindle, birch, rowan and yew, gently reversing centuries of old growth woodland being on the back foot. In marshier areas, we have sought to keep more water, not less, on the land, in the hope of attracting back wading birds. Baseline surveys and drone footage have been undertaken, ready to monitor landscape and species changes over the next few years.