Mangalists pigs settle into their new home at Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve. Credit: National Trust Images Terry Bagley
The National Trust recently unveiled the 1,370-hectare open ‘savannah' which has been created as part of the Purbeck Heaths National Nature Reserve (NNR) .
The introduction of the grazing animals forms the second part of the ambitious project launched by the National Trust in partnership with RSPB, Natural England and Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2020. Its aim is to create the UK's first-ever ‘super' National Nature Reserve (NNR) by ‘knitting together' 3,400 hectares of priority habitat that includes heathland, wetland and marsh.
It is hoped that the addition of pigs, ponies and cattle, which will graze alongside the existing deer population, will add to the rich mix of the landscape that is already considered to be one of the most biodiverse places in the UK.
David Brown, National Trust lead ecologist for Purbeck said: "Over large swathes of open grassland and heath, these domestic grazers are now mimicking their wild ancestors, who would have shaped habitats in the past.
"We cannot bring back aurochs, the native ancestors of our domestic cattle, but we can use our 200 Red Devon cattle to graze and behave in equivalent ways. Similarly, Exmoor ponies mimic the actions of now-extinct tarpan horses, and the quirky, curly coated Mangalitsa pigs are rooting around like wild boars.
Purbeck Heaths
"We are also discovering that by letting them get on with their own thing as much as possible, our grazing animals explore new habitats and discover different types of vegetation to eat - all of which help create a more dynamic and complex ecosystem."
Tom Munro, Dorset AONB manager said: "As well as making the landscape richer for nature, some of these grazing animals will provide good quality food and support the local economy through ecotourism, such as camping and safaris.
"The Purbeck Heaths partners have also brought together local businesses, community groups, parish councils and schools to create a sustainable tourism plan - to manage the impact of visitors on nature and also increase the value of the landscape to local people and the economy."
Peter Robertson, RSPB senior site manager said: "Creating a wilder grazing system is a long-term project to enrich this landscape for nature. It is early days but we are already seeing some surprising changes.
"We expected that the pigs would turn over the ground in areas of grassland and woodland to create bare ground for invertebrates and reptiles to feed and nest and to create space for plants to germinate, and we have certainly seen this happening. What has come as more of a surprise is how they have created new ponds by wallowing in water-logged areas and have opened up areas of saltmarsh by foraging for shellfish. We are using remote sensing to monitor these changes to allow us to adapt our management and to inform other projects and partners who are interested in adopting the same approach."
