Our Work
PONT works with individuals and organisations to deliver appropriate grazing regimes for the benefit of wildlife, both on individual sites and at a local and regional level.
Upcoming Training and Events
No items found
3 days ago by pontcymru Did you know riding horses could be conservation grazers too? #GrazeroftheWeek this week is Bronwen the Welsh Cob. Bronwen is owned by Jenni Nellist ( @gowerponies ) and is primarily a riding horse, but recently she has become a conservation grazer too! Bronwen and her field mates graze meadows around South Gower over winter, strip grazing to remove the standing sward and pave the way for the growth of diverse wildflowers in the spring. You can see the results of Bronwen's endeavours at @wildlifetrustsww Roydon's Corner, where yellow rattle, cranesbills, catsears and vetches are flourishing. Horse owners can encourage wildflowers in their
6 days ago by pontcymru Species in Focus; Greater Butterfly Orchid Found in woodlands, in open scrub and grasslands, the greater butterfly orchid comes into flower at this time of year (June and July). In North Wales, at @ntwales Plas Newydd Hay Meadows, you can find the greater butterfly orchid on this ex-rugby pitch, now a Coronation Meadow. As part of the Anglesey Grazing Animals Partnership (AGAP), meadow owners across Anglesey were helped to manage and restore their meadows and PONT delivered training and events in Plas Newydd. Find out more about Local Grazing Schemes such as AGAP on our website pontcymru.org/species-in-focus-greater-butterfly-orchid #poriynrhagori #grazingisamazing #pontcymru
1 week ago by pontcymru Have you heard of the Grazing Animals Partnership (GAP), the conservation grazing arm of the @rbstrarebreeds ? GAP is our counterpart across the border, a network of farmers, land managers and conservation organisations that are committed to promoting the benefits of grazing with the natural environment and cultural heritage in mind. If you are in England and interested in conservation grazing, find out more about GAP on their website http://ow.ly/eKFi50uUFNm there are a lot of great resources available #rarebreeds #grazinganimalspartnership #grazingisamazing #poriynrhagori #conservationgrazing #naturefriendlyfarmingnetwork #naturefriendlyfarming #wildlifefriendlyfarming #farmingwithnature #grazing #pasturefed #grassfed #farmersforwildlife #rarebreedssurvivaltrust
1 week ago by pontcymru Today is #NationalMeadowsDay and to celebrate we'd like to talk about hay meadows and how you can create and manage them. Hay meadows are a classic example of an element of land management that benefits both people and wildlife. As well as providing winter forage for livestock on farms, biodiverse hay meadows are of high value to wildlife for the food, shelter and breeding opportunities they provide. In a nutshell, hay meadows are managed with a single cut after the flowers have dropped their seeds, and the arisings are dried in situ for a few days before baling, allowing the
1 week ago by pontcymru Grazer of the Week this week is Bliss the Highland Cow who grazes at @wildlifetrustsww Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh Nature Reserve in South Wales. Historically, this nature reserve supported very rich marshy grassland communities and it was previously protected as a Site of Scientific Interest. This status was withdrawn before the site came under management by the Wildlife Trust, because the lack of grazing, in particular, had resulted in the expansion of scrub woodland over large parts of the marsh, and the remaining grassland communities became poorer quality as they grew increasingly dominated by coarse vegetation. Since the Wildlife
3 weeks ago by pontcymru Grazer of the Week this week is Bera the Carneddau pony. Bera was born this spring at Hafan y Môr, near Pwllheli. Hafan y Môr is a SSSI and a SAC for coastal grassland, fen and heath. The site has been ungrazed for 40 years and following surveys and advice from PONT, Bourne Leisure funded fencing to enable grazing to be reintroduced. 16 Carneddau ponies spent the winter on the site. The ponies have already made routes around the site through deep bracken and have started to open up the vegetation. Read more about this on our website pontcymru.org/grazer-of-the-week-28th-june-bera-the-carneddau #grazeroftheweek