Carys Evans

Our Grazer of the Week this week is Bliss the Highland Cow, who grazes at the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales Brynna Woods and Llanharan Marsh Nature Reserve.

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 This status was withdrawn before the site came under management by the Wildlife Trust, because the lack of grazing, in particular, had resulted in the expansion of scrub woodland over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 Trust began managing the site again, Bliss and her friend Eira have become a regular feature out on the marsh. The perfect breed for this job, the Highlands happily graze in the marshy ground, helping to suppress the coarse grasses, rush and young scrub such as willow and alder. This allows the threatened marsh flora to flourish once more on the site.

Do you need assistance with a conservation grazing project? Contact PONT.

Would you like to show off your grazing animals? You can enter your animals for the chance to feature as ‘Grazer of the Week’ by using #grazeroftheweek and tagging @pontcymru on Instagram and Facebook. Tell us a bit about you and your animals, we love to hear your stories.

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