Radio-controlled Sheep

email to a friend | user comments

Published: 19 September 2005

Radio-controlled Sheep

Radio-controlled sheep collars and a determined conservation officer are just two of the Ministry of Defence's weapons when it comes to looking after 200 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and 170 internationally protected sites.

The Warcop team are using the tagging devices to make sure sheep are grazing in the right places to manage Helbeck Wood and Appleby Fells SSSI in the right condition for nature conservation.

They join the ranks of the special people who maintain SSSIs across England.

This year's English Nature SSSI Awards - English Nature's own green Oscars - were presented to 19 owners & occupiers whose dedication and sheer hard graft has helped to preserve some of England's most important wildlife sites.

Miriam O'Reilly, the well known voice of Radio Four's Farming Today, presented the awards in their ninth year at a celebration lunch at the Cabinet War Rooms.

They were started as a means of recognising the inspirational efforts - not to mention the time and resources - that many owners and managers invest in making 'special' the key word in their Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

The winners are as richly diverse as the wildlife and natural features that they conserve so successfully including:

Homeowner John Bovington who remortgaged his house to buy land to protect over 100 species of grasses and flowers in a hidden valley within the M25 in Kent;
Harry and Kate King who lose 10lbs on the haymaking diet when they cut hay by hand to protect around ten thousand orchids on two magical acres in Worcestershire;
The Ogston Bird Club, Derbyshire, who are more bird conservationists than bird watchers these days who built an island for little ringed plover to breed safely;
Pensioners John and Mary Howe still use hand tools on their traditional hay meadow and have donated seeds to a reclamation project nearby;
Phil Webster and Helen Annan became unofficial wardens of the nature reserve next door to the youth hostel they manage and their infectious enthusiasm helped found a Friends group. This year hundreds of natterjack toadlets emerged - an enormous success for a vital species.

English Nature's Chair, Sir Martin Doughty, in thanking the winners of the 'green oscars', said: "People are the key to conserving our array of wildlife and natural resources.

Through these SSSI Awards to a handful of outstanding owners and managers, we say a heartfelt Thank You - both to them, and to the many others whose vast effort we hope to acknowledge in awards to come."

The MOD is committed to meeting the objectives which encompass waste, energy, social aspects and biodiversity amongst others and the MOD's progress is reported publicly every year.

At Otterburn, MOD Personnel have been working together with English Nature over the past two years to dam drainage ditches, clear away heather and bracken, create new areas for grazing and encourage woodland regeneration.

96% of Otterburn's SSSI is now in favourable condition, and has reached the Government's SSSI target five years ahead of schedule.

The Warcop Training Area (WTA) supports 26 hectares of ancient semi-natural woodland in Helbeck Wood SSSI.

In addition, some two thirds of the WTA falls within Appleby Fells SSSI, and includes blanket bog, woodland, limestone grassland, and heath.

Work has also gone beyond SSSI management to provide habitat improvements for important species, including Black Grouse, Red Squirrels, Water Voles and the Great Crested Newt.

Approximately £2.5m of works was funded by Defence Esates were to maintain or improve the MOD's SSSIs during the winter of 04/05. Further allocation of funds will be required to maintain the momentum of these improvements to meet SDiG targets relating to SSSIs.

Further information
English Nature - SSSI

MOD - UK Diversity Plan

Stewardship report on Defence Estate

Warcop

Helbeck Wood and Appleby Fells SSSI

Defra SSSI web page