Learn more about the wildlife and wild places in Kent and beyond.
One of the many benefits of using grazing livestock in conservation management is that they produce dung. Their dung acts in various ways to enhance the landscape and provides benefits for a range of organisms that would otherwise be excluded in a machinery-based site management scheme.
I have been a BeeWalk volunteer with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) since 2024. I have also been a Kent Wildlife Trust volunteer joining the Pine Marten project at Bedgebury in 2025. I live near Queendown Warren and the South East Area Manager (BBCT) was interested in how a chalk cliff area traditionally managed for butterflies supported bumblebees in this rare habitat.
Whether you’ve been recently introduced to the idea of birdwatching through something like the Big Garden Birdwatch, or you already know your robin from your nuthatch, it’s a great hobby to pick up in the winter months.
Koniks (sometimes referred to as Konik Polski) are a non-native primitive breed that originate from Poland. They are a descendant of the tarpan, a type of European wild horse that went extinct in the 19th century. They have been bred for almost 80 years to be the ideal breed for use in conservation grazing, specifically for traits of hardiness, longevity and ease of handling, and are used successfully across Europe in conservation grazing schemes.
Each month since October 2024 we have been part of a team of Kent Wildlife Trust volunteers monitoring the diversity and abundance of a select groups of invertebrates (mayfly larvae, caddis fly larvae and freshwater shrimp on the River Darent).
With our Amazing Grazing appeal putting the spotlight on our grazers, let's explore exactly what conservation grazing is and the impact it has.
Hear from four of our amazing livestock checkers. Some have been part of the team for many years, and others just a few months.
Recent changes to UK livestock protection laws are welcome news for nature – and for the conservation grazing animals that play a vital role in caring for Kent’s landscapes.
