Conservation

Most of the grassland is presently managed as hay meadow or grazing. The land is managed under an Environmental Stewardship Scheme.

The Stour Valley Supporters group, North Bournemouth Conservation Volunteers and Dorset Wildlife Trust volunteers all  assist with various habitat management tasks throughout the year.

Conservation management of the site must consider the important designations with regard to the wildlife (a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Nature Conservation Interest), whilst at the same time having regard for the recreational and educational use.

The management plan outlines the following:

• Maintain and, where possible, enhance the existing wildlife value of the site through appropriate management regimes.
• Continue the grazing of The Wilderness.
• Vary the grassland management regime by the introduction of grazing in combination with haymaking.
• Continue to manage all hedgerows by laying/trimming on a rotational basis, preferably towards the end of winter.
• Continue to manage the woodland by coppicing and maintaining open glades.
• Investigate the feasibility of including compartment 8 (Marshland) in the grazing programme and to instigate if feasible.Manage ponds and other water features, ensuring that they remain in good ecological condition.
• Eradicate invasive alien plant species from site, in particular Himalayan balsam Impatiens glandulifera.
• Continue to monitor the effectiveness of management initiatives and to initiate research projects as required.
• Continually update biological records and submit to the Dorset EnvironmentalRecords Centre via the Bournemouth Environmental Advisory Team (BEAT) and the Bournemouth Wildlife Survey team.
• Ensure that site users are aware of the ecological importance of the site and of the need for it to be managed.

Get in touch to find out more about our plans, or visit the team at Kingfisher Barn.