Pegsdon Hills – Moo and Mow

The chalk hills and quiet valleys of Pegsdon Hills are full of wildlife. However, chalk grassland cover in the UK has declined sharply over the last 50 years, and now just 300 hectares remain in Bedfordshire (Local Habitat Action Plan, 2011). We manage the balance of grassland and scrub at Pegsdon Hills through conservation grazing. The aims of the project are: to update the 20-year-old grazing infrastructure; to make grazing management more efficient; to make the reserve more attractive to cattle graziers; and to increase the area and availability of grassland that can be grazed.