Grazing project on Ludshott Common
​
It is with great excitement and a certain amount of relief that after more years, and set backs, than we care to remember, all the planning and work towards this project has finally come to fruition. In September a very successful Open Day was held giving further information to more than 200 people and in October, in partnership with Downlands Estate, the first of a small herd of cattle were released on to the Common.
​
These conservation grazing cattle are 14-month-old pedigree British Shorthorn steers (castrated males) and they are particularly well-suited to the less intensive farming of a heathland grazing environment. 
The way these native cattle graze, and the different plants they eat, will best manage regrowth of scrub and will lead to a mix of plants that provides the most varied and most appropriate range of habitats on the common.
The cattle will graze Ludshott Common for 9 months of the year, September to May, spending all their time there, including overnight.
​
Conservation Grazing at Conford Moor
​
Longhorn cattle started grazing on Conford Moor during May 2023, seeing the return of conservation grazing to the site for the first time in around 70 years.
Conford Moor is made up of areas of fen, wet heathland, acid grassland and stands of ancient alder carr. Due to the hydrology and geology of the land and its historic management, it is a site of great ecological interest.
Up until the 1950s, the area was grazed and was home to many rare plants, and wildlife including the now endangered marsh fritillary butterfly. Since cessation of grazing, the site has dried out due to the invasion of scrub and trees, leading to loss of habitat and a decline in species.
​
The grazing ensures that cleared areas remain open, to encourage the return of a diverse range of species that were last recorded in the 1982 Biological Report, steered by the extensive knowledge of the late Dr Francis Rose, who lived locally in Liss and was widely regarded as the greatest British field botanist of our time.
​
During 2024 a Botanical survey was carried out by members of the Alton Natural History Society with the objective to ascertain the impact of grazing on the plant assemblages at Conford Moor by means of a rigorous quadrat survey before grazing commences, followed by a repeat survey in a subsequent year.
​​
​
​
​
​
​
N.B. Dog owners must keep their dogs under control, and not allow them to enter the enclosures where the cows are.
