Conservation cows used in pioneering collaboration

A wildlife trust is pioneering a new research project in collaboration with the University of Essex, aimed at transforming how landscapes are managed across the North of England – and beyond.

As part of her animal behaviour master’s degree Conservation Grazing Officer, Lucy O’Reilly from Lancashire Wildlife Trust is working to recreate the natural behaviour of wild herbivores.

This conservation grazing helps maintain many different habitats, encouraging wildflowers, improving soil health, and controlling invasive species.

This approach reduces the need for traditional fencing, making it easier to manage cattle across larger, more varied landscapes.

'Conservation cows'

These ‘conservation cows’ play a critical role in restoring some of Lancashire’s most threatened habitats, including wetlands, grasslands, and heathlands.

Without proper management, these landscapes can become overgrown and unsuitable for species like lapwings, snipe, otters, orchids, butterflies, and countless invertebrates.

It will be enhanced by the loan of 30 NoFence collars from the University of Essex in a new collaboration.

NoFence collars are a new type of technology that allows staff to manage grazing animals without the need for physical barriers, such as electric fences.

Professor Edd Codling, from the the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science, has previously used the collars closer to home in Highwoods Country Park, Colchester, Colchester, to see where animals grazed.

Using a GPS-enabled app, staff can set virtual boundaries for their cattle, who receive an audible warning when they approach the edge of their designated grazing area.

Professor Codling, who works on the analysis of animal movement data at the University of Essex, said: "This new collaboration will provide a fantastic opportunity to work together and share knowledge and ideas on how best to use this type of technology to help manage grazing.

"We’re hopeful that the outcomes of our collaboration will lead to real improvements for wildlife across these key sites in Lancashire."

'Giving nature a chance to thrive'

Lucy O'Reilly, who is studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, added: "I’m really excited to be working on this project, which will work towards building a wilder, more resilient future for Lancashire’s wetlands, grasslands, and heathlands.

"With this pioneering research we can fine-tune our grazing approach, giving nature the best chance to thrive.

"Thanks to the University of Essex we’ll now be able to carry out research on a much larger scale with collars on all of our animals."