Gwent Wildlife Trust

Duration: 9 months

Placement host: Gwent Wildlife Trust

Location: Gwent

Landholding: 340 ha

Main Grazing: rich hay meadows, permanent pasture, grazing marsh, other wetland habitats and heath land

 

Livestock: horses, cattle, sheep

 

The Project: signifcant sites

•Magor Marsh/ Solutia Meadows: Grazing marsh on the Gwent Levels. Mixed sheep/pony/cattle and horse grazing. 

•Wyeswood Common: Dairy pasture in the early stages of being transformed into a diverse wood pasture system; currently being managed as a mixture of permanent pasture/ with areas of silage cuts. Grazed by Hebridean and Welsh Mountain sheep 

•Pentwyn Farm / New Grove Meadows and other sites: GWT manages some of the best wild flower meadows in Wales. Traditionally managed hay meadows with aftermath grazing. Grazed by Hebridean and Hill Radnor sheep 

•We work with the Forestry Commission Wales on a heath land restoration project at Beacon Hill where the site is grazed by Welsh Mountain ponies

•We also manage other habitats through conservation grazing for example we recently trialled putting our Hebrideans on a small but very species rich bog (Henllys Bog) which is being threatened by scrub and woodland.  Scrub and trees have been removed from around the bog and the Hebrideans have been used to graze off the regrowth.  

 

The Work: The successfull placement will learn a wide spread of livestock skills. They will also be expected to be able to participate in site surveying and monitoring. The host is keen that the trainees project is involved in assessing the attributes of their newly formed Hill Radnors in conservation grazing situations.