Cattle grazing has returned to the Icart headland for the first time in almost 100 years.
La Société Guernesiaise Conservation Herd's latest assignment is grazing the headland at Icart.
The States-owned Icart field has been undergoing habitat restoration since 2017 as part of a project run by Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services (ACLMS) in an effort to encourage a wide range of plants, insects and birds to thrive.
“It is amazing to see the ongoing rejuvenation of the site in such a short space of time," said a spokesman for the department. "Since the clearance of some scrub and bracken, native wildflowers in the existing seedbank have flourished.”
Pictured: Icart Headland is of international importance and is among the scarcest habitats found in Guernsey.
Manager of La Société Guernesiaise Conservation Herd, Dave Bartram, commented: “Grazing will return the area to a wildflower rich grassland by keeping scrub from establishing and creating a diverse glassland sward, whilst their dung is a great food source for many invertebrates.”
The cattle will be grazing for several weeks and is being checked daily by the team that cares for them.
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