Large herbivores

Large herbivores, like cattle, ponies, bison and elk, can have a huge impact on the places they live. They're examples of keystone species. Their actions alter the habitat around them, so they play a big role in determining what other species can thrive.  

They spread the seeds of plants that get tangled in their fur, create open areas in woodlands where wildflowers can flourish, and entire communities develop in their dung!  

The UK's ancient landscapes were shaped by herbivores like aurochs and wild horses. Some of these species have been lost, but other large herbivores can help recreate the diverse mosaics of habitat that they once shaped, making more space for the other wildlife that thrived alongside them.  

Exmoor ponies

Wild horses can do wonderful things for wild places. They pull up grasses, giving wildflowers room to grow. They chew bark, removing trees and clearing space for other wildlife. By rolling on the ground, or galloping, they create areas of bare earth where pioneer plants can establish and insects can burrow. Their dung is home to fungi, beetles, flies and other invertebrates.  

Sadly, the true European wild horses are now extinct, but many domesticated breeds share the same traits and can live a wild lifestyle. This includes the Exmoor pony, which recent genetic research has shown is the closest living relative of the ancient European wild horse.  

Many Wildlife Trusts use Exmoor ponies to graze their nature reserves, including: 

• Cornwall Wildlife Trust uses a variety of ponies to graze their nature reserves, including Penhale Dunes - one of the county's largest dune systems. Exmoor ponies live on the reserve year-round, helping to maintain the important dune plant communities.
• Durham Wildlife Trust graze their nature reserves with Exmoor ponies to maintain wildflower meadows.
• Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has introduced two Exmoor ponies to their rewilding project at Wilder Little Duxmore. The ponies will help shape the landscape as this former arable farm returns to nature.
• Derbyshire Wildlife Trust runs the innovative Wild Peak Grazing Network, which uses a group of Exmoor ponies to graze the land of 11 different landowners within the Peak District National Park. 

Cattle

Cattle are the domesticated descendants of the ancient aurochs. They break trees, creating space in woodlands where flowers can grow and birds can nest. They keep areas open by grazing on young growth, and transport plant seeds in their hair, on their hooves and in their dung. Birds often follow them around to feed on the insects they attract or disturb with their steps, whilst cow pats are prized by many beetles and flies.  

Cattle, in the right places and in the right numbers, can be an important part of shaping and maintaining healthy wild landscapes. 

Many Wildlife Trusts welcome many different breeds of cow to their nature reserves to help with conservation grazing, employing their landscape-altering abilities to maintain a healthy variety of habitats. Examples include: 

• Yorkshire Wildlife Trust use a variety of cattle breeds to graze their nature reserves, depending on the specific needs of the sites. At Wild Ingleborough this goes beyond the boundary of their own nature reserve working with natural England to graze across the National Nature Reserve.
• Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is using Highland cows to help transform Allestree Park into the UK's largest urban rewilding space.
• Surrey Wildlife Trust use Belted Galloway cattle (affectionately known as ‘belties’ across 6000 hectares of heathland and chalk grassland, they can be seen on sites like Thundry meadows, Norbury Park and Elstead Common at different times of year
• North Wales Wildlife Trust uses Highland cows to graze Cors Bodgynydd Nature Reserve, benefitting plants and wildlife. This includes marsh clubmoss, which only occurs at a few locations in Wales. 

Water buffalo

Water buffalo are more at home in damp habitats than the cattle used for conservation grazing, so can be very handy for helping shape the vegetation on wetlands. They will graze the water-logged areas that cattle tend to avoid.  

Several Wildlife Trusts have introduced water buffalo to their nature reserves to graze wetter areas, including Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust. They have employed water buffalo to graze Thorley Wash Nature Reserve, a rare example of fen habitat. By grazing ditches and removing coarse and scrubby plants, the buffalo will clear space for the reserve's water voles to thrive. Without the buffalo, Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust would need to use heavy machinery to keep the ditches clear. 

European bison

Bison shape the landscape in many of the same ways as cattle, but as larger, non-domesticated animals they can have even more of an impact. They strip bark and fell trees, not only letting light reach the woodland floor but also creating deadwood, an important feature for many woodland species.  

Bison also love to sand bathe. They roll around on the ground, creating sandy hollows where pioneer plants can grow, insects can burrow and reptiles can bask. Conservation work in Europe has brought bison back from the brink of extinction and they now play a vital role in many rewilding projects across the continent.  

In July 2022, Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust introduced three European bison into an area of West Blean and Thornden Woods, as part of their Wilder Blean project. In September 2022, a bison calf was born, and in December a bull arrived from Germany, taking the herd to five. They are monitoring the way bison transform the woodland, to see the effect on other wildlife and the overall diversity of the site. 

The herd has continued to grow and thrive with the aim that soon, individuals from this herd will be able to support other bison projects across the UK. This is the first time this approach has been trialled in the UK. 

Eurasian elk

Eurasian elk are the largest deer species in the world. They are thought to have gone extinct in the British Isles around 3000 years ago but were a key part of our native fauna. 

Sometimes referred to as moose, Eurasian elk are semi aquatic mammals meaning that they spend a huge amount of time in water, using their powerful long legs to swim and their specially adapted mouths to eat whilst underwater.  

By moving between land and water they are key transporters of nutrients and seeds across landscapes. They still exist across the European mainland and now a joint project between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Wildlife Trusts is undertaking a feasibility study as to whether they could be reintroduced to the British Isles.  

Fun fact: Confusingly, in America, elk refers to a completely different species that is much more closely related to our red deer! 

The Large Herbivore Working Group (LHWG)

The restoration of a large herbivore guild is integral for nature recovery. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts is pleased to host the Large Herbivore Working Group (LHWG). 

Membership of the LHWG is made up of experts in the fields of ecology, conservation, academia, law and policy, and its aim is to advance the return of large grazing and browsing animals to aid in the restoration of natural processes to the UK. To this end, the LHWG works to provide guidance, influence policy and enable shared learning which would be supportive of this agenda and by extension support a wilder Britain. 

Membership spans across the UK and Europe, and includes organisations such as The Wildlife Trusts, the Knepp Estate, the Lifescape Project, The National Trust, and Rewilding Britain.