An impressive 30 hectares of scrub cover has been thinned across nine of the charity’s nature reserves, including well-known wildlife havens such as Dart Valley, Bovey Heathfield and Dunsford. A further 1.5 hectares of woodland edge were also ‘opened up’, all with the aim of letting in more sunlight to benefit insects, reptiles and wildflowers. While at Chudleigh Knighton Heath nature reserve the Trust has also been able to create firebreaks to better protect its valuable heathland species.
The work was made possible after Devon Wildlife Trust received £38,400 from Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund.
The grant has also allowed the Trust to enlist the help of a remote-controlled machine: a ‘robo-flail’ was employed to undertake some of the most dangerous and backbreaking tasks. Matt Boydell, Devon Wildlife Trust’s Nature Reserves Manager said:
“We were able to complete most of the work using traditional methods, relying on the muscle and skill of our staff and volunteers. However, some parts of our nature reserves are really hard to reach. They contain very steep slopes, which make using hand tools and chainsaws difficult and potentially hazardous. This is why we turned to the help of a remote-controlled machine!”
The Trust was able to use the ‘robo-flail’ – a remote controlled flail which is able to move safely over the steepest gradients while cutting bracken, gorse and bramble.
Matt Boydell said:
“The ‘robo-flail’ has made a big difference to what we can achieve. It has allowed us to get to parts of our reserves which we otherwise would have just had to leave alone. At our Dart Valley nature reserve, for example, we’ve been able to create good habitat for the rare high brown fritillary which lives there.
Elsewhere it’s been our wonderful team of staff and volunteers who have done the work. At Chudleigh Knighton Heath they’ve made vital improvements to the heathland homes of England’s only population of narrow-headed ants, while at Bovey Heathfield nature reserve they created better conditions for the rare heath-potter wasps which live there. We are immensely grateful for Biffa Award’s support in making this project possible”
Biffa Award’s grant also allowed the Trust to plant four hectares of new wildflower meadow at its Woodah Farm, in the Teign Valley. The benefits of these should be seen in coming summers when the meadows attract and nourish a wide array of pollinating insects including marbled white butterflies and six-spot burnet moths.
Rachel Maidment, Biffa Award’s Grants Manager said:
“It is great to see the impressive work that has been carried out across South Devon as part of Devon Wildlife Trust’s Helping Habitats project. It is hugely important that Biffa Award continues to fund biodiversity projects like this one, which seek to reverse the increasing decline of invertebrate species. The project is not only benefitting some of the Devon’s rarest species, but also helping to pave the way for Nature’s Recovery.”
