Grasslands: Meadow and Pasture, in the Sid Valley

The Ancient Fields In The Sid Valley, With Their Rich Tapestry Of Plants And Animals, Didn’t Happen By Chance. It Is The Result Of Centuries Of Livestock Grazing.

Cattle, sheep, pig, equines and deer all impact the landscape by grazing and browsing in their characteristic ways. Couple this with farming methods, where both pastures and meadows are utilised, and a biodiverse landscape is the result.

Stop grazing, and the vegetation changes in the following weeks and months. Within a season we start to see some species start to dominate. Brambles, young trees, gorse, nettles, and Himalayan Balsam are just a few plants that play a role in our landscape but will quickly dominate it if grazing stops. And once key plant species die out, so do the other forms of life that depended on them. For example, species such as Bird’s-foot trefoil support 130 or more species.

If you love the “natural world” remember it is actually an artefact of the grazing that humans have encouraged. The “natural world” would soon be depleted without grazing.

A History Told In Images

This article started with a discussion between myself and a local landowner, Kathy Gray. This resulted in Kathy writing an article based on her extensive research and experience of conservation grazing in the Sid Valley. Further discussion, and a joint love of art and imagery, gradually saw the article become an infographic. The process was time-consuming, but so is conservation grazing and the formation of the biodiverse landscape it is so easy to take for granted here in East Devon.

The infographic isn’t about one farm, it is about a process that takes place worldwide, but in this case we focus on the Sid Valley with its small fields, organic farmers, conservation graziers and unique geology.

The high-resolution infographic below can be viewed below and is followed by photographs taken on local farms that practice conservation grazing.