N EWS from the Devon Wildlife Trust focuses largely on North Devon at present with two projects boosting wildlife by helping farmers.

Devon Wildlife Trust's (DWT) Working Wetlands project has purchased a herd of White Park cattle (a breed listed on the native breeds 'at risk register') and has transported them to Headon Farm in North Devon.

This has given local landowner Robert Wright a helping hand to manage his area of Culm Grassland for the scarce wildlife it supports.

The project is the brainchild of DWT's Simon Berry who is currently setting up similar grazing schemes across the Culm Measures.

Mr. Berry said: "This is the first time our new White Park cattle have been put out to work providing a much needed boost to our conservation efforts.

"It's essential to see these areas of rare wet wildlife-rich grassland grazed. Without management of this kind, Culm Grasslands can become neglected, leaving scrub to take over. Landowners don't usually have the hardy breeds of cattle able to thrive on this type of difficult ground. This is where our new scheme is beneficial."

The service from Working Wetlands has not just been a case of providing cattle. Mr. Wright was also supported in an application to the Natural England administered Higher Level Stewardship Scheme.

Mr. Wright said: "The introduction of native cattle, and other measures such as less frequent hedge cutting, has helped to maintain the farm as it has been for centuries, and already there has been a noticeable increase in the wildlife observed.

In June the Devon Wildlife Trust awarded the first of its capital works grants to a local landowner in North Devon. The awards form an important part of the charity's Working Wetlands project.

Lesley Prior from Westcott Farm in the Rackenford area is the proud recipient and has used the grant to install vital fencing to improve the management of her site.

The farm was selected as it fell within one of the project's three target areas: Knowstone and Witheridge, Hollow Moor and Torridge and Tamar headwaters.

The fencing has enabled Lesley to create separate fields within a larger area allowing better overall management of the site and helping to protect key habitats such as Culm grassland. It is hoped that this will reduce the over-grazing and subsequent poaching by cattle, as well as helping the rare habitat to spread along the farm's valley bottom.

Lesley farms cashmere goats for their luxury fibre which she turns into yarn. She is over the moon with the fencing as it will enable her to show people what goats can really do for the Culm.

She said: "Goats are browsers and not grazers and are able to keep down invasive species while allowing rare Culm Grassland treasures to flourish. The grant from DWT is helping us to help wildlife, what more can I ask?"