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https://www.positive.news/environment/doggy-bags-packed-with-seeds-to-help-rewild-nature-reserve-in-england/>
"‘Man’s best friend’ is becoming an ally of nature too thanks to a novel
rewilding project in England.
Furnished with leaky backpacks stuffed with wildflower seeds, dogs are being
let loose on an urban nature reserve just outside Lewes, east Sussex. The idea
is that they mimic an ecological role vacated by wolves, when the latter was
driven to extinction in the UK in the 18th century.
Wolves unwittingly collected seeds in their fur and deposited them all over the
UK, creating new colonies of plants. Now Lewes’ dogs are doing the same thanks
to an initiative run by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust and the Wilderlife
rewilding platform.
“This has been such a joyous experience,” said project manager Dylan Walker, an
ecologist. “Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside, so
we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars.
“It’s been a huge success in terms of engaging with the local community,
including people who might walk through the reserve, but aren’t necessarily
knowledgeable about nature. And, of course, there’s the seed germination, which
we’re starting to see a little bit of.”
The project was inspired by a similar initiative in Chile in 2019. “A couple of
sisters lived in an area where a huge forest fire destroyed most of the trees
and the understory flora,” explained Walker. “They had this amazing idea to put
packs on their labradors and let them run through the forest reseeding tree
species.”
The seed mix being used on the patch features 23 perennial wildflowers,
including Early Purple Orchid and Common Spotted Orchid as well as the likes of
bluebell, primrose and wood sage. They are mixed with sand, which aids
distribution as well as allowing the team to track where it’s been deposited."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
