Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is thrilled to announce we’re teaming up with Llanymynech Golf Club, Helen Upson of conservation grazing enterprise Pori Bach, and local butterfly expert Dr Simon Spencer to restore rare wildlife-rich grasslands on Llanymynech Rocks in Wales.

The team has secured £249,500 from the Nature Networks Programme, delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government, for an innovative new collaborative project, Grazing on the Rocks, which will be led by the golf club.

A former quarry in Powys between Llanymynech and Pant, Llanymynech Rocks is home to Llanymynech Golf Club ,and Llanymynech Rocks Nature Reserve - both of which straddle the Wales/England border. Cared for by Llanymynech Golf Club, Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, the hill is best-known for its butterflies but is also home to a wealth of other wonderful wildlife, such as rare orchids, bees, bats and lizards.

One of a handful of limestone outcrops along Wales’ eastern border, Llanymynech Rocks acts as a refuge for the rare plants and animals associated with its unique geology and soils and is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) because of its huge importance for wildlife. However, the site is in urgent need of restoration.

Clive Faulkner, CEO of Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, says:

"Llanymynech Rocks is such a special site, important not just for the wildlife it is home to, but also for surrounding sites, and for the people who live nearby. Welsh Government rightly focuses on bigger, better and more joined up habitats, which is what Grazing on the Rocks is all about. The Rocks are a magical place to visit, and this project will allow us to bring more people in to wonder at and care for its wildlife treasures." 

Sean Borrett, Course Manager at Llanymynech Golf Club, says:

“We’re really excited about this project. Sensitive grazing is the most effective way of managing our SSSI grasslands. We’ve worked successfully with Helen Upson of Pori Bach and Dr Simon Spencer before. By joining together with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust and searching for more sites for conservation grazing, it will make grassland maintenance more sustainable for everyone involved. Helen already grazes parts of the golf course and we intend to extend this on the course and on to the MWT reserve.” 

Over two years, the Grazing on the Rocks project will see practical works and community engagement on the golf club’s land in Wales and on the neighbouring MWT nature reserve. As part of this, wildlife surveys will be carried out to find out what rare plants and animals are currently there to measure improvements brought about during the project. Nature walks and talks, along with new interpretation signage, will raise awareness amongst the local community of the site’s importance for wildlife. Works such as scrub clearance will restore the special grasslands and fencing will allow the return of grazing animals.

What’s more, the project will explore the potential for a mobile livestock herd for conservation grazing. Owners of parcels of land too small to maintain livestock often struggle to maintain traditional grasslands, habitats that have suffered drastic declines in the past 75 years. Pori Bach’s herd of Ancient Cattle of Wales thrive in these habitats and can help boost biodiversity through a co-ordinated local grazing plan. The breed is one of the newest additions to the Rare Breed Survival Trust’s Priority list, so long term security of a breeding herd is critical to their future as well. This project also plans to introduce goats to the Pori Bach team, where smaller nimble livestock are a better match for habitat and historic sites.

The Nature Networks Programme aims to address the nature emergency by strengthening the resilience of protected sites and enhancing ecological connectivity to create a more sustainable nature-positive environment. Llanymynech Rocks is a vital habitat link between North and Mid Wales, Powys and Shropshire. By restoring rare grassland here, the Grazing on the Rocks project will also enhance populations of threatened and endangered species in the surrounding area.

• For more information about Grazing on the Rocks and 
  opportunities to get involved in events and surveys, visit: www.montwt.co.uk/grazing-on-the-rocks