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Many centuries ago, wolves served an unexpected purpose in nature. As they roamed around, they would inadvertently get wildflower and grass seeds stuck in their fur. Then, these would be released elsewhere, establishing new colonies of plants and helping ecosystems thrive. Inspired by this, an urban nature reserve in the English town of Lewes enlisted local dogs and their humans to help them rewild the area.
The project is spearheaded by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes, funded by Ouse Valley Climate Action. The project calls for dog walkers to pick up dog backpacks containing seeds from staff members. Each bag has cleverly placed holes to help distribute the seeds as the pups run around the grounds. The team also mixed the seed with sand to both help the seed go further and track where the dogs are depositing them.
The project, which is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, was inspired by a 2019 project in Chile in which two women, helped by their three dogs, planted seeds in areas across the country that had been devastated by wildfires. Given that the Lewes reserve has become degraded by constant footfall, Dylan Walker, the manager behind the scheme, saw an opportunity to replicate this idea.
“We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses,” Walker told The Guardian. “In a smaller urban nature reserve, it’s really hard to do those things. So, to replicate the effect that those animals have on the ecosystem, we aimed to utilize the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”
Walker and the team have already started to see seed germination in some areas of the reserve. However, most of the seeds that have been distributed by the dogs are perennials, meaning it’ll be a couple of years before they see some clearer results. Still, he is hopeful about what this endeavor can mean for everyone. “A community-based project like this,” Walker explains, “not only helps engage and teach people about the ecological impacts of wildlife but also allows us to make our wildlife and environments richer in the process.”
An urban nature reserve in England enlisted local dogs and their humans to help them rewild the area by fitting pups with bags with seeds.
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The project calls for dog walkers to pick up dog backpacks containing seeds from staff members.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Each bag has cleverly placed holes to help distribute the seeds as the pups run around the grounds.
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View this post on Instagram
Railway Land Wildlife Trust: Website | Instagram
h/t: [The Guardian]
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