We've been very lucky this year to have joined a few 'information exchange/knowledge share visits' in different counties! We've been hosted by the fantastic folks at Cannock Chase, Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons and Cleeve Common, comparing our management approaches and discussing ideas for solutions to shared challenges.
Cannock Chase visit
Back in May, we visited the team at Cannock Chase, and were met by Georgina, Tom and Claire from the Special Area of Conservation Partnership. The day started with a great overview of the ownership of the area, some of the key visitor groups and activities that take place. We walked through to the Forestry England side of the site which is a popular area for cyclists, mountain bikers, runners and hikers of all ages and backgrounds. It was great to see some of the fantastic acid and heath habitats and of course the woodland.
We discussed community engagement activities and some of the brilliant work being done with the community to engage a range of audiences in nature, conservation and responsible visits to the AONB, it certainly inspired me and gave me some ideas for next year's programme of events!
We finished the afternoon with a visit to the iconic viewpoint overlooking the landscape - we talked through species monitoring and management work, particularly around butterflies which was super interesting!
Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons visit
Cleeve Common Visit
Our next door neighbours (near enough!) at Cleeve Common Trust invited us to their site and kindly gave us a fantastic tour of the area. Kay and Giles took us out onto the common, part of which is enjoyed by golfers, to discuss our shared management. The memorial scheme employed here is wonderful - an iconic tree which is surrounded by a plaque-adorned wall, as well as a lovely plaque-topped stone wall which is a newer addition, allowing many people to remember their loved ones.
We met 'the boys' the herd of belted galloway cattle (which we also have grazing our hills) who are helping to enhance the grassland and manage scrub on the Common, along with sheep. We discussed how our grazing compartments and commoner's grazing is managed and agreed how dry a year it has been, some of our electric fences losing their power has been a real challenge this year.
In the afternoon, Michael and Nicole joined us to discuss recreation, community engagement and key issues for the summer ahead such as barbeques and reducing fire risk, as well as keeping livestock safe around dogs. Nicole took us out in the ATV to look at the wetter areas of the common and some of the interpretation on site - lots of ideas for us here which was great!
The work being done for butterfly conservation and grassland species here is amazing, it was a real treat to be walking through the common with dark green fritillary butterflies and stonechats flying all around us!
All in all, these visits are invaluable for gaining a wider understanding of projects being undertaken across the UK, on similarly managed sites, which require a very different approach to more conventional 'nature reserves' you can read more about how we manage our landscape in our land management plan or sign up to our E-newsletter for quarterly updates about our work.
Our thanks go to all of the partners who hosted us and we look forward to hosting reciprocal events soon.
