A quest to reintroduce Nature to a Lake District Hill Farm

British ecologist and naturalist, Lee Schofield, was site manager for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) at Haweswater in the Lake District National Park for over ten years where he oversaw pioneering conservation work across an upland mosaic of woodland, bog, mountain and meadow. Wild Fell details the challenges involved in working on the front line of Nature conservation in the uplands.

This wonderful book has delightful illustrations of native plants throughout with reference to local fauna and botanical treasures on every page. It records Lee's discovery of England's rarest mountain flower, the Pyramidal Bugle, a semi-evergreen perennial and member of the Mint family, found growing wild only in the higher altitudes. 

In three parts from Imperfection to Inspiration to Intervention, Wild Fell charts a remarkable quest to breathe life back into two hill farms and thirty square kilometres of sprawling upland habitat. The farms sit at the edge of the region's largest reservoir with a history that has been turbulent for both its people and its wildlife, leaving the various habitats depleted and bereft of wildlife.

Lee's ultimate goal was to see the return of the Golden Eagle following the death of England's last and loneliest accipitridae who died in an unmarked spot among the remote eastern fells of the Lake District in 2015. It was a tragic day for the nation's wildlife, but the fight to restore the landscape had already begun.

Imperfection

One of the most striking revelations in Wild Fell is the fact that sheep are not a native species to the British Isles. Their wild ancestors came from Mesopotamia and have been domesticated here for at least 6,000 years. As Lee says, There were no sheep in the pre-human countryside. This is nothing in evolutionary time which means our native flora has not adapted to cope with the particular way that these species graze and browse.

As Lee explains: Sheep have small mouths that allow them to pick out sweeter, more delicate species, ignoring courser, less palatable ones, which end up dominating.  He goes on to say: This is why, in addition to their often excessive numbers, sheep have had such a serious impact on our ecology compared to other grazers, and why our aim of improving the state of Haweswater's ecology while keeping sheep is such a challenge.

During a three week visit to Fidjadalen in South West Norway - an area very similar to the Lake District which is rich, vibrant and productive - Lee discovered that the Norweigian farming delegation have a very different approach to sheep grazing. Their average density is about one ewe to five hectares for four months a year compared to one ewe per hectare in the Lake District with sheep grazing the fells for much longer periods. 

As Lee says: Norways' national flock numbers a little over two million, a figure that satisfies Norway's national demand - imports and exports are a tiny part of the market. The UK has over 23 million sheep, many of which are exported. There are nearly as many sheep in Cumbria as there are in the whole of Norway. Lee realised that moving towards a lower density of sheep and adopting Norweigian farming methods might be a good way to restore the Lake District's upland habitats while maintaining the cultural heritage and traditions of hill farming.

Presenting this to Lake District farmers who have been rearing sheep with substantial government funding over many years was not received well. Lee earned the title of sheep-hater and it took many years to gradually bring about the required change. Acutely aware of the fact that nobody wants to hear an outsider suggesting that their way of life needs to change, Lee started talking to farmers to understand their arguments and fears, knowing that change could only happen when farmers chose to bring it about themselves.

Inspiration

On his trip to Norway, Lee learned a great deal about how to manage the depleted land in his care and how to bring it back to its former glory. He was inspired to see how a farming system with sheep could work hand in glove with a rich natural upland environment.

One thing he didn't see growing in Fidjadalen was Bracken which is a big issue in the British Isles. As Lee says: It is most problematic in the hills and is considered dominant across more than 4 per cent of the entire upland area. At its most dense, bracken casts almost complete shade, so that few other plants can grow below it. Unfortunately, sheep don't like Bracken and can easily get lost inside a large bed which is a major problem for farming, just as it is for Nature and for access. 

By carefully managing sheep grazing and introducing more outdoor cattle grazing, this problem is being resolved. The regular trampling of cattle and ponies seriously weakens the Bracken, allowing young Alders to pop up along the edges of streams, and Birch and Hazel to spread out of the woodland. This also enhances water quality by helping to rough up the land thus promoting the regeneration of trees and scrub, creating a more diverse landscape which works as a better filter for water.

As a sidenote, it seems to me that the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England, would do well to follow the footsteps of Lee's endeavours. It's desolate landscape, as beautiful as it is with its expansive views and sense of remoteness and tranquillity, is being gradually eroded by the overgrazing of sheep and the annual burning of great swathes of Bracken, a traditional practice known as swaling which destroys habitats, stops scrub and trees from growing and damages peat beds.

The overgrazing of sheep left to graze freely throughout the year is particularly problematic as they nibble away at new Heather and Bilberry shoots which start to appear in late Winter. As a result, the Heather condition is progressively weakened and what was once a species-rich heath progressively becomes species-poor grassland.

Intervention

A key part of the rewilding project at Haweswater involved a partnership between RSPB and United Utilities to improve water catchment resilience. The aim was to improve the water quality of the most important drinking water source in north-west England.

Significant river restoration and peat bog restoration achieved through grip blocking more than 40 miles of moorland drains has created natural river bends that slow down the flow of water. This not only reduces flood risk but also creates gravelly shallows, ripples and ruffles that draw oxygen into the water's flow. The resulting riffles, bars, pools and islands provide a constantly changing habitat for a massive range of wildlife.

Tree planting has also been a major part of the restoration process with more than half a million trees planted by an army of volunteers over a fifteen year period. This has also helped to prevent flooding and keep insurance premiums down which as been a popular outcome for local residents.

The Haweswater Tree Nursery has created a load of brilliant opportunities for people with different skills to give something of themselves back to Nature and to build a lasting connection to a place. Using the seeds of native trees collected locally, the nursery produces thousands of Juniper, Hazel, Rowan, Wych Elm, Holly, Oak, Hawthorn, Birch, Aspen and Willow saplings every year.

Return of the Golden Eagle

In the last chapter, Future, Lee imagines returning to Haweswater a few weeks before his retirement on a perfect late May morning. The first Spring flowers are showing and there's a good growth of grass, thanks to the months of rest that these lambing fields have had over the Winter months. 

To his delight, he encounters Red Squirrels, Badgers, an Osprey, a Pine Martin, a Red-Backed Shrike, a Water Vole, a Red Kite, Black Grouse, Barn Owls and Beavers along the way. Peat bogs have a decent covering of trees with a lush carpet of Bilberry, Cowberry and Crowberry growing below. Bluethroats are drawn to the Downy Willows planted twenty-five years ago as Green Hairsteaks are busy in the Bilberry and the ubiquitous Orange Tips are making the most of the last of the Cuckooflower.

Having coaxed Nature back, helping the landscape to function again, a beautiful Golden Eagle casts a shadow on the hill. She circles and fixes an eye on me, head tilted, before flying off over the wild landscape that she rules again.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf