Dogs and their owners in East Sussex, England, have been enlisted to help spread wildflowers.
Before wolves were hunted to extinction in the UK, they traveled up to 12 miles daily, carrying grass and wildflower seeds on their fur and dropping them in new areas. Without them, biodiversity has suffered. In 2017, Chile used three backpack-equipped border collies to help reseed an area devastated by wildfires. The dogs covered up to 30 kilometers daily and sowed up to 10 kilos of seeds, whereas a person could only do three kilometers daily.
Inspired by the program’s success in Chile, the Railway Land Wildlife Trust in Lewes is enlisting local dogs and dogwalkers to repair damaged forests.
Dylan Walker, the manager behind the scheme, said: “We’re really interested in rewilding processes, but they often involve reintroducing big herbivores like bison or wild horses. 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 utilise the vast number of dog walkers that are visiting the nature reserve daily.”
Is there anything dogs can’t do?
Previously: Smart shelter dog attempts to free his friends, then helps himself to unlimited snacks
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