A mixed herd of 120 cows and calves was released onto the Plain on June 2nd under the close supervision of a herdsman who controls the herd by day and returns them to a temporary penning in the evening.

The herdsman project has dual aims. To restore sensitive grazing to new areas of the Plain for the benefit of the internationally important plants and other wildlife that occur on Salisbury Plain. To see if this trial method of grazing is compatible with military training requirements.

Since the Life project started grazing has been restored to over 1000 hectares of grassland. The herdsman project is the latest and most ambitious phase of this restoration programme.

Stephen Davis, Project Manager, said "The unique open grasslands of Salisbury Plain are the product of several thousand years of sheep and cattle grazing. It is therefore wonderful to once again see cattle grazing without fencing on Salisbury Plain after such a long period. The very positive partnership with the army is essential to the successful maintenance of wildlife on Salisbury Plain."

Lt Col Paul Norrington-Davies, Commandant ATE Salisbury Plain said: "My chief objective is always providing sustainable training in order for the army to do its job.
We are very keen to see the success of the herdsman project as it will considerably enhance our ability to train flexibly across the Plain, while continuing to also deliver wider conservation objectives alongside our primary military training objectives."

Restoration of grazing will benefit a range of important species including the marsh fritillary butterfly for which Salisbury Plain is a European stronghold.

You are invited to come and visit the site on Monday 14th July 2003 10:30am.
For Health and Safety reasons you will need to be escorted on to the site.

Partners in the Salisbury Plain LIFE Project

LIFE Nature is the financial instrument supporting the European Community environmental policy. LIFE aims at co-financing actions in the fields of nature conservation and the environment. LIFE-Nature must contribute to the implementation of the "Birds" (79/409/EEC) and "Habitats" (92/43/EEC) Community Directives, and in particular, to the establishment of the European network of protected areas - NATURA 2000 - aiming at the on-site management and conservation of the most valuable fauna and flora species and habitats in the Union.

English Nature - is the Government agency that champions the conservation of wildlife and geology throughout England. Salisbury Plain Life Project manager Stephen Davis Tel: 01980 674821. Salisbury Plain LIFE project web address: www.english-nature.org.uk/salisbury/

Headquarters Army Training Estate (HQ ATE) - manage the army training areas in the UK and overseas.

Defence Estates (DE) - is an agency of the Ministry of Defence and ensures that the MoD Estate is managed in line with Government policy on the environment to actively conserve MoD land, its properties and its diverse cultural and wildlife interests. Tel: 01980 674707 email: james.crosfield@de.mod.uk

Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) - is an agency of the Ministry of Defence. Porton Down is one of a number of Dstl sites in the UK and is chiefly concerned with chemical and biological defence. Tel: 01980 613933 email: slellison@dstl.gov.uk

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - is a registered charity. The principle objective of the RSPB is the conservation of wild birds and their habitats. For pictures of stone curlew contact RSPB images on 0207 253 5411 or visit www.rspb-images.com For moving images contact the RSPB media unit on 01767 680551.

Butterfly Conservation (BC) - is the largest insect conservation charity in Europe with over 10,000 members in the UK. Its aim is the conservation of butterflies, moths and their habitats. Tel: 01929 400209 email: cbulman@butterfly-conservation.org

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) - is one of the Centres and Surveys of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The CEH mission includes the aim to secure, expand and provide ecologically and hydrologically relevant data to further scientific research and provide the basis for advice on environmental conservation and sustainable development to Governments and industry.

Essential contacts
Please contact Elaine Swiffen (Ph:01980 674822)
or Stephen Davis, Project Manager (Ph:01980674821, Mob: 07909 532532, e-mail: stephen.davis@english-nature.org.uk)
to confirm attendance and make arrangements for visiting the site.

Photographs available from Heather Wilkins, English Nature Press Office, (Ph: 01733 455000, e-mail: heather.wilkins@english-nature.org.uk)

Marsh fritillary
Herdsman Project