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Wilder grazing unit: May & June update

Work is well underway and some key milestones have been reached, including the building of a new heathland dwelling at Arne using traditional materials.

This will be used by groups and visitors to Arne to learn about the history and origins of the area and its connection to the past.

Arne Heathland dwelling 2021

Key milestones reached in May/June included:

  • Highways cattle grids ordered from supplier
  • Formal and public consultation for cattle grids completed (works due to begin Sept for approx. 11 weeks)
  • Gates purchased and fencing contracts issued for installation of boundary fencing
  • Drone flights with remote sensing camera, cattle GPS collars, trail cameras & Bournemouth Uni students ‘on the ground’, used to prepare baseline data for ecological monitoring
  • Initial plans for livestock numbers and breeds considered, plus initial discussions with graziers
  • Heathland dwelling now thatched by Ancient Technology Centre and used as focal point for first of a series of stakeholder workshops (more booked in July/Aug)
  • Designer appointed to create ‘toolkit’ for physical and digital products across the wider Purbeck National Nature Reserve
  • Sustainable Tourism Plan being prepared with input from key stakeholders & partners
  • Purbeck Heaths Week planned 20-26 Sept, to coincide with Planet Purbeck Festival
New heathland dwelling at Arne