Crewkerne Habitat Bank

Overview

This habitat bank aligns with the wider environmental objectives of the estate, combining sustainable and organic farming alongside long held environmental stewardship objectives. The habitat bank has been carefully planned to enhance the land parcel into a diverse mosaic of lowland meadows, other neutral grasslands, and mixed scrub habitats.

The land lies adjacent to the River Axe, which is a river of national significance, as both a Special Area of Conservation, and a SSSI, the habitat bank helps protect the river, and provides suitable flood areas during periods of high flow.

Grassland swards will be enhanced through carefully managed grazing and seasonal mowing to increase botanical diversity and establish species-rich neutral grassland communities. Lowland meadow areas will be managed to promote a varied sward structure and abundant wildflowers, with native cattle grazing timed at low stocking densities, and carefully managed to avoid nutrient enrichment and support pollinators and ground-nesting wildlife. Areas of mixed scrub will be allowed to naturally regenerate and develop through selective management, including rotational cutting and the retention of open glades and habitat edges to create structural diversity. Together, these habitats will form a resilient, wildlife-rich landscape that supports the river system, and compliments the wider work within the estate.