2 weeks Ago
A herd of Exmoor ponies has been introduced at a "habitat bank" close to the west Pennine moors. The hardy ponies, which were on the brink of extinction after the Second World War, are helping to revive local wildlife and restore biodiversity at a site managed by Environment Bank. The 51-hectare Horwich habitat bank, north of Bolton, enables developers to buy biodiversity "units" to offset environmental harm from their projects.
The introduction of the ponies to the land is to tackle the spread of soft rush, a tough plant that has overtaken much of site, driving out key bird species like lapwing, curlew and redshank. By naturally grazing and trampling the area, it is hoped the ponies will create space for wildflowers and supporting the return of rare and threatened plant species. The ponies belong to local breeder and vet, Michael Dewhurst, who is passionate about conserving the ancient breed.
Environment Bank said the ponies’ work at the Horwich habitat bank "not only supports local biodiversity but also connects the community to a piece of Britain’s rural heritage". Alongside the ponies, the site is undergoing habitat restoration, including the revival of four dried-out ponds and the creation of six new ones ideal for amphibians and breeding wading birds. Habitat banks transform low-yielding farmland into nature recovery sites.
At the Horwich site, developers can then purchase more than 800 off-site biodiversity units to offset their construction projects if they are unable to demonstrate biodiversity net gain at their building location. A spokesman for Environment Bank said: “Exmoor ponies have been introduced to manage the extent of the soft rush on the site. “Soft rush is a component species of the habitat at Horwich but there is currently too much of it and that is holding back some of the other flora we would also expect to see.
“The ponies enjoy soft rush, particularly at this time of year when it offers a sweet, green ‘bite’ at a time that not much else is growing. “By reducing the extent of the soft rush, they’ll allow other species to come through and create the diversity environment bank is after.”.
