Ponies back in the 'front line' (From Western Telegraph)

Ponies back in the 'front line'

PONIES are back grazing sand dunes at Freshwater East for the first time in at least a quarter-of-a-century.

Four Welsh ponies have taken up residence for the winter in an area fenced off by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, which last year acquired 90 acres of land at the resort.

The ponies are the 'front line' of a controlled grazing programme, which has been established to improve the quantity and quality of the dune grassland habitat.

National Park monitoring ecologist, Mike Howe, said sand dunes are nationally important habitats and the dunes at Freshwater East have the potential to be among the finest in Pembrokeshire.

Surveys show that the sand dune system has a range of habitats supporting 212 species of flowering plants, a diverse range of invertebrate species and provide an excellent environment for breeding and non-breeding birds and bats.

"Over the past 20 years the dunes have been protected from erosion with major investment in terms of funding and volunteer time, and this management has been very successful. Unfortunately, the important dune grassland habitats - and associated species - have been disappearing under scrub due to a decline in grazing, particularly from rabbits.

"In order to maintain the dune habitats in good condition a controlled grazing and scrub management programme has been implemented, also ensuring that current levels of public access are not compromised." Grazing by livestock on the dunes has not occurred at Freshwater East for at least 25 years, Mike added. With the severe decline in the rabbit population, due to the disease myxamatosis, grazing by rabbits had diminished considerably.

This had resulted in an increase in dense scrub and bracken and the decline in the extent and quality of dune habitats and in the populations of some species, such as the green-winged orchid.

"During the winter the area will be lightly grazed by ponies and the exact grazing period will be reviewed in the light of vegetation monitoring. It is unlikely to be grazed for more than four months in any year.

"The grazing area is restricted to a central area away from most of the housing, and concentrates on habitats that have not developed into full-blown scrub and woodland communities."

Mike appealed to walkers not to feed the ponies or disturb them. Normal access arrangements for the public remained unchanged, he said.