Nature grazing
Natural grazing is a natural, sustainable and environmentally friendly grazing of nature reserves by a flock of sheep. It is an alternative to other management measures that damage nature, such as mowing, sodding and fertilizing. Sheep can access less accessible places than machines or people. Areas where natural grazing is used are heathlands, forest edges and poor nature reserves.
A flock of sheep with a shepherd can graze where necessary, this is the difference with free-ranging cattle, horses or deer. Due to the high nitrogen content, some nature areas grow densely with nitrogen-rich plants, these are exactly the plants that the sheep like to graze on. This gives heather plants, herbs and vulnerable plants the space to bloom and set seed again. This prevents grassification and forestation and gives a richer variety of flora and fauna a chance.
Healthy balance
The sheep work the soil with their small hooves, after which it is fertilized by the feces. The sheep also contribute to a richer biodiversity because they carry spores, seeds and insects in their wool from one area to another. In this way, the sheep contribute both actively and passively to a richer natural life and healthy balance in nature.
Click here to read more about Dutch sheepwool.
