Equipped with backpacks full of wildflower seeds, dogs in a scheme in England are mimicking an ecological role left vacant by wolves
‘Man’s best friend’ is becoming an ally of nature too thanks to a novel rewilding project in England.
Furnished with leaky backpacks stuffed with wildflower seeds, dogs are being let loose on an urban nature reserve just outside Lewes, east Sussex. The idea is that they mimic an ecological role vacated by wolves, when the latter was driven to extinction in the UK in the 18th century.
Wolves unwittingly collected seeds in their fur and deposited them all over the UK, creating new colonies of plants. Now Lewes’ dogs are doing the same thanks to an initiative run by the Railway Land Wildlife Trust and the Wilderlife rewilding platform.
“This has been such a joyous experience,” said project manager Dylan Walker, an ecologist. “Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside, so we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars.
“It’s been a huge success in terms of engaging with the local community, including people who might walk through the reserve, but aren’t necessarily knowledgeable about nature. And, of course, there’s the seed germination, which we’re starting to see a little bit of.”
The project was inspired by a similar initiative in Chile in 2019. “A couple of sisters lived in an area where a huge forest fire destroyed most of the trees and the understory flora,” explained Walker. “They had this amazing idea to put packs on their labradors and let them run through the forest reseeding tree species.”
The seed mix being used on the patch features 23 perennial wildflowers, including Early Purple Orchid and Common Spotted Orchid as well as the likes of bluebell, primrose and wood sage. They are mixed with sand, which aids distribution as well as allowing the team to track where it’s been deposited.
Dog walkers often get bad press when walking in the countryside, so we’re so pleased to tell a story in which dogs and their owners are the stars
The project was made open to all dog walkers using the space, with Walker’s team offering initial training after which dog walkers could pick up the packs from the reserve headquarters whenever they visited. “We had about 12 dog walkers and their dogs take part in the project this spring and we intend to run it again in the autumn,” Walker told Positive News.
He reckons that dogs cover about four times more ground than their owners and behave in a way that is more helpful to nature. “They’re more random, which is what you want,” he noted. “We have a certain way of doing things as human beings, even if we’re not thinking about it – we tend to be a bit linear.”
And the idea is catching on. “We’ve had quite a few inquiries from other nature reserves up and down the country, who said: ‘This is great, this sort of thing we’d like to do’. We’re keen to share our experiences.”
Cressida Murray and her cocker spaniel Bertie were among those taking part in the Lewes project. “Bertie ran around spreading seeds like wolves used to do many years ago,” she said. “It’s such a great project to involve our local community.”
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