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Caring
for the reserve
The National Trust owns Lundy and the
Landmark Trust manage it under lease. English Nature supports the Landmark
Trust in employing a warden for the island. Lundy has three main conservation
priorities, the endemic Lundy cabbage and its two associated beetles;
its breeding seabirds; and its heathland.
The Lundy cabbage and its beetles are
vulnerable to suppression by introduced rhododendron and to grazing by
rabbits, sheep and goats. Rhododendron has spread on the steep cliffs
which the cabbage uses as a refuge from grazing, as well as the adjacent
slopes, and leading to the loss of important vegetation, including Lundy
cabbage. Where it poses a threat to the Lundy cabbage, it is controlled
and cleared to maintain the open cliffs and slopes. In addition, fencing
excludes large grazing animals from some areas to prevent problems from
their grazing but overgrazing by rabbits remains a major problem for the
plant.
A partnership of English Nature, the
Landmark Trust, the National Trust and RSPB is working together on the
Lundy Seabird Recovery Project. This project aims to protect the breeding
grounds of the puffins and Manx shearwaters on Lundy. Rats eat the eggs
and chicks of burrow-nesting birds. It is believed that, on Lundy, this
has pushed the numbers of puffins and Manx shearwaters to the point where
they may be lost from the island altogether. In 2001 work began to remove
rats from the island, using specially designed bait stations. Monitoring
is continuing to assess how the project is progressing.
The heathland on Lundy is vulnerable
to overgrazing, which can affect the quality of the habitat and cause
erosion. There is a managed grazing stock on the island but the semi-wild
goats, Soay sheep, deer and rabbits are more difficult to control. A management
plan is in place to protect the heathland, by promoting a balanced approach
to grazing. English Nature and the Landmark Trust regularly review the
grazing scheme on the island.
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Rhododendron
©Roger Key |
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Lundy
Cabbage ©Roger Key |
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